Abandoned in Hubei: Jessica's Story

It was a humid 85 degree day in Hubei. A young mom held her three month old in her arms as she walked onto a bridge near the Yangtze River; she hushed her little girl, hoping to not be discovered for fear of being arrested for what she was about to do. As the sun rose just above the horizon, the lady placed her baby on a safe spot and pinned a note on her shirt.

“Shhhh! Qi ChunTeng!” Quietly, the young mom ran down the dock, looking fearfully around. At any moment she could be caught and reported to the police for abandoning her child. But what else was she supposed to do? Where would she find the money to raise this child? She was struggling financially. And her family would shame her for not giving birth to a son; she really didn’t want a girl after all.

In Wuhan, it was illegal to give up your child for adoption or you would have to face consequences from the local police - including possible fines and detention. To abandon a child was also against the law, and if the parent was caught leaving their child, they would be reported to the authorities. People who turned them in would be rewarded financially; this was especially motivating to the people of Hubei since the government controlled all the wealth.

Qi ChunTeng’s mother slipped away into the distance, feeling ready to forget this chapter of her life and begin a new one.

Soon little Qi ChunTeng’s wailing was heard by a village lady, who was on her way to the market. Most people of Wuhan were very used to finding abandoned babies, and would not go out of their way to help them, but this lady was different. Slowly, she bent down to the ground and scooped up a tiny, beautiful little girl. As the lady held her, she realized there was a piece of paper pinned to the baby’s sweater. She glanced at the description on the paper:

五月二十四日，二00二年

莂春腾

The woman realized that this little one couldn’t be more than twelve weeks old! She went to the police station and handed Qi ChunTeng over to them. The police filled out her paperwork, and placed her temporarily in the Qichun Welfare Home, a fifty year old orphanage down the street. An ad was placed, telling the community about this abandoned little one, along with the many other weekly abandonment announcements in the paper. The authorities did not see many of these deserted children ever reunited with their biological families.

Qi ChunTeng awoke in a metal framed crib, hearing the babies around her crying. This orphanage was understaffed, and although some of the employees truly loved each child, there were not enough people to go around. Most of these children did not bond with the workers, but learned to fend for themselves, as well as they could. This caused the little ones to be closed toward other people, since even the most basic needs weren’t always met. Any love that was given to these children was temporary--from their parents, to the police, to the orphanage staff, to foster care--as the children became older, an underlying question remained: “Am I worth enough to anyone for them to take the time to care for me faithfully? Will everyone get up and leave on me?”

After nine months at the orphanage, little Qi ChunTeng was transferred to a home with two sisters who would become her temporary foster parents, because a family from the US was pursuing her adoption. This was arranged to give the adoptive parents the impression that their child had received one-on-one care from the very beginning. The Chinese government did not want the adoptive parents to become aware of the difficult conditions these orphans had endured prior to a family’s promise to give them a forever home.

By the time she was sixteen months old, the time had arrived for Qi ChunTeng to meet her adoptive family. The sisters notified the adoption agency that little Qi ChunTeng had a high fever the evening before; the agency decided it would be best not to expose the Eddy family to Qi ChunTeng’s illness, and looked through their files for similar children they could instead send home with them. The orphanages were so full that they didn’t want to send this family back empty handed.

The day the adoptive family arrived, miraculously, their little girl’s fever had subsided. Soon Qi ChunTeng--now known as Jessica--boarded the plane with her new family, and hesitantly embraced this new life as a member of the Eddy family. Eventually Jessica came to understand that her new mom and dad loved her, and were not just temporary people in her life. As she got older, Jessica came to realize that in the same way her family welcomed her in, so her heavenly Father welcomed her with open arms. After being shown Christ’s love in this family for several years, Jessica trusted Jesus as her personal savior, and understood that Jesus was the one who protected her at every moment. When her mom abandoned her at the dock, when the village woman handed her over to the police, when the police transferred her to the orphanage, and when the orphanage moved her to the foster family, He was with her every step of the way.

One day, while a middle school small group, a friend asked Jessica rather insensitively: “Are your parents actually your real parents?!” Jessica was taken off guard by her comment; she really hadn't thought about that. As the small group leader continued with the lesson, Jessica began to realize why she had felt so insecure in the past several years. She felt alone and rejected as she began believing the lie that her mother had left her because she was unworthy of love. Because of these lies she believed, Jessica became very introverted.  

A few years later Jessica was great impacted by two passages:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:13-17).

Through His Word, Jessica found freedom to fully forgive her mom and let go of the lies that she was unworthy or unloved, combating both lies with the Word of God. She started praying specifically that her mom would come to know Jesus as her personal Savior. And that she would one day be reunited with her.  

There over 160 million orphans in the world who need to be rescued. Jessica’s story is such a beautiful reminder that every life is so valuable to our King. God has called each of us to stand in the gap for orphans:

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9).

“Whoever receives one little child…in My name receives Me.” (Matthew. 18:5).

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

Let’s be women who joyfully stand for these lives! He so longs for each of these orphans to come into His family, through Jesus!

Embracing True Rest

It was a crazy morning; my alarm clock was going off and it was time to be up and start the day. My mind glazed over the homework I had been finishing late into the night; I had to remember all of the facts I had memorized for my infection control test: “Ringworm, a fungal organism…” I had finally been able to get to sleep at 2am, and started to wonder if I should really get up after only two and a half hours of quiet. I knew I could still make the bus if I went to back to sleep for just one more hour. But I felt convicted; simply going back to sleep was not the kind of rest I most needed. I needed to rest in Jesus; in His Word and in prayer.

So I hopped out of bed, and got into His word, even though I was exhausted.

Second Chronicles 14:7c says “Because we have sought the Lord our God… He hath given us rest.” As a high school student, I have been told numerous times that teens need a large amount of rest; some sources suggest at least 12 hours of it daily. And I definitely agree, if we’re talking about resting in Jesus. Sleeping on the other hand, although important, shouldn’t be our very first priority. More often than not, people my age ditch their time with Jesus in the morning for “just a little more” sleep.

Taking a look at the original language of the verse above shows us some important things about seeking God and resting in Him. The Hebrew word for sought is “darash,” it’s a verb defined as:

- Ask
- Call
- Consult
- Inquire
- Resort
- Search
- Seek after
- Searched carefully
- Study
- Worship [1]

As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be people who pursue our Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength! I want to be a woman who asks of the Lord, calls on Him, consults with Him, resorts to Him, searches for Him, seeks after Him, studies Him, and ardently worships Him! He must be our very first priority, always.



And when we examine rest in 2 Chronicles 14:7, we find the Hebrew word “nuach.” This verb is defined as:

- Calm
- Come to rest
- Camped
- Enter into rest
- Find rest
- Free
- Give comfort
- Satisfy
- Wait quietly [2]

True peace is found in complete, abandoned surrender to Jesus Christ. We enter into rest when we seek Jesus; our emotions may not always follow, but true rest is not dependent upon our feelings. It’s dependent on Jesus - who never, ever changes. As we obey Him, we can truly find rest; laying distractions aside frees us to bask in the comfort He gives. A favorite song of mine says: “Who can satisfy my soul like You? Who on earth could comfort me and love me like You do? Who could ever be more faithful, true?” [3] Even in times of great stress and turmoil, He remains unmoved; He continues to be our place of perfect, unwavering safety. As it says in Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”



Taking a moment this lovely Sunday afternoon to stand in awe of Jesus. He has always been faithful to give me rest; I just need to calm my heart before Him and listen to His still voice. God is our maker; who could know our needs better than Him? And how incredible is it that He can satisfy every single one of them in and of Himself?! Set your gaze on Him, and seek His face always.

“I think of the love of God as a great river, pouring through us even as the waters pour through our ravine at floodtime. Nothing can keep this love from pouring through us, except of course our own blocking of the river. Do you sometimes feel that you have got to the end of your love for someone who refuses and repulses you? Such a thought is folly, for one cannot come to the end of what one has not got. We have no store of love at all. We are not jugs, we are riverbeds” (Amy Carmichael).

--
1. Hebrew “Darash” http://biblehub.com/hebrew/1875.htm
2. Hebrew “Nuach” http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5117.htm
* Both Hebrew words found using the NASB Lexicon: http://biblehub.com/lexicon/2_chronicles/14-7.htm
3. Who Can Satisfy My Soul by Dennis Jernigan

Can Birth Control Cause Death?

Could a medication you’re on be causing the death of a loved one?

As Christians of the 21st Century, we seek to be fathers to the fatherless and voices to the voiceless, as Jesus has called us to be. Many of us have spent time volunteering at crisis pregnancy centers, or have donated money or resources to pro-life organizations, or have helped individuals who were abortion minded. And yet there is another side to this discussion of life and death decisions that is considered too private to be discussed. Did you know that this rather unspoken area is one 90% of Christians unite on [1], agreeing to it and even promoting it?

This rather shushed area, is called birth control.

In our culture, it’s a given that when two people are married, they better be on birth control until they feel ready to have kids. As a matter of fact, a majority of Christian premarital counseling courses endorse and even encourage its use; not to mention doctors and other healthcare professionals. For such reasons, couples feel secure using hormonal or mechanical* birth control regularly.

To all the people my age (17 and younger), have you ever thought that the subject of birth control relates to you?

You may not be currently using birth control, but I can almost guarantee that it will be recommended for your use or your spouse’s use in the future. And it very well could cause the death of those you are closest to.

When, for example, a woman takes hormonal birth control, she is either receiving a dosage of estrogen and progesterone or just progesterone. The estrogen/progesterone pill sends a message to the woman’s brain that she is pregnant, which leads the body to stop the release of more eggs from the ovaries. But birth control is not very effective in this; often eggs are still released into the fallopian tubes and the egg gets fertilized and becomes an embryo - a living human being. The developers of the pill were well aware of this fact; and that’s why they added in the progesterone. The progesterone has a different job; it hardens the lining of the uterus. After 7-14 days in the fallopian tubes, the embryo descends into the uterus, and if this baby’s momma has been on the pill, it will be nearly impossible for it to implant; thus it will most likely die.

The loss of life is sad enough, but there is another side to the pill; in 2005 the UN’s International Agency on Research on Cancer recorded in their report “Monograph 91” that estrogen-progesterone combination drugs was a group 1 carcinogen for breast, cervical, and liver cancer [2]. Women who use mechanical or hormonal birth control are actually placing themselves at far greater risk for cancer, blood clots, and heart attacks, according to Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, a breast surgeon and clinical assistant professor of surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School [3].

In January, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade reminded us again of the horrifying statistics that over 58,000,000 lives have been taken by abortion. That’s more lives than the total population of Myanmar! How many lives, would you estimate, have been taken through birth control? How many little lives, just at the very beginning, were starved to death since they were unable to implant into the uterus and get food from mommy? This should break our hearts, as it breaks our Jesus’s heart, and it should drive us to action as well.

What are you doing today to be a voice for those little, little ones that even a majority of pro-life organizations have overlooked? Would you be willing to stand in the gap for them?

Imagine, a few years down the road, that you have a little girl. She has your eyes, and adores life. She’s the apple of your eye, and you love to get down to her level and play together. But one day, you get a call; your little Susie has somehow begun to starve to death. Your friend on the phone tells you that there’s no way she’ll make it longer than a few days if she doesn’t get some food in her quickly.

What would you do?

If I was in this situation, I would do absolutely everything I could to get to my little girl and bring her some food before it was too late; and I would call the people I considered my friends and ask them “Will you help my little Susie? She’s starving to death!”

Each of these precious lives that are ended by birth control are God’s “Susie’s.” He loves each of them and has called us to stand in the gap for them [4]. This is not optional, it is a commission from our King. We are called to be “a father to the fatherless.”

A famous speaker once said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” If we do not stand to protect these lives, who will?

What are some practical ways we can protect these little ones?

- Personally choose not to use birth control

In the future, expect to be asked by your health professional about birth control. It’s not only recommended for preventing pregnancy; it is also suggested for controlling acne, regulating cycles, or to reduce cramping. Each of these side effects can often be treated naturally or with other medications.

- Graciously speak up on their behalf

Would you be willing to graciously speak up if you heard someone talking about birth control? Each of us have two things: a voice and influence in others lives. If we use these things to protect these vulnerable little ones, they can have a chance at life that they might not have had otherwise.

One fast and effective way to speak up on their behalf is to share blog posts or videos on social media; it starts conversations and gives helpful and important information. Check out a few of these links:

• The Birth Control Pill: What Every Christian Girl Needs to Know By Kristen Clark
• The Not-So-Golden Anniversary of the Pill By Mary Kassian
• Surgeon: Birth Control Pill a ‘Molotov Cocktail’ for Breast Cancer
• PODCAST: Embracing God’s Gift of Children By Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
• VIDEO: Birth Control Pills Cause Embryonic Abortions
• VIDEO: How The Pill Kills {on the health risks of birth control}

- Consider embryo adoption in the future

Another way you can be an advocate for these little ones is to consider embryo adoption in the future. After couples have an in vitro fertilization treatment, there are often embryos left over that are either thrown out, donated to science, or put away in bio freezers. These little embryos who do not have a chance at life until they are adopted.

“When a couple goes through IVF, the doctors create as many embryos as possible because it costs a lot, physically and financially, to retrieve the eggs and fertilize the embryos. One to three embryos are transferred into the woman’s uterus, and the rest are frozen… Embryos are considered property under federal law.” (Embryo Adoption Awareness Center)

We can do something about all of these precious little ones who are frozen in time in bio freezers all over the US; let’s be advocates for these valuable lives!

To find out more about embryo adoption, check out these links:

• An embryo adoption story:

• http://www.adeyesalem.com/2011/12/keller-family-choosing-to-give-life/  

• Embryo adoption agencies:

• http://www.miracleswaiting.org/
• http://www.embryoadoption.org/
• https://www.nightlight.org/snowflakes-embryo-adoption-donation/embryo-adoption/

These little ones can be saved if each one of us personally chooses to stand up and be an advocate for these lives!

--

* Due to the fact that this article was first presented as a speech with a time limit, mechanical birth control was not sufficiently addressed in this post. But from the research I have done, I most definitely believe that IUDs and other forms of mechanical birth control can and do cause embryonic abortions. As Colorado Right to Life has said: “By redefining an established term, the abortion and pharmaceutical industries could mislead women by selling them ‘contraceptives’ that in fact do not only prevent ‘conception’ but were also designed to kill the tiniest children by preventing implantation so they cannot continue to grow in their mother's wombs. Such ‘contraceptives’ are not contraceptive, but are mechanical (IUD) or chemical (pills) abortifacient ‘birth control.’" [Source]

1. Poll: http://www.gallup.com/poll/154799/americans-including-catholics-say-birth-control-morally.aspx

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1f3qTt1YDk [see also: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/surgeon-birth-control-pill-a-molotov-cocktail-for-breast-cancer]

3. Ibid
4. A similar illustration was first presented by Pastor Eric Ludy in his short film "Depraved Indifference."  

When Abortion Makes Sense: Corinne's Story

There was a girl living in Constanța, Romania; she was poor, unemployed, and lived with her family. Eventually, with only a 7th grade education, at the age of 18 she found herself pregnant. Her boyfriend was not in the picture; she was trapped. Her father was not happy about this news at all; he told her that he expected more of her, and pressured to go have an abortion and forget about this baby. At that time in Romania, seventeen out of every twenty children were aborted.

She was faced with a decision; it seemed like everyone was against her. Her dad definitely wouldn’t be satisfied if she chose life. She had so many questions: “How will I have enough money to raise a child? I’m out of a job!”, “I don’t know how to be a mother and I know I’m not prepared. Wouldn’t my child be better off aborted? Her life would be so hard!”, “If I don’t have an abortion, what will I do with this baby? Won’t she end up in one of the horrible orphanages? She would be so sad alone.”   

Against all expectations and odds, the young mom - named Elena - chose life. Soon the nine months were complete, and she was whisked back to the delivery room, and gave birth to a beautiful dark haired baby girl; she gave her the name “Luiza.” She was absolutely lovely, and so worth choosing life.

Elena was fearful, but had come to a decision. She was not ready to raise Luiza on her own and chose to give her up for adoption.

Soon her little baby was sent to an orphanage. Luiza awoke to find herself in a room full of cribs; there were multitudes of babies crying and just a few staff members to care for them. She was placed in her own crib with a small blanket. As she laid down, the little one in the next crib over cried out - scared and unsure of what was going on - so one of the workers quickly mixed some formula and water into a bottle and put it in the little one’s mouth to quiet the wailing. Each of the workers felt completely overwhelmed; in the past ten years a statistic had been taken that there were more than 100,000 children in government institutions in Romania [1], and the orphanage did not have nearly enough money to hire the number of staff they would need to take care of this many children.

Luiza felt forsaken. She had never bonded with anyone; she felt utterly alone. It was no use to cry; she could rock herself back and forth, but other than that, there was hardly ever comfort for little Luiza.

Until one day. In the office of the orphanage, the director was looking through some new papers from a family from the United States who wanted to adopt a baby girl. There were so many girls who so badly needed to be adopted out of this orphanage; how were they going to choose which one to pair them up with?

They came to a decision that Luiza would be the one they would match with the American family. She was quickly sent to a foster home where she would be cared for by a foster mom named Mama Maria, a widow who lived in the Constanța area, until her adoptive family arrived to take her home. Mama Maria took wonderful care of Luiza; for the first time in her life, Luiza bonded with someone. She loved to spend time in the outdoor garden with her foster mom; Mama Maria poured her life into her.

One day two strangers arrived at Mama Maria’s house. Luiza did not know what was going on, being only thirteen months old. Mama Maria was acting stiff and keeping her tightly in her arms. But the time had arrived, and Luiza now had a new family who was going to take her home. With much sadness that she masked with a smile, Mama Maria handed her precious Luiza over to her new mom.

“Corinne Luiza, we love you!”

What did that mean? Didn’t these foreigners know that Luiza only understood Romanian? And what did this crazy word “Corinne” mean? Was this an odd sounding American food? The little girl was unsure…

Luiza was rather emotionless toward her new family; she wanted her other life back. She decided that she only liked the guy - her new dad - but she was very afraid to connect with her new mom. She didn’t want to be neglected or taken again, as had already happened so many times in her short life.

Eventually, with tears coming down her face, Luiza - now officially known as “Corinne” - boarded the plane with her mom and dad. Leaving behind all she had ever known - the orphanage, Mama Maria, and Romania itself - she had a new life. She peered out the window for one last look at the beautiful country, before falling asleep.

Eventually the last connecting flight landed, and Corinne began a fresh chapter of her life. In the years to come, her life was radically changed from being a sad, broken little girl, to a radiant and healed daughter of the King - she had come to know Jesus as her personal savior.

I am so blessed to say that I have the privilege of knowing this girl personally. Corinne’s life is marked by a glowing joy and a deep love for Jesus. She has faced a huge amount of pain in her life - due to the circumstances of her earliest years - but instead of becoming bitter, Corinne has chosen to forgive.

She was unintentionally ignored nearly every day of the first few months of her life while she was living in the understaffed orphanage. This was crushing to her - and the many other children in that orphanage. They were, in a large sense, abandoned. And for this reason, many people look at the lives of such orphans and conclude that they would have been better off aborted. Abortion seemed to make sense; people would tell themselves that these kids would live very difficult and often hunger-filled lives in the orphanages, and then be sent out on the street when they aged out of government care.

It is extremely sad that so many little Romanian orphans had these types of experiences. There were so few people willing to serve these kids, and as a result, many of them have emotional trauma, physical issues from being underfed, or engage in crime (such as stealing) to get the food and resources they need, if they were living on the street.

Each of these individuals who was orphaned in Romania - and other places in the world - is massively valuable in Jesus’ eyes. Yet so few are willing to stand in the gap for these lives. Many Americans spend their evenings contented in front of the TV eating their fat-filled foods while children like Corinne are lying in cribs, crying out to just be held and loved.

There is a serious problem if we are professing to know Jesus Christ, who has said, “...It is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish”  (Matthew 18:14), while we just stand by. Jesus didn’t save me so I could just passively go from one day to the next - promoting my own agenda and dreams - I have been redeemed to know Him and to make Him known.

If His heart is aching for these children, the young mothers, and struggling families, then what are we doing spending $600 on a prom dress, investing hours into Instagram, and complaining about our school classes? Our Jesus hasn’t stopped being a Father to the fatherless! Are we about to?

There is an attitude in our culture that if someone might possibly have a hard life, then we’re doing them a favor to have them aborted. Often doctors, social workers, and Planned Parenthood personnel have told mothers that due to illness, home factors, parental age, or possible poverty, that the only logical decision would be to end their child’s life. Such statements sound loudly of influence from Margaret Sanger - the founder of Planned Parenthood - who once said, “The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.” [2]

I challenge all who think this way to look into Corinne’s eyes and see that even though she was born to a very young unwed mother and was practically abandoned, her life is not in any way less valuable than any of our lives, and it truly isn’t any less wonderful either. Corinne is so glad her mom chose life; she doesn’t wish she had been aborted - as the culture tells us these abandoned individuals wish. She is thankful for the circumstances of her past, and the Lord is using them to allow others to see how beautiful every single life is to Him.

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[1] http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/02/20/280237833/orphans-lonely-beginnings-reveal-how-parents-shape-a-childs-brain

[2] http://www.lifenews.com/2013/03/11/10-eye-opening-quotes-from-planned-parenthood-founder-margaret-sanger/

Orphanage Photo Courtesy (1) Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (2) NRP.org (3) Daily Mail

What Pro-Choice April Didn’t Know About Her Little Son

At 18 weeks of age, little James was nestled warmly in his momma’s womb. He was about the size of a bell pepper; roughly 5 ½ inches long, and growing more every day.  There wasn’t anything James enjoyed more than his momma’s voice, and sometimes, almost as a reply, he would give a firm kick back. He hadn’t been held in her arms yet, but he felt secure and loved.

James wasn’t the only one excited; his mom, April, was over the moon to have him on the way. After marrying the love of her life, she couldn’t wait to see their little family start growing. A few years after they were married, April’s dream to become a momma was confirmed with a visit to the doctor’s office. Her life was full of smiles; she could tell exciting things were ahead.

Fast forward a few months. April and her husband found themselves at a specialist, being told something they didn’t want to hear; their little boy had lethal skeletal dysplasia. In his specific case, James had such a narrow rib cage that his lungs wouldn’t be able to develop correctly. This did not affect him in the womb at all, but when he was born, he would have to be put on a ventilator.

Little James felt shaky; his mom was crying many tears. He had no way of knowing that the doctor had recommended his death. April was referred to Planned Parenthood. Within three weeks of his happy 18 week birthday, James started feeling something painful; something was tugging his foot. An abortion specialist was at work; if the doctor was successful, James’ heart would not be beating in less than an hour.

April walked out of the clinic that day assuring herself with the thought “I can’t imagine having given birth and watching my son suffer. I can’t imagine holding him and watching him take his last breath, and knowing that that would be painful for him.”

James did suffer, despite his mother’s hope to spare him. And he did take his last breath painfully, as his tiny body was yanked from her uterus. April may have had the best intentions for her son, but sadly she was deceived by her doctor and Planned Parenthood that her son would have had such a rough life that a quick abortion would be a much better alternative.

This baby boy’s birthday is never celebrated. His death is not one people care about; whenever he comes to his mom’s mind, she reminds herself that she was merciful to him by choosing to end his life. This little one isn’t just an illustration - this baby boy lived twenty-one short weeks before he was murdered.

He was not loved after his diagnosis; he was not wanted after doctors found him to be ”less than perfect.” And he was not named - after all, he was just a fetus. Nothing more than a clump of cells, according to Planned Parenthood.

So I have given him a name today; I have stopped to grieve for him.

Created, not an accident

Did you know that if I had been aborted, you most likely wouldn’t even notice? Have you ever thought about the fact that when you go to the grocery store, there should be more people shopping with you?  Our schools have absent students who are not accounted for; churches have empty seats that should be filled with missing people. There’s a pair of shoes for sale at Target right now that would have been sold, but their potential owner hasn’t been seen. There are babies in Rwanda waiting to be adopted, but the young lady God intended to use to rescue from their dangerous circumstances wasn’t ever granted a birth certificate, let alone a visa. Scientists talk about the need to find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, but the individual with the mind to understand an unexplored avenue of neuroscience is missing in action.

Who are all these people, you ask? These are the faces of the fifty-eight million babies murdered in abortion. That’s more lives than the total number of people living in Myanmar!

It is estimated that at a certain abortion clinic in Grand Rapids, near where I live, in forty days 256 lives are taken. If 256 people were killed in your city, the news would be exploding with headlines like “Mass Murder in St. Louis Leaves Town Devastated” or “FBI Investigation of Recent Chicago Killings.”

But no. The media says next to nothing about these brutally murdered kids. The government calls this “a personal choice.” If your sister was killed tomorrow, would you call that the killer’s personal choice? “Well, I mean, if he really thinks my sister would be better off dead, then, yeah, he’s probably right!” I don’t think so.

58 million lives have been taken, but something else has also been lost too. 58 million mothers have been deprived of the beautiful little one God intended for them to have. 58 million dads will never hold their aborted son or daughter in their arms. Countless siblings will never even know the name of a killed baby sister or brother.

Once a lady from church came up to my mom while she was expecting my triplet siblings and asked her, “Wouldn’t it just be easier if you lost one of your babies?” My mom was shocked! She already knew these three little babies so well even though they hadn’t even been born yet, and although she knew it was going to be hard to go from having 1 child (me) to having 4 kiddos, she loved each of us. She was going to do everything she could to protect her little ones.

My mom was asked that question nearly fourteen years ago, and I highly doubt that lady would ask such a question if she could have looked each of my three siblings in the eyes and seen how each of them are made in God’s image and have an important place in the body of Christ.

Often, those of us who have been attending church for all our lives think we’re doing fine as long as we mentally agree that abortion is wrong, but I completely disagree. As A.W. Tozer has said, “You have not done anything about truth until you have acted on it.”

Why are you pro-life? It shouldn’t be simply because your pastor said he’s pro-life or because it seems like the more moral choice; we are standing for life because this is on our Jesus’s heart. He has called us to be a voice for the voiceless. Check out what His Word has to say:

• “Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy” (Psalm 82:3 KJV).
• “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27 ESV).
• “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling” (Psalm 68:5 NIV).
• “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday” (Isaiah 58:6-10 ESV).
• “‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me’” (Matthew 25:45b ESV).

Standing for life on a day to day basis

How can we practically be speaking out on behalf of these little ones and help save these lives?

• Volunteer at a Christian crisis pregnancy center

One way you can be a voice to these little ones is by volunteering at a local Christian crisis pregnancy center. Often there are opportunities at these centers that can involve any age. For example, you might be able to sort baby clothes, help with cleaning and organizational projects, shovel the center’s driveway, take a shift as a receptionist, or help counsel women. Try searching Google for a center near you.

• Be willing to speak

Don’t be afraid to boldly & graciously speak up. You can use social media, art, writing, and so much more to speak out. When your friends, family, or even random strangers start talking about abortion, ask them some thought provoking questions. For example:

• Do you believe that life starts at conception?
• Did you know that babies can feel pain starting as early as 8 weeks along?
• Have you ever wondered why our country punishes violations of the fetal homicide law, but doesn’t seem too worried about abortion?
• Can I tell you a story about ____[name of abortion survivor, etc]?
• Did you know that God designed every strand of DNA in your body? It’s so cool! And your entire genetic makeup is complete at conception!
• Did you know that the reason I’m pro-life is simply because God is the giver of life?

• Make a donation

You can financially support a number of organizations that keep Jesus Christ at the center of their pro-life ministry. By giving financial resources, you can help an organization to reach even further in their ministry to at-risk moms & families. Check out: Life Matters World Wide, The Drop Box, and Alpha Family Center.

• Watch an edifying pro-life movie with some friends

Having a few friends over and turning on an edifying movie can be a great way to influence friends, and it can also strike up some great conversations! I have been personally convicted and encouraged by:

• Amazing Grace - The story of William Wilberforce who fought for the end of slavery in England
• The Dropbox -  A documentary style film about a pastor from South Korea who installed a large drop box in the front of his house where moms could bring their babies if they did not feel able to raise them.
• The Hiding Place - The movie made from Corrie ten Boom’s autobiography about rescuing Jews from the Nazis'.

This is in no way meant to be an exhaustive list of ways to stand for life; these are just a few ways you could get started.

As we each live our daily lives, may we never forget “James” and the countless other lives which have been brutally taken for gain. Planned Parenthood has an agenda; their goal is to have every high school girl coming through their doors for 3-5 abortions before they get their diplomas. [1]  Let’s  see to it that each of us personally reaches out to the single moms and young pregnant girls in our lives in Christ’s love. Be willing to speak the truth in love, and find practical ways you can serve them.

We will each answer to God for how we are responding to our death culture. Are we obeying His leading and standing in the gap for these children and vulnerable mothers?

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[1] http://lastresistance.com/planned-parenthood-sex-ed-classes-aimed-produce-3-5-abortions-per-student/