​2021 Christmas Appeal

Adry, a young, straight-A student, came into the Center scared, hurt, and confused. She was pregnant, and didn’t know how she could ever bear breaking the news to her father. He was seriously ill and waiting for an organ transplant; she couldn’t put that worry on him. It would be a terrible disappointment, and he was already going through so much.⠀At the Center, she found consolation and support. The advocates helped her work through her emotions and determine the best course of action for her. After talking through her fears and concerns, she decided to tell her father and to have her baby.⠀Fast forward.⠀Adry’s father has received the transplant he had been waiting for. The biggest joy in his life while waiting for treatment was Adry’s happy, healthy, baby girl. ⠀The very catastrophe pictured in Adry’s head DID affect her father- it gave him happiness. Sometimes our biggest fears, the obstacles looming before us, turn out not as burdens, but blessings.

“Abortion. You have to get an abortion,” were her boyfriend’s first words. Jacey*, a high school student, came into the Center for help. Her mom died when she was little, and she was living with her uncle and his girlfriend. She had just moved to the area three weeks before she found out she was pregnant. When she told her boyfriend, he leaped immediately to abortion. But she had different plans, even though her circumstances were stacked against her.She came to the Center for an ultrasound, and was preparing for the birth of her baby, even though her family was still hesitant about her decision. Not long after her ultrasound, she was flown by helicopter for an emergency appendectomy. Thankful that she survived, the family welcomed the baby as a special blessing. There are girls like Jacey all across the country. She was strong enough to withstand the pressure and fear that accompanies an unplanned pregnancy. She didn’t know how everything would turn out, and certainly didn’t expect to confront a serious illness. However, this very challenge brought her family closer to her, and gave her baby open arms with which to be received into the world

Lisa came to the Center for some baby things and told us her story. She was in an abusive relationship with an older man for 4 years. When she discovered she was pregnant, she seriously considered abortion. We asked, “what helped you change your mind?” “The people there [the pregnancy center] were people I could come back and talk to. They do not push religion on me. They told me about how abortions are done. I think abortion is easy to get done, and information about what it really is can be hard to come by. I tell people on Facebook and everywhere I go that there is help. And no one has to do abortion. You guys didn’t just help a baby. You help the moms. If I had done it, and then found out what actually happens in an abortion, I probably wouldn’t be here. I would not be able to live with myself. ”She showed a picture of her baby boy. “He saved me. I didn’t save him.”