I am continually humbled by the fact that God uses me for His purposes. This is especially true that He allows me to work with the First Choice Ministry. This was the presentation I gave when asked to speak at my church on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. This is what I spoke to a slide show of pictures showing our facility and some of the services we offer. Half of the speech was about First Choice Pregnancy Center and the other was a message I was lead to give. Here it is:
Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. This is the day we take to remember how precious life is to God and reflect on all those who never had a chance to take their first breath. I come to speak to you today as liaison for First Choice Pregnancy Center. We are a ministry providing services to inform and empower women in the Texarkana area to chose life for their babies.
***First Choice was established in 1974 soon after the Roe VS Wade decision made abortion legal in the US. We are a non denominational Christian-based charitable organization providing resources to Women and Men in the area. God-willing, we will be expanding soon to provide to more. I will tell you more about a little later.
***This is a photo of our main location in downtown Texarkana.
***We also have a conveniently located center inside Central Mall. ***Between these locations in 2012 we were able to serve 895 clients, administer 752 pregnancy tests, of which 523 were positive, perform 354 ultrasounds and gave 10 adoption referrals. We can never know for certain how many of our clients decided to have an abortion. But based on the number of those clients who returned for services after a positive test, we do know the majority of them chose life for their babies.
***We offer free pregnancy tests and counseling. These are the services that are most used by our clients.
***The limited ultrasounds are a key tool in giving women a chance to see their baby. This a privilege only God had prior to the invention of the sonogram machine. This a way for us to show women that it is more than just a group of cells growing inside them. We have been told by past abortion minded clients that they changed their mind after we did the ultrasound. Praise God for that.
***Adoption referral, while a small part of what we do, is always part of the options we share with our clients. Even though most do not go this route, we still share information on about adoptions because we feel that the more knowledge our clients have of all their options, they will be able to make an informed decision.
***If a client does chose to parent their baby, or is already a parent, we offer many classes including childbirth, prenatal, child care, and parenting. With the earn while you learn program, clients earn money that can only spent in our Mommy Store.
***The Mommy Store is a storehouse of donated baby items. When a client attends a class and earns mommy or daddy dollars, they can spend it here on everything from clothes, diapers and wipes...to bottles and formula… or even maternity clothes.
***We also offer an Abortion Recovery Program. Now...it is our prayer that women involved in a crisis pregnancy are able to see the Compassion of Christ’s people before the horror of abortion becomes a reality for them. But if they make this decision, we, as partakers of grace and forgiven children of God ourselves, love them like Jesus and impart the truth that full emotional healing after an abortion can only come through a relationship with their Heavenly Father.
***A resource for the father’s in our community, we offer the Daddy boot Camp for new fathers. This too can earn money for him to spend in the Mommy Store on items his baby needs.
***For our married, or soon to be married clients we offer the Married for Life program. It is a weekend conference to share skills and advice on how to have a successful marriage. Two parents, a mother and father, mirroring God’s love for His people is what He intended for marriage. So if our clients are married, we want to encourage them with this program.
***Finally, we offer the Abstinence Education program where we go out and speak to schools and youth groups in the area. In this program we teach that abstinence is the only 100% effective way to not get pregnant or contract an STD.
***That was what we are doing now, where are we headed? We have been generously given funding for a maternity home and are just waiting for God to send us the perfect location to build it. This is a real need in our area. We are also working to offer a satellite location in Hope, AR. We would like to eventually offer full prenatal care to our clients, especially those who cannot afford it. And our old building is in need of some repairs and renovating.
SO...Let me ask you a question. What is the best part of an apple tree? The apple right. Few ooo and ahh over the bark or leaves. They want the fruit. God believes this is the best part of us too. He says in Psalms 127:3 that children are a heritage (or gift) from the Lord, the FRUIT of the womb, a REWARD. Babies are the fruit that hold the seed of a future generation. This gift is sacred, a REWARD, not meant to be taken lightly or sacrificed on the altars of our own selfish desires. In Psalms 106, the psalmist is writing about how the Israelites were rebelling and committing all kinds of atrocities and sins against God. At the bottom of this list, in verse 37-38 he writes, They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood….Abortion is no different in God’s eyes. Our idols are just different today. We don't sacrifice to Baal, but we do sacrifice at the altar of... “this just isn't the best time for ME… or...I have a future that does not include a child...or...I’m going to college and MY future will be ruined...or... I already of children, I can't afford one more.” The common thread in these reasons, WHICH BY THE WAY are all reasons we have heard at First Choice, is SELF. We sacrifice our sons and daughters today on the altar of the idol of self. And our land is polluted as a result.
But we have a hope. Our hope is in the Lord our God and His word. These babies, all babies are meant to be a gift from Him. Fruit for us to enjoy. The best part of who we are. The seed of a new generation. God’s Word tells us that the only wage for the sins of child sacrifice, for abortion, for any sin, is death. But HE is a merciful God, forgiving our sins. Sins that cost Him the life of His son Jesus. He knows a little something about losing a child. Our hope of life and seeing the end of abortion lies, by faith, in Christ alone and His payment for our sins.
So how can you get involved with First Choice. Let me preface by saying...Only a few positions at first choice are paid positions. The doors could never open without volunteers. Available Volunteer positions include client advocates, nurses, church liaisons, teachers sonographers and office workers, just to name a few.
Besides volunteering, you can be involved by fundraising and participating in the upcoming walk for life….hold a baby shower for or donate to the Mommy Store...give financial support through the Safe a Life Fund, Boomerang Baby Bottles, Monthly Pledges, or one time donation. Last, but certainly not least, PRAY. We covet your prayers. Having prayer warriors to intercede to the Lord on our behalf means more than you can imagine.
One prayer request I would like to give at this time would be for a client I counselled with on Thursday. I will call her Abby. She came in for a pregnancy test. Before we gave her the result she told me at the beginning of our session that having an abortion was her intention if she were pregnant. She said she was a Christian and had a relationship with God. But she also had a scholarship to go to college in the fall that she had worked very hard to achieve and a baby would not work into her life right now. The father was her boyfriend of only a month and he was not wanting to be a father either. We discussed her options. I gave her all the details about parenting, adoptions, and of how abortions are performed. I encouraged her to get an ultrasound. To which she responded she did not want to out of fear that she would become attached to her baby. When I went to get the test results, I prayed in the office with another volunteer before returning to her. The test was positive. She still felt like abortion was her only way out. But, she did make an appt. for an ultrasound in a couple of weeks. I will be at that appointment. And I am calling her tomorrow to check on her. Pray for Abby that her heart be changed. Pray for me that only God’s words come from my mouth that Abby needs to hear. Prayer is a powerful way for you to be involved in the First Choice Ministry.
If you have any questions, find me, call me, whichever is convenient for you. As your church liaison, I am here to answer questions. Those I cannot answer, I will put you in touch with someone who can. Thank you for your time this morning.
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