When I began as the director of Genesis Women’s Clinic the idea of telling people that I was a woman who had suffered the trauma of abortion not once but three times was unthinkable. I was raised in the belief that sin like that would be judged and indeed it was by many people. I had begged for forgiveness from the Lord, but human beings are not always capable of such forgiveness. No one knew of my dark past except for my husband. I saw no need to bring such painful things out into the light. I believed the women of the church would not be so understanding. I took the job at Genesis willing to serve God and help women in crisis. The depth of the pro-life work I would be doing was not yet clear to me as a new director. As I approached year two, sharing pieces of my story to women in crisis became necessary over and over. How could I let them leave without sharing my own experiences? The prick of the Holy Spirit to share my story more publicly evolved slowly but in time God made it clear to me that it was time to speak out. There were challenges to overcome to prepare for this step of faith. I had to tell my parents and my children of the events that had taken place 25 years earlier. I could barely speak the words to my mom and dad as they sat waiting for me to explain why I had come to talk with them. My sons listened and said they fully supported me; while my daughter broke out into tears trying to fully grasp what I was telling her. She was just 13.
Then came the day in Michigan at a pro-life conference where I shared the whole story. I read it straight from my notes and wondered what they were all thinking of me as I spoke. I gave all the glory to God for his redemption of my life and for allowing me to serve as the director of Genesis Women’s Clinic. When I returned home, I would share my story a dozen more times to various women’s groups and on behalf of two other pregnancy centers in my state. Word began to spread of my experiences and over the next two years, I was invited to speak at women’s ministry events, college groups and more than 30 churches. Along the way, I stopped relying on my notes and began to feel comfortable sharing straight from my heart as I relied on God to give me the words to say. My center has blossomed over these last five years. I have learned incredible lessons from working alongside my team on the front lines of a pro-life ministry. I have been asked repeatedly if it has become easier to share my past life with others. The answer to that is this: If it were left to me, I would have kept the details of my abortions buried deep in the abyss where I was happy to leave them but God had different plans. I told Him I would do whatever He asked of me so even though I still do not enjoy sharing the horror of my old life, I do love sharing how amazing, forgiving and wonderful our God is. I tell my story for Him. I tell my story in honor of my three unborn children and the countless other tiny humans that have lost their lives to abortion. I don’t know where my speaking will take me, but I will go wherever God sends me and do everything I can to save the unborn, support pregnancy centers, awaken the church and encourage our youth to understand and defend the pro-life message.