Consider...

A preacher and his wife are VERY poor.  They already have 14 children and she just found out she is pregnant with #15.  Considering their poverty and excessive global population, should an abortion be recommended?

A father is sick.  The mother has tuberculosis.  They have 4 children, the oldest is blind, the second has already died, the third is deaf, and the fourth also has TB.  The mother is pregnant again, should an abortion be recommended?

A white man viciously rapes an innocent 13-year-old black girl, and she becomes pregnant; should an abortion be recommended?

A young unmarried teenager becomes pregnant greatly shaming her family.  She has just become engaged, but he is not the father of the baby and is beside himself with grief and anger.  Should an abortion be recommended? 

Perhaps you have seen these stories before... for those of you who have not, in the first case John Wesley, one of the greatest evangelists of the 19th century would have been aborted.  Child #2 was Beethoven.  #3 was Ethel Waters, the great African-American gospel singer. and Child #4, if you had encouraged your friend to "save face" and have an abortion would have ended the life of the greatest teacher of all time, and my personal Savior, Jesus Christ.

  January is Sanctity of Human Life Month, a time for Americans to reflect on the reality of the supreme court decision of Roe V Wade.  Since January 22, 1973, 50 million voices have been silenced with the legalization of abortion.  Recently I heard someone put it this way:  "entire generations of children have been wiped out."   What a sobering thought that there would be NO baby girls to put frilly dresses on; no little boys to take fishing or teach to throw a ball... because an entire generation is gone.

  Where do you fall on the issue of abortion?  Over half of Americans believe that abortion is morally wrong, but I have had the opportunity to sit with many young women who made that statement, and proceeded to consider abortion as a viable option when they saw a positive pregnancy test.  I have heard many people mutter under their breath after they say it is morally wrong, 'except in the case of incest or rape'.  And rape and incest are incredibly horrible, and I do not presume to tell those women what to do, or to judge them for their decisions, but for the purposes of this conversation, I submit for your consideration the Psalmist's words, 'You knit me together in my mother's womb. You knew me before I was even made.  All my days were written in Your book.'   I have an acquaintance who said of her child conceived during a rape, "I cannot imagine my life without this little girl", and I have heard several young adults publicly thank birth mom's for making the choice for life. 

     Rape, incest, abortion, they are all horrible things... and in a perfect world none of them would happen, but we don't life in a perfect world, and until we do, I am called to love these women and teen girls.  To listen to their story, and to help them make sense of the "madness"  To provide them with as much information as possible; to help them make an informed decision, that protects them - hopefully physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  My job is not to judge, but to listen, to love, to glorify GOD.  Not a wrath filled and  vengeful God, but the generous and loving God, who wants the best for His children.
     What are you called to do?  Will you pray for us?  Will you support us at our next event?  Or are you a potential client - wondering why you would ever show up at Community Pregnancy Center of Pasadena...  Well if that's you, know that we care about you.  Really! you matter - you are much more than just a girl with a baby we have to save - you are a Young Woman we want to meet.  We care about your health,  what you think, what's going on in your life, who's going to support you in this decision.  We are here to help.  Call and find out how.
 

Abortion Facts

The last client I met, who had recently had an abortion, was on her way back to the clinic because they did not get the baby completely removed during the first procedure.  I have been through the healing process of abortion with many women during my tenure in a Crisis Pregnancy Center, most of the women I have met post-abortion have had some sort of complication - many medical, most emotional and often guilt-filled.  Very few (but I must admit some) have said, "no, it was the perfect decision for me".  So why do women choose abortion?  Studies show that women have said, if someone, anyone would have simply offered to help in their time of need, they might have made a different choice.  In my experience women have often said, "If only someone had told me..." and "I wish I had know there was a place like this before my abortion."

So in a time where over 50% of Americans say they are morally opposed to abortion, and would never choose it for themselves, why do women continue to choose abortion?
What can you do to help women, teen girls, and even the guys in their time of crisis?  How can we make a difference, and save a 17 year old girl - 10 days from the abortion clinic - from sitting in my office crying, and wishing she had known how hard it would be to deal with the death of her baby? 

DID YOU KNOW…

   from the desk of the director…..

GOD created us to be relational beings – after all – HE created us to love Him!  He created Eve because, as He put it, “It is not good for man to be alone,” and He created Adam and Eve to be together, husband and wife, life-mates.   Relationships are the very essence of our being.  but in this world of “instant gratification”, and “me-first”  healthy relationships have become very difficult to develop or maintain. 

did you know that the state of Texas has nearly the highest rate of teen STD’s in the country? and Harris County leads the state?  did you know that 3.2 million teenage girls is infected with at least one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases?  did you know that 1 in 4 young women between the ages of 14 and 19, in the USA has an STD?  did you know that This Year, CPC Pasadena has seen 7 girls who are  13 or14 years old?

Our Mission Statement states that we provide “education in healthy lifestyle choices”.  So what does that mean???  It means that this year CPC Pasadena will be offering a revolutionary education opportunity for the clients at CPC, and the community!  We will be teaching about healthy relationships, making decisions, and setting goals using an interactive education style that has been proven to reduce STD’s, drug and alcohol use, while increasing the age of sexual onset, reducing the number of partners, and preventing abortion!

Stay tuned! Change is in the air! And its coming to Pasadena and Harris County!

Spring Break

What a beautiful week for spring break - sun shining, weather warm - I'm sure lots of young people are driving to Galveston!  last night, at the CPC board meeting we reviewed 2010 client stastics... 9 of our clients were under 15 - over half were under 24 years old.  They were single, scared, didn't know how they were going to tell their parents, or what they were going to do next, and these children conceived their children on a week like this, mom and dad at work, no supervision, no school, and a beautiful day to "get away"

W.A.I.T. Training provides young people with interactive classes teaching relationship skills training, innovative curriculm, and leadership development so that we can usher in a whold new era of revitalized relationships, and young people making wise choices, and in healthy relationships!