The Community Pregnancy Center is the
only crisis pregnancy center in the area to provide evening appointments. This
past Monday evening reminded us how dramatically God can use those openings.
Earlier that morning, a 23 year old man made a 6 o’clock appointment for his fiancé.
As we learned later that night, she couldn’t schedule the appointment herself,
because she was in class. His fiancé was just 17 years old, a senior in high
school. That night, this young man signed the client in, and waited anxiously
in the waiting room when our Client Advocate called her back.
The teen knew she was pregnant, but refused to verify it for months. Sitting
with the Client Advocate, she admitted to being in denial about the obvious
reality. Just the thought of telling her parents was motivation enough to
ignore all symptoms of pregnancy. They had created
an environment of hostility in the home, and now this client was
a pawn in their battles against each other. Even while she was explaining her
story to the counselor, her mom called her to kick her out of the house,
yelling into the phone, “If you would rather be with your father, then live
with him now!” Despite her home
life, the client did plan to graduate high school and complete her cosmetology
training by taking the final test for certification.
After noting all the
required information, the client advocate invited the young man into the
counseling room for the test.
Positive.
Over
3 months pregnant.
The counselor delved into a spiritual conversation with the couple. The client
claimed Catholicism, but had never been active in any faith. The
counselor then asked,
“Where
do you think you would go when you die?”
The
man quickly answered,
“Hell. I don’t do
enough right now to deserve Heaven.”
The “works” belief rose to the surface. They both believed that Heaven was
earned by man’s acts of kindness and general morality. Any man could enter into
Heaven if he was good enough. The Client Advocate took advantage of the
opportunity and shared true faith. She introduced the concept of a relationship
with God. She told them about Jesus Christ and His impact on man’s
accessibility to Heaven. The pair listened quietly, but they weren’t ready to
commit to such a relationship yet. Regardless, the Client Advocate planted the
seed, trusting God to personally harvest it in His time.
The counselor scheduled the client for a limited ultrasound appointment 2 days
later.
Just fifteen minutes after their departure, the young man returned alone, anxiously
asking to speak with the Client Advocate privately. Once in the counseling
room, he unloaded his own burden. “I don’t know how to make her happy.” He then explained his attempts to prepare his
teenage fiancé for their new life as parents. He tried to bring his family to
help, but she hated his mom. He tried to buy a townhome for them, but she hated
the one he could afford. He tried to give her financial support through his
full time job, but she spent his money at the mall. He tried to provide better
benefits by looking into joining the military, but she told him to stay. On the
verge of tears, the young man sat with overwhelming exhaustion. Nothing was
working, and no one could help. Our counselor encouraged his genuine heart,
even giving him a new job lead.
The following Wednesday, our sonogram technician, Claire, led the nervous
couple to her ultrasound room. She explained the purpose behind our limited
ultrasounds, and began the appointment. A 14 and a half week old baby lit up
the screens! Their baby was kicking, crossing his legs, and sucking his thumb!
The fiancé even recorded when our technician played his baby’s heartbeat for
the first time. The client smiled, looking at her fiancé and then looking at
her baby!
Once finished, Claire led the couple to her counseling room to answer any other
questions about the pregnancy. She gave sonogram pictures and instructed about
diet, but God then put a different topic on her heart. She asked them if their
counselor told them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ when they came on Monday.
They said yes, and the fiancé added, “My friends told me that I don’t really
need to worry about going to hell. Right now, I’m trying to get some stuff out
of my life first before any of that. It’s a process.” The Holy Spirit then intervened and spoke
through Claire to two lost souls.
“Yes,
getting things out of your life is a process, but salvation is a decision.”
Starting in the Garden of Eden, Claire shared the holy and perfect Gospel of
Christ. Sin was never God’s plan for the world, but Adam and Eve freely chose
to defy their Creator. This first disobedience forever changed how man could
relate to God. We no longer enjoyed open availability. Claire explained that
man’s sin deserved death and judgment, but God had a plan to restore a
relationship with creation. Through His everlasting love for humanity, God
designed a solution, one eternal and one at a far greater cost than a
sacrificial animal. He sent His perfect Son to accept the fatal punishment of
an imperfect world. Because of His death and because of His resurrection,
we-broken and fallen as we are-can choose a relationship with the King of the cosmos.
It’s undeserved. It’s often rejected, but God still sent Christ anyway.
The
couple understood.
“We need that!”
Claire
led both in a prayer for salvation.
This
23 year old man entered our doors on Monday night, defeated by disapproval. He
was never enough to measure up for another person, much less measure up to the
standard of Heaven.
On
Wednesday, he met his Redeemer and left accepted.
This
17 year old girl came Monday, starving for contentment. Her parents couldn’t
make her happy. Her future husband-as selfless as he was-couldn’t make her
happy.
On
Wednesday, she met her ultimate source and left whole.
“So
if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
