Jane and the photos are a powerful combination.

This is from Jane Bullington, CBR Southeast Project Director.  Please pray for mom, dad, and baby.

Three Lives Saved

She walked over the hill and down the walkway, stopping to gaze at the pictures. A typical student on her way to class, or so I thought. I asked if she had any questions. “Evelyn” looked at me with teary eyes, “I’ve just come from the health clinic; I’m pregnant. I was asking for a big RED sign to tell me what to do. I almost never walk to class this way, but I did today, and here are your signs.” I hugged her and said “I think this is just the sign you are looking for; can we talk?” As we I talked, she told me her friend (on the phone) was encouraging her to keep the baby, but her boyfriend was leaning toward abortion. I asked what her parents would say. “They will be disappointed,” was the answer. I suggested to her that disappointment is often a short-lived emotion and when they hold their grand baby, it will be very different. I told her that at 6 weeks, her baby has a heartbeat, brain waves, and all his systems in place. We talked about what abortion could do to her. I gave her our papers on psychological and physical effects of abortion, so she could be well-armed when she spoke with her parents. I also gave her the phone number for the Hope Resource Center (HRC) near the campus. My parting comments were very personal. I told Evelyn I would be honored to walk with her through this pregnancy if she kept her baby and if she stayed in Knoxville throughout the pregnancy. (I later asked God to allow me this privilege.) She cried, we hugged, and she walked away.

About half an hour later, Evelyn came back and told me her boyfriend was coming to see the pictures, and she would like me to talk with him. I saw “George” approaching and introduced myself, saying I realized this was not what he expected when he woke up this morning. He grinned slightly.

I left them alone to look at the photos and talk, but I kept my eye on him the whole time. He was distant and talkative, but would not look at the pictures in any great detail. After a few minutes, they came back to me. I asked George if he had time and would he allow me to talk with him for a few minutes. He agreed and we sat down. “George, you are already a father; you have a baby. It is a tiny baby, but it is your baby.” The lines on his face immediately softened and he visibly relaxed. I basically shared all that I had told Evelyn, and said to him, “George, I don’t think Evelyn is asking you to marry her; she just wants emotional support from you. I have already told her I will be here for her the entire way, if she wants or needs my help, and I will be here for you too.” He smiled, thanked me, and said “we will be calling you a lot of times.” He stood up, took my hand, and then walked off with Evelyn, arm in arm.

The next day, I took Evelyn a copy of The Biology of Prenatal Development, a wonderful DVD showing the growth of the baby in the womb, produced by The Endowment for Human Development (www.ehd.org). She promised to view it with her surrogate dad the next weekend and seek his support. She and George had already scheduled a counseling session with an on-campus ministry chaplain, and were going to inquire about putting “their baby” in on-campus childcare next fall where she works. She hopes they can get in to see someone at HRC the next Monday, before the Thanksgiving holiday. My parting advice: “There will be ups and downs in the next few weeks, and you may have thoughts of changing your mind, but don’t do anything in a hurry. Call me before you do anything different from we have talked about, please.” She agreed, but said “George is in baby mode, and while I am still in a muddle, I know what we are going to do.” We hugged and cried again, and off she went.

Do the pictures work? Oh, yes they do! For the unborn child, for the scared mother, and for the doubtful dad.

Tags: abortion pictures, anti-abortion, CBR, Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, GAP, Genocide Awareness Project, prolife

This entry was posted on Monday, November 22nd, 2010 at 7:34 pm and is filed under Campus Debate (GAP). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.