An Ambulance Came Roaring In

Scrolling through Facebook last week, I came across a live video from a pastor that I follow. He engages people who are walking into the abortion facility in Nashville in hopes of telling the women that hope and help are available to them besides abortion. He has helped over 200 families in the Nashville area that were determined to abort and was able to give them all the love and support they needed to choose life for their babies.

This particular day that I happened to see his video was different. An ambulance came roaring into that abortion facility, and my heart sank. I couldn’t stop watching. That abortion facility performs surgical abortions up to 19 weeks and 6 days gestation. Many moms have no idea that at week 3, for instance, the baby’s blood vessels and sex cells form. Foundations of the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system are laid, and the next week the baby’s heart begins to beat. Eyes, ears, and lungs begin to form.

The abortion business lies to them in the name of choice. How heartbreaking. On this particular day, the ambulance arrived to pick up a patient. You couldn’t see anything other than the brown sheet that lay across the lifeless body. Tears began to flow down my face as I thought of the ladies who have no idea that other options are available. My heart broke for the woman laying on that gurney. She had no idea that this would be her story.

Many in our community have no idea of the number of lives taken in the name of choice right here in our area! The Guttmacher Institute estimates that approximately 12,140 abortions took place in Tennessee during 2017. That is roughly 33 abortions a day. Let that sink in for a moment.

I am so thankful our Pregnancy Resource Center is here to be a light in that dark moment for a woman who feels as if she has no other options! She does have other options, and we are here to help guide her (and many times her boyfriend) on how we can help. This is made possible through people like you.

It does seem as if evil is on the rise, and you need to be aware! Not long ago, I got an email from Planned Parenthood—the largest abortion provider in the world, might I add. It read, “We’ve broken ground!”

We are breaking ground? What on earth!

We have heard stories of Planned Parenthood expanding, but it wasn't confirmed. Not only is the largest abortion provider expanding—they are expanding to provide surgical abortions. We have two abortion facilities just 16-19 miles away from our life-affirming center, and soon both will be doing surgical abortions. Planned Parenthood’s email shares about Knoxville and the surrounding regions having an immediate need for affordable, accessible sexual and reproductive health care—which is abortion.

The thing is. there is a need, but there is never a need for abortion. Abortion businesses sell one product—and that is abortion—and yet claim choice. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is time for those of us who affirm and confirm the sanctity of life to take back the word “choice” because it is ours. The abortion industry only gives moms in crisis one choice when it comes to unintended pregnancy, and that is abortion.

We educate, empower, and equip brave moms and dads with all their options. We hope they don't choose abortion, but if they do, they know that we are always here for them with open arms. We are a place to connect them to our Restorer and Healer. We do have many who choose life. In fact, over 90% of women who see life within the womb here at our Center do choose life. That is a true testament to you and your commitment to what God is doing here.

In the breaking-ground email, Planned Parenthood mentions getting $1,050,000 and they only need $250,000 more to make their project completely funded. I find it no coincidence that we have a similar goal to raise as of right now: $250,000 over the next two years to retire our mortgage to focus more on a mission—a life-affirming mission, that is. Reading this news can make many of us feel defeated; I know it did for us for a minute as we read that email. What I do know is that if you give me some good hearts, we can and will change the world—one heartbeat at a time. God's supply is in abundance.

How can you help?

• You can give a special gift or become a recurring life-saving monthly sponsor to help brave families choose and see life.

• You can volunteer!

• You can let others know about our life-saving work and continue to let families know their true choices.

• You can schedule a private tour and get an inside look at what God is doing here and see how you can become more involved.

Let’s RISE UP together and put feet to our faith!

The heavy fog will pass – 48 years and life-affirming pregnancy help goes on

written by: Valerie Millsapps, Executive Director

Driving to drop my daughter off to school on a recent morning you could barely see the road. The fog was like a heavy thick blanket covering the air. Even as the sun came up that day on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I could not see anything as I gazed out my kitchen window. Normally, we have a beautiful view of the sunrise peaking up over the mountains. 

The view of the thick fog reminds me of the work our team at the Pregnancy Resource Center in Maryville, TN, gets to do on a daily basis. 

We get to speak to clients as if the fog has lifted and they are no longer in crisis. 

We speak to the woman we know they are. They are strong and capable, and they have a whole community that will walk with them during and after their pregnancy.

Women that face difficult pregnancy decisions are often in a crisis. Much like the thick fog that morning, they have this heavy weight encompassing them. They cannot see past the current circumstance. 

Some common scenarios we hear are: 

“I cannot have a child right now.”

“It is not the right time.” 

“I have a small apartment and there is no room.”

These are just temporary circumstances. 

We have had this horrible landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, ruling that abortion is a right found in the Constitution, since January 22, 1973.

Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the U.S., touts that this dreadful day affirmed that access to safe and legal abortion is a constitutional right. 

Abortion is not safe, as an innocent human being dies during the procedure. It is heavy stuff and January 22 should be a day where we mourn the 62+ million lives lost to abortion in the United States since 1973.

Women and men often look at a difficult pregnancy decision as if it’s a thick fog, a problem for which they just need a quick way out. In the moment of panic, they search for help and many of times end up at an abortion facility to solve the perceived problem. The abortion industry will highlight this fog in which our clients find themselves and point to a supposed quick solution. 

We have seen and served the very women who were lied to by the abortion industry in this regard.

They have told them to take the abortion pill and all their difficulties will be gone. The fog will be lifted, and you will be able to move on with your life. 

For many women that is not the case. Their pregnancy isn’t just tissue to pass. 

Many women have had to find out the hard way as they are left to face the “taking care of this problem” alone in their own homes. It becomes a nightmare they will have to visually remember. They realize in that moment as they see that the tissue is indeed a baby that the abortion industry lied to them. They realize in that moment they cannot undo the decision they have made, and they are devastated.

We are thankful for pregnancy centers like ours that offer abortion recovery groups to walk men and women towards healing. There are many abortion recovery groups that men and women can connect to such as www.supportafterabortion.com orwww.godeeperstill.com. A true light in the darkness. 

When women search for abortion or ask around for places where they can go for help in an unplanned pregnancy, life-affirming centers need to be that first choice. 

Our pregnancy center and many like ours across the globe are that safe, life-affirming place. We are the vision casters of that individual’s future. 

We share truth in love with them as they get to see life—their baby on the ultrasound screen. 

Our medical team and volunteer advocates speak to our brave moms as if the fog has lifted, because the fog will lift, and when it does, the moms and dads will be so thankful that they had someone speak to them and let them visualize the beautiful sunrise over the mountains as the fog dissipates.

They have had time for the pressure of a difficult decision to fade and be so grateful that they didn’t make a quick decision. They’ve had time for someone to calm their fears and speak life into them. 

Let this day and every day be a reminder to speak as if the fog has lifted and the sun will rise, and moms and dads will have this beautiful view of a baby created in the image of our Creator.

We may be disappointed that we could not march for life in person this year, but we can do these three things to help women and men across our nation as they choose life for their babies.

We can pray and get connected to our local pregnancy center, asking if there are any specific prayer needs.

We can volunteer. Many pregnancy centers are shorthanded due to the pandemic and could use a dedicated person to devote a couple of hours a week to lighten the load.

We can give. If we look back in our check book over the year and add up all the little snack trips we made or dinners out, we can see that 2021 could be the year that we were intentional of skipping a meal out to save and impact lives. 

It takes all of us to speak life into the future generations of our nation. Let’s all do at least a small part, and as we do it, we will make a huge impact on the lives in our communities. 

Editor’s note. This appeared at Pregnancy Help News and is reposted with permission.