Written and Compiled

by Melissa Gawlinski
in collaboration with Kirk Walden
www.heavensent-erie.com
!"#$%

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Celebrating Life and Honoring
the Work of Life-Afrming Ministry
ii iii
Copvrih| 2012 bv Mclissa Gawlinski, Hcavcn-Scn| Crca|ivc. All rih|s rcscrvcd.
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or bv anv mcans, clcc|ronic, mcchanical, pho|ocopvin, rccordin, or o|hcrwisc wi|hou| |hc wri||cn prior
pcrmission ol |hc au|hor.
Prin|cd in |hc Ini|cd S|a|cs ol Amcrica
ISBN: 9781620`0021`
Dcsin and Lavou|: Mclissa Gawlinski, Hcavcn-Scn| Crca|ivc
Ldi|ors: Kirk Valdcn, LilcTrcnds, Inc.; Lona Youdcrian, Mac Prolcssionals, L|d.; Nancv Irwin
Scrip|urcs |akcn, as no|a|cd, lrom:
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Spccial Thanks:
This book is dedicated to each of the voung women who have touched mv heart during mv fournev
alongside life-afhrming ministries. A special shout out to two incrediblv strong womenNatalie and
Mirandavou have left special imprints on mv heart forever. Special thanks to Kirk Walden for coming
alongside this profect in its earliest stages, for helping me make connections and for challenging mv
timeline, all to the beneht of the profect' And to Michele Pillar for vour sweet pravers and words of
encouragement in the midst of what seemed a daunting task at times' 2012 is a big vear for us both'
And to mv husband and familv for staving close during what proved to be an unimaginable fournev.
Thank vou for supporting mv passion for life, the unborn, and putting words to paper, all to Gods glorv'
And most of all, thank vou to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for in Him I hnd grace, forgiveness, and
purpose, and He is the reason we sing, write, create and use everv good gift He intricatelv knit into our
being' Without Him the breathings of our heart, spoken and written, would go nowhere' Success for
this book is not for me, but for pregnancv centers around the nation. Nothing could be a greater reward.
Melissa Gawlinski
Contents
Foreword by Michele Pillar
About Melissa and Heaven-Sent Creative
Preface
Intro
Why Heart Prints?
The Journey Alongside a Ministry
The Myths of Crisis
Canvas of Beauty
7 Fundamentals
Foundation of Love
Window of Reality
Haven of Truth
Treasure of Time
Beacon of Hope
Place of Joy
Seeds of Change
Healing Waters
!"#$%#&' %)$ *%+,-. / %)$ 0+,1 +2 3#2$/425,-#&' 6#&#.%,#$.
How You Can Help/About the Heart Prints Project
Untangled by Michele Pillar
iv v
Foreword by Michele Pillar
T
he word frightening doesn`t come close to describing what grips the heart and mind
when asked to write the Ioreword oI a book. It reminds me oI the years I sang at
weddings. I`d rather sing Ior thousands stumbling in the dark to fnd their seats, than Ior
a handIul oI Iriends and Iamily members, just beIore the bride takes her commemorative
walk down the aisle to meet her groom.
I can tell you Irom personal experience, sweat Iorms on the upper lip oI the soloist and
pours Irom her underarms, while at the same time, the throat closes oII Irom dry, desert-like
tissue. Swallow as she may, she won`t fnd a single drop oI saliva to save her. Mr. Cough
appears Irom out oI nowhere and invites Mr. Frog to join the Iestivities. Every eye in the
room pins the singer against the back wall, giving her no chance to clear out Mr. C. and Mr.
F. The situation will remain as is until the organist plays the last note oI the recessional.
It`s then when the wedding singer takes her own set oI vows to divorce the thought oI ever
singing Ior Iuture nuptials!
Why do both weddings and Iorewords unnerve people so? Because both bride and author
are asking Ior the very same thingan insurance policy.
The bride asks Ior the picture-perIect song to refect the picture-perIect marriage she hopes
Ior. On the other hand, the author asks the Ioreword writer Ior the brilliance oI Shakespeare
so that you, the reader, will devour every single word that Iollows this page. Writers who
rarely suIIer Irom the dreaded 'writer`s block oIten contract the disease while writing
Iorewords.
But as I sit here typing away, my mouth is neither dry nor my armpits damp, and my brain
is not the least bit blocked. Why? Because when Melissa Gawlinski asked me to write this,
she was smart enough to realize that there is power in numbers, comIort in story, and that
when people are willing to reveal their weaknesses, Iear is deIeated. Melissa and the other
vi vii
courageous writers within these pages have all wanted to run, quit, and cave in to the giant
oI doubt, only to discover that the bigger they come, the harder they Iall.
We are all alike. Your role in this chapter oI liIe may be counselor or caseworker, director,
midnight cleaning crew or fnancial partner. Or, maybe you are the one sitting in the waiting
room, flling out your medical history Iorm and wondering how on earth you got here. No
matter who we are, we fnd ourselves sitting on ledges and Iault lines that Irighten the
daylights out oI us. But ledges bring learning and liIt us to heights we wouldn`t choose to
climb or fnd on our own. Whoever we are, we won`t jump. We won`t give up or give in
not this time. Not today, because we stand together within Heart Prints.
A Note From the Author
I
ronically, when I started out on this literary journey, I never intended Ior 'Iear to be a
Iocal point, at least not more than in passing and only with regard to crisis clients. This is
supposed to be a celebration oI liIe, not a discussion about Iear, but this key word just kept
popping up. Sure I was scared myselI, as God had placed a monumental task on my heart.
But through the 'heart prints oI many prominent individuals in liIe-aIfrming ministry
and Michele`s compelling Ioreword, I soon realized that there were threads oI Iear that had
alluded me. I had not acknowledged the Iear that also easily exists in the hearts oI those
whose lives intertwine with the work oI liIe-aIfrming ministryIear oI disappointment,
Ieelings oI inadequacy, a Iear oI being ill-equipped Ior a calling, a Iear oI Iailure (this one
resounds loudly in this liIe-and-death ministry), the Iear surrounding provision Ior the
ministry in the wake oI dwindling Iunding, job insecurity, controversy, etc. Counselors
oIten question their giIts and their ability to know what to say or do. Administrators are
oIten given tasks perhaps bigger than their own training and education.
Though it is easy Ior that Iear to surIace, God commands us not to Iear, actually oIIering
this command more than any other. He wants us to wholeheartedly trust in His provision,
His calling, His equipping, and His love.
But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saving, Fear not. believe onlv, and she shall be
made whole. Luke 8:50 (NKJV)
Let us acknowledge a God who is bigger than all those Iears, recognize that He equips 'the
called; and proclaim that there is no better Provider in the universe!
An in-depth study oI the Bible shows over and over that God oIten does His most signifcant
work through the most unlikelv characters. He doesn`t hand-select the individual who
seems most ftting Ior the job; He selects those that have declared Him Lord and made
themselves available.
viii ix
So, please, sit back, set Iear aside, and celebrate with methe amazing work oI liIe-
aIfrming ministries across the nation and the precious clients and babies that will see love
and know liIe because oI these ministries AND these servants. !"#$%%&
T herefore, since through God s mercy we have this ministry, we do not
lose heart.
2 Corinthians 4:1 (NIV)
Who comforts us in all our troubl, so that we can comfort those in
any trouble with the comfort we ourselv receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:4 (NIV)
For if the willingns is there, the gift is acceptable according to what
one has, not according to what he do not have.
2 Corinthians 8:12 (NIV)
And God is able to bls you abundantly, so that in all things at all
tim, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)
For we are
God s
masterpiece
Ephesians 2:10
(NLT)
x xi
About Melissa & Heaven-Sent Creative
M
elissa is the Iormer Creative Director Ior one oI the largest pregnancy resource
megacenters in the nation, as well as a doula and childbirth educator, specializing in
crisis clients and adoption. She is now the owner oI Heaven-Sent, a creative resource Ior
liIe-aIfrming ministries with a mission oI helping ministries connect with those who have
a passion Ior the sanctity oI human liIe, utilizing creative, innovative and compelling tools,
concepts, campaigns and strategies. She has a heart Ior liIe-aIfrming ministries and fnds it
one oI her greatest joys to communicate Ior them, through writing and design, and to help
them connect with new supporters and new volunteers.
Melissa resides near Erie, Pennsylvania with her husband oI 20 years and her three children.
Her passion Ior aIfrming liIe and recognizing the signifcance oI unborn liIe blossomed as
a teen and has grown ever since.

H
eaven-Sent
Creative Concepts
www.heavensent-erie.com
'Fill vour paper with the
breathings of vour heart.`

-William Wadsworth
Preface
The concept behind Heart Prints is simple: Whether called Pregnancv Resource Centers,
Pregnancv Help Medical Clinics, or even Crisis Pregnancv Centers, these ministries are
both transIorming lives and literally saving lives in the process.

The story oI these ministries is one oI compassion and hope, oI excellence and awe-
inspiring results.

For those who believe our culture is in inevitable decline, I lovingly challenge them to
step inside the doors oI a local pregnancy help ministry. Inside these doors we`re seeing
an incredible turnaround, where perspectives change and liIein all oI its wonderis
again valued and embraced. These ministries are creating an undercurrent oI hope that is
now bubbling to the surIace, and truly creating a wave oI momentum that is creating a new
culture oI liIe.

LiIe aIfrming ministries have a powerIul story to tell. You`ll fnd a portion oI that story in
the pages ahead. For some, Heart Prints is an opportunity to celebrate the successes that
come Irom laboring on behalI oI moms, dads and little ones through a local liIe-aIfrming
ministry. For others, this compilation oI stories and thoughts may be a new call to join
with these ministriesthrough our giving or through oIIering our talentsto Iurther the
narrative and perhaps create new volumes oI stories to be told in the Iuture.

Enjoy Heart Prints. Drink it in. TheniI you haven`t yet had the opportunityanswer the
call to join with a liIe-aIfrming ministry in your area. It`s time to write the next chapter in
this dynamic and thrilling story. Let`s get started.

-Kirk Walden
LifeTrends
www.lifetrendsonline.com
xiii
Intro
Everv life is a precious opportunitv with a unique storv.
T
he individuals we encounter on our journey Irom birth to death impact and defne us in
many ways, oIten infuencing who we will become and the course and direction oI our
lives. Sometimes our interactions with an individual, both positive and negative, provide
just a nudge in a certain direction or a tug oI the heart that pulls us down a certain path,
shiIting our priorities or challenging us to bigger ideas.
For those oI us immersed in the joys and challenges oI liIe-aIfrming ministry, our journeys
are infuenced by courageous birth mothers who selfessly bless adoptive Iamilies with the
giIt oI parenthood; young people with fery spirits, determination, strength and resolve;
or perhaps it is those sweet young women that you want to embrace and shelter Irom the
challenges their lives have already encounteredeach one unique, with an amazing ability
to leave imprints on the heart oI a ministry and reminders oI why these ministries exist and
why we, the servants alongside those ministries, do what we do. Each 'story is now a very
special piece oI the history oI a ministrytheir 'heart prints Iorever a part oI the legacy
oI liIe and liIe-aIfrming ministry.
On behalf of the children who are
saved from abortion in our world
everv dav, on behalf of children like
mv daughter, Olivia, who would
never have existed if that abortion
would have succeeded in ending mv
life in 1977, I want to sav thank vou.
Thank vou to all of vou involved
in Pregnancv Center ministrv. I
know that vou have davs where vou
feel discouraged, where voure left
wondering what happened to the
women vou met with, wondering if
voure making a differencebut I
want to encourage vou to keep the
faith. You mav not see the fruits of
vour labor here on this earth like so
manv people have who were involved
in saving mv life, but vou have to have
faith. Together, as ordinarv people, we
are doing extraordinarv things.
Melissa Ohden, Pro-LiIe Speaker and
Survivor oI Failed Abortion
1 xiv
T
hose oI us involved deeply in liIe-aIfrming ministry know that there`s just something
at the very heart and core oI who we are that draws us to this liIe-saving, liIe-changing
work. Those Ieelings may be rooted in personal experience, Iamily experience, things we`ve
heard, witnessed or experienced, or perhaps the simple, compelling voice oI God speaking
to our hearts. Crisis pregnancy ministry can be very intense. The staII and volunteers battle
on the Iront lines oI matters oI liIe and death, venturing on long and rough journeys with
many very special young women and Iamilies.
This is no afternoon athletic contest that well walk awav from and forget about in a couple hours.
This is for keeps, a life-or-death hght to the hnish against the Devil and all his angels.
Ephesians 6:12 (MSG)
It is my pleasure to connect with well-known individuals in the world oI liIe-aIfrming
ministry through this project and to hear the stories that drew them to this ministry or
moved them to involvement, deeper involvement, or growth in these ministries. These
individuals are gracious enough to share their 'heart prints Ior this publication. I Ieel like
I`ve grown to know each one oI them a little through the journey oI this book, and I am
most grateIul.
May the words in this book open your eyes to the breadth oI liIe-aIfrming ministry and
draw your heart toward support oI and participation in this vital work in your community.
I hope that you also enjoy getting to know a little bit about many individuals who have
Iollowed God`s leading and call on their lives to serve alongside liIe-aIfrming ministry in
their communities and across the nation, using their giIts to help these centers grow and
prosper, all to God`s glory.
Why Heart Prints?
2
The Journey Alongside a Ministry
God is in control and He can see all things, past, present and future.
H
e knows your paths Irom the day you were created. As you Iollow His lead, sometimes
you fnd yourselI on paths that are unexpected or that seem beyond your abilities;
paths that seem more challenging than you think you can handle; paths outside oI your
comIort zone.
Perhaps just across the way you see the ideal road, the 'perIect path, leading to the things
that sound appealing to you as an individual, perhaps security, success, fnancial promise,
and comIort. This road is paved, cleared, and well-marked. The potential is easy to see.
But God says, 'No. I want you to go this way.
You turn and see an unmarked, dirt trail. It`s clear, but narrow and rougher. Perhaps you
question why He wants you to go that way, why He is choosing vou Ior that path. You wish
to see Iarther down that road so that you will know the end result. Sometimes you don`t
believe you are the right person Ior that path or don`t think you are up to the challenge.
Perhaps, Lord, someone more 'outdoorsv` or that individual with better boots. Sometimes
you wish you could stay on the path you`ve been on, where you Ieel saIer. But you decide
to put all those Iears aside and openly and completely trust Him.
You walk a Iew steps down that road, putting your Iaith and trust in Him. Then you see the
small corner oI a box sticking up out oI the edge oI the road. You brush the dust and dirt
aside and open the box to fnd blessings pouring out. Then as you continue down that road,
a person steps out and you touch her liIe as she also touches yours.
God sees the entire road. He knows that by taking that path oI uncertainty, that unpaved
road, you will fnd small packages along the way, giIts and blessings. There are also special
people standing along that road, people whose lives will be Iorever changed because you
chose to trust Him. The more you trust and show complete Iaith and obedience, the more
boxes that appear and the more lives that are touched through you.
Have Iaith, Ior God knows you, and He knows what He is capable oI doing through you,
through all the twists, turns, high places and valleys oI your liIe`s journey. You will never
regret taking the road less traveled, and liIe alongside a ministry will bring challenges,
indeed, but it will also bring blessings greater than you can imagine.
We may run, walk, stumble,
drive, or fly, but let us never
lose sight of the reason for
the journey or miss a chance
to see a rainbow on the way.
Gloria Gaither
5
The Myths of Crisis
T
here are many myths associated with the concept oI the 'typical crisis client. An
individual in crisis can be anvonesingle or married, young or older, male or Iemale,
and oI any ethnicity or social status, even when it comes to a pregnancy crisis. An unplanned
pregnancy can aIIect a wealthy Iamily just as much as a young woman struggling to fnd
her next meal. An unplanned pregnancy can be a crisis even Ior a married woman or couple.
Pregnancy crisis can impact anyone`s liIe Irom a young teen to a mother, to a grandmother
to a boyIriend, Iather, or grandIather.
What constitutes a crisis? Dictionary.com defnes a crisis as 'a dramatic emotional or
circumstantial upheaval in a persons life.` 'Crisis is Iurther described in a context that
blends well with the mission oI liIe-aIfrming ministries as IaithIul servants to God`s truth
'a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, for better or for
worse, is determined, a turning point.`
A turning point.mav we be a catalvst in that turning point in the lives of the precious
individuals who cross our thresholds'
Crisis can also be so much more than an unexpected pregnancy. Crisis can come Irom
a broken heart, a broken relationship, broken fnances, broken dreams, a broken moral
Ioundation, etc. With all that is going on in our world, our Iamilies and our culture, we can
easily become IearIul or discouraged, wondering what the Iuture might hold in the midst
oI brokenness.
Weve talked to a number of girls, women, bovfriends, husbands and parents over the
vears who were seriouslv considering abortion. Though their circumstances varied, there
was one common factor thev all shared. fear. All of them were afraid of how this little
tinv helpless babv would affect their lives.
Liz McMullen, Executive Director, Birthline oI Liberal, Kansas
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A Heart Print from Abby Johnson
Former Planned Parenthood Director and author of Unplanned
7 6
The crisis that exists alongside an unplanned pregnancy may be caused by a need Ior
secrecy, the Iear oI the unknown, or even an inconvenience or interruption oI the liIe
someone had hoped Ior.
Satan wants to hll a couple facing an unplanned pregnancv with fear and despair,
offering death of their unborn babv as the solution. The Holv Spirit wants to hll the same
couple with courage and hope so thev choose life for their babv.
Liz McMullen, Executive Director, Birthline oI Liberal, Kansas
Sometimes in the midst oI their crisis, these young women have no idea how close they
are to harmharm to themselves, to their Iamilies, to their precious unborn child. We have
the opportunity to catch them at that moment oI decisive change, at that turning point, with
hope oI steering them in a direction that will instead bless their lives.
Now vouve got mv feet on the life path, all radiant from
the shining of vour face. Ever since vou took mv hand,
Im on the right wav.
Psalm 16:11 (MSG)
I
remember the day I Iound out I was pregnant with my daughter.
I was devastated. I couldn`t believe this was happening to me. I
wasn`t ready. I didn`t have any money. I was still in school. My
husband and I had just gotten married. My husband was still in
school. We weren`t ready. We had not planned this. I was scared
too. I wasn`t sure I would be a good mother. I was terrifed about
the pain oI childbirth. I wasn`t sure how we would aIIord a child.
It would have been so easy to 'take care oI it. I mean, I worked
at Planned Parenthood. I remember one oI the girls I worked with
asking me iI I thought I wanted to have an abortion. I almost
couldn`t believe she was asking me that question. Did she think that every unplanned
pregnancy should just be aborted? Well, not mine. It would be hard, and I knew that we
would have to make sacrifces, but I was going to have this baby. I knew that I could do
it.no matter how scared I was.
Being pregnant is scary. Having a baby is hard. But there is nothing that will bring you
more happiness. I will never Iorget the frst time she looked at me and smiled. It was like
she knew me.she knew she was part oI me.she knew I was her mommy. I remember
the frst time she called me 'Mama. Her voice was so sweet, so perIect. I WAS her mama.
Only me. I gave her liIe; she gave me joy.joy that I would have never experienced
without her. I remember when she cut her frst tooth, when she took her frst step, her frst
Christmas, her frst birthday. All oI these frsts that I could have taken away because oI
'choice. Choice. Choice because we are scared? Choice because we don`t have enough
money? Well, big decisions in liIe are usually scary, and iI you wait Ior your savings
account to grow big enough to have a baby, you will never have a child. You see, many oI
liIe`s greatest blessings are unplanned. Mine was unplanned, and her name is Grace. I can`t
imagine my liIe without her. Is it always easy? No. But it is alwavs worth it. Alwavs!
T
he year was 2007. For 16 years I had been serving
pregnancy resource ministries in many capacities. For nine
years I led a pregnancy center, and since that time I had been a
consultant, producer oI liIe-aIfrming publications, a writer on
many topics and even a Irequent speaker at pregnancy center
banquets.

But at that moment in January oI 2007 when I looked down
at my wiIe`s positive pregnancy test, all oI that few out the
window. I was now 44 years old and our youngest child was
13 years old. The other two were 17 and 15. We didn`t need
a baby. Not now. It was time to start sending them out oI the house; not the time to bring
another home in a diaper. I was upset. My liIe was changing and I didn`t want what God
was oIIering.

At every banquet where I spoke I would say, 'Children are a giIt Irom the Lord. Would I
believe it when I was given a giIt?

In all honesty, it took a Iew days Ior me to re-understand that what God says is true.
Children are a giIt Irom God. Every time. We began to get excited about Josh`s arrival, and
today I cannot imagine a day without him. People say he looks just like his daddy and I
could not be more honored. He`s a giIt, and while I didn`t realize it Irom the beginning, I
do today.

Perhaps as a dad I`m a bit older than some. That`s okayGod has a sense oI humor and He
is keeping me young. And He wasn`t fnished. Josh`s brother Jake was born two years later.
He too, is a tremendous giItjust like God told us all along.
9 8
A Heart Print from Kirk Walden
CEO of LifeTrends, Inc. (serving 1,100 Pregnancy Ministries Worldwide)
Banquet Speaker and Humorist
It is during tim like the, with crisis
all around us, touching each one of
our liv in some way, that we have the
opportunity to see, show and proclaim
God s faithfulns. It becom a time
to renew our strength and the root of our
foundation by turning our ey to the
Source of all things,
the Creator of all things,
the One that holds all things
in the palm of His hand.
10
Canvas of Beauty
I
t`s amazing, when we take a moment to quietly refect on nature, how easy it is to see the
refection oI liIe and the Creator in everythingIrom the babbling brooks, the waves oI
the lakeshore, the sunsets, the trees, fowers, birds and butterfies.
Few oI us ever tire oI seeing a sunsetthe beautiIul blend oI colors new and diIIerent
every day. It oIten seems like God created that colorIul masterpiece just Ior us at that
very moment. He creates each masterpiece Irom scratch, expressing the beauty oI His
creativity with a new array oI unlimited hues on Iresh canvas every evening. The artistic
images he creates Ior us surround every moment and every seasonautumn leaves setting
the trees ablaze, the warmth oI colors creating a canopy over country roadways or city
walkways, displays oI scarlet, amber and gold; the crispness and purity oI winter snow; and
the vividness oI spring fowers and budding trees. The slideshow never ends.
We are encouraged by the evidence oI God`s handiwork and His fngerprints on every
Iacet oI our surroundings. And nature`s canvas is just the beginning. LiIe brings many
other opportunities to see the expressions oI His creativity. As liIe-aIfrming ministries,
we look at each individual who comes to us as one oI those precious masterpieces, two or
three iI a young woman or couple comes to us struggling with an unplanned pregnancy. No
matter her circumstances, no matter the pain oI past choices that she may carry with her, no
matter her appearance, she is one oI those precious works oI art exhibiting God`s creative
touch. ThereIore, we must show her love; we must oIIer her Truth; and we must meet her
where she is, refecting that Love that may be completely Ioreign and new to her. We see
individuality, each individual`s liIe and story unique. What a blessing each and every day
to visibly see God`s handiwork in the lives oI young women and Iamilies, as lives are
changed and even saved. It`s like having a Iront row seat to another oI God`s amazing
slideshowswatching a young woman protect her own heart with the choice oI liIe Ior her
unborn child and watching young people make choices that will positively infuence their
Iutures.
Oh, to always have the opportunity to see a young woman`s Iace, as her precious little one
emerges Irom the comIort oI her womb, still clothed in the warmth her body provided, as
that precious liIe that she chose to carry is placed in her arms Ior the frst time. And to see
a new Iather, surprised by joy at the moment he sees his child Ior the frst time. Even with
the challenges that little liIe may bring, God will be there and we will be there to help them
along the way.
We would look at that little liIe and fnd ourselves overcome by the beauty oI God`s
handiworkby the knowledge that He breathed that very child into existence. Oh, how
His heart must ache when that canvas is torn away beIore His masterpiece is revealed.
For every detail is lovingly knit into place specifcally Ior that little one, each distinct
characteristic and detaillittle blinking eyes, tiny fngers and toes, a wrinkled brow, and
a Iace Iull oI wonderment at what must have just occurred. How precious His creation is!
Everv abortion changes the destinv of the world. Can anvone, in our limited mental
capacities even begin to imagine the profound implications of a life that was meant to be
that was never lived?
Liz McMullen, Executive Director
Birthline in Liberal, Kansas
13 12
Foundation of Love
O
I one thing we are certain, we know the Origin oI love, and we know !"#$# &'(# )*+,
+,-$,.It starts with the person in Iront oI us, the one whose journey has just become
part oI our own.
Each individual`s situation is as varied and unique as the snowfakes that Iall Irom the sky.
Now perhaps not all oI you can relate as easily to a snow analogy.but iI you`ve ever had
the opportunity to really study the snowfakes, you would truly be in awe to know that
three Ieet oI these tiny particles can completely blanket an entire city, yet each and every
fake is unique. Our God and Creator knits each one with delicate care. How much more
does He care about each oI us and the unique way we are knit together Irom the moment
oI conception, the unique and delicate way each characteristic oI who we are is designed!
Each individual is just thatindividualunique in appearances, unique in stature, unique
in ability, and unique in their perception oI the world and how they respond to it.
That`s why we are blessed to meet each client where she is and give her the resources to
evaluate her circumstances as she sees them, to be given the opportunity to approach a
situation through the eyes oI that individual and the uniqueness oI her liIe and her situation
and to oIIer choices and opportunities that can be real to her, that can bring that light oI
hope to her eyes.
It`s more than just taking a call or opening a door. It`s about investment in the liIe and heart
oI an individual. Investment is described at Dictionary.com as 'a devoting, using, or giving
oI time, talent, or emotional energy Ior a purpose or to achieve something. We invest
in liIe with very proftable returns, precious lives that are born instead oI ended and the
clients` lives who are touched with the love oI Jesus.
We may never know which service we oIIer, which caring and compassionate act, will
make the diIIerence in a heart or a liIe. Some oI the tools Ior quieting crises` storms are
love, mercy, compassion, kindness, understanding, patience, concern, and empathythe
."#/ !# #0*1-,# !')#/ -2'*, -2'$,3'/4 !#
-$# /', '/&5 0'3/6 3, +' ,"# 7',#/,3-& '8 "#$
1"3&0 1-/ 2# $#-&39#0 2*, !# -$# 0'3/6 3, +'
:;< 7',#/,3-& 1-/ -&+' 2# $#-&39#0=
-Liz McMullen
14
very virtues that let a young woman know that she is heard and that someone cares. Those
tools may be the very tools that can break through her crisis and give her hope.
Many oI the women and men who walk through our doors are struggling with the value
and worth oI their own lives, which makes it diIfcult Ior them to see the value and worth
oI the liIe she carries, that little liIe that is unseen. OIten through the care given, women
and men gain that new perspective oI their own lives. We are genuinely concerned Ior their
well-being, and that is very apparent to them.
Men and women walking into a Iaith-based, liIe-aIfrming ministry oIten fnd themselves
Ieeling and recognizing something diIIerent about the oIfce they have entered.
Condemnation and judgment are leIt at the door; mercy and compassion greet them with
open arms. It doesn`t matter where they have come Irom or what they have doneit
matters who thev are.
Although pregnancy ministry oIten Iocuses on the heart oI the young women, let us not
Iorget about the young men who also cross our thresholds. OIten seeming tough on the
exterior, they too are many times scared and conIused. Culture has 'taught them that they
have no say on the matter oI abortion, that it is her choice and that it doesn`t matter how
they Ieel. On the fipside, many post-abortive young women have said that they would
have made the choice Ior liIe iI the men in their lives had indicated they would be there or
expressed a desire not to abort. Either way, we know that a Iather`s heart is also aIIected by
the choice made over the liIe oI the little one she carries. Men can even experience post-
abortion syndrome, especially when they are involved in the decision-making or the trip to
the clinic, or even when they simply remain quiet.
The men involved in a crisis pregnancy are always a piece oI the puzzle, whether it be
a seemingly active one or not. His heart is important too. His thoughts, Ieelings, and
interpretation oI the crisis are critical as well and oIten infuential on the heart oI the mother.
Sometimes he is the one who wishes liIe Ior his baby when his girlIriend is set on abortion.
Or sometimes he is the one pushing to make it all 'disappear. Either way, this decision
will aIIect them both.

Many pregnancy centers have developed initiatives Ior Iatherhood, support systems Ior
helping Iathers-to-be who fnd themselves in the midst oI a crisis pregnancy, and programs
to help them make healthy choices over their own lives, their Iutures, and the lives oI their
unborn children. Helping a young man to see the available resources and options, in a
moment that brings so much panic and Iear, may allow him to come alongside the young
woman to make a choice oI liIe Ior their precious little one through parenting or adoption.
Experienced, seasoned Iathers can also fnd a role in pregnancy ministry as mentors Ior
these expectant Iathers, helping them to see the realities oI their choices and helping them
prepare to be the Iathers they were meant to be, even iI it means being a supportive birth
Iather in a loving adoption. For at the verv moment of conception, God ordained these
voung men as fathers. As they recognize the signifcance oI Iatherhood and experience a
role-model perhaps they had never experienced, and when they too recognize that someone
cares about them, choices can be made that bring hope and promise to their crises and their
Iutures.
We must first show her what
a treasure her own life is so
that she can recognize the
treasure she carri.
17 16
,
P
icture a beautiIul summer aIternoon, with skies painted with giant fuIIy white clouds,
the kind that seem to magically make pictures on a blue sky canvas. Imagine the
Iun Irom our childhood oI laying on the beach or in the yard with Iriends or siblings,
each sharing your own 'interpretations oI those fuIIy white sculptures. How quickly it
becomes apparent that each individual sees things Irom a diIIerent perspective. Where
one sees a cute puppy playIully gnawing on a bone, the other sees a ferce fre-breathing
dragon; where one sees a horse graceIully galloping across the sky, another sees a banana
split, complete with the cherry on top; where one sees a beautiIul bride in a fowing gown,
another sees a warrior ready with sword and shield.
Isn`t the same true about relationships, about confict, about how we even view the world,
words spoken, events experiencedand crisis? We all have our own lens through which
we view liIe, experiences and our environment. What may to one individual be 'a day in
the liIe oI. may be devastating to another. What may seem simple and harmless to one
may bring great pain and grieI to another. It matters how each individual perceives the
crisis beIore them.
When working with young women and Iamilies in crisis, it is so important to meet them
where they are and to hear their stories, their emotions, and their interpretation. Sometimes
a young woman cannot hear the words spoken during an ultrasound over the blasting pain
oI a troubled relationship, or see the picture oI her child on the ultrasound screen past the
images in her mind oI the shattered dreams brought about by her pregnancy.
Getting to the heart oI her need becomes one oI our most vital tools, getting to the root oI
her crisis one oI our most vital resources, and getting to the heart oI her liIe and who she is
a necessity. How she Ieels about her situation and how it creates crisis Ior her is the key to
connecting with her heart. It`s not about what we think; it`s about what she thinks.
Sometimes it`s not even about the baby yet --- she must achieve her own stability beIore
she can think oI this little liIe that hangs in the balance. Perhaps she cannot imagine, as
that liIe dances on the screen, how she will tell her parents, how she will escape an abuse
relationship, or how she will even fnd her next meal. More and more in crisis ministry
we encounter women, calls nearly every day, that fnd themselves without a place to live.
How can she think about whether a baby should live or die when she fnds herselI in such
a precarious place, perhaps fghting Ior her own survival? Perhaps she cannot imagine liIe
with a baby simply because she cannot imagine how to get through the day in Iront oI her.
We have the amazing opportunity to step into a scenario alongside a young woman, to help
her see what is beyond her struggleallowing light, truth, knowledge and resources to
bring hope to her liIe and situation. As it is oIten said, we MUST take the 'crisis out oI the
pregnancy beIore a woman can move Iorward.
May we oIIer her a stepladder so she can see out oI the hole and see just how close she is
to what she needs Ior a better hope and Iuture.
We are most alive
when our hearts are
conscious of our
treasur.
Thornton Wilder
I
ve delivered 8,000 babies, and Ive never lost.a mother.`
These words, spoken by one oI the Iounders oI Heartbeat
International (Iormerly Alternatives to Abortion International),
Dr. John Hillebrand, were some oI the words that truly drew my
attention. I was expecting him to say he had never lost 'a baby,
because our ministries are about saving babies, right?
I entered liIe-aIfrming ministry because abortion was killing
babies, and I Ielt like I needed to do something to stop that. As
part oI the Right to LiIe movement, many oI us started helping
pregnant girls and caring Ior these young mothers, hoping that by
providing care Ior them, we could also save their babies. When Dr. Hillebrand made that
statement, I think it really hit home and made me realize that we were about a lot more
than saving babies. We are about saving mothers and Iamilies and about providing help and
support so that thev can make a decision to save their babies.
We must genuinely care about the women, and they have to understand and honestlv believe
that we care about them. We are there to protect their hearts as much as the tiny beating
hearts oI those little ones. We must Iocus on the woman, her story, her crisis and her need,
what she is experiencing at that very moment, and why she is Ieeling so pressured to have
an abortion. We must recognize and acknowledge her pain, not be distracted by abstract
notion or any mission or agenda. It is vital that we help strip away the Iears, the pressures,
any misconceptions, and the protective walls and barriers around her instincts that prevent
her Irom responding to those instincts. Her maternal instinct is truly to protect that baby.
It is her babv. She has to know that we sincerely, honestly and truly love and care about
her and her issues and problems. Research shows that most women think that 'Right-to-
19 18
A Heart Print from Peggy Hartshorn
President of Heartbeat International, Inc.
Greet them with hope,
rooted in the Giver of hope;
Meet them with love,
originated with the Creator of love;
Hear them with compassion,
modeled by the ultimate display
of Compassion;
Reach them with Truth.
Provide them with mercy and grace,
paid forward from the
greatt Gift ever given
21 20
LiIers only care about their babies, not about them. II we simply come across as caring
about her baby, she is going to turn and walk out the door.
It has been very important to me Irom the beginning oI my connection with Heartbeat
International that this be a Ioundational principle. Though I was shocked at the time by the
ending to Dr. Hillebrand`s statement, it was a compelling indication oI how our Iounders
Irom the very beginning knew and understood that they were there to help the mother
and to minister to women. The young woman is carrying a precious innocent liIe, but
her liIe is precious as well. Our role as liIe-aIfrming ministries is to oIIer help, support
and unconditional love so that she can choose liIe Ior her baby. That was the heart oI our
Iounders and has always remained a centerpiece oI Heartbeat.
Statements like the one above Irom a Iounder oI Heartbeat refect the breadth oI what
liIe-aIfrming ministries oIIer and do, how these ministries care Ior women and hear
their stories. It is our hope that each and every woman who walks into our ministries will
recognize something diIIerent the moment she crosses the threshold, Ieeling love Irom that
initial moment, and perhaps Ior the very frst time.
Dr. Hillebrand`s statement had a proIound impact on me, but it is really the women
themselves who have taught me this truth.
I ve delivered 8,000 babi,
and I ve never lost . . . a mother.
T he dew of
compassion is
a tear.
Lord Byron
Rather, it should be
that of your inner
self, the unfading
beauty of a gentle
and quiet spirit,
which is of great
worth in God s
sight.
1 Peter 3:4 (NIV)
23 22
Window of Reality
I
magine being at the side oI a young woman, the crisis oI her pregnancy apparent, as you
hold her hand while simultaneously balancing her nine month old on your hip. Thoughts
race through her mind as she tries to fgure out how she can possibly raise another baby by
herselI. She has come hoping Ior better news, but more importantly looking Ior hope. She
Iears she might be pregnant again and plans to seek an abortion iI that is true.
An ultrasound is arranged and during that brieI glimpse into the womb, we see not one, but
two precious babies. At this news, tears fll her eyes at the thought oI even more burden.
Yet as the screen catches her eyes, her heart is moved. At just 12 weeks gestation, these tiny
little lives, only just over two inches long, have all the recognizable ingredients oI liIea
tiny beating heart, a Iunctioning brain, every necessary organ. But more than that, their
personality already displays the vibrance oI LIFE. As the ultrasound technician attempts
to get a heart rate on one twin, the other twin, lying in a horizontal position across his
mother`s womb, proceeds to continuously do a perIect barrel rollround and round and
round. Meanwhile, the twin being measured proceeds to wave his tiny limbs (all Iour oI
them) with great excitement. It becomes one oI the most amazing theatrical productions
you have ever seenthe existence oI liIe making triumphant proclamations as iI to say,
'Here we are!
There could be no way to deny the little lives playIully turning and waving as iI they
know it is their Iew moments oI Iametheir theatrical debut and potentially their only
opportunity to capture the hearts oI everyone in that roomto prove their existence, their
signifcance, and their reality.
In the quiet oI that room, Iollowing a most touching display oI reality, we reach out to
this woman at her point oI crisis, evaluating the circumstances surrounding her and the
pressures causing her to Ieel that abortion could be the only resolve. We meet her where
she is, oIIering education and resources that would bring hope and other possibilities to her
Few tools have impacted the work of life-afhrming ministries as much as the
ultrasound. This 'window to the womb` sometimes offers a realitv that no amount
of counseling can quite provide.
L
ast year, I took my whole Iamily to the March Ior LiIe in
Washington, D.C., including my 4 year old daughter, Grace.
She Irequently goes out to the abortion clinics with me to pray.
She knows what it means to be pregnant. She has a very simplifed
understanding oI abortion. She had never been exposed to any
graphic signs. I knew she would be at the March Ior LiIe. I didn`t
know what she would say or how she would handle it, but I didn`t
want to hide them Irom her.
We were walking to the March and passed by a large exhibit
that showed graphic signs. I thought, 'Okay, here we go. She will
defnitely see this. When we got in Iront oI the sign that showed an aborted baby at 24
weeks, she stopped and stared. I stopped, knelt down beside her, put my hand on her
shoulder and waited Ior her to respond. She probably stood there and stared in silence Ior
about 15 seconds (which is about the equivalent oI a year in Iour-year-old time). Then
she turned around and looked at me with a compassionate expression. She pointed to the
picture and said, 'Mommy, that baby is broken. I smiled at the simplicity and accuracy
oI her observation. I simply responded, 'Yes, Grace. That baby has been broken. She
grabbed my hand and started walking again.
I wasn`t sure iI or how she had been impacted by what she saw that day, until a Iew nights
later when we were saying our night time prayers. Grace was praying and said, 'Please
keep babies Irom being broken and keep them saIe in their mommy`s tummies. I sighed
with relieI. She had gotten it. She had made the connection between abortion and that
broken baby.
A Heart Print from Abby Johnson
Former Planned Parenthood Director and author of Unplanned
25 24
situationa moment to quiet the cacophony oI pressures in her liIe that are playing loudly
all around her, a moment Ior that quietness to allow her to hear the whisper that is speaking
soItly into her heart about the signifcance oI even the tiniest liIe.
It has been more than fIteen years since my frst glimpse through the window to the womb
at the heartbeat oI an at-risk unborn baby. It still amazes me today to think that a tiny
heartbeat is present when an unborn baby is as small as 5 mm Irom head to bottom. It is
Iascinating to know that the intricacies oI sustaining liIe are already set in place when that
little one is no bigger than the tip oI my smallest fnger. God is so amazing!
The journey to liIe outside the womb is oIten precarious Ior the little ones that cross
the threshold oI pregnancy centers. In the lives oI many oI the young women that walk
through those doors, that 5 mm being may seem insignifcant or even intrusive. The path
to sustaining that tiniest oI heartbeats begins in reaching the heart oI that young mother,
Ior she may not yet understand how her heart already intertwines with the heart oI that
unborn baby. In Iact, she may not Iully realize this Ior years to come. It is our hope that she
will understand that this 5 mm being already exists and will aIIect her liIe no matter what
decision she makes. It is the diIIerence between a liIe potentially flled with blessing and a
liIe potentially flled with regret. Our goal is to reach out to this young woman with mercy,
compassion and love, to give her the tools to want to protect her own heart and the heart oI
that precious little one.
27 26
Haven of Truth
Truth offers hope, saves lives and protects hearts.
I
n the midst oI an unplanned pregnancy, a young woman may be surrounded with input
Irom many individuals in her liIe. She may be infuenced by these many voices surrounding
hera boyIriend (inconvenienced), a parent (embarrassed), other Iriends (opinionated),
another Iamily member or society as a whole (judgmental). These outside voices and
infuences may greatly aIIect her decision regarding the unborn baby she carries.
Many oI these voices may be speaking Irom roots oI misconception (about her, about liIe,
about truth). We hope Ior at least that one opportunity to represent and oIIer the voice oI
Truth.
Many oI the voices surrounding her may be encouraging her to end her pregnancy, oIIering
her words that simply are not truthabout when liIe begins, about how 'easy it will be,
about how little eIIect it will have on her, etc.
The frst truth is, she has optionsthree oI themparenting, adoption and abortion, and as
liIe-aIfrming organizations, we help her honestly evaluate each oI these options. She has
to look at the realities oI each one beIore she can truly make a decision.
But even more so, the truth is that she is carrying liIe, a tiny human being, a baby. The
truth is that she will be aIIected greatly by the decision she makes, both physically and
emotionally. It is our hope to lay the bricks Ior a frm Ioundation oI Truth upon which
decisionsall decisionsshould be made.
We also seek to oIIer truth long beIore any crisis exists, to save young people Irom the
pain and struggle oI an unplanned pregnancy Irom the start, sharing the importance and
signifcance oI healthy relationships and healthy choices.
Although that life may be unseen, that
precious lile one has already
knit himself into that womans heart,
before she is even aware, and that
bond is not broken without leaving
prints on her heart.
29 28
Treasure of Time
O
ne staII member at a pregnancy resource center in Pennsylvania
calls it 'pushing the pause button. Many women will call
pregnancy centers in a panic at just fve weeks pregnant. One oI the
most benefcial concepts is stressing the importance oI veriIying
her pregnancy, determining the actual gestation oI her child, and
veriIying her baby`s viability. This takes time a sonogram may
not be able to measure these things until at least six or eight weeks
gestation. By giving herselI that time, however, she may actually
save herselI time, money, and emotional stress.
The element oI time is one oI our greatest treasures in the midst oI
crisis. Time can become a critical, liIe-saving tool. For Iew crises
would not have solutions; Iew would not have options; and Iew could not be worked out
some way. One oI the frst challenges is encouraging those in the midst oI personal crisis
to take the time to evaluate options, assess the resources available, and process the reality
oI the situation beIore rushing into a decision that may alter their liIe Iorever.
Post-abortive women oIten share that their greatest regret is that they didn`t take more time
beIore making the decision that leIt them devastated, grieI-stricken and empty-armed.
The peace we bring to a young woman`s liIe begins by being a refection oI the love oI
Jesus Christ. But that peace also comes Irom Iollowing a process, helping her evaluate
options, intervening at a crucial crossroads in her liIe, and helping her to get to know and
understand herselI, her goals, her Iuture and the eIIect her choices have on all these things.
It is our goal to help each young person fnd that peace in her heart and to know that she
can complete this journey confdent and satisfed with the choices and decisions she makes.
When she takes the time to look at not just the options, 2*, ,"# 7'++323&3,3#+, a hope oIten
flls her heart and her situation.
30
Even in the winter, in the midst of the storm, the sun
is still there. Somewhere above the clouds, it still shin
and warms and pulls at the life buried deep inside the
brown branch and frozen earth.
Gloria Gaither
T here is surely a
future hope for you,
and your hope
will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:18 (NIV)
Yet this I call to
mind and therefore
I have hope;
Because of the
Lord s great love we
are not consumed,
for his
compassions
never fail.
Lamentations 3:21-22 (NIV)
There
can
be
hope
in
the
simplest
things...
We embrace the opportunity to take
devastating news and weave words oI
hope and truth into the situation and
into the Iuture oI each individual...
33 32
Beacon of Hope
W
henever a Iriend Iaces a crisis, we hear, we listen, and we long to bring hope to the
situation, even the most diIfcult situations.
When individuals walk through the door oI a pregnancy resource center in crisis, they are
oIten seeking and wishing Ior that one thing --- HOPE.
We know there is always hope, regardless oI circumstances, because hope comes Irom
knowing Who holds the Iuture in His awesome, powerIul and sturdy hand.
We can encourage each new liIe God places in our path and oIIer hope. And we can help
them hnd it. Perhaps hope is Iound through helping a young woman communicate her
pregnancy to her parents, or by providing material assistance in tough times, or even
through helping a young woman choose a Iamily to raise this child when she decides
it`s not the right time Ior her to do so. Hope is oIIered tangibly as spoken truth, material
provision and resource opportunity.
We are incredibly blessed because God allows liIe-aIfrming ministries to be ambassadors
oI His love and beacons oI hope, passing along wisdom, compassion, knowledge, mercy
and love to women and Iamilies that have sometimes given up hope. Knowing there are
options and knowing she has the opportunity to evaluate these options is oIten a frst
glimmer oI hope into a young woman`s situation.
'For I know the plans I have for vou,` declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper vou and not
to harm vou, plans to give vou hope and a future.`
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Options mean hope when circumstanc
appear hopels.
35 34
'Do vou remember me? I came into vour
pregnancv center and I wanted to have an
abortion. This is mv babv.` How different she
looked than when she had been in the ofhce
crving. No wonder I didnt recogni:e her' I
didnt have to ask how she was because her
face said it all. She was absolutelv beaming'
Her face fust radiated with love and pride
for her babv bov. The smile on her face was
priceless, and mv heart was hlled with fov.
Liz McMullen
When she hrst came to us, Ruth was
contemplating abortion, but chose life for her
son who is now starting kindergarten' Her
15 vear old daughter is on hre for the Lord
and has even taken a vow of chastitv' What a
blessing to hear how the Lord is continuing
to work in the lives of those we serve. Ruth is
overowing with gratitude and praise. She will
never forget how the Center ministered to her
and her familv in their time of need.
Ginger Delgado
Pregnancy Care Center oI NY
>/+,#-0 '8 ,#-$8*& -/0 +-04 +"# +'*/0#0 "-775
-/0 '7,3)3+,31= ?"''+3/6 &38# 0'#+ ,"-, ,' -
!')-/@ >A(# +##/ 3, "-77#/ )-/5 ,3)#+=
Liz McMullen
37 36
A Heart Print from Melissa Ohden
Pro-Life Speaker and Survivor of a Failed Abortion
I
n September oI 2011, at a banquet Ior the Women`s Resource
Center in North Platte, Nebraska, I met an amazing young
woman who courageously told her story to hundreds oI attendees,
highlighting the liIe-saving, liIe-transIorming eIIorts oI the
Center. When I watched her on video, interacting with her now
toddler son, I could see the joy in her eyes. I could sense the
deep love in her heart that she experienced as a mother and the
depth oI gratitude that she had Ior fnding help and support as a
teenage mom, who was so unsure oI pregnancy, childbirth and
parenthood.
I was so blessed to meet this young woman aIter the banquet, and although I was struck
by her amazing beauty, inside and out, it was her deeper sharing oI her personal journey oI
motherhood that leIt me in tears. Although I am blessed to give oI my liIe to serve others,
I know that more oIten than not, I get back so much more than I give. And meeting this
young woman was a great example oI this.
Here is what I posted on my social media ministry page that very same night about our
meeting:
My newest hero: a young woman who braved bed rest Ior over halI oI her pregnancy and
over 20 trips to the hospital, to ensure her son`s chance at liIe. Did I mention she was a high
school student at the time and had the support oI her local pregnancy center?
Her son was born healthv, she graduated from high school on time and is enrolled in
college. She is a great example of how a child does not derail ones life and how women
have the abilitv and courage to persevere through anvthing for their children' How manv
other voung women would have been suggested into believing their childs life was better
off ended bv abortion?
This beautiIul example oI one young woman`s strength, as she was liIted up by the staII
and volunteers oI the Women`s Resource Center and prayed Ior by the staII and supporters
oI the Center, was shared time and time again through social media, celebrating the good
news oI how Centers save and transIorm lives. I think oI this amazing young woman oIten,
and I keep her in my prayers, as she and her beautiIul son start oII on the next leg oI their
journey together: college.

39 38
Place of Joy
F
rom the moment oI conception, a little one`s genetic strengths and weaknesses and their
giIts and talents are set in place, waiting Ior the opportunity to display themselves and
shine. Conception is never an error or mistake. Each liIe Irom those beginning moments
has a purpose and a plan--an intentional design already in place.
And more than that, deep within, a mother`s heart Ieels a connection, that unexpected/
unaccepted place oI joy, even iI she doesn`t initially recognize the source oI that budding
emotion. But it is that heart tie and that place oI joy that suIIer the greatest consequences
at the loss oI that little one and the greatest confict at the prospect oI abortion. The young
woman who crosses over our thresholds comes in flled with concern, Iear, or denial. By
the time she realizes she is pregnant, that little one already has tiny hands and Ieet. She
has yet to realize or accept the impact oI those tiny hands and Ieet on her own precious
heart Iorever. She is, however, more aware oI the truth oI that little one`s existence than
she may be willing to acknowledge. At frst, what she cannot see is simply not real to her.
And some believe this makes abortion an easy choice to makethe easy way to resolve a
problem. What they do not realize is that although this liIe may be unseen, this little liIe is
now knitting his or her liIe into this young woman`s own liIe and heart, and that bond is
not broken without leaving a scar on her heart. Helping a woman to realize this is key in
saving her Irom a liIe oI grieI and regret. We don`t want her to make choices without frst
understanding the prints that will be on her heart Iorever.
For many oI the unborn babies carried over our thresholds, the hope oI their continued
existence may rest in God`s intervention through one oI His servants at a liIe-aIfrming
ministry who oIIers truth regarding the signifcance oI tiny precious hands and Ieet. Hands
that will some day tuck into a parent`s hand on a trip to the zoo; hands that will create many
a reIrigerator masterpiece; hands that will build a castle in the sand; hands that will clap
and throw kisses. Feet that will stomp in mud puddles; Ieet that will stand on tiptoes to
grab the cookies on the shelI just out oI reach; Ieet that will kick a soccer ball Ior the game
joy - n., the emotion
oI great delight or
happiness caused
by something
exceptionally
good or satisIying;
keen pleasure;
elation; something
or someone
greatly valued or
appreciated.
41 40
For you make me glad by
your deeds, O Lord;
I sing for joy at what
your hands have done.
Psalm 92:4 (NIV)

winning goal; Ieet that will carry a precious little
girl graceIully through an elegant dance recital; and
Ieet that will carry a handsome young man to the
stage at graduation. Handprints and Iootprints are
commemorative marks. We use them to record our
birth and the uniqueness oI our fngerprints. We as
society love to acknowledge the Iamous among us
with handprints on the Hollywood Walk oI Fame,
or we press our hands in wet cement to date stamp
a new sidewalk or Ioundation. So indelible too
are the prints on the heart oI a mother Irom the
moment a little one`s journey in the womb begins.
43 42
Seeds of Change
F
rom any aspect oI liIe-aIfrming ministry involvement, we have the opportunity to
encourage women with the beauty oI their lives. It is exciting to see the role each
experience plays in the development oI who they will become and who they are destined
to be, even how they allow the challenges oI liIe to become refning moments, unlocking
the beauty deep within.
Many pregnancy centers are privileged to oIIer programs, oIten school-based, that provide
healthy relationship education to young people, encouraging them to make healthy
choices in every aspect oI decision-making. Character-Iocused programs may start with
Ioundational character traits such as patience, kindness, selI-control, gentleness, etc., all
traits that are key to later decision-making and can be introduced to even the youngest
students. These character traits are carried over into programs that later provide vital
knowledge and tools to give teens the power to make healthy choices regarding drugs,
alcohol, sexual relationships and more.
But even in the midst oI a crisis pregnancy journey, women and Iamilies, regardless oI
age, experience or background, can fnd strength and resolve, Iaith and hope, concepts
they perhaps previously struggled to grasp. These experiences become character-building
opportunities in the lives and hearts oI young people.
We watch with joy those who choose to allow the challenges oI liIe to become refning
moments. They become stronger individuals, advocates Ior change, educators oI reality,
voices oI truth.
Events in our lives -$# refning moments, especially challenges and crisis. LiIe-aIfrming
care is also about helping women and Iamilies not only fnd hope but also fnd ways to
become stronger through the journey.
But this happened so that the work of God
might be displayed in his life.
John 9:3 (NIV, 1984)
45 44
The love, courage and selessness of a birthmother is bevond words...
-Actual birthmother photo
O
ne young woman came to our liIe-aIfrming ministry experiencing a crisis pregnancy
at the age oI 17, approaching her senior year oI high school, but still peering through
bold, child-like eyes. She was reIerred by an 'advocate oI change, in this case a Iellow
student who had experienced her own crisis pregnancy and chose adoption Ior her son. This
Iriend was proud oI the decision she had made and the love she experienced at our center.
Through watching this young woman`s pregnancy and childbirth experience, I saw a strong
woman emerge. She chose adoption Ior her daughter, choosing a loving Iamily. That was
nearly three years ago; I stay in touch with this young woman and am continually amazed
every time I see her. Following the birth oI her daughter, she fnished school and chose a
college. And she continually grows into a distinguished young woman.
But what is especially great to hear is how she took her experience and recognized how
her own liIe was refned through a crisis. She gained both new experiences and new
relationships. She is now nearing the close oI her university studies and plans to be a nurse,
and I know she will be a loving support to those entrusted to her, whether through surgery,
through labor and delivery or through hospice care. This young woman will be a shining
light to all who are privileged to be in her care. She excels in school and within her college
community, and she speaks with a sparkle in her eye when she shares stories and pictures
oI her daughter and the Iamily that celebrates the joys oI parenting her. It is easy to see
her confdence in having chosen a liIe where they both could excel and shine. The love oI
her liIe has come alongside her, and she looks Iorward to fnishing school and sharing her
entire world with him. She makes thoughtIul decisions about her liIe and her Iuture and the
Iuture oI her Iamily. Her journey Irom crisis to hope was a visible one, and I watched with
delight as a timid young teenager grew into a strong, empowered young woman, who knew
what to take Irom her journey. Little does she know how much her liIe and her courageous
choices had on my own liIe`s journey and the journey oI a ministry as well.
47 46
God is busy making each of us someone
no one else has ever been or will be!
Shattered glass, broken and lost at sea
The harshness oI the world tumbling all around
But Waves oI Living Water wash in Irom every side
Love`s refning power will surround
Scouring away the imperIections
GiIts now visible on the shore
Standing out amidst the stones
Sunlight refecting even more
Vibrant colors, shapes and sizes
Unique and precious every one
Beauty evident and crystal clear
It seems the journey`s never done
Until one day, He walks along the shore,
Treasures glistening at His Ieet
Waiting Ior that moment
When Iace to Iace we fnally meet
A love beyond our understanding
His arms open oh so wide
Collecting each and every glimmering piece
Tucking them saIely His heart beside
MLG
49 48
,
T
here`s something amazing about walking in the sand and hunting Ior precious Iragments
oI beach glass, tumbled smooth by the water, sand and rocks. You walk, scanning your
eyes across the shore, waiting Ior a glint oI sunlight refecting back at you Irom among the
rocks. Children and adults alike enjoy the excitement oI seeing what colors and shapes one
might fnd, each piece unique, as iI each one had a story to tell, an entire shore speckled
with colorIul Iragments and stories to be told.
Isn`t it interesting how much our own stories are like that oI beach glass?
Each oI us starts out broken and lost, barely resembling what we will become. We have
challenges and trials that refne us, build us, defne us, each one a unique story to tell. What
happened on our journey Irom sea to shore?
Trials and suIIering are part oI our existence because oI the Iallen world in which we
live, but the diIIerence Ior you and I is that the suIIering doesn`t have to be in vain. Those
trials can stretch us, increase our Iaith, strengthen us and bring to the surIace giIts we
didn`t even know existed. God wants to allow us to receive that refning touch, so that our
giIts and potentials are more visible. All the while we are washed by that Living Water
and surrounded by His refning love until a time when we will fnally land on the shore,
His light refecting, making us stand out among the sand and pebbles, all diIIerent sizes,
shapes and vibrant colors, a purpose and a plan already in place. But it`s His living water
and refning love that shape us Ior His loving plans Ior us. Trials and suIIering are Ior our
greater good and our growth. Our Iaith journey stops at the shore and only at His Ieet.
51 50
A Heart Print from Dan Kulp
Comedian, Actor, Writer and Lead Singer for the Band,
The Dig Project
T
his past year marked a great change Ior us in the Kulp
household. Although we already had three adopted children,
Ior the frst time in the history oI the Universe (OK, so I want this
to sound epic), my wiIe became pregnant with our little Emily!
Quite Irankly, I was not prepared Ior the great metamorphosis
which would besiege our home. In the beginning, Elizabeth
would alternate between throwing up and eating like a teenage
boy. At one point I considered taking out a loan Irom my bank so
I could purchase more Iood. I even started hiding snacks in my car so I could enjoy some
too.
My wiIe has never been an overly emotional type oI woman. I`m not sure I ever got used
to her breaking down in tears due to anything Irom my dirty socks missing the hamper to
an episode oI The OIfce being preempted Ior the State oI the Union address. The weirdest
side eIIect oI pregnancy seems to have been the giIt oI absentmindedness that was delivered
to her around the fIth month. One time, she lost her cell phone. No worries though as she
Iound it twenty minutes later in her pant`s pockets. The same pair oI pants she was wearing
while tearing our house apart looking Ior it! She called this period her, 'Baby on the Brain
era. ThankIully, she didn`t misplace our children during this time. At least, iI she did, she
Iound them again or replaced them with exact replicas beIore I Iound out.
We went to birthing classes together so I could learn about what it was going to be like in
the delivery room during childbirth. One thing I learned in class, was that I did not want to
be in the delivery room during childbirth. Great envy and admiration welled up inside me
as I thought oI my own Iather. My mom gave birth to six kids and not once did my dad have
to enter that delivery room. He would just sit in the waiting room until the doctor would
come to him and announce the good news oI their newborn child. No such luxury Ior me.
I soon Iound out that we are, in Iact, in the 21st century now. A man could be Ward Clever,
Pa Ingalls and Mike Brady all rolled into one. But, iI he doesn`t go into that delivery room
and get yelled at by his wiIe, he can sell his 'Husband oI the Year awards on eBay.
So on that IateIul day oI August 31, 2011, my wiIe gave birth to little Emily. AIter all oI
the pain and screaming, the pushing and crying, when our hospital room was cleared oI
nurses and Iamily members, I looked deep into the eyes oI my little girl, and to this warrior
oI a woman I get to call my wiIe. As I beheld this new little miracle, I was struck by how
grateIul I was that we all had each other. For I couldn`t possibly imagine a mother having
to go through all oI this alone.
I thank God Ior our Pregnancy Care Centers. They care about Moms. They care about
children. They care about souls. They stand in the gap Ior those who need someone to
come along side oI them during this miracle we call Birth, so that a mother never has to go
it alone.
May God bless them and their liIe aIfrming work.
Emily
53 52
Healing Waters
Joining the journey of the post-abortive woman
U
ntil the last couple of vears I did not know there was anvthing I could do with mv shame
and pain. But Jesus had an answer for me the entire time. He led me to others who
were speaking about their stories of choosing abortion. He wanted to give me life and hope
and fov instead of regret and mourning.What I can do and what I am choosing to do is
to live now, speak for life and believe that God has forgiven me and is healing me because
He is good and He is merciful.
a client oI Birthline in Liberal, Kansas
Now is vour time of grief, but I will see vou again and vou will refoice, and no one will take
awav vour fov. John 16:22 (NIV)
Through counseling, recovery groups and Bible studies, post-abortive women fnd
Iorgiveness and grace through liIe-aIfrming ministries as they embark on the journey oI
healing. This is oIten a true journey as they unpack the hurts and pain buried deep inside
and allow the healing waters oI Iorgiveness, acknowledgment and grace to wash over them.
Post-abortive women have oIten never shared their story; even close Iamily members may
not be aware oI their pain. Some post-abortive women come to pregnancy centers wanting
to volunteer as a means oI perceived redemption, hoping to help other women avoid the
pain they Iace daily. Yet they also Iear condemnation. Sometimes they wonder how they
can talk to women about choosing liIe Ior their little one when they did not make that
choice themselves. The reality, however, is that they are some oI the best conveyors oI the
truth regarding abortion. And the healing waters fow Ireely Irom the staII at these centers.
There is no condemnation, just grace. Centers long to help women fnd healing and accept
the Iorgiveness already Ireely given through Jesus Christ.
The cross is all about Iorgiveness and grace. How exciting that we get to share that with
women and their Iamilies.
But I will rtore you to
health and heal your wounds,
declar the Lord . . .
Jeremiah 30:17 (NIV)
55
A Heart Print from Michele Pillar
Three Time Grammy Award Winning Artist, Songwriter
and Author of the 2012 book, UnTangled
Grace
Circa. 1973
I
was seventeen and was wearing powder-blue shorts. Any
shorter and they`d have qualifed as bikini bottoms. I sat there
in a little metal chair, bouncing my knees up and down, trying to
stay warm. The backs oI my legs on the cold metal sent shivers
up my spine and made my teeth chatter with every bounce. In
reality, it was a big, bad case oI nerves.
I drove here to the county hospital all by myselI. And now I was
waiting, uncertain oI exactly what Ior. I`m sure there were other
girls sitting in their own little metal chairs beside me, but my memory has erased their
Iaces. I only remember me sitting there.
A side door opened, and a woman came out. She pulled up a metal chair oI her own. It
scraped across the ancient tile foor with the sound oI a screaming child. She plopped
herselI down right in Iront oI me. She was holding a clipboard, and her Iace bore a huge
smile.
'I have great news Ior you! She said.
What magical solution did this woman have up her sleeve or on the Iront side oI that
clipboard? I listened with both ears.
'Although a minor, you don`t have to tell your parents about having this procedure, she
said. I pictured my mother`s Iace. My dad`s never came to mind.
I listened on, wishing I had another ear. 'You don`t have to tell the Iather oI the baby,
56
she said. Oops. Alreadv did. He ran like the wind, ladv, I thought. But again, I didn`t say a
word. My hopes began to wane.
'This procedure is simple and saIe. You`ll come out oI it just fne, thanks to our new
technology. The lady said these things with beaming pride and then went into great detail
about the 'new machine. I stopped listening altogether at this point. It was more than I
cared to know.
Okav, ladv. Youre telling me evervthing I need to know about having a secret abortion, but
what about options, choices? Questions were screaming in my head, but like a lamb to the
slaughter, I made no protest.
The lady with the clipboard sitting in the metal chair was wrong on all three counts, all
three promises. She didn`t know what she didn`t know, and she couldn`t see the Iuture.
Jim, my baby`s Iather, was in an accident two years later that rendered him a paraplegic.
He`d never have another child.
My mother pulled me aside years later and told me that iI abortion had been available to her
in 1955 when she became pregnant with me, I wouldn`t be alive today. She went on to say,
'With three daughters by my side and your Iather all but gone, the last thing I needed was
another mouth to Ieed. With tears streaming down her Iace, she continued her conIession.
'Losing you would have been the single biggest mistake oI my liIe.
That`s when I told my mom about my abortion in 1973 and why I didn`t tell her about it
sooner. We sat on my couch in Los Angeles, held hands and cried Ior all we`d lost so long
ago.
I didn`t need the lady with the clipboard Ior guidance in 1973. I needed my mother. I was
a child with child.` I needed her ears, her questions, her perspective and her support. And
my mother didn`t need my protection. I know that now.
That was the day I Iaced the chilling realization that iI Roe v. Wade had passed in the
1950`s, Ialong with more than a third oI the seventy-nine million Baby-Boomersnever
would have been born. The likes oI Steve Jobs, James Taylor and Tom Hanks...gone.
And as Iar as point #3 goes, I didn`t come out oI it 'just fne, as I knew I wouldn`t. My
leIt leg ached Ior six months aIter my abortion, and the doctors didn`t know why. I never
became pregnant again, even when I tried to. Was I broken? Had they broken me? Was it
a physical brokenness? Maybe it was the deep sense oI guilt and shame that kept my body
Irom giving me another child. Not one doctor could answer that question Ior me. By the
time God stepped in and answered these questions Ior me, I was in my Iorties and too old
to bear children. These are only a Iew oI the things the lady in the metal chair couldn`t
see. She couldn`t see around corners, she couldn`t see Jim`s Iuture, and she didn`t know
my mother`s past. And she couldn`t see how I was wiredto punish myselI Ior the next
thirty years. So, this pregnancy would be my last pregnancy, my only pregnancy. That lady
wasn`t God, and neither was I, yet we both acted as iI we were.
I asked Jesus to be my Savior three weeks aIter my abortion. My trip to the County Hospital
broke me Irom the inside out, and God was right there to pick up the pieces. He now had
my undivided attention, and He didn`t use my abortion against me. I needed help Irom
someone who could see around corners, I could see that, now. BeIore my abortion, I never
Ielt like I`d done anything wrong enough to merit someone dying in my place. I was a good
kid. Got good grades. Didn`t do drugs or drink. But aIter my abortion, my eyes were pried
open. I knew that iI an eye Ior an eye` was God`s law, then I owed Him my liIe Ior the one
I`d taken. But the beauty was, He would only ask me to give Him my liIe Ior the sake oI
Iollowing Him, knowing Him and allowing Him to love me and live in me Ior the rest oI
my liIe.
(Excerpts from Chapter Four, Found, from the book, UNTANGLED bv Michele Pillar.)
I needed help from someone who could see
around corners, I could see that, now. . .
59 58
A Heart Print from Gwen Smith
Pro-Life Speaker, Singer, Co-founder of Girlfriends in God, and
Author of Broken into Beautiful
F
or years my story went untold. It was a secret held tightly
by a locked heartmy worst nightmare and darkest
memories. Not something I wanted to talk about. Certainly
not a story that I thought could be used Ior good.
Conversationally, it was unapproachable. Simply impossible
to discuss. On the rare occasion when I allowed my mind to
'go there, I wished I had a diIIerent story: one oI liIe, not
death. A story oI joy, not pain. A story oI a time when I`d
made the best choice, not the worst choice.
But that`s not my story.
And because it`s not, Ior years I was convinced that my mistakes demanded silence. That
because oI what I`d done and where I`d been, I was bound to quiet whenever the sacred
topic oI liIe arose. Certainly, I had no right to speak.or so I believed. Shame buttoned my
lips.
Then I came to know a deeper grace. A grace Iound in the sharing and releasing oI my
broken heart-places. A grace Iound in the testimony oI redemption. God`s grace. A grace
that testifes oI hope, healing and restoration. Amazing grace that boasts in the truth that all
things can work together Ior good to those who love God and who are bound to His will
and purpose.
By the grace oI Jesus Christ, I now understand that knowing what I know and having
been where I`ve been I am actually uniquely qualifed to speak and encourage others
toward liIe. Iorgiveness. and hope.
A Iew years ago, the Lord led me to participate in a post-abortive Bible study and a weekend
retreat that allowed my heart to experience healing in places that I didn`t even know were
wounded. I was given the opportunity to siIt through my grieI, to name my child, and to
honor her tragic, unlived liIe in a beautiIul memorial service. My heart print story is one oI
healing and I will tell it until I take my last breath and meet my precious baby in heaven.
For those oI you who share my broken story, I encourage you toward this sacred healing
toward deeper grace. Death`s grip is suIIocating and scary. but it`s not more powerIul
than the Iorgiveness and love Iound in Jesus. Don`t allow Iear and shame to keep you Irom
the restoration that God longs Ior you to experience. Call your local pregnancy care center
and ask about their post-abortive Bible studies and retreats.
For those oI you who are pregnant and aIraid, I encourage you to choose liIe. I know the
Iears you are Iacing and the doubts that are screaming relentlessly to your heart. Silence
them with the hope Iound in the center oI grace. Whatever this looks like Ior you whether
it`s parenting or adoption I implore you, Irom the deepest recesses oI my heart, to allow
your baby a chance to breathe, love, laugh and live. It will be one oI the best choices you
will ever make.
For those oI you who don`t share my story, but who support the eIIorts oI liIe-aIfrming
ministries on the Iront lines oI this battle, I encourage you toward generous giving. I applaud
you Ior your participation. Because oI you, lives are being saved. and diapers are being
changed. and dreams are being dreamed. and God is being honored. Because oI your
support, sacred hearts are beating. Thank you. A thousand times: thank you.
61
May we help the whisper in her
heart, soft as the fluering of
buerfli wings, round louder
than the raging storms in her
world, that she may
know Life.
Quieting the Storm
, ,,,,
She stumbles through the door, barelv fuggling all the pieces of her broken life. We reach
out, catching the pieces as thev fall, helping her to put those pieces back together again.
I
t is our hope to take some oI the thunder out oI her storm.
The grass-roots Ioundation oI liIe-aIfrming pregnancy resource centers Iocuses on both
protecting unborn liIe and also protecting young women Irom potential harm, hurt,
conIusion and despair.
What does God require oI those who come alongside these ministries? A heart oI mercy,
a heart oI compassion, a heart oI love, a heart oI sacrifce (oI all our preconceived
perspectives), a heart oI kindness, a heart oI patience, and a heart oI empathy.
The most precious giIts we receive throughout the year are the lives that God places in
our pathyoung women who may be struggling with a crisis pregnancy; courageous
young birthmothers choosing liIe and a Iamily Ior their unborn child; teens and young
adults seeking inIormation that will enrich and improve their lives and their choices;
woman seeking support to recover Irom an abusive past or present; IaithIul supporters
who recognize the signifcance oI the lives oI our clients; post-abortive women seeking
Iorgiveness and healing; persevering staII members and prayer warriors who know the
battles we Iace will have an impact on eternity; and the list goes onthousands oI lives
each year, each unique liIe and story a precious giIt to our hearts.
A ministry`s story begins the moment they open their hearts and doors to the hurting, the
struggling, the devastated, the lost and the conIused. As each liIe story becomes part oI that
ministry, as more and more lives are impacted, chapter by chapter the ministry`s legacy is
63
A Heart Print from Melissa Ohden
Pro-Life Speaker and Survivor of a Failed Abortion
62
Iormed. Just as each liIe we encounter in our own journey impacts who we are and who we
become, so is a ministry directed and Iormed by the lives it touches each day.
God gives us opportunities to join in and become a part oI a young person`s liIe journey,
oIten at a time when she is hurting, scared or conIused. OIten, our role in the tiniest oI lives,
the precious unborn baby, begins the moment that little one`s young mother realizes that
she is Iacing a crisis pregnancy. The reason that liIe-aIfrming pregnancy resource centers
exist is to come alongside this young person during her crisis, and to equip her to make
liIe-aIfrming and inIormed decisions. We are given the opportunity to educate, caution,
disciple and love each liIe God entrusts to us.It is our hope that this young woman will
make a choice, a choice oI liIe Ior her little one.and so the journey begins.a journey Iull
oI opportunity and possibility.
Why are we here? We are here because oI the opportunity we have to aIIect the legacy oI
lives, including the liIe oI each individual that walks through our doors.
A
nother one oI my Iavorite memories comes Irom my very
own backyard, so to speak, Sac City, Iowa. I was speaking at
a 2011 Iundraising dinner Ior Mary`s Choice, a pregnancy center
birthed by the pro-liIe community in my hometown. Though I
was excited about the opportunity to share my story so close to
home, I had no idea that this evening would be a liIe-changer Ior
me.
Though some in attendance knew my story oI surviving an
abortion, the majority did not know meor how God has
somehow spared my liIe. What I did not know was that my story
was also the story oI many others; a story oI their IaithIulness and their unbending belieI
in a God who moves in spite oI all odds.
A part oI my story tells oI a poignant moment when I met a priest Irom our local community
at a pro-liIe eventwho told me he had prayed outside oI St. Luke`s hospital in 1977, the
year I was aborted. His prayer? That someday a child`s liIe would be saved Irom abortion.
In 1977, I was born as an answer to his prayer. Though I am always moved when telling
that story, on this night something was diIIerent.
AIter the event, one guest rushed up to tell me, 'Melissa, I prayed outside oI St. Luke`s too
in 1977! But she wasn`t alone. There was another to tell me a similar story. And another.
And another. I was overwhelmed. BeIore I leIt, more than a dozen people greeted me with
the news that they too, were part oI the Body oI Christ that literally prayed me into this
world, and they came Iace-to-Iace with a child that their prayers had saved!
Certainly, I love this experience because it means the world to me to meet individuals who
played a hand in saving my liIe through prayer. But even more so, I love this experience
65 64
because it highlights the important work oI Pregnancy Center staII, volunteers, and
supporters alike. So many in our world believe that only extraordinary people, doing
extraordinary things, save lives like mine and transIorm the lives oI men and women like
my biological parents. In reality, we are all just ordinary people who are blessed to do
extraordinary things when we say yes` to the Lord and what He is calling us to do with the
giIts and talents we`ve been given.
Every one oI us can do something, and it is our 'somethings, when placed in God`s hands,
that save lives.
Some may call me nave, but I believe that the lives oI many individualsIrom my biological
parents and their Iamilies to my own liIe and the lives oI my husband and daughterwould
all have been dramatically diIIerent, iI only a Pregnancy Center would have existed in
my biological parents` community in 1977. But it`s because oI my work with Pregnancy
Centers around the world, seeing Iaith put into action, seeing women and men in need
loved, supported, educated and believed in, that I KNOW that I`m not being nave. I know
that the services and support Pregnancy Centers provide save the lives oI children like me
and transIorm the lives oI men and women like my biological parents every day.
This is what the Lord savs. 'Restrain vour voice from weeping and vour eves from
tears for vour work will be rewarded,` declares the Lord. 'Thev will return from the
land of the enemv, so there is hope for vour future,` declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 31:16-17a (NIV, 1984)
67 66
A Heart Print from Elaine Ham
Founder and PRC Business Coach, Plans for You, Inc.
A
Iter going through volunteer training |at a pregnancy resource center| and agreeing to
volunteer, I was overwhelmed by thoughts oI Iailure. AIter all, the liIe oI a baby was in
my hands, and iI I Iailed to say the right things or didn`t 'persuade the mother not to have
an abortion, a baby would die and it would be my Iault. So, I did the only logical thing I
knew to doI didn`t call or go into the center, and I didn`t answer their phone calls. Satan
won the victorybut only temporarily.
Shortly aIterwards, I was oIIered a job as managing assistant on a construction project
great benefts and the largest salary I had ever made. But God had not fnished revealing
himselI to me. A Iew months later I Iound myselI in an interview Ior the position oI Director
oI a branch location oI Piedmont Women`s Center in Greenville, South Carolinaa tiny
salary and no benefts. But there was a peace and certainty I had not Ielt in many years.
It was during those years that God used my husband Tom and me to start a company, Plans
For You, to minister to pregnancy resource centers. Through Plans For You He created the
Baby Bottle Boomeranga promotion that has raised tens oI millions oI dollars Ior pro-
liIe ministries in every state in the United States and several countries around the world.
God did, in Iact, have a better plan Ior my liIeencouraging and assisting those IaithIul
ministry workers in the centers who give women a hope and a plan Ior the Iuture as well as
telling them how they can know they will spend eternity with God. Just as He had a plan Ior
me, God has a plan Ior every one oI His creations. My prayer is that one by one we will fnd
His peace and joy Ior our lives and then spend the rest oI our lives pouring it out on others.
Just as He had a plan for me, God has a plan
for every one of His creations...
69 68
D
ictionary.com defnes the 'heart as 'the central or innermost part; the essential or
most vital part oI something; one`s innermost character, Ieelings or inclinations.
There are many hearts present in the midst oI a liIe-aIfrming ministry: the hearts oI staII
and volunteers, overfowing with mercy and love; the Iragile and sometimes wounded or
broken hearts oI clients seeking love and understanding; the tiny beating hearts oI the unborn
babies who get carried through our doors; the hearts oI Iormer clients who speak oI their
experience; the hearts oI donors who provide vital Iunds Ior ongoing ministry; the hearts
oI sponsors who provide the Ioundation Ior Iundraising events; the hearts and compassion
oI our Board members; and the hearts oI those who liIt us up in prayer, shielding the staII,
volunteers and clients with heavenly protectionevery character in the story is a vital one!
The physical appearance oI a ministry may change over the years; the Iaces oI a ministry
may come and go; the services oIIered by a ministry may grow or shiIt; but the heart
oI the ministry remains the same and becomes the Ioundation that gives the ministry its
movement, strength, growth, and security. The heart oI our ministries is a message oI Truth
spoken into and through a variety oI circumstances to individuals who come looking Ior
love, hope, mercy and understanding. It is our desire that as our clients exit our doors, they
have seen our hearts and a refection oI the Truth in our words and actions.
God provid many special hearts, beating together,
to accomplish His plans and purpose.
71 70
! #$%&'(')* +%,-.$)% /%'0%$1, +%2%)03-'
Boro Womens Services in Edinboro, Pennsylvania
Contributor: Betty Jo Lyons, Executive Director
All the piec come together with the
goal of helping future generations to
glori the name of the Lord!
M
y own healing journey, aIter a divorce I never thought would happen, began while
working at a crisis pregnancy center. There is no doubt that a Iocus on the needs oI
others oIIered me the clarity to see beyond my own hurts. This is defnitely the work I was
called to do. Several years into a branch director position, the threat oI the agency closing
was very strong. Despite trying with all my might and fghting with all the resources I could
muster, the parent agency closed our small town location. Anger, Irustration and Iear set
in. How could something I devoted myselI to (yet again) come to such a painIul and abrupt
end?
The next chapter began like thissingle and unemployed with three children relying on me
and watching my every move... Fantastic! However, within only a week God`s plan began
to unIold. Local business owners, community members and the surrounding ministerial
group rallied together, recognizing a continued need Ior services in this town and Ieeling
that God was calling them to make it happen. They came to me with a proposal I could
not reIuse. God made it clear to me that this was His work and I was to Iollow. Somehow,
I was to be the Executive Director oI a new pregnancy resource ministry in this small
community. Several years later, I have never second guessed that decision.
The agency is now truly a work oI God, using various community members in roles that
provide meaning to their own walks oI Iaithas board members, volunteers, prayer
warriors and advocates. That is not to say that everything goes unchallenged. Yet when
challenges arise, we wait Ior His instruction and provision, trusting that He will bring what
we need. He is alwavs IaithIul.
Last year, a special couple joined the legacy oI our young but growing ministry. They
were a devoted couple fnding themselves in the middle oI hard times and now expecting
a baby. The crisis in this pregnancy was completely economically-based. The young
Iather had just lost his job, and they had no medical insurance, so they came to our center
73 72
! /%'0%$1, +%2%)03-'
A Womans Choice in Lakeland, Florida
Contributor: Rebecca Klein, Executive Director
I
I had been a Christian most oI my liIe and always thought oI myselI as pro-liIe. It wasn`t
until God called me to serve at a pregnancy center that I fnally understood what being
pro-liIe truly meant. What made the diIIerence? The diIIerence was understanding God`s
heart.
Through my training to be a volunteer, my eyes and heart were opened to how God`s heart
beats Ior liIethe value He places on every single human liIe; His intimate involvement in
the creation oI every liIe; and His deep and immeasurable love Ior us. The sanctity oI liIe
rests in Him. All liIe has valueborn and unborn, Irom conception to deathbecause we
are created by Him and Ior Him, because we are created in His image, and because He loves
us with an everlasting love. With this revelation, my liIe was completely changed. II we
stand upon that truth, then abortion is unthinkable in all circumstances; nothing can change
or take away the value oI liIe that is given by God. So, now not only am I passionately pro-
liIe, but my liIe has been and will be committed to serving in liIe-aIfrming ministryto
help others see and embrace this truth, and embrace liIe.
seeking resources. Our center helped them with maternity clothes, layette needs, and
mentoring. And on those rough days, when this young mother struggled with Iears related
to her pregnancy and their situation, she knew she could come Ior support where our staII
would welcome her with open arms. AIter their beautiIul healthy baby boy was born, we
connected this couple with a doctor Ior the baby, while continuing to provide resources and
reIerrals.
When baby was less than a year old, the young Iather received an inheritance Irom a Iamily
member. He prayed about God`s plan and Ielt a desire in his heart to use this giIt Ior a
special purpose.
One day the couple returned to our oIfce and shared exciting news. They were grateIul Ior
all the center provided Ior them during and Iollowing their pregnancy, and they wanted to
bless the center in return by investing in something that would help build our sustainability
and growth in this community and help us to better provide Ior the needs oI women in
crisis in this area. OI all the services we were able to oIIer them, there was only one that
we struggled to providethe ultrasound. So they proposed a plan to use the inheritance to
help us purchase an ultrasound machine. The amount they had received was not enough
Ior a machine, but it was a good Ioundation and gave us the tools to reach out to other
community agencies with a plan and an initiative to raise the additional Iunds. And even
more excitingthe midwiIe who delivered their precious son stepped Iorward and oIIered
to receive the training to perIorm the ultrasound service Ior our clients.
In this tight-knit community, we now look Iorward to a 'community collaborative
ultrasound which will provide Ior a variety oI needs Ior women and Iamilies right here in
this small town.
Our ministry leIt an imprint on this Iamily just as this Iamily leIt heart prints on us. Who
knew God would so unexpectedly orchestrate the addition oI ultrasound services in such
a special waythrough the heart oI those who treasured what we had done Ior them and
through the heart oI a community that wanted us to remain available Ior the women and
Iamilies right here, right now and Ior the Iuture.
75 74
! /%'0%$1, +%2%)03-'
Womens Care Clinic in Danville, Illinois
Contributor: Kim Padan, Executive Director
S
ometimes it is amazing to look back and see how God moves. The journey we think
is best may not be what God intends Ior us at all.
In 2002, our ministry received a wonderIul donation: a bigger building! The Executive
Director at that time Ielt this giIt would allow us to introduce ultrasound services to our
clients. However, aIter consulting with many people, including the Board oI Directors, this
did not seem to be the best plan.
Five months aIter receiving the new building, the Executive Director position opened up,
and I sensed a call to apply. I was currently on the Board oI Directors and was well aware
oI the strengths and weaknesses oI the ministry. I knew in my heart that God wanted the
ministry to grow, but I had no idea how much.
At our 2004 Banquet Ior LiIe, one oI our guestsattending Ior the frst timescribbled a
note on the back oI his pledge card: I know where I can get two used ultrasound machines, if
vou are interested. I was fabbergasted, and cautiously optimistic. I knew we couldn`t just
put a machine in the room and start scanning women. There would be legal implications,
training needs, and large fnancial goals to meet. On top oI this, I reminded myselI that this
was not a path our ministry had chosen.
I spoke with the Board oI Directors to get some advice. They were skeptical, but encouraged
me to careIully research all oI the steps and logistics involved in adding ultrasound
services. When I contacted Craig Chase oI NIFLA (National Institute oI Family and LiIe
Advocates)a national leader who assists ministries in adding medical serviceshis
words stunned me. I`ll never Iorget that conversation. 'Oh, Kim,` he laughed. 'Hold on
to vour hat'` When I asked why, his answer was both bold and, at least to me, somewhat
Irightening. 'Everv time a director savs thevve been offered a used machine, God provides
76
them with the resources for a new one. It will take some work, but voure in for a ride'` I
had no idea how true that statement would be!

Our journey began by addressing our Iundraising needs, asking a national consulting group,
LiIe Steward Ministries, to help us grow our fnancial Ioundation. Our Walk Ior LiIe, one
oI our key Iundraising events, at best had only raised $8,000 in the past. Our consultant
gave us great ideas and projected an increase to $21,000. We thought she was crazy.
Didn`t she know this was Vermilion County? Didn`t she know how bad the economy
was? Perhaps a better question would have been 'Didn`t we know our God reigns?! We
went to work on her plan, and our walk became a walk oI Iaith as we trusted that God
would reward our eIIorts as we sought to make ultrasound a reality. When Walk day came,
our turnout was more than we could have imagined. And the results? A little ministry in
a small, rural Illinois county went Irom raising less than $10,000 with a key event to an
amazing $42,000! And we have been growing ever since.
With the combination oI medical and support services, we are reaching more women and
we are saving more babies! We have seen couples get married and return to church! We
have heard authentic proIessions oI Iaith in Jesus as Lord!
Looking back, I believe our ministry team had the best oI intentions, but suIIered Irom
a limited view oI how much God could do iI we simply got out oI the way! Our plans
were just that...ours. I thank God Ior the man who oIIered us a machine, because he was
the catalyst we needed to re-evaluate the ministry`s direction. The good news is that even
when we hold back...even when we need that extra measure oI trust in Him...God is IaithIul
to do more than our human eyes can see and more than our human hearts and minds can
envision.

S
o manv women facing an unplanned pregnancv feel unsupported, unloved and
unworthv when facing this incredible challenge. Yet, when thev walk through the doors
of a pregnancv center, thev are met with acceptance, love, and compassion. Thev are
believed in. Thev are lifted up. As one who survived a failed abortion, I was loved into life
bv medical professionals, mv adoptive familv and evenin timemv biological familv as
well. As I look back on that love, I better understand the incredible good that comes to
those who are blessed to receive services and support from pregnancv centers across the
countrv. Loving and believing in someone is life-saving and life-transforming.
As an international pro-life speaker and advocate, I am so blessed to share mv miraculous
storv of survival, hope, healing and forgiveness. Working with Pregnancv Centers is trulv
one of the greatest blessings to me in mv ministrv. As Believers, we are called to be the
hands and feet of Christ, and Pregnancv Centers put faith into action on a dailv basis. The
staff and volunteers of Pregnancv Centers minister to women, men and families in need,
sharing of the hope in our Lord and Savior, providing them with emotional and spiritual
support, education, and assistance in meeting their hnancial and personal needs.
When we know that the maforitv of abortions are obtained for psvchosocial reasons, the
important work of Pregnancv Centers is ama:inglv clear. Providing support, providing
education, providing assistance in meeting basic needs saves lives-both that of the child
and the mother.
Melissa Ohden
Pro-LiIe Speaker and Survivor oI Failed Abortion
79 78
How You Can Help
About the Heart Prints Project
W
e hope this book and the Heart Prints inside not only stir your heart but also inspire you
to celebrate the incredible gift of life! Perhaps too, Heart Prints will move you to come
alongside your local pregnancy ministry with your fnancial gifts, your volunteer time and
your prayers. Your investment in these ministries strengthens their outreach to women and
families and literally changes hearts and saves lives. Your connection with a pregnancy
resource ministry will turn our culture toward life, today.
Can you whisper words oI prayer on behalI oI innocent and precious little ones and on
behalI oI Irightened young women? Can you speak truth with love? Can you share your
fnancial resources to grow your local ministry into an even more powerIul Iorce as it
meets the ever-changing needs oI those who come through its doors? Can you be a Iriend
or a mentor to a young teen as they are learning about liIe and the impact oI choices on
their lives and on their Iutures? Can you share your God-given giIts and talents Irom your
personal liIe and proIessional career as a resource to the Board oI Directors oI a pregnancy
center? Would you consider sponsoring a personalized version oI this publication to help
a center connect with their community, new donors and new volunteers?
Lives are changedand savedeach day through the work of these ministries, and your
involvement may be the next key step in making your local pregnancy center the frst
choice of hope for every young woman or couple facing an unplanned pregnancy. For the
name of the life-affrming pregnancy center nearest you, please visit:
www.heartbeatinternational.org
www.care-net.org
www.optionline.org
Support enables us to say to a scared, panicked girl, I care about you and your baby, and
I will do whatever I can to help you through your pregnancy.
Liz McMullen
80
Please consider setting Iear aside and becoming involved as an ambassador oI liIe alongside
liIe-aIfrming ministries in your community. You will fnd undeniably that God will equip
you with all that you need as you grow alongside them.
It`s not always easyin Iact, sometimes it`s really hardbut it is always worth it. From
the moment you frst see that smile on a woman`s Iace when hope is fnally Iound and
experienced or when you see that precious little one toddle across the threshold, or when
you hear the stories at the next banquet about how your resources touched so many lives,
then vou will know.
Life ---- what a beautiful choice.
Involvement ---- another beautiful choice.
Liv impacted, liv saved --- what an amazing reward.
All to God s Glory!
Ambassadors, Financial Supporters, Prayer Warriors, Volunteers, Board Members, StaII
Members, and moreyour role can be many, your own heart print impacting.
We DO stand together in Heart Prints! And we stand together on behalI oI the hope-giving,
liIe-saving, liIe-aIfrming work that truly makes a diIIerence.
Join us. Let vour heart be touched bv heart prints of Life.
B$#6/-/15 <#+'*$1# ?#/,#$+
3/1&*0#0 3/ ,"3+ 2''CD
Birthline, Inc.
Liberal, Kansas
Liz McMullen, Executive Director
Pregnancy Center oI NY
Staten Island, New York
Contributor: Ginger Delgado
Women`s Care Clinic
Danville, Illinois
Kim Padan, Executive Director
A Woman`s Choice
Lakeland, Florida
Rebecca Klein, Executive Director
Boro Women`s Services
Edinboro, Pennsylvania
Betty Jo Lyons, Executive Director
Stories like these occur at pregnancy centers
across the nation, stories that impact the
course and direction oI the ministries and
create lasting impressions on their hearts.
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3/1&*0#0 3/ ,"3+ 2''CD
Special thanks to each one oI you Ior sharing your 'heart prints and Ior giving your time, talents,
and treasures to help liIe-aIfrming ministries grow, improve and reach more women
and Iamilies in their communities!
;&-3/# E= :-)
Founder and PRC Business Coach, Plans Ior You, Inc.
Master Instructor, Save the Mother/Save Her Child
770-401-5216
www.plansIoryou.org
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President, Heartbeat International
800-395-HELP
www.Heartbeatinternational.org
F225 G'"/+'/
Former Planned Parenthood Director and author oI */BHFII;J
www.abbyjohnson.org
J-/ K*&7
Comedian, actor, writer and the lead singer Ior The Dig Profect.
His greatest role, however, is being an exhausted and joyIul Iather!
Three out oI Iour oI his children are adopted and have special needs.
www.kulponline.com.
For personal appearances, Ambassador Speakers Bureau 615-370-4700
E#&3++- L"0#/
Pro-LiIe Speaker and Survivor oI a Failed Abortion
For more about Melissa`s compelling story oI survival, visit:
www.melissaohden.com
For personal appearances, Ambassador Speakers Bureau 615-370-4700
E31"#&# B3&&-$
Three Time Grammy Award winning artist, songwriter and author oI MINFIOH;J (see next page)
www.michelepillar.com
For personal appearances, 615-791-7409
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Speaker, Worship Leader, Songwriter and Author oI Q$'C#/ 3/,' Q#-*,38*&
Co-Iounder oI O3$&8$3#/0+ 3/ O'0 (www.GirlIriendsinGod.com)
AIter fnding great healing in her local Crisis Pregnancy Center`s post-abortion Bible study, Gwen has gone
on to be a voice Ior the unborn. Sharing her own tragic choice oI abortion, she is determined to help women
heal Irom the shame oI abortion and even more urgently to help those in a crisis pregnancy to choose liIe.
Through songs and stories, Gwen delivers a compelling keynote message purposed to motivate audiences to
rally enthusiastically behind the mission and ministry oI their local pregnancy care centers.
To invite Gwen to speak and sing at your banquet, email: gwengwensmith.net
www.GwenSmith.net
K3$C .-&0#/
CEO oI LiIeTrends, Inc. (Serving 1,100 pregnancy ministries worldwide)
Banquet Speaker & Humorist
www.liIetrendsonline.com
For personal appearances, Ambassador Speakers Bureau 615-370-4700
!"#$"%& ' ( is the long awaited
book by three time Grammy award winner,
Michele Pillar. God has been speaking to
the hearts of life-afrming ministry through
Micheles compelling testimony, and now
she shares even more of her heart and her
lifes journey in this real-life novel.
Available
March 1, 2012
michelepillar.com
www.michelepillar.com
For personal appearances: 615-791-7409
A companion book, The Untangling,
written with Dr. David Miller Walley,
will be an excellent tool for pregnancy
centers, as they invest in the lives of
todays youth and as they work with
young women in crisis or women
recovering and healing from abortion.
Michele and Dr. Walley point readers to
Truth, to the Light, and to a relationship
with God and others that is healthy.
It takes uncommon courage to write a real book,
not just a good book.
!)*+),-./
UNTANGLED is real...It is a novel about the unrelenting presence and
goodness of God told through events in the life of Michele Pillar. And she
doesnt bother to pretty them up; she writes the truth without shame,
because her truth is someone elses truth, and many someones need
to know how God really responds to our fallenness, to our humanness,
and to our brokenness. This book is a patient trek through the sweet-
spirited tenderness of a Fathers journey with one of His children...Youll
fnish this book and be a fan of Michele Pillar but a lover of God. Hes that
good, exceedingly present, and undeniably real. Try as you might, this
book will work against any of your attempts to believe that God is done
with you.
David Miller Walley, Ph.D.
Editor, Untangled
Co-Author, The Untangling
www.michelepillar.com
For personal appearances: 615-791-7409
86
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Celebrating Life and Honoring
the Work of Life-Afrming Ministry