by Brooke Myrick BSN, RN, LAS

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15:9-11 ESV

As Nurses within the pregnancy help setting, often we are blessed with experiences that fill us with abundant happiness and thankfulness. In comparison, we can also find ourselves experiencing feelings of utter sadness that can bring us to our knees.  The service offered to women and families within the pregnancy help role is a unique service, unimaginable and unrelatable to many, unless they are also united in the same service. Many times, the nursing care offered is concerning a life-or-death decision. As love, care and support are shared, to reach and rescue as many lives as possible, there are times when the woman’s decisions may not be as we had earnestly prayed and hoped. In addition, the conversations had, and relationships built, each distinctly demands an immense amount of physical, emotional, and spiritual support from the nurse. Appointment after appointment, nurses proceed to offer all we can, with all that we have, as we pray for God to guide our words and actions, in efforts to save lives today and for eternity future.

Despite circumstances, how can your joy be made full and complete?

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory…

1 Peter 1:8

The joy described in 1 Peter is an inexpressible joy. A joy unable to be given an explanation. This joy is independent of circumstantial surroundings, adversity, and attacks. It is a constant joy independent of the current life challenges. This joy is a byproduct of the love given us by remaining in Him, as referenced in John 15.

In Hebrews 12:2 we read that Jesus endured the cross, for the joy set before him, to become our Savior and sit at the right hand of God. He can identify with our struggles. With every act of service offered and with every sacrifice made, may you also be filled with joy.

With the utmost gratitude, we thank you for your endless hours of acts of service to those entering your pregnancy help center doors. Thank you for your continued prayers for the families you serve and their situations long after their care at your center is complete. You care. You care deeply for those you serve, and this is worthy of commending and admirable.

Your service does not go unnoticed and is making a difference, one life at a time, every single day.

This Nurses Week we are praying you remain in the love of our Father, that his joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

This month we are highlighting Bryan Williams, one of our Ultrasound Consultants. Bryan brings wisdom, humor, and encouragement to our team. As he teaches medical professionals in the pregnancy help setting, they benefit greatly as they gain knowledge and inspiration. Bryan has a desire to help others learn the skill of imaging life so they can in turn show life to those they encounter in their pregnancy help center.

Where did you grow up and go to school?

I grew up in Mtn Grove MO. A small town near Springfield, MO. I went to a hospital based x-ray and ultrasound school at CoxHealth in Springfield, MO. I completed my business degree from Evangel University. I completed my MHA at Webster University in St. Louis, MO.

Share with us about your family.

I have been married to my wife Lindsay for 18 years. We have two daughters. Addy is 12, and Izzy is 6.

Tell us about what brought you to Heartbeat International.

I was brought to HB because of my desire to train. The story is long, but I met Cindi Boston at the center in Springfield, MO when I volunteered and trained nurses there. She offered our names up when HB began to think about starting their own training.

What do you enjoy most about your role as Ultrasound Consultant for Heartbeat International?

I get so much joy when I get to teach at trainings. My cup gets filled at each training event. This literally gives me the energy I need to go back to my other job at the hospital with joy and renewed efforts.

What do you love most about ultrasound?

The ability to see life and make an impact in people’s lives.

Tell us about sharing your love of ultrasound with new nurses in the pregnancy help setting.

OB is not something that I really wanted to do. It is something that God pushed me to do. I really enjoy the ability to train others so they can be equipped to do the work God has called them to do.

Where else do you work and what is your role in that setting?

I work at CoxHealth in Springfield MO. I’m the Administrative Director of Neuro and Cardiovascular Services.

What are your favorite things to do?

Spend time with my family, fish, and run.

What else would you like to share?

I’m extremely humbled by the people who do this job every day. I get to play a role part-time, but the people who do this on a regular basis are doing the real work. They are dedicating their lives to serve the ones that cannot speak for themselves.

by Sara Dominguez, Affiliate Services Specialist of Heartbeat International

With one in four women in the U.S. having an abortion by age forty-five,¹ it is not uncommon for Heartbeat affiliates to be called upon to serve a post-abortive client. Walking with a client, a friend, or a family member on their healing journey after an abortion can seem daunting but learning about resources that can serve as springboards to healing can offer encouragement. One such resource comes from the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care®. The Institute of Reproductive Grief Care provides education, research, and expertise to health professionals and other care providers to offer support after reproductive loss including miscarriage and abortion. The Institute of Reproductive Grief Care also offers a safe place, without religious or political affiliation, for those impacted by abortion at YourAbortionExperience.org® and miscarriage at MiscarriageHurts.com®. As laborers in the pregnancy help movement, we all serve as that invitation to heal. Focusing on our post-abortive clients, friends, and family, we will take time to explore YourAbortionExperience.org – a web-based tool serving as an invitation to begin the after-abortion healing process.

Web-based healing resources help hurt individuals as they can help to reduce the feeling of social isolation, provide round the clock and meaningful activities to work through the grieving process, as well as empowering visitors to tap into their emotional resilience, encouraging a sense of control during a time when many may feel they have no control. The Institute of Reproductive Grief Care has developed Healing Pathways for those suffering after reproductive loss and those who want to support others in their loss. The Healing Pathways include spaces to tell your story, build support, explore emotions, identify losses, recognize unhealthy behaviors, and begin healing.

The flexibility of the healing website, also available in Spanish, offers people the choice to work through healing concepts with a pregnancy help organization representative or in private. The Healing Pathways provide tangible tasks to work through which can provide the feeling of progress. They do not require a particular order, permitting people to grieve authentically. When visiting or introducing the healing website, advocates may find it helpful to first share the stories section, allowing the individual to see how others have shared their stories and quickly see that they are not alone. They may also read something relatable and start to think about their own story. Each healing pathway also includes prompts or tips to assist you, the care provider, to help you best describe the task.

Another feature included on the healing website is a list of life-affirming hotlines for immediate client care:

• National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262)
• Support After Abortion Hotline: 844-289-4673
• International Helpline for Abortion Recovery: 866-482-5433
• Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988

These referral sources include trained peer counselors, professional therapists, individual and group counselors, and weekend retreat workshops. Individual care providers and organizations, clinics/centers, practices, and health institutions who have obtained the Reproductive Grief Care Certification from the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care and have attended Reproductive Grief Care training courses may be listed on the “Find Help” directory of YourAbortionExperience.org. Click here to learn more about the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care's certifications and trainings. We encourage you to become acquainted with the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care's Healing Pathways, consider opportunities for training and certification in your organization, and for qualified care providers to become a referral source on the “Find Help” directory of YourAbortionExperience.org.

YourAbortionExperience.org can mark the beginning of an individual’s healing journey. Keeping in mind that there is no fixed end point in grief, this web-based resource can help you to journey alongside individuals on the path that is right for them. The hope is that while moving forward through this process of healing, we can help individuals create a connection that will prepare them to let go of the pain.

Sources

1. Rachel K. Jones, Jenna Jerman, “Population Group Abortion Rates and Lifetime Incidence of Abortion: United States, 2008–2014”, American Journal of Public Health 107, no. 12 (December 1, 2017): pp. 1904-1909. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304042. PMID: 29048970

This month we are highlighting Tammy Stearns, one of our Ultrasound Consultants. Tammy brings love and encouragement to our team, as well as to the many pregnancy help medical professionals she teaches the skill of ultrasound. Tammy and her family have a heart for the world and for all to come to know and love Jesus! It is a blessing to us all to witness the many ways God uses Tammy to bring light to the darkness.

Where did you grow up and go to school?

I grew up in a tiny town called Pontiac, Missouri located on Bull Shoals Lake. I went to college, Radiology and Ultrasound School in Columbia, MO and Springfield, MO. I have a Master’s in Administrative Studies with an emphasis in Communication, along with being credentialed in Radiologic Technology, and Abdominal, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vascular Technology, Pediatrics and Neurosonography.

Share with us about your family.

I married my high school sweetheart 32 years ago. We have four children. A son who is 30. He and his wife live in Houston TX. Our daughter, Taellor, passed away in 2014 at the age of 19 in the mission field with us. Our two younger boys are Antonio (14) and Slaton (13) who both serve on the mission field with us in Nicaragua. 

Tell us about what brought you to Heartbeat International.

I had the privilege to work with Cindi Boston at her Pregnancy Center in Springfield, MO launching her medical mobile unit. While there, I also helped train some of the nurses given that my background is a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer Educator. When Cindi came to work for HBI, the opportunity presented itself for me to join the team to develop a Limited Obstetrical Educational Program for nurses.

What ministries are you involved in?

My family and I serve as full-time missionaries in Nicaragua. We moved there in 2012 to serve with Project HOPE. I am the Director of Women’s Ministries with a feeding center in the city dump called Center of Hope, UnShackled. This is a place that offers restoration and redemption to ladies coming out of prostitution along with serving women in the jails and hospitals. I also perform ultrasound exams with our ministry’s physician. 

What do you enjoy most about your role as Ultrasound Consultant for Heartbeat International?

I love being part of something so much bigger than myself! God has put together an incredible team whose focus is to share life through imagery. I love being able to come alongside those trying to learn ultrasound to image life and getting to be an encourager in their journey. 

What do you love most about ultrasound?

I love when mom sees her baby for the very first time. Each and every time there is a sense of wonder when we see what God is knitting in the mother’s womb. I never get tired of that! 

Tell us about sharing your love of ultrasound with new nurses in the Pregnancy Help setting.

I love when it begins to make sense. You can tell when someone is worried or concerned about not understanding it. We then find a different way to explain and teach the method or technique and watch the moment of awareness that every teacher teaches for. For some, it clicks faster than others and that is okay as we each have our own journey and our own process. God always equips who He calls. 

What are your favorite things to do?

I love to serve. I love to play with the kids at the city dump or hang out with the ladies from our outreaches. I love spending time with my family exploring the world. In my quiet time, I love to read and write.

What else would you like to share?

It is such a privilege to be able to do ultrasounds. I’m thankful for the technology and the resources that allow us to image life literally bringing Light to the darkness.

The world continues to watch as Russian troops march across the Ukraine. The photos and reports we have access to either personally, traditional news outlets, or social media, are devastating as 2 million people have migrated to safer places in western Ukraine, Poland, Romania, and Hungary.

We invite you, our partners, to send resources to pregnancy help centers in specified countries as those centers embrace refugees, women, and their families in need of physical resources and finances. Consider that males between the ages of 18 and 60 are not permitted to leave Ukraine so that they can serve the nation's defense. I have heard the stories, as you have, of fathers and husbands who drive their families to the border, or into Poland and then immediately head back to Ukraine to serve in the military.

Friends, let us respond to the humanitarian crisis presented in our world by offering of our resources, as much as we are able, to welcome the stranger, embrace the families, and reach and rescue the women and families in our midst.

You may want to contribute to Heartbeat's HALO fund. This fund is specifically designated to help affiliated life-affirming organizations. Those funds will be distributed to affiliated centers in countries impacted by the war in Ukraine. This is often the best option for those outside of Europe because getting practical resources to the right place can be extremely challenging. 

But the European pregnancy help movement may have a better way to help these refugees and those receiving them.

We've begun to gather a list of Pregnancy Help Organizations in Eastern Europe receiving refugees and what kind of resources they need to support them.

Practical resources can be sent to the following centers.

Ukraine: 

Kharkiv PAC
Kharkov Pregnancy Assistance Center
http://www.helpcenter.com.ua
+380 66-220-0303
Poltavsky shlyah 6a, office 4, 5
Kharkov, 61033
Ukraine
UKRAINIAN NATIONAL CRISIS PREGNANCY AID HOTLINE
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Vasyl and Olga Olynk

Poland:

Kobietom Na Pomoc
Marlena Macskowzka+48 576 382 256
http://www.KobietomNaPomoc.pl/
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Romania:

Clinica Pro Vita
Dr. David Ille
str. Teodor Mihali nr. 38-40
Cluj-Napoca, CJ 400591
Romania
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+40 264 431 8911

Centrul Alexandra
Alexandra Nadane
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Bucharest, B 010882
Romania
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
0751859467

Hungary:

Alpha Alliance (Alfa Szövetség)
Imre Teglasy
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.alfaszovetseg.hu
36-309-541-010
H-2071 Páty
Fazekas u. 84.
Hungary

If you are another center also reaching out and rescuing women and their families during this crisis, please let us know. We will add your center to the list.

Please see below for a list of resources needed: 

LONG-TERM FOOD: canned goods, oil, sugar, pasta, flour, groats, rice, tea, coffee, candy, UHT milk, canned vegetables/fruits (e.g. beans, peas, corn, pineapple, peach), tomato puree in cartons, dried fruit, nuts.
COSMETICS AND CHEMICALS: shower gels, shampoos, soaps, toothbrushes and toothpastes, creams, pads, baby pampers, washing liquids, dishwashing liquids.
SUPPLIES, especially for wounds and burns: thermal blankets, sterile gauze, sterile compresses, knitted bands, elastic bandages, ampoules of saline, disinfectants, disposable gloves, sterile bandages, tourniquets, scissors for dressings.
NEW blankets and sleeping bags

List of needed items for children:
- toys;
- School supplies: notebooks, crayons, plasticine, coloring books, markers, drawing pads, coloring paper, picture books, etc;
- Pampers in sizes: 1 i 2;
- Wet wipes;
- Jars of ready-made baby food;
- bottles with pacifiers;
- pacifiers;
- powdered milk;
- blankets;
- body oils;
- toothpaste and toothbrushes for babies.

Thank you for the work you are doing everyday to change lives and change the destiny of women in unplanned pregnancies. we pray for you. Please reach out to efoell@heartbeatinternational.org with any questions. 

by Danielle White, Esq.
General Counsel, Heartbeat International

I want to take us back to a moment. It’s April of 1992. The pro-life movement has been hard at work on many fronts, and pro-life legal professionals now believe that the composition of the Supreme Court is finally favorable to overturning the devastating Roe v. Wade decision. After Planned Parenthood challenged a slew of abortion regulations enacted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the long-awaited oral argument has arrived.

The attorney arguing on behalf of Planned Parenthood approaches the podium, and she opens with what she believes is her strongest argument: “Since this Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, a generation of American women have come of age secure in the knowledge that the Constitution provides the highest level of protection for their child-bearing decisions.” She says that Roe v. Wade has “enabled millions of women to participate fully and equally in society.”

The Court bought it.

When the Court issued its opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, it embraced the idea that women need abortion to “participate equally in the social and economic life of the nation.” This idea that women can either fully participate in society or become mothers, but not both, is deeply antiquated and incredibly disempowering to women. Who among us would ever say this to our own daughters? This idea suggests that women have reached their places in society today not as a result of their determination and hard work, not because they are intelligent and capable, but because they resorted to abortion.

It's a deadly lie that has devastated countless women and families and resulted in the deaths of millions of unborn children.

For 50 years now, Heartbeat has labored alongside pregnancy resource centers, medical clinics, maternity homes and adoption agencies, all fighting to obliterate the false dichotomy of parenthood on the one hand, or participation in society on the other. Indeed, women can be mothers and participate fully in society. We have shared this message with expectant mothers around the nation, indeed around the world, day in and day out for decades.

So fast forward with me back to 2021. The Court has granted review in Dobbs, and now it’s our time to share this message with the Court. Women are capable. Heartbeat, its affiliates, and the vast and sophisticated network of pregnancy help in this country stand ready to assist them. And women do not need abortion.

We knew that stare decisis would be a central issue in this case. Stare decisis means to stand by things decided. It means that generally, the Court should follow its own precedent in deciding cases. But, as the Court has repeatedly stated, stare decisis is not an inexorable command. There are certain factors for determining when to deviate from precedent.

Our brief addressed each of those factors but focused its argument on defeating the notion that women must resort to abortion in order to be successful.

We argued that the proliferation of pregnancy help organizations represents a critical change since Roe and Casey, and that women certainly do not need to rely on abortion any longer, if they ever did. Indeed, when Casey was decided, pregnancy help centers existed, but they were nowhere near as numerous or robust as they are today. For example, when Casey was argued, only three pro-life pregnancy centers were providing medical services. Today, that number is 2,132. In Mississippi, the state at issue in this case, pregnancy centers outnumber abortion clinics 29 to 1. Pregnancy centers serve millions of people each year with hundreds of thousands of free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, millions of articles of clothing and diapers, and untold practical support for mothers and families.

Not only is the idea that women need abortion to participate equally in the social and economic life of the nation disempowering, it is flatly false. Today, educational pursuits are increasingly feasible for mothers. Indeed, more than 20% of all undergraduate students today are parents. Mothers also routinely pursue careers. In 2020, more than 70% of all women in the US with children under the age of 18 participated in the workforce. Not to mention, federal and state laws now prohibit pregnancy discrimination. The idea that women must resort to abortion to participate in the economic life of the nation is not just outdated – it’s illegal. If an employer took that position with a female employee today, that employer could look forward to a swift lawsuit and substantial liability for pregnancy discrimination.

Writing this brief was particularly meaningful for me. You see, when the briefs were due, I happened to be on maternity leave, having just given birth to my fourth baby, a little girl. But writing a brief asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe and Casey was a career aspiration that I could only have dreamt of, and I was certainly not going to let it pass me by! I drafted large sections of the brief in the wee hours, while balancing my laptop on my lap and holding my newborn baby girl on my shoulder.

Holding her in my arms fueled me through those sleepless drafting nights. I will not soon forget the feeling of her soft breath on my cheek and the sound of her rhythmic breathing in the background of my keyboard clicking away in the soft glow of a dim lamp. She was a little embodiment of what I was fighting for – not just for the babies only a few weeks younger than her who have inadequate legal protection, but also for the countless women from whom Roe has robbed motherhood, women who were told that they had to choose between motherhood and their dreams. Indeed, 29 years after the Planned Parenthood attorney took to the podium to tell the Court that women cannot have both careers and babies, I was doing that very thing! And I’m not the only one.

I had the privilege of sharing with the Court the stories of three women who learned that they were unexpectedly pregnant and feared that their pregnancies signaled the end of their educational goals, their careers, or their other aspirations. They each visited pregnancy centers, who supported them with practical assistance, financial aid, and emotional support as they continued their education, began careers, and fulfilled their personal dreams with their children by their side.

You undoubtedly know women like them.

It was a highlight of my career to hold my newborn baby girl as I wrote the words “Heartbeat urges the Court to overturn Roe and Casey.” And I’m prayerful that the Court will do just that.

by Peggy Hartshorn, Ph.D.
Heartbeat International Board Chair

Today is being promoted as International Women’s Day. I’m always a little skeptical of secular “women’s events” since I came of age in the era of radical feminists like Gloria Steinem whose definition of feminism included an absolute “right” to abortion and unlimited sexual “freedom” (and more than a hint of disdain for men).

The website promoting this day reports that it has been celebrated through the years (since 1908) with various emphases – women campaigning for better working conditions, or for voting rights, women rallying against war or ending violence against women, or celebrating the accomplishments of women through history . . .

It also insists, “Today, IWD, belongs to all groups collectively everywhere” – so that means Heartbeat International too!

And, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that those of us who are Christian pro-life women (and men) have more reasons than perhaps any other group to celebrate women!

Why? Let me share 3 reasons with you. At the end, I leave you with a few questions that may occur to you along the way (as they have to me).

First, we celebrate women because we have internalized God’s truth about how crucial we are in his plan for the entire world! Probably you have heard this taught over and over again and, if you are like me, you may almost take it for granted.

But let’s think about this for a minute.

Genesis tells us that God created women (and men), and He made us in His own image and likeness. And, God gave us stewardship over all his other creations.

We can only begin to understand what this really means, but it makes each of us unique and very special – we each bear the “image of God!”

Moreover, together – male and female – we bear God’s image. God is a God of relationship, and our marriage relationship is also an image of God. Just as God is three persons but one God, husband and wife are two persons but they become one, and the fruit of that love is another totally and unique human being – we can be called “co-Creators” with God. What an amazing power we have – to bring the next generation into the world and image God in the process!

Women have something in this crucial role that men do not have – the gift of fertility – women have babies!

Women actually conceive in their very bodies, and carry to term, a totally unique human being who has a purpose in this life (planned by God) and has the potential for eternal life as well! Without women’s fertility the world would literally not go on.

Many “primitive” societies understood this clearly, as evidenced by the carvings, sculptures, and paintings you will find in museums, thousands of years old, depicting pregnant women and fertility goddesses. They “got it” ages ago, but sometimes our own “modern” society forgets it.

Women are created to be life-givers, literally and figuratively. Even if a woman does not have biological or adopted children, she probably nurtures nieces and nephews, and many others. Some women devote themselves entirely to ministry (for example, in religious orders). Sometimes we talk about the “spiritual children” they nurture.

Let’s celebrate women as God created us to be – with inestimable worth, value, and purpose as life givers!

Not only does this Truth of how we have been created, redeemed, and made for such a special purpose change how we see ourselves, but we have the amazing opportunity to share this “new Vision” (as in The LOVE Approach) with the women God sends to us in our pregnancy help organizations!

Think of the opportunity – to free women from what our culture often tells them they are – nothing, worthless, made for short-lived pleasures – even objects of someone else’s pleasure, or simply material beings with no purpose, living in a meaningless world.

Let’s celebrate the women in pregnancy help, who bear this Good News to others as we minister to them daily!

Second, we celebrate womanhood because, even though sin entered the world, God had another plan to redeem His most valuable creatures, women and men, by actually becoming one of us – a human being, and a baby at that, showing us that he is “the Way” and then suffering and dying for our sins to open the gates of heaven for us. And as He walked on the earth, he showed us how special women are to Him!

God’s plan gave one woman the most special role imaginable – to conceive the Savior in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, to give birth to Him and to be His beloved mother in every way. Luke’s Gospel tells us that she proclaimed, “From this day all generations will call me blessed.” She can be described as Jesus’ first follower and he performed his first miracle at her request at Cana even though He said, “My time had not yet come.”

Jesus also and especially showed his love for sinful women, like the woman at the well. He told her “all her sins,” as she recounted. But then he forgave her, telling her to sin no more. And, he actually shared with her that he was the Messiah! The woman caught in adultery he also saved – her physical life and her eternal life.

Think of all the miracles in which Jesus healed women! And, it was women who stayed with him, even when the Apostles fled in fear, and it was women who came to the tomb to show their love for Him while the Apostles were hiding. He showed Himself as the Risen Lord first to Mary Magdalene, and she was given the honor of announcing this to the Apostles. (She is sometimes call the Apostle to the Apostles.)

Think of the women of strength in the Bible that are our role models and our inspiration, think of the virtues of the “Proverbs 31 Woman.” Eve, who tempted Adam and who brought sin into the world, is not the end of the story for women!

Think of the women in Christian history, after Biblical times, who are role models for us in their faith, hope, and charity. Three of my own heroines are Monica, who never ceased praying for the conversion of her son Augustine; Helen (I have her name is my middle name!), the mother of Constantine the first Christian Roman emperor, who personally led expeditions to the Holy Land to find and preserve anything that belonged to Jesus; and Mother Theresa, who taught that the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion.

Let’s celebrate the women of Biblical and of later Christian history who are our role models and inspiration!

Third, we celebrate women because we have known, and we now know so many outstanding ones! Your mother, grandmother, sisters, or aunts may come to mind first. But perhaps you are thinking of one or more of the scores of women you have worked with at your pregnancy help ministry who have courageously chosen life for their children, in the midst of great difficulty and often pressure to have an abortion. They called or came in thinking that this pregnancy would be “the end of their life as they knew it” but, once they got in touch with their maternal instincts, they would do anything and everything to have and mother their children.

Perhaps you think of a mother who courageously carried her child and then made an adoption plan, allowing her very-much-loved baby to be brought into a family that she could not provide at that time. I personally think of the two birthmothers of our adopted son and daughter. Both Tim and Katy have spouses now and they have children – who would not be alive at all, if not for these birthmothers. My husband and I have a family of children and grandchildren because of their courage and love.

Or perhaps you are thinking of the women you work alongside of – fellow consultants or volunteers, fellow staff members, the leader of your pregnancy help ministry (and, truth be told, still the vast majority of pregnancy help leaders are women!).

Women whose prayer lives are inspirational to you, whose relationship to the Lord shines through, whose caring for you and others is evident, whose courage, commitment, and faithfulness are outstanding. Women who are coming through great pain and suffering, who perhaps suffered abuse, abortions and other pregnancy loss, abandonment, and more, yet who are healing, willing to believe and trust in the Lord.

Let’s celebrate the women God has put in our own lives as companions in ministry and those he has allowed us to accompany in their pregnancies and motherhood!

Indeed, at Heartbeat, we have so much to celebrate on this International Women’s Day!

Finally, here are some questions you might want to reflect on – personally or perhaps in a small group:

1. Do I believe in my own worth as a woman, created in the Image of God and redeemed by Him, with the role of a life-giver (literally and figuratively)? Do I sometimes focus on the world’s standards for women – perhaps regarding physical beauty, fame and fortune, or other standards which almost always make me feel less than worthy? What helps me see myself as God sees me?
2. Who are the women in my life that I celebrate and am thankful for? In my family, in my work, in my church, in the Bible or Christian history?
3. Have I ever shared the Vision of God’s design for women with another woman (perhaps a client or someone in my own family)? How did the woman respond? How did it make me feel? Is there someone I would like to share this vision with or I feel called to share this vision with?

by Jennifer Wright, Editor/Writer

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent observed by many Christians. Over the 40 days leading up to Holy Week and the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, many Christians follow the example of Jesus spending time in fasting and prayer in the desert for 40 days from Matthew chapter 4.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”

Matthew 4:1-3 (NABRE)

I have to admit, Lent is by far my favorite season in the Church. I’m reminded of Jesus’ humanity that he shares with us, I take the opportunity to forgo something good to strengthen my resolve in denying temptation, and, my favorite part, the music is stunningly beautiful. Singing in my Church’s choir since I was about eight years old, I’ve done a lot of music, but nothing compares to the hauntingly beautiful ancient pieces of Lent and Holy Week. Just the words “Were You There?” can draw a tear as I imagine being present for the crucifixion.

But that’s not what I’m writing to share about today.

I’ve always been taught that for Lent, a good practice is to focus on three things: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. I can’t say I always manage (human as I am), but I do try, and I think taking a season to pay particular attention to these ways to draw closer to Christ is not only healthy, but necessary. And individuals don’t have to do it alone. Here are a couple ideas for your pregnancy help organization to participate in the Lenten season this year. Perhaps something new will carry into the rest of the year, or maybe it will just make the Easter celebration a little sweeter for you and your staff, but I encourage you to participate this Lent either way.

Prayer

• Take a break for daily prayer with your staff and volunteers. It can be totally optional (Heartbeat’s 9am daily prayer is, but many participate year-round), but taking a moment to invite everyone into prayer for your supporters, clients, and each other has many benefits, including keeping your team a little more aware of the rest of the organization.
• Share a particular, specific prayer with any client that you find ready for prayer. This could be something you write, or a prayer you find helpful from another source. It can be something as simple as one line, such as “Jesus, I trust in You.” The goal is to invite clients into a life of prayer if appropriate. Remember, determining the right opportunity for this invitation will take prudence and temperance.
• Pray particularly for the pregnancy help movement around the world, especially those providing pregnancy help in Ukraine, and refugees fleeing to countries like Poland, Moldova, and other locations. (Click here for specific prayer requests from our affiliates in Ukraine.)

Fasting

• Fasting doesn’t always have to be from food, but it should be a sacrifice. For example, when fasting from food isn’t a healthy option for me (as a pregnant or breastfeeding mother), I fast from social media. That may not be a good option for a pregnancy help organization building a following on Facebook or Instagram, but maybe fasting from caffeine or mobile games would be a good option. (Note: If your Lenten sacrifice is a trial for the people around you, you may want to consider something else.)
• Make a sacrifice of simplicity for your meals and drinks for the season, and every time you choose the plain coffee instead of the latte or the water instead of the soda, offer that small sacrifice up for your clients or for a donor you plan to speak to that day.
• Fast from hot showers (and take only lukewarm showers instead), or give up your pillow at night, and offer that sacrifice up for the success of your organization or the strengthening of your team.

Almsgiving

• Try offering a new service or material aid to clients. Whether it’s a just-for-Lent kind of thing or the start of a new year-round resource, your clients will be grateful. Just to be clear, offering Baby Bucks or Mommy Money for attending classes and having clients shop for resources is not what we’re talking about here. These are fantastic services, but maybe for Lent, you give out an extra pack of diapers along with every item purchased with what your client earned or something even more generous.
• Invite past clients or current clients who are relatively well-off to share baby items they don’t need anymore with current clients in need. Maybe even invite past clients to meet with a new or expecting mom who could use a friend. Building the opportunity for others to give of themselves is a great way to facilitate almsgiving.
• Consider whether your organization might be able to give to Heartbeat’s HALO (Helping Affiliated Life-Affirming Organizations) Fund. Right now, we plan to use those funds to support refugees from Ukraine who need pregnancy help wherever they are in Eastern Europe, and to support our affiliates in Ukraine if and when it is possible.

May your Lent be a blessed time for drawing nearer to the Lord. God bless you.

by Cherilyn Holloway, Pro-Black Pro-Life

Is diversity about more than variety? What value does diversity bring to a pregnancy help organization? Greater diversity on your team will lead to more clients choosing life and will result in your organization targeting actual needs, not perceived needs.

Know Your Demographics

Knowing your demographics is key to fostering the type of diversity needed in an organization. Who’s in your community? Never assume to know who makes up your service area, especially based just on what you see or hear, because this can contribute to a gap between the actual and the perceived. Invest time to find nuanced demographic information that ensures your organization will be made up of an accurate representation of those you are serving. Spend time learning about the different dynamics in your community. 

A diverse community reflects a diversity of thought and experiences. To achieve this, pregnancy help organizations need to examine their culture. This includes how political discussions around the issue of race, political candidates, and other difficult issues are handled. Conversations regarding religious denominations, pastors, and churches can create a negative work environment for someone who aligns with your organization on the value of life but may have a difference of opinion on issues unrelated to the core mission. Ask how your organization is mindful of those who may not be in the dominant culture. Your heart is welcoming, but is your environment?  How could the organization welcome individuals who may not be from the dominant culture? How might it be chasing them away?

Adding Diversity

If you are not seeing a lot of diversity in your staff and volunteers, reach into your community to find out why. Be open to hearing what policies may be deterring guests. Ask how you could change your advertising to better reach a broader demographic. This dialogue is not always fun when you’re addressing and reconciling these issues. Sometimes these conversations reveal staff or volunteers who are not in alignment with the idea of diversification.  

What Will Change?

What will change as these steps are taken? We will create spaces that are more inviting to the clients we serve and that foster deeper connections with them. Our connection with the community will improve as we diversity in our team. These longer-term, improved connections in the community lead to more clients choosing life and help create an organization equipped to meet the actual needs around us.

Practical Tip: Take a look at your staff and volunteer list and a demographic report on your organization's service area. Does your team reflect the community or does your organization need to diversify?

Cherilyn Holloway will be presenting a workshop at the 2022 Heartbeat International Annual Conference called Why Diversify? If you want to learn more about this topic, join us in Jacksonville March 30-April 1, 2022!