I hope this letter finds you enjoying the beautiful spring weather and the new life growing all around us that comes with spring. I want to take just a minute to give you an update, say thank you for your support, and share a story from one of your clinics.
Confidentiality is one of our cornerstones of care, not only because it is required by law, but because we want to create an environment for our clients where they have freedom to share their struggles; ask questions; and meet Jesus, often for the first time. For this reason, as always, we changed the names and minor details to protect the identity of our clients.
Lisa grew up in the church and gave her heart to the Lord when she was seven. She was a straight-A student who married the love of her life and was an Iraq war veteran. Looking back on her life she doesn’t know how she ended up in the waiting room at the Informed Choices Clinic in Ames. But here she was, with no home for her three children and pregnant. What she did know was that she could not take the abuse anymore and she did not want her kids to live another day in fear. She loved her husband, but he regularly gave in to his addictions. In the past, when she was pregnant the abuse got worse. Now, with the positive home pregnancy test the week before, her only thought was to protect her children. It would be hard enough to raise three kids on her own and adding a newborn to the mix would surely make it impossible. Lisa already had an appointment to terminate her pregnancy, but she wanted to know for sure if she was really pregnant and how far along she was. Sitting with the nurse in the consultation room of Informed Choices she began to see a glimmer of hope for the first time in a long time.
Jennifer, a nurse in Ames knows firsthand how powerful seeing your baby is in helping women make a decision for life. As Jennifer spoke with Lisa she quickly understood that Lisa’s circumstances were overwhelming her. By identifying her needs using the decision guide, Jennifer was able to help her see things more clearly. Jennifer offered her a place to stay, help with food, and referred her to a professional counselor. These were the physical things that Lisa really needed to be able to see through her circumstances.
When Lisa saw her new baby on the ultrasound she knew canceling the abortion was the right thing to do. As Jennifer prayed with her, she felt the peace of God settle upon her heart. She knew with the help of God and Informed Choices she could do this.
Thank you for generously giving and making a difference in Lisa’s life and the lives of her children. Lisa is one of 10 women who were overwhelmed with circumstances, but made decisions for life just last week at the Informed Choices Clinics. There is so much need for us around the state. Five different communities in Iowa have reached out asking for an Informed Choices Clinic in their city. Unfortunately, we have had to put the brakes on our expansion to other cities because of lower than expected donation numbers. You have been generous with your giving, but now, together, we need to find more people who love LIFE and want to make a difference in the lives of all the Lisas across Iowa.
There is a great way you can help!
Our annual Walk for LIFE is coming up very soon and you should have received your sponsorship form in the mail. If you didn’t get one, please let me know. This is the perfect opportunity for you to help us find new people to invest in LIFE. You might be surprised how many people, even people in your own church, don’t know about Informed Choices. It seems that nearly every week we hear from people who are just learning about Informed Choices and are excited to be part of what God is doing here. They just need to be asked.
When you walk in the Walk for LIFE and ask your friends and family to sponsor you, you are inviting them to become part of God’s work in Iowa. Every walk sponsor you sign up will also get a personal invitation to the fall banquet where they can learn even more about Informed Choices.
Please help us by committing to be a walker and asking everyone you know to sponsor you. We need you to make this year’s walk the best ever. We will have a great morning together, enjoy a pancake breakfast, and walk in the park knowing we are making a difference in the lives of Lisas all over the state.
www.iowawalkforlife.org
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See you in a few weeks,
Rachel Owen
Executive Director,
Informed Choice of Iowa and the
Informed Choices Medical Clinics
P.S. One way you can help us right now is to consider investing your tax return with us. This is the place for you to sew into the Kingdom of God and help you store up those treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed.
