Thank you for making the life-saving work of our ministry possible. We love to share stories of the impact your investments make and we hope you will give to Assurance this Christmas to ensure we can continue to serve pregnant mothers and fathers making life and death decisions for their families.
This time of year, the story that captivates us anew is that of the birth of our Savior. We read the gospel accounts and set out nativity scenes. We marvel at the lengths Jesus went to rescue us. Certainly, there are many implications the story of His life, death, and resurrection have for our work. He is the reason we have hope and can offer it to the women and men we serve.
But one question is challenging me this year. Does your nativity set have a dragon?
There is another account of Christ’s birth found in Revelation 12 that gives us a glimpse of all that was happening in the spiritual realm at that time. It too has significant implications for our work.
Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon …The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child… She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”… Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring.
Often at Assurance, we receive those who are in the midst of the waging war and witness the struggle first hand. Michael and Mariah went to an abortion clinic before Assurance. They were unsure how far along she was but determined to abort. Mariah said, “I didn’t want to bring him into this life and him have struggles” with Michael adding “we didn’t want to have a drug addicted baby.” They were turned away because she was too far along to have an abortion in Kentucky. As they put it, “the staff at the abortion clinic really didn’t care; treated us like we were nothing; they just wanted our money.”
Panicked and unsure of exactly how far along they were, but now knowing they would need a late-term abortion, Michael and Mariah searched the internet for the places that will perform those abortions. They also came across information about Assurance while searching online. When they arrived at Assurance, they wanted an ultrasound to determine how far along she was to help narrow down where they would travel for the abortion.
Here is Michael’s description of the contrast between their experience at the abortion clinic and Assurance: “The abortion clinic compared to you guys was totally opposite sides of the spectrum. You all, open arms, took us in and said we’re here to help regardless of your situation. You heard our story and gave her an ultrasound. You approached us like friends when everyone else was looking down on us.”
The ultrasound revealed that Mariah was 35 weeks pregnant. Though by the end of their appointment they were aware of the real risks involved and that their baby was likely very capable of surviving outside the womb, Michael and Mariah left Assurance torn between traveling across state lines to a clinic where they perform abortions at all stages of pregnancy or choosing to parent. They still had many doubts and fears but, as Michael put it, “you gave us hope”.
Our staff and volunteers cried out to God on their behalf. We prayed that God would save the life of their child, spare them from the trauma of abortion, and that the baby would be healthy and protected from any impact of Mariah’s drug use during pregnancy.
The Lord heard our prayers! The very next day, Mariah went into labor and so essentially lost the option of abortion. Their son was born healthy and without withdrawal symptoms. They named him Caster because “it’s a steering displacement in cars. He steered us into the right direction to get clean and be good parents.”
Michael was grateful that “Aaron checked in with us probably once a week” to see how we were doing and if there were any ways Assurance could help. What do they think of parenting now? Mariah says “it’s the most fulfilling thing I have ever experienced in my life. I love being a mom.” And Michael, who once described himself as scared to even hold babies, recounts, “when I held him, I didn’t want to ever let him go. He’s my son.”
Abortion is evidence of the dragon of our day, waging war against our offspring, waiting to devour our children even right before birth. But when Love enters the story with grace, mercy, hope and truth, as it did the night Jesus was born, it rescues and saves.
I hope we can count on you to support our rescue efforts this Christmas. We estimate 149 babies like Caster were saved from abortion last year thanks to your investments in Assurance. Will you consider a gift of at least a dollar in honor of each life saved?
With gratitude,
PS This family’s story illustrates the power and importance of prayer in our work. Will you commit to pray daily for our clients along with your investment in our ministry?