By Pamela Palumbo, CEO
As we give thanks this season, our hearts are drawn to the countless women who have walked through our doors this year—women carrying burdens that feel heavier than they can bear. This month, we’ve been reflecting on the welcome we all receive at the Lord’s table – a place set just for us, not because we have earned it, but because love compelled Him to restore and redeem.
That same kind of welcome is what we strive to offer every woman who enters our clinics. A place where she can sit, breathe, process, and discover that no matter her past, Christ welcomes her to come to Him.
Among the many women we have served this year is Tara, with a story of heartbreak, courage, and God’s love for His children…
Tara came to our Women’s Clinic office to confirm a positive home pregnancy test. When she sat down with her counselor, she immediately burst into tears. Her counselor listened as Tara shared that she was reeling from a recent break-up and admitted that she wasn’t even sure who the baby’s father was.
Further more, Tara was a single mom – she had a middle-school-age son at home. “I’m so ashamed of the things that I’ve done. I am afraid of the stigma of having a second child by a different man,” she confided in her counselor.
Tara shared that she had no family nearby, no potential support from the baby’s father, and was already in an overwhelming financial situation. She said through her tears that she kept trying to make her life better, but she felt stuck and beaten down. “I know that I’ve made poor choices, ” Tara told her counselor, “but I just don’t know how to fix it.”
With the caring and sympathetic ear of her counselor, Tara went deeper and revealed her pain from a previous abortion. Through her tears she began to talk through her feelings about that experience. “I just don’t think I could bear to go through that again,” she said.
So she and her counselor talked about other resources of support, and what life would look like with her middle-schooler and an infant. Tara quietly shared her dream of becoming a nurse, and they talked about how that could still be possible.
Most importantly, her counselor gently reminded Tara about the truth of Christ’s love – for her, her son and her pre-born baby.
Tara was overwhelmed to hear her baby’s heartbeat during her ultrasound, a strong tiny heartbeat that gave her courage she didn’t know she had. Tara resolved to make positive changes in her life. She left our office that day with sonogram images of her tiny baby, and a new determination to make a good life for her children. She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in early November.
Thanksgiving for Tara was busy and joyful with her two beautiful children joining her at the table. Her son is crazy about his baby sister, and Tara is actively making plans for nursing school to provide for her little family. She has stayed in touch with her counselor every step of the way, sharing her challenges and her triumphs.
Tara said she is grateful for the love and compassion she felt from the moment she came to the Women’s Clinic.
“I never felt judged and I clearly felt God’s love for me,” she texted her counselor. “I needed to be reminded of that.”
Friend, at our Women’s Clinics, abortion-vulnerable women like Tara come every day, beaten down both by circumstances beyond their control and from their own choices. They are seeking compassion, understanding, and most of all, hope.
And although each woman’s situation is unique, the answer is always the same: Trust in God, believe in His plans for her life, and join the King at His table.
As we prepare to turn the calendar to a new year, we invite you to partner with us in offering even more women this next year, a safe place to hear the truth, receive practical help and find the true hope of the Gospel.
Your generous gifts stay right here in our community, helping local moms and their preborn children, and affirming the value of every life, created in the image of God.
Will you prayerfully consider making a life-saving year end gift?
Together, we will continue the work that God has set before us, serving women, saving lives, and sharing Jesus.
Wishing you blessings in the coming new year,
Pamela