For years, I thought I was prolife. After all, I'm here today because my mother didn't follow the advice of her doctor to abort me. I was supposed to have some major health issues that made my birth inadvisable. (Maybe this explains my oddities to those of you that wonder about me!) However, he was wrong, and I'm glad my mom did what was right.
So, I've always been prolife--or so I thought--until this past summer when I had an experience that has already begun to change my life.
This past summer we were very busy as my husband presented his seminars all over Europe. Many of our evenings were taken as he spoke in churches, but during the day, we often visited historical places. One day in Poland, we decided to visit Auschwitz.
Although I have read a lot of history, nothing prepared me for that day in the infamous World War II death camp. The camp is left much as it was then, and is a dark, depressing reminder of the millions of Jews that were slaughtered just because of their race.
After we left Auschwitz, I blogged about our day there, (see June 2009) especially as I remembered the large rooms stuffed full of shoes and purses and the display of broken toys taken from the children. A very grim room was full of the human hair taken from those unfortunate to have been taken there.
I blogged about the tragedy that I saw there and wondered about how it could have happened. After all, there are houses around the perimeter of the fences and surely lots of people knew what was happening at least in some measure. After all, how can one hide the deaths of at least 11 million people?
As I pondered about how this had been allowed to happen, another blogger posted a comment that made me question the whole idea that I really was pro life. He ended his comment by saying,
"I would also say that I cannot think of the holocaust without thinking of the American Holocaust, the genocide of the unborn which is continuous and ongoing and for which we all bear great shame. May God forgive us for our silence and may He strengthen us for the fight."
My heart was struck that although I claimed to be prolife, I had done almost nothing to show it. While condemning those of a previous generation, I had been showing the same general attitude of carelessness and resignation. After all, it's the law in our land as it was the law back in the days of Hitler that certain classes of humanity can be extinguished.
Since that time, I have begun volunteering at our local Pregnancy Support Center. While I have to live under laws that allow for the destruction of unwanted babies, I can do all within my power to convince their mothers of the value of their child and to support them through this crisis in their lives.
This is where the baby bottle comes in. If you say you are pro life, then you need to get a baby bottle. The baby bottle campaign in a fund raising campaign that runs from Mother's Day to Father's Day every year. Baby bottles are distributed to the churches in our county and are filled with change (and hopefully quite a few bills!). The funds are used to do everything from providing free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, to providing diapers and infant formula to needy mothers who have chosen life for their children.
If you live in Rowan County, let me know if your church has not yet received baby bottles for this year's campaign. If your church is not involved, we'll supply you with all the baby bottles you can use on your own. If you are not in Rowan County, but wish to be involved, let me know, and we will certainly find a way. After all, faith without works is dead. There are mothers out there who have chosen life and they need us to come along beside them and support them in their choice. Let's all remember the words of I John 3:17, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
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