Friends of Life,
Since I last wrote, I’ve had two more showers and both those babies had already been born at the time of the shower. I also have highlights from the second annual Cities4Life dinner, and a ministry contest opportunity that Truth & Mercy is eligible to win! Keep reading. I’ll get started!
I showered Ashley and her husband, Bobby on January 14. Her daughter, who was saved from abortion, was born December 1. They live about two hours away in Roaring River, NC. Let me start at the beginning. Jeannette Wilson, sidewalk counselor extraordinaire, met Ashley and Bobby at the Latrobe Avenue abortuary. They are a very young, married couple, and their son Marqus, was only 5-months old at the time. You can imagine that they felt overwhelmed with another pregnancy. Their hearts, however, were soft and they immediately responded to Jeannette’s words and the Holy Spirit’s conviction. Bobby, in particular, cried and told Jeannette that he “feared God”. God worked a miracle in both their hearts that day…and little Caylii is the fruit. She’s about 6-weeks old in these pictures:
Truth & Mercy, through your generous giving, provided them with a deluxe Jeep® double stroller, pack-n-play, crib mattress, crib bedding set, bouncy seat, Boppy pillow, diaper bag, toiletries, blankets, bottles, formula, hooded towels, baby bath tub, toddler car seat for 14-month Marqus, lots of toys and books for both children, diapers, wipes, and clothing in sizes 0-24 months.
My next shower was for Rae, who is in her late 20s. A young friend of mine, Elizabeth Sutton, who is in nursing school, met Rae on her medical rounds at a local home for unwed mothers, and lovingly befriended her. Rae had ever-so-briefly contemplated abortion early on because of her extremely difficult circumstances, but praise the Lord, she did not follow through. Satan tempted, but Rae, who is a professing Christian, held firm by God’s grace. I’m thankful that Elizabeth put me in contact with Rae. She needed some practical help, which I was happy to provide. Weighing 8lb 3oz, her son, Roman Paul, was born Jan. 28. Her pregnancy was fraught with several medical challenges so we all look upon Paul as a miracle, many times over. Rae’s housing situation is still uncertain, so I’m waiting awhile before I deliver the “full load” of gifts. She had to vacate the pregnancy home within hours of delivery. She’s staying with a friend right now. I’ve already provided a bassinet, breast pump, bouncy seat, clothing in size 0-3 months, diapers, wipes, diaper bag, toiletries, blankets, bottles, pacifiers, etc. I have a great deal more to give her when she has room to receive it all: crib, bedding, stroller, swing, high chair, tub, exersaucer, clothing all the way to size 24 month, toys, books, etc. The extraordinary news is that she recently received not one, but TWO job offers! Pray that these potential employers are able to patiently wait for her to be able to recover from child birth. She had a c-section, so she needs a few more weeks at least. Pray for her housing needs, too. You can imagine that her job and housing needs are intertwined, one depending on the other. Here she is with Paul:
Our huge Cities4Life annual dinner was held January 20 at the Embassy Suites Hotel. This was an incredible event, with almost 800 attendees, led by David Benham. I’ve been honored to serve on the operations team and the board of this new organization. As you might remember, I explained the C4L movement in my last update, so I won’t go in great detail here, but this organization serves to unite various prolife ministries, including Truth & Mercy, with the moms and families who need them. We also seek to bring together prolife Christians who want to serve in various areas, from front lines ministry on the clinic sidewalks, to pregnancy centers, to mobile ultrasound technicians, to transportation for the moms to get to their doctor appointments, to evangelism and discipleship, etc. See where you fit in. Visit the website for more information at www.cities4life.org.
Alex Kendrick, director, co-producer, co-writer of Courageous, Fireproof and Facing the Giants, was our keynote speaker. He spoke eloquently and passionately, as he called us into the battle for souls and lives. He commissioned us to be courageous. Being on the ops team and board, I had the incredible opportunity to meet Alex and pray with him. I found him to be a humble, soft-spoken man of exceptionally deep conviction. Here is a photo of me, my daughter, Bethany, and Alex, taken shortly before the dinner began.
“Cities4Life is more than I expected it to be. They link ministries and organizations together in a way that not only strengthens them individually, but doubles the impact collectively! I am now a raving fan and supporter of Cities4Life and cannot wait to see how God uses this ministry to advance His kingdom!” – Alex Kendrick
We told Alex that he was the honored guest at our dinner, but in reality, the 10 special women we invited, who had been met at local abortion clinics over past months and years, were the REAL honored guests. They came with their saved children. They were publicly recognized and applauded for the courage they displayed amidst difficult circumstances. It was a joy to spend such an amazing evening with these women and their families. Some I hadn’t seen in several years. Uncharacteristically, I’ve narrowed things down to just four highlights from the evening!
1) This is Gabrielle. Dorothy, her mom, and her family are pictured second. Dorothy came with her ex-husband and, by God’s grace, they are currently working towards reconciliation! He holds Gabrielle, who was saved from abortion in 2008. She is now almost 3. Their son, Jean, is also in the group picture. They drove all the way from Columbia, SC to be with us!
2) This is Leatrice and little Josiah. They were saved from abortion back in 2009. He’s now 2. God has done so much in Lea’s life. Her circumstances were very challenging back when we met, but God has seen her through. She now has a great job in her field of accounting. She told me that she can’t imagine her life without him. God has knit their hearts together, just as He knit Josiah in her womb.
3) This is little Henry, who is only 8-months old. He was saved from abortion just last year. Lupita, his mother, became a Christian through prolife ministry efforts. She has written her testimony, which I have attached here if you would like to read it. It is powerful. She married Henry’s father, whose name is also Henry. God has done miraculous and supernatural things for Lupita. I stand in awe. You might remember a few of my updates last summer, when I told you that God provided her, through two generous Truth & Mercy supporters, a FREE HVAC system for her home. Here’s little Henry and another of Lupita with Henry.
4) This last one is of Cinthia and her parents, Blanca and Jose. Cinthia is now 6-years old and in the first grade! I remember the day I met her parents at the Hebron abortion center, back in 2005. They responded beautifully to God’s message of truth and hope. Their hearts melted like wax. I showered them, as I did the all others mentioned above, and have remained in contact over the years. Cinthia is precious to me and considers me her Godmother! What an honor! Here she is, with the beautiful gift basket her mother, and all the honorees, received that night.
Lastly, I want to ask a favor of you. A sweet friend of mine, Anne Dixon, nominated Truth & Mercy to win a ministry contest put on by World magazine. The contest is described in the midst of prolife article. Actually, their whole January 28 issue is dedicated to the prolife effort, as a memorial to the 39th anniversary of Roe v Wade. You can read more about the contest in the magazine on page 72, but here’s an excerpt:
World’s Seventh Annual Effective Compassion contest.
“For months we’ve heard Occupy Wallstreet folks talk about helping the poor. Now we want to show once again the value of ministries that walk a much better talk by offering challenging, personal, and spiritual help to those in need. A generous donor once again values those efforts enough to put up $25,000 as a prize to the local poverty-fighting ministry that our reporters and subscribers find the most impressive in the country. Regional winners will receive $5,000 each. We’re looking for nominees: Ministries need to be explicitly Christian, local rather than national, and dependent on donations rather than government grants.
By March 1, please email June McGraw (jmcgraw@worldmag.com) a note including the organization’s name, address, and web address, with a sentence or two explaining why you think it’s terrific. Pregnancy-related ministries are eligible since they often give single moms a fresh start.”
If you feel this ministry is worthy, would you follow Anne’s example and also nominate Truth & Mercy? It’s really simple. You need only to email June McGraw and write a couple of sentences highlighting our 23 years of prolife work and our fruit. Here’s the pertinent info you need to provide her no later than March 1, 2012:
Truth & Mercy Prolife Ministries
Sheryl Chandler, director
4803 Crownvista Drive
Charlotte, NC 28269
TruthMercyLife@aol.com
www.TruthAndMercyProlife.org
Thank you! $5,000 would go a very long way in this work. I could increase my storage space and thereby make daily operations flow much more smoothly and efficiently! It would be a great deal quicker and easier to sort for showers and organize all the baby equipment and supplies. Here’s an old photo of my storage unit. It’s currently much more crowded, which is a good problem to have — but to view it today would require great courage! It’s not for the faint of heart! Remember, I do 20-30 showers a year…and that requires an enormous quantity of baby supplies! There is barely any floor space right now, which makes it very difficult to maneuver inside of, working, sorting and organizing.
Finally, I want to thank Greg Ross, who is an answer to prayer. He graciously offered to organize and maintain my website. Sarah Bower, a couple of years ago, heroically built a site and gallantly TRIED to instruct me in the day-to-day operations. She really did try, but I’m a hopeless case. Greg has shaped things up and posted the last two years of these updates! Check it out at www.TruthAndMercyProlife.org. Thanks, Greg!
Thanks, too, to Terry Arnold, who made many updates to the Truth & Mercy slideshow! She’s a blessing to me! The new video (via YouTube link) is also on the website.
My upcoming showers are for Trina, U’Leasa, Danielle, Alexia, Shena and Delfina. God is at work!
For His great glory and fame,
Sheryl Chandler