30 Days of Justice: Pregnancy Resource Centers

I am so blessed to work for not one, but two pregnancy resource centers. These centers exist to assist girls who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy. I work for both Lifecare of Brandon and A Woman's Place. Both of these pro-life centers help educate women on the choices they have when confronted with this life-altering decision. Regardless of whether they choose to parent, put their baby up for adoption or even get an abortion, these centers walk alongside the clients and point them towards a loving God. Here's just one story from these centers:

Abortion is one of those concepts that is easy to take a stand against, easy to form an opinion on, and easy to speak out about, but when you are faced with a crisis pregnancy it’s a different story. When you have to face your peers, your parents, your church, your boss…it’s easy to grasp on to the lies that the world throws around about abortion and hold onto them as truth. I know, because that was me. I believed the lie that if I ended it early enough, it wasn’t really a big deal. I believed the lie that it was the only choice – the only thing I could do. I believed the lie that my friends and family would hate me and that I would lose everything if I had a baby. I let fear, guilt, and shame drive my decision – and then I believed the lie that I was unforgiveable and alone. For two years I struggled with my choices, longing to accept God’s forgiveness but not sure how, bawling through every sermon on abortion and hardly able to even say the word. Then God brought me to Surrendering the Secret. This small Bible Study was full of women who had similar stories, and together we began the journey of healing from the heartbreak of abortion. I met women who have held on to this secret for 20 years or more and never told a soul! They just suffer with grief and sorrow, guilt and shame while pasting a smile on their faces and trying to live life. I want to tell you that there is a better way. You can accept God’s forgiveness and begin to heal. You can be released from secrecy and shame and begin to heal. I did, and God has brought me full circle. Now I volunteer and work for Life Impact Network, fighting for the Sanctity of Human Life every day. - Jen P.

Surrendering the Secret is offered at both LifeCare and A Woman's Place, and it encourages women to process and heal from the decision to abort a baby. Other services offered include: Birth of a Family classes, Women of Worth, Childbirth, and TLC [a program to let the moms earn “Mommy Dollars” so they can shop in the Baby Boutique for their baby need's]. Woven Basket, the adoption agency of A Woman's Place, also helps women with the decision of adoption, and walks them through the process. And my job with the prevention department of these centers helps teens realize the importance of healthy life decisions, but more on that tomorrow!

I could write pages and pages about the amazing work these centers are doing in their areas of Hillsborough County. A Woman's Place is strategically located next door to an abortion clinic, and the amazing testimonies that have come through those doors are truly an “only God” moment. And LifeCare is one of the most respected and loving places in all of Brandon, and the women who have made that center possible are walking miracles themselves. If you know someone who is in the midst of a crisis pregnancy, or just unsure of their options, direct them to one of these amazing centers. And together let us celebrate the Sanctity of Life today.