Jan. 18 Is Sanctity of Life Sunday

This guest column is written by Cindi Boston, chief executive officer of the Pregnancy Care Center in Springfield, Missouri, which opened under her leadership 15 years ago. In that span, Boston has become a national voice on the pro-life scene, lobbying state and federal lawmakers, and serving on the Heartbeat International board of directors.

Could life get any worse? Emma was homeless and had no job. By her own standards, her life was a mess. Now, she thought she was pregnant. With all the chaos and turmoil, termination was her only option. She felt completely alone.

A friend referred Emma to Pregnancy Care Center. Everything in her life was at stake because of the circumstances she now faced. Within one hour of walking in the center doors for her appointment, Emma felt renewed hope. She was no longer alone. She could make a choice that wouldn’t leave her emotionally distraught. Emma signed up for and attended ongoing personal coaching with a volunteer, was able to attend a variety of classes that gave her direction and prepared her for parenthood, and was able to realize many of her short-term goals including obtaining permanent housing, finishing her General Educational Development tests, and securing employment.

Recently, Emma told her story to a family that supports the center. She stated she would not have been able to move ahead in life without the initial help and ongoing educational support that she had received. Emma is just one of the 8,000 women who overcame the depth and despair of pregnancy crisis through Pregnancy Care Center during the past 15 years.

Emma’s decision to choose life over death didn’t just happen. Emma’s ability to change the course of her life wasn’t an accident. The lives of Emma and her baby, along with the hundreds of people they will impact, were changed forever by Grandma Lenora. Grandma Lenora heard that a group of people volunteered to open a pregnancy center and she knew she wanted to do her part.

Grandma Lenora, while 83, was determined to get on board with our budding ministry.  She had been a U.S. Army nurse in World War II and later and a missionary in South America. Grandma Lenora had seen the pain and suffering in the eyes of pregnant and desperate women before. She knew Emma needed hope and support. She knew that the battle was not really against abortion, but against the devastation a women feels when she feels trapped by pregnancy and the ripple and heart-wrenching effect terminating a pregnancy can have on the well-being of women. She knew it was a compassionate battle worth fighting.

Grandma Lenora rolled up her sleeves. She was one of the prayer warriors who laid a foundation of intercession for our center. She wrote a monthly check despite her poverty. She put together mailings so people would know about our lifesaving and life-changing work. In Southwest Missouri, 8,000 children are now rolling over, crawling, walking, and running because of people like Grandma Lenora.

Just as 1 Corinthians says, some plant, some water, some reap. By committing to life issues and rolling up your sleeves in a way that fits your life, you can help reap the lives of precious babies in your community.

Cindi Boston