Some days are worse than others. Saturdays are always a bit of a circus. There are usually 10 to 20 people supporting abortion. They’re loud, they are aggressive, and they do their best to distract and discourage us. They lie about us to the women coming into the Abortion Center.  It is rare to know whether there was a saved baby on a Saturday or not. It is hard not to focus on how awful they are and to avoid commiserating with each other about this daunting enemy and their unfair and unrighteous tactics.

This past Saturday, a Hispanic woman who was dropped off by an Uber driver walked up the driveway. As always, our team called out to her and urged her to come talk with us. They did not know yet that she did not speak a word of English. And as usual, the pro-abortion crowd blocked her from us with umbrellas and began screaming as they always do. They screamed about how we lie, how we are protesters, and how she should just keep walking. “Just go into the clinic and do what you came here to do.” There was a horde of them, as there usually is on Saturdays.

To our surprise, the Hispanic woman turned around and walked straight toward one of our counselors. He handed her an English piece of literature and tried to speak to her, but she was still surrounded by the pro-abortion crowd. I was walking up the sidewalk at that moment and saw her. It was quite obvious she did not understand what was being said and so I pulled out our Spanish literature and asked in Spanish if she spoke English. She immediately said no. I handed her the Spanish literature and told her that I spoke Spanish, although not very well. She eagerly walked up to me. I asked in Spanish if her baby was still alive, and she nodded. Then I asked her again, “You did not have the abortion?”

 She shook her head no. I told her that no matter what she faced, we could help her. At this point, a new ministry that drives what they call a “blessing bus” was leaving the area. They had parked around the corner.

The blessing bus is filled with items for maternity and newborn babies and young children. Everything they offer is free. I started jumping up and down, waving my arms as they passed us, hoping they would see me and stop. They did see me counseling a woman. And while they did not see me urging them to stop the driver, Rob, told his wife, Leanne, “Vicky is counseling someone. Let’s stop and see if she wants to go on the bus. “

When they stopped,  I joyfully told the woman that that bus was filled with free items she could take.  I would find someone who could speak to her well in her language to explain all the help we had. We came on the bus, and she began picking out items for her unborn child. I asked her if she had other children at home, and she told me she had a two year old and a five year old. I told her to pick out toys and clothes for those children as well, although the bus only had clothes for ages newborn to two years.

With my broken Spanish, I was able to find out that she was all alone and overwhelmed. Her husband had been deported to Mexico, and she just didn’t know what to do. At that moment, another one of our counselors had gotten a Spanish translator on the phone. Patrick is the director of a ministry that caters specifically to Hispanic immigrants. Their ministry is just around the corner from the abortion center. He talked to her on speakerphone and then said he could be right there in 2 minutes and he would help her with everything she needed, as well as return her to the bus station.

Patrick arrived 2 minutes later and told her that they would help her with every single issue she faced. He even has a deportation lawyer that would help her with the issue with her husband in Mexico. She told us clearly that her baby was still alive and she would not abort. She went with Patrick to sit in his air-conditioned ministry office. She hugged me and thanked me before leaving.

Later, Patrick called me to tell me the end of the story. It turns out that she was living in a distant city with another pregnant woman who was also in a very vulnerable situation. Patrick amazingly has an office in that city as well, and he had already contacted them.  They were going to help both women.

He said she had not eaten that day at all. The first thing he did was feed her. Then, they gathered money and supplies for her bus trip back to her home city. Everything has already been set for the people in her home city to meet with her and her friend.

I asked him if he knew what had changed her mind about abortion. He told me,  “Yes, she did not understand what anyone was saying since she speaks no English. When she arrived, she saw one group screaming and blocking and being nasty to the other group. She saw the faces and the words and the kindness of the group that they were trying to block. She knew right then that, first of all, she was terrified of the group ushering her into the clinic. Their screaming frightened her, and she didn’t understand what they were saying. But she knew that the other group was a place of refuge.”  He told me that is the point she came right up to me, and when I spoke Spanish offering help, she knew that God had sent her to us and was reminding her that she should not kill her child.

“Their screaming is helping you,” Patrick said, ”Do not stop their screaming. “

I realized that there was a very, very important lesson in this miracle. First, do not think adversity is a bad thing. Adversity often means that God is working a great miracle. If we persevere, we may be blessed enough to receive and to see it. 

Secondly, do not focus on the adversity. Focus in faith and with single minded devotion on the goodness of God. Trust that he is good. Know that he is good. Remind your teammates in the midst of the adversity that he is good. Keep your eyes on him, not on the evil around you, because God is good all the time.

Thirdly, do not think you are all alone in this battle. Rely on and trust your teammates and the church to intercede. God has reserved a remnant who will not bow their knees to the enemy of our souls. 

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

James1:2–4NKJV