Abby Rock City Director Roanoke Virginia
Abby is the brand new City Director for Roanoke, just getting started and learning with the help of Jena Woomer, who is leaving the role with the upcoming birth of her first baby. Love Life is greatly indebted to Jena for her amazing work in Roanoke, and looking forward to Abby’s leadership. Abby introduces herself in this article, with input from Jena about Love Life in Roanoke.
Tell me your story of how you came to the Lord and to care so deeply about the issue of abortion:
I was born and raised in a Christian family and accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior at age 5. I do not have a drastic and exciting story/testimony of God saving me out of some horrible sin/sin pattern, and for that, I am so very thankful. However, as many believers do, I wandered away from God in my teen years and allowed sin and temptation to creep into my life.
At age 16, I found myself pregnant. I was scared, ashamed, and embarrassed. I couldn’t imagine how anyone would forgive me and still love me. How was I going to provide for a baby (I was still a baby myself). As I sorted through all the emotions, I hate to admit it, but abortion was one of the possible solutions that ran through my mind. Luckily, because of my Christian values and upbringing, I could not go through with abortion. I knew this was a precious life that God had created.
Fortunately for me, I had a supportive family and loving church family that rallied around me and provided me with love, support, and encouragement. I was able to find forgiveness and hope in Jesus. I know it is because of my family and church that stood with me that I choose LIFE for my son. He is 23 years old now, and I am so proud to be his mom!
What has God done in your life to prepare you for this work?
Following my teen pregnancy and being able to witness/experience firsthand the difference a loving and caring church can make in that type of situation, I have always had a desire to use my story/testimony to help other girls. I have prayed for years for God to allow me to use my experience to offer hope to another girl/family.
In 2021, I was introduced to Love Life and instantly knew that I had to get involved. I attended 2 prayer walks and was so overwhelmed with how God was working through the church to offer hope to women, men, and families during their darkest moment. I felt God was calling me to get involved more, and I signed up to be a mentor.
In 2022, I was paired with a mom that had just chosen life for her baby. There have been some difficult days while walking through life with this mom, but I can truly say it has changed my life. She has become a dear friend. On December 1, 2022, she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl. What a blessing from God.
What made you decide finally to become a sidewalk outreach/city director?
God has been working in my heart for many years to be involved in missions. I have been on several mission trips and really felt God may be directing me towards a life of full-time mission work. In February 2022, God really started working in my husband’s heart, too, and we began to actively seek God’s direction and will for our lives, whatever that may look like. In mid November 2022, we learned that there was a need for a city director in Roanoke.
I wasn’t sure if it would be a great fit for us, but after much prayer and consideration, God made it completely known that this was the path He had for us. What an incredible opportunity to serve Jesus in the darkest area of our very own city.
What are your hopes, goals, and dreams for this ministry?
For many babies to be saved from abortion and that these families will be pointed to the hope we have in Jesus Christ through the Love Life Ministry is our hope and prayer!
Other Goals:
-To grow the number of supporting churches. We are currently at 13 with a goal of 40
-To get more people connected and plugged in with the ongoing ministries of Love Life Roanoke
-Secure a Catalyst for Love Life Roanoke
Highlights and struggles you have already faced:
Right now, I am facing the struggle with fear and anxiety of being able to walk in and follow in the incredible footsteps of Jena. With God, she has been able to accomplish so much here in Roanoke, but the tasks that lie ahead seem huge and impossible. I am battling the fear of failure, lack of boldness and courage, lack of knowledge, and ability to do all the things that need to be done. But I know that we serve the God of the impossible, and in His Word, He promises that “with God, all things are possible.”
Personally, as a mentor, I have experienced several highlights and struggles. The main highlight was getting to hold my mentee’s baby girl- the baby they were planning to abort but instead chose life. Getting to see and hear the mom and dad thank Love Life for standing with them and helping save their baby’s life is a moment I will never forget. I am not sure anything can top that highlight for me. There have been some pretty large struggles during the mentorship including language barriers, cultural differences, and differing religious beliefs. It has been a difficult journey, but I know God is working, and I count it a privilege to be His servant despite the difficulties.
Highlight of the current climate and how we can pray:
This answer was shared by Jena Woomer “The ground in Roanoke is hard ground to till, but we have noticed that the culture truly does shift when the Church is present at abortion centers. During 2022, there were families that chose life almost every single week that was adopted by a church. The abortion center was also closed several times when God’s people showed up to the prayer walks on Saturdays. Our biggest prayer request is for more churches to become involved with the ministry of Love Life Roanoke and as a result we believe there will be an increase in the amount of lives saved from abortion.”
