Joy!

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

I am so grateful for the joy of the Lord. I spend time digging in the dirt this week, planting the plants I got at the Amazing Grace Walk. I was so happy getting dirty, even though it was a little chilly and the forecast was not all that great.

Planting makes me optimistic. In theory, you stick something in the ground, and it rewards you with foliage or produce after a time of waiting and waiting . . . I have been blessed to watch the Amazing Grace fund grow; but even more than that, I have been able to watch our team of volunteers and board members grow in their walk with the Lord during their time at MWC. Watching our clients blossom has been pretty exciting, too! Thanks, everyone, for being a Garden of Blessings to MWC!

We had the Amazing Grace Walk last Saturday, and it feels like it was a month ago already! The turnout for the walk was good, and the weather was tremendous. People were coming back from the walk in the woods with actual sweat on their brows! The Sauerkraut String Band did not have to wear gloves this year, and blankets were not needed! So far it appears that over $8,000 was raised for the Amazing Grace Home via the walk. Thank you everyone who participated!

You can still give at www.firstgiving.com/metrowomenscenter if you would like to do so. Nearly $600 was raised through the sale of plants and garden items. Thanks to the Calcamuggio family, Beth Stoll, and Phil Holmquist for your generosity with these items. Pictures of the walk are posted at www.facebook.com/metrowomenscenter on our fan page.

Keep praying

. . . for abortion clinics to close and for post-abortive men and women who are suffering

Let's keep praying for the new Planned Parenthood facility that is being built in St. Paul to be closed, even before it opens in December. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the babies who we have not been able to rescue over the course of this ministry. Those babies have been aborted at clinics such as the one being built in St. Paul. But as Mother's Day and Father's Day approach, I am also reminded of individuals who are facing either of these special days without their children, due to abortion.

Thousands of individuals suffer silently due to a past abortion. Many sit in the pews next to you in churches across our nation. Some post-abortive individuals justify their "choice" and become very involved in supporting the abortion rights of women. Others try to "self-medicate" the guilt away through chemical use, self-harm, or by having lots of babies to "atone" for the child they aborted. Sadly, a number of men and women have chosen to end their lives by suicide due to their overwhelming guilt. For many, when abortion is chosen, it eats away at their peace of mind causing questions such as: Just how I could have done it? What kind of a person am I if I chose to kill my own child? And, what can I do now to escape the reality of my choice? As a post-abortive woman I have wrestled with each of those questions and even for a time became rabidly "pro-choice". I didn't realize that choosing abortion would haunt me for years and that even my best attempts to continue to rationalize and justify my "choice" would be futile.

I pray that those who are suffering due to a past abortion will come to know, as I have, that there is forgiveness and restoration in the Lord. Psalm 86:5 tells us, "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You." Jesus gave His life for us so we might be forgiven. Even if someone had an abortion as a Christian I John 1:9 encourages us that, "If you confess your sin, God is faithful and just to forgive your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness."

My heart aches for those who are suffering. I want them to discover that they don't have to suffer anymore. The Lord's forgiveness is a free gift (Romans 5:18) and is available anyone who asks with a sincere and contrite heart. Ps. 34:18 promises that "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." Our hope is to turn individuals from abortion before the act but we also want to minister to them with hope and help after the choice has been made.