“Speak kindly . . . Tell her,
Your warfare has ended
Your iniquity has been removed
You will receive double for all your sins.”
—Isaiah 40:2
Last week, we veered off our family members' salvations to share about my boss and his wife and how God loves to use the foolish, like me, when our hearts are open. Today, I have further proof that He wants to use us in as many outrageous ways as possible—when we are tuned into Him and willing to follow His leading.
Again, as in last week’s story, our family was living in Florida with only three boys: Easton was just a baby. Soon after moving to the area, I was sure I was pregnant again, but it was only a creative plan God used to get me to begin working in Pro-Life again. I’d stopped volunteering for almost a year after moving to Florida from California. So, since I believed myself to be pregnant again, I searched the Yellow Pages for an ad that I could tell was a Pro-Life clinic offering free pregnancy tests. This was long before a woman could simply buy a kit at the store, which meant women would have to go to their doctor to find out if she was pregnant. Seeing a doctor was not only expensive, and receiving the results took longer, often a week or more, but if a woman didn't want anyone to know she was pregnant, it was the last place she'd want to go.
As soon as I walked in the door of the Pro-Life clinic, immediately every single one of my symptoms disappeared! Instantly, I knew God was up to something, but it was only after it was confirmed that I wasn’t pregnant and the two counselors began explaining about the life growing inside of me and the value of the baby that I stopped them long enough to clarify I’d been a Pro-Life counselor for many years. That’s when her eyes lit up, and she told me they desperately needed volunteers, and interestingly, that very evening, there was a meeting for new volunteers. Yes, He’d set me up, and that’s when I knew my time off was over, and it was time to get back to doing what I had a passion for: being a survivor of a doctor-scheduled abortion to save the life of my mother.
At the volunteer meeting, I became a Pro-Life Speaker, overcoming my huge fear of public speaking. A few months later, on a Thursday morning, on Thanksgiving, when everyone else was busy getting their pies and turkeys ready, I sensed an urgency to go to the clinic even though it was closed. So I told my husband I’d be back and drove over, unlocking the doors and locking them behind me.
A few minutes later, I heard a knocking on the door, and my heart beat wildly. Many Pro-Life clinics were situated in areas most of us would never drive into—this was one of the worst and most dangerous in Hollywood, Florida, so we were warned never to open the door when we were alone. Knowing there were rules, I knew He'd led me to come in on Thanksgiving for a reason, so I asked the Lord what to do. As I slowly opened the door and peeked out, there stood a very pregnant young woman who was dirty, with loads of old makeup and very little clothing. Instantly, I knew why I’d come, and I welcomed her in— feeling both relief and excitement.
Frankie began telling me why she was there. She wanted to schedule an abortion, so I said to get started, I needed to get some information (which is the way we were trained to get them to begin talking about why they felt abortion was their only option). Nothing can ever prepare you to hear the life some women are living through. Frankie’s boyfriend was just sentenced to several years in prison, so by the end of the month, she’d have nowhere to live. The tracks on her arms also showed where her money went from dancing in a gentlemen’s club just across the street—yes, very pregnant and still dancing with nothing on (*tear).
After letting her talk, once I knew she’d shared everything, I leaned over the desk, took her hand, and asked what she was doing that Sunday; did she have any plans? More than a bit stunned, she said, "Nothing," so I asked if she’d like to go to church with me and meet my family—telling her excitedly how I’d love her to hold my baby and get to know my husband and two boys.
Puzzled, she said, “You’d want me to meet your family?!”
“Of course, you’d love them, and they’d love you. Please say you’ll come?”
Though Frankie said she would, when we pulled in, I thought it had to be one of the craziest ideas I'd ever concocted. We weren’t actually at our church; the church in Hollywood sponsored the Pro-Life clinic and was close by, so when it popped into my head, I simply invited her. Then, suddenly, I looked up and saw her walking towards us, dressed more than a bit scantily (little or insufficient), which made me smile since it was a Baptist church, so I knew it would raise more than a few eyebrows.
As she walked towards me, I stretched my arms forward with my adorable blonde baby boy kicking his feet, smiling, for her to hold. At that moment, I could see that everything in her demeanor had changed. Before that, she was hard, cold, and unfeeling. Then, instantly, as my adorable baby smiled and grabbed for her, all of that facade broke away (Easton’s always had that effect on people, even way back then and now as an adult 🙂
While my husband took our two older boys to their Sunday school classes, I asked Frankie to come with me to put the baby in the nursery, and while I was there, I pointed to the newborn room where I said, “That’s the room where you could bring your baby; we can stop by later so you can meet the ladies—they’re all grandmothers and just love to rock the babies through the service so you can have some time to yourself.”
When we walked into the church building, I spotted the clinic’s founder, Barbara, walking towards us with her hand stretched to take hold of Frankie's. From the moment I met Barbara, I was in awe of her. God used her as a fantastic, wiser, older woman when she trained me to be a frightened Pro-Life Speaker, which prepared me for this ministry and being a motivational speaker to encourage women.
Long before I saw her, Barbara saw us and was sweeping herself our way with outstretched arms and a huge smile on her face. Heading straight towards Frankie (not me), she wrapped her arm around her shoulder while turning and, in her very gentle and quiet voice, began to escort her to sit with “us.” Of course, she didn’t know one thing about Frankie, nor had we ever come to her church, but just as God had planned for weeks before we knew Frankie, Barbara flowed in His love.
Frankie sat between Barbara and me, so I was able to watch and learn how beautifully this older woman knew when to say nothing, then when to wrap an arm around Frankie, and when to simply hold her hand. Barbara also knew exactly how and what to say when the preacher called for people to come down to accept Him as their Savior. Turning to Frankie, she whispered, “Would you like me to come down with you?” as she simply stood up, still holding Frankie’s hand. Once at the altar, Barbara left the altar worker to do her part in HIS salvation plans.
At the end of the service, instead of getting up and leaving, we were asked to sit down. Then the curtains behind the pulpit opened, revealing the baptismal—and there stood Frankie, all in white, being baptized! When the curtains shut everyone else stood to leave, but Barbara and her husband didn’t stand, so neither did we. They also didn’t speak, so neither did we, when a few minutes later, there was Frankie was walking towards us, hair wet, wearing a borrowed sweater (that covered what had been exposed, but I realized no one had been staring at or raising an eyebrow over!).
That’s when I remembered that just before leaving for church, we discovered we had no cash to take Frankie out to lunch (and taking her home was too far away). This was before people used credit cards for meals, and I’m not sure debit cards existed, which meant we needed cash and didn't have enough to take her to lunch. Yet, this next event in the Lord’s salvation story simply happened as seamlessly as all the rest. As soon as we stood to greet her, Barbara told Frankie that as a new member of their Baptist church, she could invite us to join her for the Sunday luncheon held the last Sunday of the month for members.
While eating in the church basement, dozens of members came by to hug Frankie, welcomed her to their family, and invited her to all sorts of programs she might enjoy coming to with them that coming week. Before Barbara left, she told Frankie she’d meet her early the following day at the clinic to help her choose maternity clothes and a baby layette (the crib, clothing, diapers, etc.) she’d need. Then afterward, they’d have lunch with their pastor to discuss options for a new job and training if she’d be interested.
That day, Frankie began calling herself Frances, and two months later, Frances gave birth to a beautiful baby boy who was not addicted to heroin! The moment she came up out of the water, Frances said she immediately knew she was free from her drug addiction (*sob).
Over the years, Frances and I kept in touch. Watching her new life kept me in awe (and still does) each and every time I'm blessed to witness what God did to help this young woman become someone brand new.
This isn’t the first or last time the Lord led me somewhere to meet someone special for Him. In the next chapter, I will share with you an incident that got me into a lot of trouble, and yet, everyone knew He’d chosen someone not only foolish but weak to help a homeless man find life in Him!
“For God has chosen the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and He has chosen the weak of the world to shame the mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27).
"Took My Husband to a Brothel!"
Upon my arrival in this country, my husband wanted to take me to work with him, so I had the opportunity to share with the people who work with him, especially with two women, his secretary and the person in charge of the production area, who are in the office permanently with me, while I do my job. The production manager has had different crises in which she tries to attract attention by threatening suicide due to a bad relationship that she has or had with my husband's boss.
One day she and my husband had to go to a meeting, so they were absent part of the morning, later when they returned they were at the reception, my husband, she, the secretary, a relative who is living with us and two production employees, I stopped by the reception and sat there for a while to rest a little then when she saw me come in she said aloud to me "You know where I took your husband today ... To a brothel!" to which I was silent, and I think I was expressionless until I smiled at her, said absolutely nothing, and looked down to find the Bible on my cell phone! Everyone looked at me and looked at each other, silence flooded the place and then someone changed the subject.
Meanwhile I did not change my attitude with my husband, I did not say anything, and for the rest of the afternoon (and the days) I continued with kindness and peace, because I understood that it was an attack from the enemy, so I just kept silent trusting in the protection of my Beloved. Something I noticed was that I did not feel anything against this woman, I just did not blame her and the next day I was also kind to her and her children who usually takes them to the office to study from there (due to the pandemic). Then I learned that the meeting had to be there because of the space, which they do not have elsewhere here.
Then something unexpected happened, days later she told me that she wanted to talk to me because she wanted to ask me a question, I hardly remember our conversation anymore, but she said that she saw in me so much patience and so much calm (which I think is the soft and peaceful spirit) that she wanted that for her, she said she felt bad about the way she is and how she behaves and that she doesn't want to live depressed anymore, but she wants to change. She said, how do you do to be like this? Wow! So that was that test !!
And I told him, only God ... He did it, like a vessel that fell apart in His hands, He made me again, I went through a moment in my life in which I wanted to take my life, in which I was bitter and depended of a man's love, but those days passed because He changed me and made me new, He changes any heart of stone, You are not a hopeless case, He loves you and is there with you to change you and to help you. Tears came from her eyes ... And she said that not even with her children could she transmit that love. I was able to tell him that it was not about going to church every Sunday, that I did it, before and that had not changed me, but that it was having an intimate relationship with God, that I only needed Him. I know we talked a lot more and She was very receptive, we even prayed together and decided to study the book “A Wise Woman” together.
I remembered that before traveling my Heavenly Husband told me: “Not knowing God is like living in the dark, and before you lived like that, because you didn't know him. But now they know it, and have come to light; then live accordingly to those who know God ”(Ephesians 5: 8) and then I understood that He is answering my prayer when I asked that women could see Him in me, not by my speaking, but by who He is and has done in me.
What a great blessing to bring Him everywhere, that is the perfume that I want to wear every day, the perfume of His love, so that women are drawn to the Lover of their souls, the man who will heal their hearts and transform their lives in life you always dreamed of having, even though you didn't know it!
“Not knowing God is like living in darkness, and before you lived like that, because you didn't know him. But now they know it, and have come to light; then live accordingly to those who know God ”(Ephesians 5: 8)
"Everyone can clearly see the good that Christ has done in your life. For people to speak well of us, they only have to look at you. Because you are like a letter that speaks for us. Christ himself wrote it in our hearts, so that we may present it. He did not write it in stone, or in ink, but he wrote it with the Spirit of the living God. And that letter is visible to all who want to read it. " (2 Corinthians 3: 2)
~ Anastasia in Colombia who is part of our Spanish Ministry Team