Healing After Abortion

• Post-Abortive Symptoms
• Reconciliation Weekends
• Butterfly Analogy
• Director's Bio
• Lori's Testimony
• Your Story
• Statistics
• Speaker Resource
• Helping the Post-Abortive
• Aftercare Bible Study
• Partnering in Ministry
• Networking
• Classes
• Calendar of Events
• Opportunities for Service
• Banquet - 2011

Director's Biography

In the late 90's, my husband and I were youth leaders at our church and had a passion for young people. It was at this time that I had such a strong desire to help these young people see into God's heart about purity and began a young women's Bible study using books like Passion & Purity by Elizabeth Elliott, I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris.

When our youth pastor learned of my husband and my story of premarital sex/abortion, he asked us to give our testimony one evening to about fifty kids. Soon afterwards in that small Bible Study, a young woman shared her own experience of abortion. Her family had learned of the abortion later but at the time only her boyfriend and sister were aware of her decision. She was on the youth worship team, her parents on the adult worship team and so afraid to disappoint everyone. I was on an intercessory prayer team also at the time and told my group what I had said at the youth meeting. I was apprehensive, it was one thing to share with kids and quite another to share with my peers. But the tension subsided when one of the gals shared that she too was post-abortive and no one knew. About a month later, in the van ride home from children's camp, one of our youth counselors told me that she too was post-abortive. From this point on, it seemed the Lord may somehow use me in this area of helping women.

During the end of 2000 through early 2002, I was pressing into God out of desperation; I knew there had to be more. I had read in the Word about abundant life in the second part of John 10:10 but only saw the first part taking place in my life. I was encountering many personal obstacles-my marriage was very rocky even though we both had a hunger for the things of the Lord. My oldest son left to go out of state to college his first year and we were very close. We made the decision to move from home schooling my youngest son to enter public school in 7th grade. I was forced to draw near to the Lord in the middle of my emotional mess! But I now see it was just not God's timing because I needed to go through some refining myself. He was grooming me for what was ahead.

I continued my intercessory prayer group and in June of 2002, the Lord gave me a word that set things in motion! It was in the book of Joel chapter 2 verse 25 "I will restore the years the locusts have eaten." The Lord began the restoration process which I thought had more to do with my marriage and family but later realizing that He wanted to heal the wound of our abortion experience from where the destruction began. For the next six months, he began a mighty work in my life through the prayer and the Word of God. In January 2003, I began my first three day water fast. I felt so strongly that the Lord was leading me to give my testimony to a bigger audience at the upcoming church service on Sanctity of Human Life (SOHL) Sunday. I called my Pastor immediately and told him what the Lord was leading me to do and he said "yes, let's do it." He was very supportive and encouraging.

On Thursday, I began gathering my thoughts and began searching information on SOHL/post-abortion on the internet (this knowledge came from my employment at a Christian radio station a few years prior). This led me to attend a Silent No More (SNM) gathering held at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City the Saturday prior to giving my church testimony. The gathering invited post-abortive women to come together to share their testimonies and use their voices to help others realize that they are not alone. (This opportunity led to a Missouri legislative liaison asking me to speak in behalf of a bill called the "24 Hour Waiting" before one could obtain an abortion to be heard in the House of Representatives the following week; which led to giving my testimony to a Senate Committee hearing two weeks later, as well as, the Veto Over-ride Rally six months later)

Well, the day after the SNM gathering, I gave my testimony at my church of about 800 people. The week following, over ten women contacted me about their own post-abortive experience, with the general tone of "thank you for coming forward to share your story and using your voice for us!" Many of these women we have ministered to through If Not for GRACE, others still find it difficult to make that choice to heal.

In March 2003, I attended the volunteer training course at a local Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC) where I learned so much about abortion in general. In May of 2003, my husband and I attended our own healing weekend where we worked through reconciling with God, ourselves, others involved in the abortion decision, and with our child lost in the abortion. In February 2004, I began volunteering at this CPC and a few months later came on staff as the Client Services Director there. I held that position for over three years. God has allowed me so many opportunities that have equipped me for the calling He has placed on my life as well as individuals that come alongside me to fulfill the vision. I thank God for my loving husband who works so hard behind the scenes to support me, my children, my Team Leaders and Board of INFG!