This is my new Undefeated Courage hat! Thank you, Becky, for the unexpected, and most appreciated, gift.
Today I was able to go and join Undefeated Courage for the second time this week. There were three more abortions at Hillcrest Women's Medical Center today. Every abortion is a tragedy, and seeing it multiple times a week can be very draining.
Fortunately I am never alone at Hillcrest. The Undefeated Courage team is always there, and they are full of joy and life. From the moment I arrived, I was surrounded by other pro-life sidewalk advocates who are dedicated to serving in our community. We are dedicated to promoting life.
Life is good. It is worth fighting for.
Today was very rainy, and so we were all sheltered under umbrellas and in the garage while we watched for opportunities to speak to those coming for abortions at Hillcrest.
D*, one of the sidewalk advocates with Undefeated Courage, had the opportunity today to speak with a young man who had dropped his girlfriend off at Hillcrest. D gave the man a lot of information about the dangers of abortion, as well as information about the way abortion targets minority communities.
He took all of the information, and considered it as he listened. Becky came over and gave them man an umbrella to shelter under. "We don't want you to get wet." she said. He laughed, continuing to listen in the rain.
After listening and taking the information seriously, this man decided to go in after his girlfriend and pass the information on to her. They both came out after only two minutes inside!
Praise God that they did not have an abortion today!
We don't know anything about where they're going now. We told them about Morning Star and Life Choices, and we hope that they will go to one of those Pregnancy Resource Centers, or to another PRC in the area.
Many people don't know what PRCs are. (Sometimes called Crisis Pregnancy Centers) If you don't know about Pregnancy Resource Centers, please check out these two websites: Care Net, and Heartbeat International. Look up your closest Pregnancy Resource Center. For me, the Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services office in Lebanon is the closest.
Other people don't know what Undefeated Courage is. We have been described as the "boots on the ground" for pro-life outreach in Harrisburg.
Our focus isn't the ideas about why abortion is wrong. We don't often get to discuss logic and reason with those who are going to have abortions.
It isn't our goal to produce a clear philosophical treatise on abortion. There isn't a lot of philosophical discussion taking place on the sidewalk at Hillcrest.
Those are not our goals. Rather, our goal is to address the immediate emotional and practical needs of women who think they have no other choice but abortion. Not that we expect to solve these problems right away. We don't always have the immediate resources on hand to solve all the problems.
That's why knowing about the PRC is so important. These are the places which can provide for the practical needs of women and men who would otherwise go into Hillcrest or other abortion clinics to have abortions. The volunteers who work at these PRCs are dedicated to meeting these practical needs.
Undefeated Courage has information about a huge number of pregnancy resource clinics in central Pennsylvania and
beyond. Women have come from New Jersey and other distant places to have abortions here. We want to connect them to the closest PRC that is ready to help them.
Sometimes the biggest need of those going in to have an abortion is simply the need for someone to be with them. They want to know someone will be alongside them during their pregnancy. Sometimes all they need to know is that they are not alone.
That's the main mission of Undefeated Courage - to let women know that they are not alone. If you're able to do that, you can come and join us on Wednesdays at Hillcrest, Thursdays at Planned Parenthood, or on a weekend (rotating Fridays and Saturdays) at Hillcrest again.
To join the work of Undefeated Courage, you can simply come at these times and introduce yourself, or you can reach out to us by e-mail at undefeatedcourage@gmail.com. We'll give you all the additional training you need
Each one of us does our part. It takes each of us together to see lives saved from abortion. Some prepare the resources. Some call out to those going inside. Some talk to the men about protecting their children. Some pour their hearts out about the pain of abortion. Others guide women to the PRC. And still others are there to support those who choose life throughout the pregnancy and beyond.
We have seen lives saved thanks to these efforts.
Come and join us as we pursue life.