Abundant Life Sunday Service

There's joy in the house of the Lord today, and I hope you feel that coming into this place today. But if you come in today weary or exhausted, maybe off a crazy week, my encouragement to you just as we worship this morning is would you just look back and see what the Lord has done in your life? Look back and remember the good things that the Lord has done as you look back over weeks and months and years of your life. What has he done? What has he restored? What healing has he brought? What relationships has he brought back to life? The Lord has done great things, and if you would stop and just look for a moment, look back to see, ask the Lord to help you remember. A lot of joy stirs up from that place. So we wrote this song. That's all about that. It's this call to look at what the Lord has done, and we taught it at Revive Week, and we're going to teach it to you again this morning, and as you learn it, would you sing it? And would you make it personal? Would you make it real to you? Remember and bring to mind those things he's done, and let's praise from that place this morning. It's just like this, my God has done always, completely good, always. My God has done more than enough, he's so faithful, and my God has done always, completely good, always, my God has done more than enough, and I'm so grateful. Look how the Lord has done, and we look at what he's done, and we remember. Look how the Lord has done, and we made a way with him, and he's the reason I'm so grateful. I'm standing in a miracle, they said it wasn't possible, but look what the Lord has done,

my God, my God has done more than enough, he's so faithful, and my God has done always, completely good, always, my God has done more than enough, and I'm so grateful. My God has done more than enough, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so grateful, and I'm so ♪ And you left to save and make you ♪ ♪ All I wanna do is raise you ♪ ♪ For every breath and every breath ♪ ♪ We say, my God is good ♪ ♪ Always, completely good ♪ ♪ Always, but God has done ♪ ♪ More than enough, he's so faithful ♪ ♪ He's completely good ♪ ♪ My God has done more than enough ♪ ♪ And I'm so grateful, yeah ♪ ♪ My God is good ♪ ♪ He's completely good ♪ ♪ My God has done more than enough ♪ ♪ And he's so ♪ ♪ He's so great ♪ ♪ My God has done more than enough ♪ ♪ And he's always completely good ♪ ♪ Always ♪ ♪ My God has done more than enough ♪ ♪ And I'm so grateful ♪ ♪ Look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪

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♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ You look how the Lord has done ♪ ♪ If you walk in freedom, if you walk in freedom ♪ ♪ If you bear his name, sing a song forever ♪ ♪ Do that we sing this deeds ♪ ♪ We'll sing a song forever and amen ♪ ♪ And the angels cry ♪ ♪ Holy ♪ For creation cries, holy You are lifted high as your heart, holy, holy forever. You're pretty close, sing, holy, holy, holy. Holy, You will always be, holy, holy forever. Your hands are highest, Lord Jesus, Your name is the highest, Your name is the greatest, Your name. It stands above them all, all through us, and the minions all bound. Empositions, Your name stands above them all, Your name is the highest, Your name is the greatest, Your name. All the rules and the minions all power It positions your aim It stands above them all and the angels cry Holy, our creation cries Holy, you are left in high And your people say, you're free

Holy, into the King of King Holy, holy, holy, You will always be Holy, holy forever You will always be Holy, holy forever You will always be Holy, holy forever You will always be And we serve a holy God, amen And we can sing and celebrate and worship Because he's worthy, he's holy, he's sovereign He's the King, we're coming to this place to give and praise this morning Hey, we're grateful that you're saying Lift it up, Jesus, worship the Savior this morning with us Why don't you take about 60 seconds, shake somebody's hand, find somebody Maybe you don't know and greet them and welcome to church this morning God, we just recognize that what we are doing It literally is life and death and things that are so near and dear to your heart Seventeen years ago, I gave my life to Christ And I didn't think Christ would want anything to do with me Because I had abortions I was in a rape situation and ended up getting pregnant from it I believed in God, but I didn't believe that he cared for me And I didn't know who he was I think we have to remember the grace that's extended to us in Jesus Christ And that we want to be open, vulnerable and receive people who are really struggling I didn't want to look at this being and just have full resentment thinking of its father I am the statistic that you read about One in three women have had abortions and have many abortions I've had three

It is a very nervous and scary time Because you're like, how am I going to take care of a baby? I began to weep and sob and weep and sob And in that moment the Lord just really ministered to my heart I say yes to life because all life is valuable and precious to God There was a chance that one of our daughters was not going to survive The child that had the smaller room was not According to the doctor going to make it I genuinely felt from the bottom of my heart that I was doing the sacrificial thing The right thing You know, walking in darkness I continuously just tried to find the easiest way out Of all of my inconveniences And I think that's how Satan really tempts us Abortion was a very simple solution for that doctor And in fact the doctor never used the word abortion He said that we had come into this looking for one healthy child Even though he's a professional and even though he is speaking a version of the truth You have to hold that against God's truth I say yes to life because it is a beautiful expression of God It is an honor and a privilege to carry life As the vacuum approached the fetus the fetus started kicking I mean the baby started kicking and started like the terror It was trying to get away from it and it was that moment that she was like just transformed My story is filled with a lot of pain But a lot of purpose through that pain Redemption and being a voice for the unborn There's never been a human life that God did not see, know, and value You see I was born to teenage parents But I'm so grateful and so thankful that my parents believed That life begins at conceptions that they understood what God says in his word

I'm honored that I get to be on staff one day a week at Resource Health that I get to see these boys. killing a child in her womb. And now I know because of that bloody cross, I can stand up and speak out for the life of children who have yet to be born. Christians believe that the Bible teaches that long before a couple even knows they are pregnant, God knows the life that is in that womb. We are precious to God, we are valuable to God. Every single life is worthy of living. That's why we believe that life is sacred. We want to be salt and light in a world that just left to itself will decay in a road. As followers of Christ, we're called to stand for those who can't stand for themselves. There are words that require courage and boldness to give justice, to maintain the right of the afflicted in the destitute, to rescue the weak and the needy, and to deliver them from the hand of the wicked. We're not talking about a political issue, it is first and foremost a moral issue. The most basic right to every human being is the right to life. We will protect the unborn. We will protect children. We will stand with mothers. We will encourage fathers. We will fight for our children. We will guard the next generation because every life is sacred, because every life is known by God, because every life is created in the image of God, because God's design is perfect. Church say yes to life, Missouri say yes to life. I say yes to life because God is the author of life. I say yes because I believe in the dignity of life in the womb and the dignity of the mother carrying that life. I say yes to life because the unborn are known by God before they're known by anyone else.

I say yes to life because God loves the life of these unborn children and He has a plan and a purpose for their life. I say yes to life because 40 years ago my parents said yes to life for me. I say yes to life because every life matters to God because God gives every life value. I say yes to life because God's design is worth honoring and the next generation is worth protecting. As a Missouri pastor I'm voting yes on Amendment 3. I encourage you to do the same because it protects children, protects specifically adolescents going through gender dysphoria from having "gender affirming care performed on them" at a time in their life where they're far too young to make these lifelong decisions. Would you protect the youth and the youngest among us by voting yes on 3? Jesus, I plead your blood over my sin and the sins of my nation. God in abortion and sin revival to America. Church family would as near to the heart of God ought to be near to our hearts. What breaks the heart of God ought to break our hearts and I'm telling you something that breaks the heart of God, one of the great sins of our generation is abortion and this November Missouri voters will vote on whether or not to protect life in the womb. It's Amendment 3 and as your pastor biblically listen, this is not a political issue, it's not about left or right, it's about up and down, it's a moral issue, it's a biblical issue, it's first and foremost a kingdom issue and the Bible is very very clear, the scripture and science that life begins a conception that a human being is fully human in the womb of their mother and so we want to be a church whose heart breaks for what breaks God's heart that has a heart for the things that matter to God's heart, this matters deeply to God's heart. We've asked a dear friend of Abundant Life to come share her story today, her name is Melissa Ode and she is an abortion survivor and as you can imagine she has a unique story to share with us, she has a very personal story to share with us with a very unique perspective on this issue and they're going to be partnering today with a long time missions partner resource health right here in our city that's been so instrumental in ministering to so many mothers in a crisis pregnancy and not just mothers but fathers, there's no telling how many children

have been saved from abortion through this partner resource health and I'm so grateful they're here today that we want to partner with them but before we do, I want you to hear from Melissa Ode and she's got a very important story to share, give it up right now for her. Well, good morning everybody, it is such an honor to be here with you today, you know, I know that there are many ways you could start yourself. and I know everyone at Abundant Life that you are starting your day here. And I know that when you hear there's going to be a guest speaker that Pastor Phil is not here, your heart is probably already dropping, right? Thinking, "Oh, man, well." And then you find out that the speaker has a testimony about abortion and you're thinking, "Really, oh, man." But here's the beauty in this. God is present with us here today, and I can tell you that my life as difficult as it is for sometimes people to hear my testimony, I can guarantee you you are going to leave here this morning transformed. Because even though my story has been touched by abortion, what I hope you leave here today is recognizing how God has redeemed and restored so many broken pieces and people. And I want to start with a question for you this morning, and you don't have to raise your hand unless you feel really, really led to do so, but just ponder the question that I pose to you. How many of you in this room,

or maybe joining us online or from another campus, how many of you, even though you recognize God is the author of life, how many of you sometimes want to rewrite a chapter, right, sometimes want to steal the pen, right? You're wanting to erase going. Hey, Lord, thanks for that one chapter. I got this next one. Can we erase that certain page, right? Can I take away this storyline? Lord, can I rewrite my story? And I share that with you because I think that's something we can all relate to. Even when God is the author of life, we live our lives in such a way that we're thinking, Lord, I don't want anybody to know about that one part of my life story. But what if God calls on each and every one of us to live so boldly that we share the life that he has written with the world? Can you guys queue up that first photo for me? My life story makes a lot of people uncomfortable. And you're gonna hear about that this morning, but when you recognize my life story, and this is true for all of us, our life stories begin with other people's life stories. To know my life story is to know the story of my biological parents. That's Elliot and Ruth. Elliot was about 21 years of age in that photo.

Ruth was about 19. And I want you to remember this photo as I share my testimony with you this morning. I have no doubt that parts of the chapters of their lives, they were hoping the world would never know. There were chapters in their lives that they never plan to live. And in many ways that other people wrote for them. And maybe we can all relate to that as well, right? You're living out a chapter of your life, and things happen and you're thinking, I wasn't writing this chapter, and I can't even see God in the midst of it. I have no doubt that Elliot and Ruth were thinking those things back in 1977. I now know that my biological parents dated all throughout high school into college. They were engaged to be married, right? They had chapters, they planned to live together. Except one of the pages in those chapters was one that they didn't plan, an unplanned pregnancy. I have no doubt that they were one another's great love. But when that unplanned pregnancy happened, somebody else took the pen away from God and started to write a different story. The story was an abortion. I now know Ruth continued that pregnancy almost the entire time not knowing she was pregnant with me. I suspect there was a lot of denial, a lot of fear. Her greatest fear came from knowing

what was going to happen when her family found out she was pregnant and unmarried. You would have found my grandparents sitting next to you at church any given Sunday. You would have found my grandfather walking the halls of the school as a superintendent. You would have found my grandmother roaming the halls of the hospital as a supervisor of nurses, as the dean of a nursing college. But you never could have imagined that the story they were writing behind the scenes was the one that was going to change. cast judgment but because I want what God wants which is to reach into our hearts and our minds to heal us. Most of us have been touched by abortion in some way shape or form and I know you can be sitting in your seat thinking Lord I don't want anybody to know my chapter. God wants you to be healed and so I want to take you back to what happened in my biological parents lives. Ruth carried me throughout that pregnancy having no idea she was pregnant. My grandmother as an OBGYN nurse started to figure it out. Confronted her that August of 1977 when she was finally starting to show signs of pregnancy. Imagine how scared Ruth must have been. The one thing she was told she should never be experiencing was happening. I know that almost immediately my birth parents were sat down and my grandmother screamed so loudly at them that the windows shook. The story was being rewritten. My grandmother let them know there was no other choice than abortion and that she was going to take care of it. Imagine being my birth parents madly in love facing an unplanned pregnancy being scared but being provided no other choice and my grandmother made good on her promise within days. Ruth was forced into St. Luke's Hospital in Sioux City Iowa and a saline infusion for an abortion was begun that was intended to take my life. Y'all we live in a world that talks about abortion as this abstract thing and

even though within the church within your church so thankfully Pastor Phil talks about it. The reality is we have lived under the narrative of abortion for so long that so many people don't even understand what abortion is and what it does and so I kind of have to preface it by saying I apologize. I need to tell you what that abortion involved. That abortion that was forced upon Ruth involved injecting a toxic salt solution into the amniotic fluid surrounding me in the womb. The intent of that toxic salt solution was to poison and scald me to death. That type of procedure is not performed routinely anymore not because it was so horrific it was but they stopped performing it because too many babies survived the abortion. You can read about it online our website for the abortion survivors network where we have tons of stories and tons of research is abortion survivors.org and you can read about how every type of abortion procedure fails at every gestation. Yes even in today's world thousands of babies survive abortions a year in the United States and you would never know it by looking at our culture. God has given me this is this experience to highlight to the world what abortion really is and what it does. But put yourself in the shoes of Ruth that toxic salt solution was delivered into the amniotic fluid. I was intended to be scalded to death. Usually that procedure lasted about 72 hours. The child's life was ended by that solution and then they induced labor with the intent of that child then being expelled from the womb in the final step of the abortion procedure. That is what most people think of even in today's world when they hear about abortions failing or a born-life infant right the baby who is born in the final step of an abortion procedure and that is one pathway yes. But so many babies survive abortions especially with the abortion pill. Women in today's world continue of pregnancy not knowing that they're pregnant for weeks or months. In Ruth's case things were happening very late term. We actually know through my medical records just how horrific Ruth's abortion was for her and for me. It did not last for 72 hours. It actually lasted five days. Five days. They kept and every time they were unsuccessful.

I often tell people, I'm a little stubborn, you can gather, right? The Lord knew, the Lord knew I needed to be stubborn in a world, but of course, all kidding aside, the longer I soaked in the toxic salt solution of that abortion, the greater the likelihood should have been that my life was successfully ended by it. Y'all, in the conversations you have about abortion, I would beg this question. When you are talking to people who don't wanna talk about this, first of all, God gave me a great conversation starter, right? Mm, whether I like it or not. But also, beg the question to people. If abortion, if you don't wanna talk about it, right, how do you explain the fact that we heard a woman speak who was only alive today because it wasn't successful? Y'all, how do we reckon with this? I'm alive because it wasn't successful in ending my life. Those are important conversations to have with people. And trust me, you can plant that seed and move on from it and let them wrestle with a little bit. Let them wrestle with a little bit. But we know that abortion over five days, right, they try time and time again to induce her labor. They started to believe that she was going to lose her life in the abortion as well. Abortion endangers women's lives, not just the pre-born child. I am so grateful Ruth did not lose her life in that abortion. Obviously, I'm very biased and I am grateful.

I didn't lose my life in that abortion. But how did I not, by the grace of God? By the grace of God, I think we can give him a round of applause this morning, can we? (audience applauding) And if you guys wanna queue up that next photo for me, you know, here it is the final step of the abortion procedure. I am expelled from the womb believing that I will be a quote unquote successful abortion, what we know to be a deceased child. But I was accidentally, on purpose, God purpose, born alive. That is little me that you see there on the screen. When I was delivered alive in that abortion, I weighed a little less than three pounds, two pounds, 14 ounces. And the doctor started to figure out that Ruth was much further along than the 18 to 20 weeks that the abortionist had written on the medical records. In fact, a neonatologist remarked that I was probably 31 weeks, 31 weeks. Y'all in a world that wants to say that these things don't happen and late-term abortions don't happen, I'm here to tell you that they do. Statistically, we know that about 10,000 late-term abortions happen in the United States each year that we can put our finger on. And then, of course, we can't even begin to count

the number of women who simply, like Ruth, have no idea how far along they are. And so, they are having an abortion not knowing that they are so much further gestationally. We can look upon this and say, thank you, Lord. Thank you for allowing me to be born alive. And I wish I could stand here this morning and say all the medical professionals felt the same way that day. But there's a reason why people like me are called the dreaded complication of abortion. That is how we're viewed by so many. Somehow, my life is one that is dreaded. My life is something that should have been avoided, something that they feel could have been prevented. And I can tell you, there is probably nothing harder for me than wrestling with what the world has to say about people like me. Talk about wanting to rewrite some chapters. Y'all, I've lived that out time and time again. But I love that God continues to write chapters that are far more beautiful than I can begin to imagine. And I hope that's a hope that you take away from this morning is that no matter what it is that you're going through, or someone you know, the next chapter can be more beautiful than you can begin to imagine. And Ruth's case in mind, the chapters continue to be pretty dark for a while. When I initially survived that procedure,

I was laid aside and not provided medical care. That is the case for many children like me, even in today's world. At that hospital, babies like me were actually put in a utility closet. I never made it to the utility closet. I'm here with you this morning because at least one brave nurse defied my grandmother's orders to leave me to die and rushed me off to the NICU. I think we can give her a round of applause, can we? Think about the chapters in your life that feel like they involve only you. Y'all, when you think about it, all of our chapters involve so many other people. Sometimes there's villains in those pages, but oftentimes there's heroes, there's friends. And I hope that when you contemplate that after you leave today, you say thank you to your heroes, that you pray for your villains. We all have people in our stories that continue to impact our lives. I have never been able to meet the nurse who rushed me off to the NICU, but I have been blessed and honored to know many of the medical professionals who cared for me. I know that when I was whisked off to the NICU, the prognosis for my life was very poor. I was suffering from severe respiratory and liver problems, I suffered from seizures for an extended period of time, I was presenting with so much distress, the doctors actually thought I had a fatal heart defect. And we live in a world that wants to put disclaimers on those kind of characteristics, right? I've met people who have not been ashamed, right, to confront me and say, you know, Melissa, isn't it great that you've turned out as well as what you have, but what if you would have suffered from all of those disabilities, I would still be alive. And I don't take that for granted, and I hope that you don't either. And I can tell you that my mom and dad didn't hesitate for a second to open their hearts in their home to me. In my work with abortion survivors and their families, I actually have found more survivors are raised by their mothers who attempted to abort them than actually placed for adoption.

I know that is a little bit of a mind bender, right, when you first hear it. But far less of us are adoptees. I am one of those who has placed for adoption after I survived that abortion. And I can tell you that my mom and dad are another set of heroes in the chapters of my life. My mom and dad did not hesitate when they heard the words that I would suffer from multiple disabilities. They raised me to know Jesus from my youngest age, adoption was so knit into the fabric of our family. They were foster parents, then they adopted my older sister from another family, and then they adopted me no matter what the story of my life was. And after 15 years of infertility, along came my little brother. He's not adopted. And of course, my sister and I were scratching our heads going, why? How did that happen? We all have chapters in our lives that are sometimes a surprise. But adoption was such the normal fabric of our life that I simply grew up knowing I was loved, right? I didn't question my worth until a very unplanned chapter arrived in my life yet again. At the age of 14, my older sister as a high school student faced an unplanned pregnancy. Maybe some of you can relate to this chapter as well. During the fears and anxieties, my sister was contemplating an abortion. When our parents found out that she was facing that pregnancy, they knew that they were called by God to speak life into her. And they, of course, were armed with a pretty incredible story of life. I am so grateful my parents were bold enough to tell her my life story, hoping that she would understand how close adoption hit home to us. My sister was told the story of my survival about, what, 36 years ago? I'm happy to tell you my oldest nephew is about 36. She carried him, graduated from high school on time, right, was loved and supported by

our family and our public school. Was it always easy for her? No. Your life is never easy, is it? It's not easy. It's not simple. It's pretty messy, but God is there in every single moment. And out of all the things people know me for doing in this world, I travel the world in defense of life. I've testified before Congress. I've met the president in the Oval Office. I've done some really wild, god-ordained things that most in a time of great need. And I want you to remember that as you leave this morning and you're thinking, man, I don't know how to make a difference besides voting, yes, you make a difference by loving the people who God puts in your path. Loving them in the circumstances they find themselves in, not the circumstances you wish they were in, the circumstances they are in. And I can tell you that moment with my sister changed everything. God willing they've changed the world because after my sister found out the story of my survival, like any good teenage girl, she didn't keep it a secret from me. My parents learned very quickly how closely two teenage girls can talk. I am now the mom of two girls myself, 18 and 12.

And I don't take it for granted that those girls talk more than I would ever plan. I can't believe that this is the way this chapter was written. But I look back on it now, and I see that God's hand was in those pages as well. I can see God's hand when I remember the words of God and the words of God and the words of God. I can't believe that this is the way this chapter was written. But I look back on it now, and I see that God's hand was in those pages as well. I can see God's hand when I remember what God said about God. I can see God's hand when I remember my mom and I sitting down on a couch on a cold October night, and I detailed the fight. And I was expecting to hear something other than the words Missy or biological mother had an abortion during her pregnancy with you, and you survived it. Maybe you've lived one of these chapters too, or maybe you're living it right now, where you find something out, and your world comes crashing down at the age of 14. Everything was crumbling. My world that I knew it fell, and I started to live with feelings that I had never felt before. Anger towards my biological parents. Fear of who I really was. Fear of what the world had to say about abortion, and therefore what people had to say about me.

Questions about my identity. And maybe you can relate to this chapter as well. I started to sin in the midst of my pain. My parents had no idea how much I suffered and the mistakes that I was making in my life to try to distance myself from the pain of my story. Alcohol abuse, poor dating choices, and eating disorder, trying to control something when my life was absolutely out of control. And I could have stayed on that path, except God was right there with me, and saved me from myself. And people often ask, how do you turn a corner like that, Melissa? And the way I can describe it is, you know when you're hitting your head against a brick wall and you're just thinking, "Ugh, ugh, ugh," right? Thinking this hurts, this isn't working. I had that moment where I kept thinking, everything I do just keeps hurting. And it was like God was standing there saying, "I know. "Will you do something different? "Will you do something different?" And God opened up this floodgate of forgiveness from my biological parents, right? I didn't know all the details about the abortion back then. But what I did know is that their lives were forever changed by that.

And so God gave me a heart of forgiveness to them, and it opened up a space where I could embrace who God created me to be. I can tell you it is life-changing to open up that kind of space. So if you are struggling with forgiveness, I will pray for you this morning that God pours out His grace for you to offer that forgiveness to another person. That space allowed me to start looking for my birth parents when I was about 19, started allowing me the ability to pray. Lord, if you are calling me to share your story with the world, make it abundantly clear. But because I like to write my own chapters of my life, I also started to pray this prayer. Lord, please let me find my medical records because if I come forward with this story, the world is gonna battle against me. And I lived out about 10 years of this battle of my plans with God's will. Maybe you've lived out those lives as well. Right, it is a blessing, right, to pray the same prayer. But at the same time as my life was going on and people thought I lived a very normal life, right? I got married, I got a master's degree in social work. I was a successful person on people. find them Lord let me find my medical records Lord show me if I was I'm supposed to come forward with your story and make a way how do you begin to share the story with the world right I prayed the same prayer and suddenly after 10 years

of praying in 2007 the Lord blessed me with my medical records and contained within them the names of my biological parents the Lord's handiwork is on every single page of our lives here I search for 10 years my way and the Lord blessed me right in one fell swoop saying do you see me and I did see him and as I close this morning you're going to see the pages that the Lord continued to write you see when I learned to my birth parents were I started searching online immediately and learned I was living in the very same city as my biological father I had no idea no idea and maybe you would have done what I did I prayed and I prayed and I prayed and I prayed and God made it clear time and time again that I was to reach out to him and so I did that back in 2007 sent him a letter to his office and not his home letting him know I'm alive and well I'm not angry I'm not bitter and I continue to pray that maybe somehow I would hear back from him maybe you've lived this chapter or you're living it right now too I never heard back from him and that's when the enemy likes to sneak into our lives right I could hear the enemy whispering this is exactly what I tried to tell you at 14 no one wants to hear from you and that little unworthy 14-year-old girl in me was saying don't let it be so and I can tell you God continued to fortify me that whatever the enemy whispers in your ear is not true who God created you to be is true and I turned my sights on my birth mother and her family at the time I couldn't find her through my searching but I found her parents very easily not knowing the role that they played in forcing that abortion looking back on it I'm forever grateful that I reached out to them because I think they needed to hear from me as much as my birth mother did my grandfather boldly replied back to me let me know that my life birth was not the intention that was the way they described it and you know what I'm grateful for that I understand that's all they could say but sadly he let me know that my messages to Ruth would never be passed along because they were completely estranged from each other do you feel it in your heart I do too they do not communicate because that forced abortion changed everything in their family and I continue to pray the same prayer after that day right Lord if I am

to ever communicate with Ruth or get to know her Lord make a way and of course God made away but sometimes the chapters of our lives take much longer than what we want them to right if you want to queue up that next photo for me about the same time back in 2007 I found out so many answers to my life God made a way for me to start sharing his story with the world for the first time the first time I ever shared it was on Capitol Hill that's a friendly place for somebody like me with a story like this isn't it right and I was praying the same prayer of Lord thanks for this opportunity but I'm never gonna do this again right I am not a public speaker it took me seven pregnancy tests right after that to figure out it wasn't a bad case of nerves that was bothering me it was a horrible case of morning sickness with that child you see up there on the screen that's our oldest daughter Olivia who is now 18 and I want you to remember the man that you see on the screen with her because as I close today you're gonna see just the links to which God will go to redeem and restore the pages and chapters of our lives I was just a few days pregnant with Olivia the first time I ever spoke publicly I think that's a sure sign from God I was on the path that he had created for me it was during my pregnancy with her that I started to loosen my grip on the chapters that I had created in my life to accept the book he had written for mine as I started to travel the world in defense of life what I never could have imagined is that my birth father was back home fighting for his that's why he never replied to my letter he passed away about six months after I sent it and maybe some of you can relate to that as well right when the chapters take a different turn we can question God how can this be the plan and I can tell you in my grief God mind. And in months, I got to see how beautiful God's story of redemption and restoration truly was. Because not long after I gave birth to Olivia at the same hospital, where my life was supposed to end. Yeah, you heard that one correctly. Not long after she was born there, the man that you saw on the screen with her, came into my life. That's my grandfather, my

biological father's father. When he passed away, his family found the letter that I had sent him those six months prior. And they learned finally why my birth parents relationship ended all those decades ago. The look of joy you saw on my grandfather's face is the joy that he has brought into our lives all these years. But the chapters to Ruth took much longer to live out. If you guys want to queue up the next photo on the screen. When I talk about chapters of our lives involving other people, I want to give you an illustration of that. The woman that you see to the right of me is a nurse named Jan, alongside my mom and dad. Jan was a 21 year old nurse working in the NICU that day, when I was rushed in. When my book you carried me came out, she contacted me after praying about it for a long time. She was unsure of whether she should reach out to me because she knew things about my story that even I at the time didn't know. And the biggest secret that she knew is that Ruth spent over 30 years of her life believing the abortion had been successful. The day I was rushed off to the NICU. The nurses were told don't you ever tell my daughter that the baby survived this abortion. Jan knew the hospital knew. But Ruth never knew. Imagine being my birth mother Ruth, living with incredible regret. When she suffered miscarriages, she thought God was punishing her for that abortion. If you are a man or a woman impacted by abortion in this room who have felt that feeling, I want you to know God sees you. God loves you. He wants healing and restoration for you, just like he has for my family. But even though Ruth spent over 30 years of her life believing the abortion was successful, God was not done with her. If you want to queue up that final photo. Up there on the screen, you see some beautiful women in my life. On the left is my half sister Sarah. She's a

professor in Maine. Next to her is my biological mother Ruth in red and my half sister Jennifer on the right. And if you see those women and you think, yeah, they're a little familiar. It's because maybe they are to you. When we moved to Kansas City 13 years ago, we had no idea that this is the community that my biological family has lived in for decades. I moved from the city where my birth father lived to the city where my birth mother lives. Ruth lives in Odessa. And my sister Jennifer lives in Blue Springs with her family. Chapters in our lives are so much more beautiful than we can imagine. If you would have told me at the age of 14 that this is what this story would look like I never would have believed you. If my children were here today, they would say we say yes to life, because we understand how closely abortion impacts all of us. My children live every day knowing they never would have lived if that abortion had been successful in taking mine. And if Ruth was here today, she would tell you that she loves and supports me. These are lives that never would have happened. The forgiveness and restoration that wouldn't have happened if God hadn't first spared my life from an abortion. And so this morning, I just want to pray with you as we close. Father God, we just thank you for our time together. Thank you for abundant life, Lord, and the message of love and dignity and value of every person, man, woman, child, Lord, we pray for everyone in this room. Whether their story's been touched by abortion, Lord, we know what it's like to seek your plans for us Lord, and wrestle with the chapters of our life that maybe we want to rewrite. Lord, we pray for peace. We pray for joy. We pray for the next chapters to be written for you and for us to embrace the stories that you write. And Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen.

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