Karina’s Unexpected Gift

https://vimeo.com/784584067

“I know that God forgives us for our sins, but the question is, will you forgive yourself?” This is the question that client advocate, Doris, asked client, Karina, when she came to Sav-A-Life for a pregnancy test. Karina came to one of our clinics for a pregnancy test, and was strongly considering an abortion. She said that mainly she was considering an abortion because the pregnancy was unplanned, she didn’t feel like she was comfortable raising another child, and she was really worried about finances. 

As Karina shared her fears, Doris was attentive and comforting. She asked Karina some questions, and when she asked her biggest fear, Karina told her she was afraid God wouldn’t forgive her if she had an abortion. These are such common fears and anxieties that clients have when they come into one of our clinics with an unplanned pregnancy. They fear adding a child or another child to their family, but they also fear the spiritual and emotional effects of an abortion. This is where Doris and Karina found themselves that day. 

Karina said she didn’t know how to answer Doris’s question about being able to live with her decision. As Karina’s fear and confusion reached its high, Doris put her hand on Karina’s and asked if she could pray for her. Karina, voice breaking, said yes. As Doris prayed, the words began to resonate with Karina and she began to feel a small sense of peace. She left that first day with an appointment for an ultrasound, but still many doubts about the pregnancy. 

When Karina showed up for her ultrasound appointment, she was still unsure. She felt like the baby growing inside of her was “screaming for life,” yet she couldn’t reconcile the financial strain it would be with three kids she and her husband were already parenting. 

After the ultrasound, Karina and her husband went home and prayed. She said they prayed aloud with tears in their eyes, “God, if this baby is in your plan and in Your will, we surrender to Your will to be parents for the fourth time. But please, God, You have to take care of the rest.” 

The strength and faith that Karina and her husband showed in the moment is overwhelming, but we know that God is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who will provide. And that’s exactly what He did.

Their son, Zabdiel — which means, God has given — was born in June 2020. Though his birth was during the height of the pandemic, Karina and her husband were also able to buy a house for their family of six after her husband received a salary increase. Even when things were hard during the pandemic, they were able to see God’s faithfulness and provision.

Today, when Karina sees her son walk, run, and smile, she’s reminded of the great love God has for her and her family. Karina says that their story could have looked much different, but God brought them to Sav-A-Life and placed people like Doris in their path to help them see through their fear and place their hope and trust in the Giver of life. 

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Thank you, Shades Mtn. Baptist!

Our friends at Shades Mountain Baptist Church recently showered our Gift of Birth graduates with love, in a safety-minded “drive-through” baby shower.

We our so blessed that our moms can continue learning and preparing for a healthy birth through online group classes, and that dear friends of the ministry are willing to show up and bless them with the items they need for their babies.

Jesus sees the love you show to the “least of these” little ones, and their sweet moms. Thank you!

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Phased Reopening Plan

Back in March, we consolidated all our clinic services in the Vestavia location to keep our core team operating during “essential service” restrictions. That’s been a great benefit to our merger process, as it has forged deep bonds between the Vestavia and Fultondale staff.

We need our two locations as much as ever! Now that state restrictions are being eased, we’ve begun ramping up our operations as close to “normal” as we can, while still protecting our staff, volunteers, and especially our clients.

The current plan for phasing in operations is as follows:

On June 1, we reopened both clinics with reduced hours. Volunteers were invited to return as they felt comfortable doing so, based on their personal & family health needs.

Beginning today, we are open for our regular business hours:

  • The Fultondale center opens 10:00 AM – 4:00 on Mondays – Thursdays.
  • The Vestavia center opens 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday – Thursday;
    9:00 AM – 1:00 PM on Fridays.
  • This schedule may be further adjusted as needed.

Our group EWYL classes will continue to be online only, while one-on-one mentoring will resume in person with appropriate parameters.

We will continue to use the safety and hygiene precautions developed by our medical team:

  • All client services will be by appointment only.
  • Appointments will be spaced out to minimize contact between clients.
  • Clients are taken straight to a private room rather than the open waiting room.
  • Clients must call before entering the building. Male & female partners can be counseled at the same time, but other support people must wait in their car. We will try to accommodate moms with minor children on a case-by-case basis.
  • Strict sanitation measures, including sanitizing each room between clients, will be maintained.
  • All staff, volunteers, and clients will wear face masks. Masks will be provided to clients if they need one.
  • Unless the client needs medical contact, we will maintain social distance at all times.

If you are a regular volunteer and have not yet made a decision about returning, please know that we welcome your help, but we encourage you to put your safety and comfort first. Please prayerfully consider when it may be prudent for you personally to return. We will be fine without you until that time!

Whether you are ready to return in June or would rather wait, please contact Courtney and let her know what your plans are.

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Looking Back: Baby Shower with Graysville First UMC

Back in March, we couldn’t envision all the changes that would happen for our city and our ministry in a few short months. But we knew that our Gift of Birth graduates would be having big changes in their lives very soon!

Congratulations to Valeria, LeTisha, Aretha, and Kayla! And thank you so much to the members of Graysville First United Methodist Church for showering these moms from our Fultondale class with love.

There were lots of laughs.

And plenty of surprises.

And all kinds of gifts, from the most practical to special one-of-a-kind items.

And of course, prayers for these these families to know God better, and continue in His grace and care.

Thank you!

Hosting a shower is a tremendous blessing to our clients, and the classes they take are a major opportunity to speak life into their relationships and families. Is your Bible study or ministry group ready for a special project?

Check out our most recent drive-thru shower to see how you can serve these special moms with strong medical safety precautions.

And watch this video to find out more about what it takes to be a shower host:

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Our Latest: “Drive Thru” Baby Showers

Thank you to Mountaintop Community Church for providing a safe and generous baby shower for our Gift of Birth graduates Lauren, LaCharo, Jontyse, and Jennifer!

Our hosts and guests took precautions to protect moms, dads, and those precious babies while they celebrated the hard work they’d done in class and the new life on the way.

There were prayers.

And words of wisdom.

And joyful celebration.

And of course, gifts to bless these families with the practical items they need for baby.

Thank you!

Hosting a shower – even a virtual or “drive-thru” event – is a tremendous blessing to our clients, and the classes they take are a major opportunity to speak life into their relationships and families. Is your Bible study or ministry group ready for a special project?

Watch this video to find out more about what it takes to be a shower host:

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Invitation to Prayer TODAY

You’re invited to join all of the Pregnancy Centers in Alabama (their staff, volunteers, board, supporters, etc) today for a day of prayer.  The goal is to have 12 straight hours of prayer for life!  Vestavia and North Jefferson are scheduled for the 10 am hour.  The image below gives some ideas for how to pray specifically and also lists the other centers who are participating.  Of course you are more than welcome to pray anytime.

Speaking of prayer, in the recent newsletter you received an invitation to submit a prayer for life to be included in a prayer guide we are creating.  If you did not receive the information, please contact Lisa to let her know.

It’s been a big week!  We are seeing those isolation pregnancies appearing now.  The phone is ringing like crazy!  Some awesome victories this week as well as some sad stories and questionable outcomes.  Please keep praying.

Thank you for the continued encouragement in the form of sweet cards, delicious lunches, phone calls and masks!  They are all appreciated. 

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Prayers for Life

Thank you for your continued prayers as we seek to be the source of light and hope for women in unplanned pregnancies. We’ve been exceptionally busy as many clients are even more panicked because of the uncertainty of the future.

God is showing up powerfully, and we are very grateful to be a part of that. Recently, we had a day where all five of our scheduled clients walked in abortion-minded, and walked out planning to parent their babies. We know this fruit is due to His faithfulness and your dedicated prayers.

To celebrate the power of prayer, we’d like to create a collection of Prayers for Life. Sharing a resource like this can help unify us in interceding for the unborn, and grow the Body of Christ in our commitment to the sanctity of Life. Would you help?

Please help us build the collection by contributing a short written prayer for unborn children, their parents, and those who support them. You can email your prayer to Volunteer1@savalife.org, with the subject line “Prayers for Life.”

Some possible topics might be:

  • For pastors and spiritual leaders to uphold God’s truth and exhort their congregations or students to support Life.
  • For our national and state leaders to support the value of human life.
  • For our ministry and others across the country, to continue receiving the financial & practical support they need to remain open.
  • For God to move new volunteers & supporters to get involved.
  • For our cultural attitudes about the unborn, the disabled, and the vulnerable.
  • For staff serving clients in-person and over the phone to receive grace, stamina, wisdom, discernment, and that their ministry would be full of the Holy Spirit’s power.
  • For women and men who don’t know Christ and need the Gospel.
  • For Christian men and women tempted by worldly thinking and priorities.
  • For teenage girls afraid to tell their parents about their pregnancy.
  • For parents and grandparents tempted to pressure girls into an abortion, or help them obtain one.
  • For fathers of unborn babies who fear responsibility or have no models of Godly fatherhood.
  • For women seeking abortions because they are too young, too poor, or too overwhelmed.
  • For men and women who saw LIFE on an ultrasound and are still considering ending that life.
  • For peace and comfort for those experiencing miscarriages.
  • For women who take the abortion pill and attempt the reversal process.
  • For those who contemplate abortion because they struggle to care for their children already.
  • For those with a history of previous abortions.
  • For those in abusive or troubled relationships who fear having a child with this father.
  • For those with a history of addiction, sexual abuse, or trafficking.
  • For clients with appointments to keep them and be impacted by the staff they will encounter.

We’re excited to see how God will answer our prayers together.

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask,
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”
— Matthew 18:19

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Come and See What God Has Done!

Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. — Psalm 66:5

Forty Years of Miracles

Thank you for joining in our first-ever virtual Celebration of Life! By now, you’ve seen Shanell’s powerful testimony about her encounter with God’s love here at Sav-a-Life. (In case you missed it, you can still see it here on our blog.)

Just like God brought Shanell to us, we see every day how God brings our staff and volunteers together with clients to make miracles happen. To give you a more in-depth look at how our ministry works and how God is using it, today we are sharing a short video documenting the history and impact of Sav-a-Life over the years.

I am also giving a video update on the progress of the event so far. We are almost halfway to our goal, so we hope you will join us in praising God for His wonderful work thus far!

Or text BetterTogether to 41444

If you already have a recurring pledge you’d like to renew or increase, email LisaHogan@savalife.org.

You may also mail your contribution today to:
Sav-A-Life, Inc.
1480 McGuire Road
Birmingham, AL 35216

We are so grateful to you — our sponsors, supporters, and friends! We are also grateful to the many healthcare workers, first responders, and public servants who are working so hard around the clock to care for our community and keep us safe.

These are challenging times, but we know that God is bigger than any challenge we may face. He has called us to serve, and we trust Him to make it possible! Our celebration will continue, and we hope you’ll make it “Better Together” by rejoicing with us.

Thank you for joining us in God’s amazing work.

In it for LIFE,

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Thanks to our Legacy Society!

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever. —Psalm 37:18

The Legacy Society is an annual giving program for families desiring to make a generational commitment to our ministry. Our Legacy Society members have been instrumental in preparing and participating in our Celebration of Life. Thank you!

You can join the Legacy Society by donating at least $5,000 per calendar year. Please contact us for more information about making a Legacy Society Pledge.

Legacy Society Members

Amanda Akridge
Jonathan Cappel
Christ Fellowship Church
Church of the Highlands
Mr. and Mrs. Derrell Crimm/AC Financial Partners
Dr. Bob Crosby
Mr. and Mrs. Duane Donner
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Dunbar
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Dunbar, Jr
Dr. & Mrs. Greg Eudy
Mr. & Mrs. Clay Farris
Mr. and Mrs. John Fulkerson/Environmental Biological Services
Mr. and Mrs. Vance Fulkerson/Environmental Biological Services
Green Valley Baptist Church
Mr. and Mrs. William Gunnells
Mr. Wade Honeycutt
Mr. and Mrs. Terry James
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Kinnebrew
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Larrison
Mountain Brook Community Church
North Alabama Fabricating Company
Mr. & Mrs. Doug Price
Mr. and Mrs. George Sarris
Shades Mountain Baptist Church
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Simpson
Mr. Paul Sutton/SEBFS
Dr. and Mrs. Dean Thornton
Mr. and Mrs. Pat Walters
Mr. and Mrs. Clark Womble
Mr. & Mrs. Allan Worthington
Mr. and Mrs. Al Yother

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