Twenty Years Ago Today...

"O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life." Lamentations 3:58

"For the day of vengeance [is] in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come."  Isaiah 63:4

Twenty years ago today, I made a decision that would affect the rest of my life.  July 11, 1993, I went to Champaign, Illinois to have an abortion.  It seemed like an easy and quick solution at the time.  I had no idea how it would impact my life.

Here is the link in case you want to read my story:  http://livingfreeinhim.blogspot.com/p/my-story.html

Let's now fast forward...to a year ago.

I was sitting at a fundraiser for a local crisis pregnancy center listening to Pam Tebow share her testimony.  She shared about the good decision she made to carry Tim Tebow against the doctor's advice. She was ill at the time and gave birth to a sickly small child.  Well, we all know how that story ends.  It ends well and God is using Tim mightily for His glory.

I left the fundraising dinner broken.  The healing I thought I had received seemed distant and incomplete.  The "What if's" started racing through my mind.  Finally, in desperation and obedience to the Lord, I shared my testimony with my "Living Free in Him" readers for the first time.   

God spoke to me at the dinner that night.  He told me it was time to share my story with you and it was time to go deeper.

A few weeks after the fundraising event, I called my friend, Emily, to talk to her about speech therapy (at least that is why I thought I was calling her).  We are both speech therapists and I wanted to talk to her about a job possibility.  During the conversation, we were catching up on lost time and I asked her what she was doing in ministry.  She excitedly told me about the Deeper Still Ministry and how she came to be involved and what she was doing on the ministry team.  Immediately I knew this was no ordinary conversation...it was God-appointed. 

After our conversation, I decided to attend the training for the Deeper Still Ministry Team.  I did not really know why I was going other than I was just suppose to go.

Then, just a few months ago in April, I attended a retreat.  It was amazing!!! It was like nothing I had ever experienced before in ministry or my healing journey!!!  You can read more about it  here.

Now today, exactly 20 years after my story began, I have the blessing and opportunity to minister to others who are in need of healing due to abortion.

Today, I leave to minister on the Deeper Still Ministry Team at a retreat this weekend.

Eleven women with an abortion wounded heart will discover freedom and know God's love, grace and forgiveness in a way they have yet to experience it.   It is overwhelming when I think of how good our God is and how His timing is unfathomably perfect.  Before writing this post, I hadn't given the timing much thought. However, it is no doubt God-ordained and His love continues to amaze me.   

As my friend, Emily, said "God not only redeems us, He redeems the day."  Thank you, God, for redeeming the day.  I can think of no better way to honor the memory of my daughter in heaven, Kori Danielle, than to help others find freedom and healing in Jesus Christ.

If you or anyone you know has had an abortion, you can go to www.godeeperstill.org to see how you or someone you love can attend a retreat and find complete freedom and healing from an abortion wounded heart. 

If you would like to join us in praying for these 11 women this weekend, go to www.deeperstilldevotions.blogspot.com to see how you can pray.