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Birthmothers Friend teams up with partners to find housing for woman threatened with abortion
Anita was living with a relative when she discovered she was pregnant and referred to Birthmothers by Assist Pregnancy Center (Annandale, VA). They’d help Anita confirm her pregnancy. The birth father was no longer in the picture.
“I cannot tell my family that I’m pregnant,” said Anita. “They will be ashamed of me and disown me.”
Or, as she later shared with Birthmothers Friend Melinda Cagle, they could force her to have an abortion.
“I love God,” said Anita. “I cannot abort this baby.”
 The pregnancy care center didn’t have the resources to connect her to a safe living situation and Anita didn’t make enough money at her bowling alley job to support herself on her own. So Melinda, representing Birthmothers, met with Anita and an Assist staff member to figure out the next step.
It turned out that a residential maternity home was the best place for Anita to live safely and carry her baby to term.
Melinda, as Anita’s Friend, helped her through the application process. As the time neared for Anita to move and she got cold feet, the two women prayed together. Melinda made a list of Anita’s fears and personally spoke with the maternity home director to get satisfactory answers to each of Anita’s concerns.
When the day came for Anita to move, Melinda collected Anita, drove her to the maternity home, sat with her through orientation, and made sure Anita was settled in.
“When can I call Anita and come visit her?” Melinda asked the maternity home director before she left.
“You’re not just here to drop her off?” the maternity home director answered in disbelief. Melinda explained that Birthmothers Friends provide a supportive, one-on-one relationship for as long as the woman needs or chooses.
Today, Anita is living at the maternity home, attending college classes, and awaiting the baby’s arrival. She is considering adoption.
“The big story here is a wonderful 3-way partnership between Birthmothers, the pregnancy care center, and the maternity home,” said Melinda. “We worked together to help save a life.”
Find out how you can be trained to be a Birthmothers Friend when you call (703) 261-6370 or
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. Interested volunteers in greater Roanoke, VA, please note that a Friends Certification Training is scheduled in your area on July 25. Call now to reserve your seat!
 You’re invited to join Birthmothers at a special family-friendly Celebration of Life Worship Service on Saturday, July 24 at 5 PM at The Falls Church (Falls Church, VA).
This is an incredible opportunity to share hope with a pregnant woman, a person who has experienced the pain of abortion, or a person with other wounds that God can heal. Invite a friend and join us as we worship the Creator of life! For more information, call (703) 261-6370.
On Thursday, October 14, 2010, you and your friends can be guests at the Sheraton Premiere Tysons Corner for Birthmtohers Evening to Remember, celebrating unique, life-saving ministry to women who face an unplanned pregnancy. You’ll hear special guest Mike Williams, “the funniest man in God’s Kingdom,” along with music from John Schlitt, former lead singer in Petra. For more information, or to become a sponsor or table host, call (703) 261-6370.
Help Birthmothers connect to even more hurting women by "liking" our Facebook page. We also encourage you to  invite your friends to "like" us!
By "liking" and inviting, you'll help at least 4 ways:
1. You'll help us reach more women. When your Facebook friends see Birthmothers information on your Facebook page, then they'll be able to connect more pregnant women to us to be matched with a Friend.
2. You'll help us recruit more volunteers. When your friends see that you're a Birthmothers Friend, you'll help recruit more volunteers to serve hurting women and families. (You can help even more when you write a short testimony explaining what being a Friend means to you.)
3. You'll help us identify more Partnering Chuches. When your friends hear about Birthmothers, they'll want to learn how their church can start a Birthmothers ministry and serve women in their own communities.
4. You'll help us cultivate more financial support. Partners are directed to our website in order to give online.
If you're not yet on Facebook, just log onto www.facebook.com and open a free account. It takes just a couple of minutes. And you'll start connecting with others online who care about women, children, and families. You could even help save lives.
 Statistics show that 83% women who chose the pain of aboriton would have made a different choice if they'd had support from a special person during pregnancy.
When you give to Birthmothers, you throw a lifeline to pregnant women like Anita (see lead story, above) ... women who are alone and hav enowhere else to turn. You can help them be matched with a Birthmothers Friend for one-on-one support. Women matched with a Friend overwhelmingly choose life.
Give today. Thank you for caring!
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