TESTIMONIES
"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day."
-Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)
“We have been honored to partner with you in both prayer and finances as you continue to fight for the unborn and their mothers. Little did we know the last time we talked how much The Lord would return those seeds to us.
Our daughter who has always been very pro-life and even prayed on the steps of the Supreme Court with the red LIFE tape on her mouth, has chosen her own path for a season. She called us in April to tell us she was pregnant. The baby's father was encouraging her toward abortion before we even knew she was expecting. When she called us she was on the fence... We talked and prayed and I am so happy to report that she made the decision to have and raise this baby, our grandchild! I know that our partnership with you is tied into this victory!
Baby Alex
Even though you did not have the chance to counsel her (she lives in another state about 1400 miles from here) your work, your prayers, and the seeds we have sown locally are all part of this bountiful harvest in our own family! I believe The Lord will create a strong pro-life message through my daughter now that she knows what it is like to actually be in a crisis pregnancy.
So it is true. The Lord really does knit us all together! May He continue to bless the work you and the team do here and know that you are often in our thoughts and prayers!”
- Supporter
“I can clearly see how my journey to volunteer at First Step Women's Center has been orchestrated by God. It began as an invitation to a First Step banquet from a friend who had no idea I had a passion for the life of the unborn. It came at the exact right time. I was anticipating retirement and wanted to volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. I had not started looking into my options, but God, through my friend’s help, led me to First Step.
My initial retirement was short lived and I found myself back at work. I continued to volunteer with the minimal time that I had available, but I knew I needed to contribute more. Through a class on prayer that I participated in, God made it very clear where I needed to be spending my time and energy. So, I gave notice at work to a boss who fully supports my desire to follow my passion and God’s leading. have found peace and am so looking forward to using my gifts to help Debbie and Wanda make First Step a center of hope and caring for those in a difficult pregnancy situation. Consider how you can help.”
- Jan, Volunteer
We recently had a former patient, Riley, call First Step because she noticed we were no longer at our location on North Grand. As Riley was given the wonderful news that we had not closed but had moved across Springfield, she began to tell her story. Riley was facing an unplanned pregnancy almost two years ago. She was terrified at the thought of becoming a mom. She thought her only answer was to have an abortion. She had always prided herself on how liberal her views were and supported other women when they had an abortion. As she inquired about where she would have the procedure done, she called First Step. At her appointment, Riley didn’t want to hear any information about the baby that she carried. She just wanted to know how to get an abortion, but our staff still went through the steps that have proven to change minds, time and time again. As she left, she told her advocate that she was upset because she thought she had called Planned Parenthood for an appointment.
Fast forward to when Riley shared the next chapter of her story with our scheduling line coordinator. She spoke, through tears, “I had my baby...I never called Planned Parenthood. Something about my appointment with First Step changed my mind. I can’t imagine life without my daughter. I love her so much!”
~Patient
*Names changed to protect confidentiality
Jane came in to “talk about her pregnancy.” The first part of the appointment is an intake by the advocate volunteer: when asked her intention for her pregnancy Jane asked “should I keep it?” When asked her to clarify what she was considering, Jane again asked “should I keep it?” Her mom would support her if she had an abortion, but the father of the baby does not believe in abortion. She did not want to talk about church, doesn’t go and does not want to talk about it.
With the nurse, Jane opened up that she had an abortion scheduled for today and “just couldn’t go through with an abortion”, canceled her abortion and made an appointment with First Step instead. We had seen Jane a few years ago with her second child. The nurse was able to show Jane her baby’s heartbeat on ultrasound and give her a picture.
Jane told the advocate at the end of the appointment, “I’m going to keep my baby!”
~ Patient
*Names changed to protect confidentiality