Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of the Year Award

On Tuesday, April 15^th we held our annual meeting, PCC Impact: The stories behind the numbers. At this event we not only revealed our 2013 Annual Report, but also presented the Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of the Year Award.

Volunteers are the cornerstone of the Pregnancy Care Center ministry and vital to accomplishing our mission to compassionately engage, educate and inspire our communities with the truth regarding sexual integrity and the value of human life.  We have been blessed with countless volunteers whom give of themselves sacrificially on a regular basis.

Tracey Pike, Director of Abstinence Education,
presented the Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of
the Year Award to Brandy Ecker (on right). 

Sharon C. Leavitt served three terms on the board of PCC-SCI, worked as a volunteer in a program to mentor young mothers, served on the annual PCC Golf Challenge committee and was a great advocate for the ministry with everyone she came into contact. She was so deeply dedicated to this work that her passion for helping people through it seemed to grow stronger with every year she served. It is in Sharon’s honor and legacy of service that this award was created.

This year, Brandy Ecker was nominated for the Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of the Year Award by Lisa Newton and our Abstinence Education team.

“Brandy lives out our mission by faithfully allowing the Holy Spirit to use both her strengths and ‘grace covered scars’ to bring healing to the broken places in students’ lives and hope for their future,” Newton said. “They overwhelmingly give positive and impactful statements on their feedback forms regarding her presentations.” 

Because of her heart to serve and dedication to our I Decide For Me program, Brandy was chosen as 2013 Sharon C. Leavitt Volunteer of the Year Award Winner. Congratulations Brandy!

Hearts Restored: Healing After Abortion

According to research by Obstetrics & Gynecology LWW Journal published in 2011, 30% of American women will have an abortion by age 45.  Many women tend to think they are the only one hurting from abortion – as if no one else could understand how she feels. Silently these women suffer, but they don’t have to. If these words resonate with you, you are not alone.

“The sound of a vacuum, florescent lights, the smell of a doctor’s office, or the cry of a baby - those are some of the triggers that remind me of that traumatic day.” These are the words of women in my support group who years earlier experienced an abortion. The clinic told us it would be a “quick fix” and our lives would return to normal.

For most post-abortive women and men, life changes.  Guilt, shame, and regret crowd out joy and peace.  Coping with the secret of taking a life affects relationships, as we keep people at a distance to avoid judgment.  Memories, nightmares or hallucinations cause anxiety or give us reason to seek comfort in addictions.

Post-traumatic stress is real. A life was taken and our human nature is in conflict with the reality of our involvement. A mother’s nurturing instincts and a father’s protective internal nature are violated. 

To cope with pain many build a wall around his/her heart. Anger sometimes takes grip and often turns into rage and bitterness. Many women develop problems with future children: over-protecting or failing to bond. Many men develop a sense of powerlessness, depression or fear of failing financially, socially or relationally.

There are choices to be made: staying stuck in stress or the choice to heal. There is hope and freedom for the broken-hearted! There are women and men who have walked in your shoes yet chosen a path to heal. Because of their changed lives, they reach out to help others. Abortion healing is available, free and completely confidential. 

Hearts Restored: Healing After Abortion provides a support study that leads you through the pain, grief, shame, loss and anger to experience the freedom of feeling forgiven and set free. Finally surrendering your secret with safe people will lighten the burden of carrying this painful loss.

Moving on from the entanglement of past decisions is possible. Past choices do not need to be the end of your story. There is hope for a new beginning! I know. I have participated in a support group study and I’m free from uncontrollable anger. This helped to heal my marriage; I am a better wife, mother and a happier person. God has forgiven me and I have a new purpose to speak love and healing into the lives of other hurting women.

Hearts Restored serves Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings and Shelby counties.  From teens to 90-year-olds, someone you know needs healing. To talk one-on-one with someone who understands and cares, or inquire about a small group study, call Sue at 812-567-3150 or Don at 812-720-0802.

Before You Became Mommy

Many of you were married before having children, and yes, you adored being married (and still do!). The spontaneous adventures, spending time together, doing what you want after work, and the love you shared. Then came the kiddos. The sweet snuggles, sleepless nights, joy of life, and of course, a messy home. 

“Ladies, before you were Mommy, you were his. Men, before you were Daddy, you were hers.” This article about remembering your spouse just tugged at our heartstrings and we wanted to share. 

Even with the great gift of children, you need to remember one another, the two that made your beautiful family. There is no greater adventure to experience with your best friend than parenthood, but may you forever remember the love you shared in your first days, months, years of marriage. 

Sex Changes Things, Changes You - STIs

We can all agree that sex changes things. Parents, teachers and professionals spend a lot of time warning teens about pregnancy, a physical consequence of sex. However, one of the least discussed consequences of sex is sexually transmitted infections or diseases (STIs or STDs), among other emotional, social, mental and spiritual effects.

Many sexually active people don’t think they could be at risk for an STI, reasoning that their partner "looks clean" or they haven’t had that many sexual partners. However, the facts tell us otherwise. Take a look at some of the recent numbers published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

•  1 in 2 sexually active people will contract an STI by age 25
• 19 million new STIs occur in the U.S. each year; 50% of these are among people under age 25
• Less than half of adults ages 18 to 44 have ever been tested for an STI, other than Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Most STIs are curable, and all STIs are treatable. However, some STIs if left untreated can have lifelong effects such as infertility or organ damage. What is even more alarming is that many STIs do not present symptoms and therefore go undiagnosed.

The CDC notes that America’s young people bear much of the burden of these infections, including physical suffering, emotional pain, mental anguish, social embarrassment and spiritual shame.  Having sex is not a quick, simple decision; it could impact young people for the rest of their lives.

Addressing this social issue with awareness is only the first step in combatting this epidemic. Eliminating the risk is a vital, second step. We need to encourage the delay of sexual activity until a person enters into a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner, such as marriage. Need a plan? Keep sex within the boundaries of marriage. Even the U.S. government agrees as stated on the CDC’s website: “The most reliable way to avoid infection is to not have sex.”

If you are sexually active, get tested. LifeCare Testing Clinic, located in Columbus, provides testing and treatment of STIs. Their mission is to compassionately engage and educate our community with the truth regarding sexual integrity. Call LifeCare Testing Clinic at 812-418-3230 or visit lifecaretestingclinic.com to schedule your appointment.

Everyone has a bright future ahead of you. Don’t let an STI ruin that.

#STDAwareness

The Source of Truth

by Cynthia Workman, Abstinence Education Administrative Assistant

While processing surveys recently gathered during one of our Abstinence Education Classes presented to 6^th graders, I was looking over students responses to the question, “List a person you can ALWAYS trust to give you the truth about sexual activity.”  A typical response to this question is a parent, sibling, trusted best friend or extended family member.  I was surprised to see an 11 year old young lady had responded to this query with the answer, “the internet”.

The internet has become a source of fast answers with a quick hit of the enter tab.  We can get trivia answered, dates recalled and the latest news and happenings from around the entire planet in less than a second.  It is not surprising that a young person would view the internet as a quick and ready resource to her questions.  What is sad is that she may view a response from a quick topical search related to sexual activity as “truth”.  I shudder to think what may even pop onto her screen in response to any query related to topics on sexuality.  It would be like jumping into a shark tank and hoping to find a friendly dolphin to swim with.  Chances are slim she will discover truth and that her purity of mind will come out unscathed.

What is truth and where can we find it?  God is truth.  There is no duplicity, no changing with the seasons or the times, no falsehood…only truth, unchanging, foundational truth.  He cannot lie.  He is truth in His person.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6.   Therefore, His Word is true. “Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth.” John 17:17.  It can be relied upon for factual, consistent truth that is unswayed by the current cultures pleasure-oriented, consumer-oriented, self-centered society. As followers of Almighty God, we should be relied upon to speak truth for Him.  So those of you with a young person in your life, a child, grandchild, sibling, neighbor, etc. speak the timeless, unchanging truth to those you have the opportunity to have in your life.  “Speak the truth in love.” Ephesians 4:15.  God’s truth is not changed by current social norms.

My hope would be that any young person with questions related to sexual purity and sexual activity would be able to find an honest, truthful, factual response from a trusted adult rather than an impersonal search engine on the world-wide web.  Believing parent and grandparent wade in unafraid to these topics, seeking truth and answers from the source of truth and relevant guidelines-our Unchanging God and His timeless Word! If you’d like help in parenting and answers to difficult questions young people may have, please call our office (866-510-5067) to see about when and where one of our My Best For You or Transformed presentations for parents and students is taking place near you. There is also the option to schedule one in your local church.