MOM: “YOU SAVED MY BABY NINE YEARS AGO AND AGAIN TODAY. THIS IS THE SIGN I WAS LOOKING FOR!”
By Dan Miller, Pro-Life Wisconsin State Director
You guys saved my baby back then. He is now nine years old and here you are again! This is the sign I was looking for. I can’t have the abortion now. No way.
It was a gorgeous day—the sun was shining, and it was hot and humid. We cherish warm weather as sidewalk counselors, not because we hate the cold, but because people are more apt to talk with us in these conditions. When it is raining sideways, or thirty below zero, people naturally just want to get inside out of the weather. The abortion facility was exceptionally busy and by 2:00 p.m., there were already at least 17 women inside. All of us sidewalk counselors were definitely getting our exercise! As soon as we were done talking to one woman leaving the abortion center, we would break off and begin to walk and talk with another who was on her way in.
As I was walking one young mom out of the abortion center, I noticed a car parked directly in front of the Women’s Care Center across the street. The driver had rolled down her window to say something. It was noisy on Farwell, so I could barely make out what she said, but she was gesturing as if to say, “Come here!” She wasn’t looking at me, so I thought perhaps she was either trying to get another sidewalk counselor’s attention, or the attention of an abortion escort. Nonetheless, after I finished my conversation with the woman leaving the abortion center, I walked over to the woman who was signaling for us to come talk to her.
I approached the passenger side window and to prevent the escorts from seeing me as readily, I knelt down to speak to the three people in the car. The woman in the front passenger seat said, “We want you to talk her out of having the abortion!”
I said, “Happy to!”—and proceeded to direct my attention to the driver, who I’ll call Monique* (named changed for confidentiality). As I went down the list of a thousand reasons why to NOT kill her child, I noticed that Monique was digging into a pink bag sitting on the center console of the car. She pulled out a hand-knit baby hat from the bag, gasped, and then began to dab the corner of her eye to catch a tear from falling. As I started to say, “Be sure to go to the Women’s Care Center”— she interrupted, saying, “I was going to go directly to my appointment at the [abortion] clinic but decided to go to the women’s center instead.” That’s where she received the pink bag.
I encouraged her saying, “I’m glad you did. They can help you. They have always been able to help, in my experience, with ANY situation. They are good at solving the puzzle that life sometimes throws at us.”
Monique continued, “This may sound crazy, but this little hat reminded me of when I was here nine years ago for an abortion. A woman on the sidewalk gave me a knit baby hat just like this one. I decided to not have the abortion because of that woman’s kindness and the little gift she gave me. This is too much of a coincidence. You guys saved my baby back then. He is now nine years old and here you are again! This is the sign I was looking for. I can’t have the abortion now. No way.”
At this point September, the Milwaukee 40 Days for Life coordinator, stopped over to see what was going on. I was literally in mid-sentence with Monique and as soon as September’s knee hit the ground, she had what I will call an “Elizabeth Moment”—and began exclaiming, “Amen! Praise God! Amen, Praise God! Amen! Praise God! Thank You, Lord!”
I was confused and asked, “Do you guys know each other? What’s going on here?” They both just smiled.
When I talked with September about it later on, she said that she had recognized Monique from the week before. When Monique had come to the abortion center for her first appointment, September had encouraged her to go get the free help across the street. September had seen Monique go into the Women’s Care Center earlier, noted the pink Women’s Care Center bag as she approached the car, and saw my smiles. She instantly felt the Spirit of life circulating among everyone in and around the car and knew in her heart and soul that Monique had chosen life. It was such a beautiful Holy Spirit moment.
Monique then asked us when we are normally outside the abortion center because she wanted to bring her nine-year-old son to introduce him to the people who saved his life. I told her and then added, “Could you bring your new baby when he or she is born? We’d love to meet the baby, too!”
Monique replied, “I will. You saved both my babies. I have to do that. I’m so thankful. God bless you guys.”