Sadly, his effort raised over $8,000 for abortion. And his spectacle was not completed until he returned to the sidewalk with a giant, sweepstakes-sized check to taunt our compassionate counselors.
In the face of such taunting, our sidewalk counselors find strength in Christ's promise that we will not be disgraced in His eyes. The mothers who come to us scared and confused see the love that fuels that promise, whether through sidewalk counselor or a Gabriel Angel. Sometimes, we are blessed to see the transformative power of that love ... as in the case of Elizabeth who, after losing her husband and son to violent tragedy, became unexpectedly pregnant.
Feeling she "didn't deserve this baby" and couldn't possibly raise the baby alone, Elizabeth made an abortion appointment. On her way to the abortion facility, her GPS miraculously directed her to a nearby pregnancy resource center instead, where she learned about Project Gabriel. Reflecting on her journey with our Gabriel family, she shared:
God bless you for not giving up on me when I was in a difficult place. ... for the good work you do for free for all of us, ... thank you for your patience. ... I love you all more than you know, and thank you GPS (or should I say GOD) for not allowing me to make a mistake I would have regretted my whole life.
Elizabeth's son Immanual bright-eyed at his first Christmas
In her darkest hour at the precipice of choosing death, Elizabeth found a different path lit by the love of this community. Her son Immanuel is just one of more than 10,000 lives saved when love transformed fear, when light broke through the darkness. These moments are possible because of YOU. Your generosity not only saves lives, it impacts generations.