WEC Banquet 2013

This year's banquet for the Women's Enrichment Center was an amazing and inspirational night.

It was Monday night at 6:30. The purpose of the banquet was to help raise money. (Our Center is strictly run off of outside donations and we only have few part time staff members, so it is 90% volunteers.) It was also to inform volunteers on what our Center is about. 

This is my second year at the Center, and the Director asked me to share my testimony. My Husband attended with me for support. He is always there for support, and I adore him for that. Even though I know he is still not 100% comfortable with me "announcing" it, he understands that I do it so that others will know the dangers of NOT knowing the reality. And also what happens when you have made that choice. He held my hand and calmed me. He prayed for me, and he cried with me. I could never ask for a better support system than the one I already have. 

Our daughter, who is the other half of my support, did not attend because she would have been the only child there, and I just thought people would respond better if we didn't have a child in tow that we were trying to teach "proper etiquette" to. She behaves well and always roots me on, but I just didn't feel the banquet was the best place for that. (Unfortunately, we must conform sometimes so that people will get a good first impression and respond better.) 

To my surprise, I walked onto the stages without any nerves. I was able to say my speech without shaking or looking down a lot. God has done a lot of work in my Life. He has given me the strength, over time, that I need to better serve Him. 

I never in my wildest imagination would believe that God had called me to share my story publicly in hopes that Our Lucy would have an impact on the decisions of others. But one day in early Fall 2012, a Angel sent by God forced me to step out of my comfortable box and into the Purpose that He planned for my Life. 

There was a video testimony and a testimony from another girl who came to our Center last year, abortion minded, and chose Life for her Baby, who is now a Beautiful, almost 1 year old, little girl. 

The Closer's called to action in a very moving way. Everybody was noticeably touched by the entire evening.  

We had an amazing turn out, from what I am hearing. There were over 300 people, which is huge for our town, and we raised a good portion of the money that we need to run for another year. I also hear there are several people interested in volunteering. We will see what this next 12 months has to hold for us.

Side Note: Speaking of the next 12 months, K and I will be start our first Recovery Group this October, and there are already a few women who have showed interest. I sympathize knowing that they went through that sort of pain, but I can't help but be excited for them because, as our leaders told us, we know what is coming! The Light!

We are doing a little training, a conference in October and also Sheila Harper, the author of the Recovery Study we are leading, will be coming to our Center for the day to train the entire staff-for free! What a Blessing to help prepare us better! Proof that God has plans for the Women in our town to find the Healing, Forgiveness, and Closure that they need. 

Here is the speech that I had written down. 

Here was my speech on video. 

How God Called Me To Speak

Early last year, Fall of 2012, my Center Director asked if I would speak in front of a few of pastors' wives at a luncheon we were having to inform others about our Center. "Really? Me? U-U. No way! No how!" is what I wanted to say, but I didn't. I just said, "Um. Okay. But I can't promise it will be anything good." She told me not to prepare anything, but that it would be a casual lunch with a few women. 

Apparently, what she meant was, "Don't prepare anything if you are used to talking in front of other people," because I was a bundle of nerves the morning of, with absolutely no clue what I wanted to say. 

I walked in the doors, nervous. I had only been at the Center a couple of months and didn't know exactly what to do or how to help. They told me to just sit down and relax, so I did. I met a nice lady who talked to me and assuaged my fears a bit. (At the time I had no clue that she was a member of our board, or more importantly, and angel sent by God.) 

I stood up when my time came, and I shook the entire time as I stumbled through the words trying to find what to say. Here is what my testimony sounded like, "My name is Brittany. I had an abortion, um, uh, back in 2009. I had lots of problems afterward. And I decided to um, find help. Which helped me find this Center. I decided to volunteer. And we did a Bible study recovery, and it really helped." Yah. Eloquent, right? I sounded like a Kindergartener. The lady I partner with for our Recovery Group stood with me and then spoke as soon as I finished. She had her little note cards and she spoke so clearly and with passion about the Recovery Group we were starting.

Afterward, I found my way back to my seat, heart still pumping, mind racing..."How stupid I must have just sounded? Revealing so emotionlessly and plainly that I had aborted my second child?" My new friend smiled and thanked me for my bravery. She told me that I spoke well and that she wanted me to come share at her church. 

What she saw in me, I do not know to this day, what it could have been. The woman who spoke beside me was so much more...prepared for this sort of thing, clearly. But I accepted her request. How could I tell her no? And in January 2013, I shared my story for one of the first times in front of a large crowd of people. From then on, I knew my Purpose.

I KNEW that God had just then turned something as ugly as abortion into something Beautiful, something that could potentially save lives or help others to heal. 

I believe in Guardian Angels now, because mine appeared to me just 12 short months ago and revealed to me what I was called to do, something in my wildest dreams would have never thought God would ask me to dedicate my life to. 

But I realized that TOO MANY women made that choice oh so many years ago and have been silenced. TOO MANY young people are being lied to about what abortion really is. We need to speak up. We need to speak out. We need to Remember our Children and what a difference their short lives made and are still making. So I said, "Yes," to God. And I haven't looked back since. 

I recently saw the woman I met that day, at the annual banquet for the Center. I feel so close to her, and I have only seen her 5 times. I feel like I have known her forever. She is so supportive and loving. Always telling me that she has more places for me to share and that she wants to go with me, sit by my side, and support me all the way. A woman that she barely knows, never met before Fall of last year. She so quickly took me under her wing and so willingly supported me, encouraged me, and loved me despite my past. Wouldn't it be amazing if we were all like that?