Abortion Recovery

Abortion grief is real. Help is available! We have another SaveOne abortion recovery Bible study beginning in February. Class size is limited. Please call or text Sonja at (909) 762-3878 to register.

Another SaveOne group will begin on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Call or text Sonja at (909) 762-3878 to enroll. You’ll be happy you did!

Another group is forming now. It will begin on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. SaveOne groups are welcoming, safe, and healing. Call or text Sonja at 909-762-3878 to register. You won’t regret it.

Something for all of us to remember.

I brought my wounded heart to God 28 years ago when I was part of an abortion recovery Bible study, and He embraced it. It was extremely painful to face the facts of my story. It was full of shame and contempt and self-protective strategies that led me into bad relationships, bad marriages, bad theology, bad decisions.a life headed toward complete destruction. Once I had a clearer picture of the damage I was able to make decisions that were more conscious and godly as I deal...t with myself and other people. It was a tough valley of the shadow of death journey, but God continues to be faithful every step of the way. People hurt us for selfish reasons, but God only allows pain in order to heal us. Please feel free to share this information with your Facebook friends, your church family, your Bible study group, or anyone else in your life: _______________________________________________________________________ SaveOne is a 12-week Bible study for girls and women who want to be set free from the pain and guilt caused by abortion. The next group begins on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. Class size is limited in order to promote a comfortable and secure environment. Cost for the study book is $12.00. Please call or text Sonja Bates at (909) 762-3878 for more information. ______________________________________________________________________ We don’t need to wait for politicians! We can raise an army NOW. There’s no need to wait for Rowe v. Wade to be overturned, or for the right president. SaveOne isn’t the end of the journey, it’s a beginning. Half of all abortions are repeat abortions, but women do not consider another abortion after an abortion recovery Bible study like SaveOne, and they don’t push daughters or granddaughters to abort. It breaks a generational cycle and has a wider societal impact.

What a beautiful blog! It tells a bit of my story behind the After the Abortion photography series and also includes interviews from 3 ladies I have photographed for this series. Well worth the read! https://lifeisavaporblog.com//haunted-to-healed-a-photogr/

Thankfully, we offer help for the parents who grieve the loss of their children. The San Bernardino Pregnancy and Family Resource Center will have another SaveOne abortion recovery Bible study starting on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. Please call or text Sonja at 909-762-3878. All calls and text messages are confidential.

This post contains an invitation at the bottom, but I included some preliminary observations. An actress named Michelle Williams is in the news. I didn't watch the Golden Globes Awards, but I did see a clip from her acceptance speech. I am not shocked or surprised by what she said. I made the same "choice" she did. I was 19 the first time and somewhere in my early 20's the second time. Neither baby fit into the life story I thought I was writing for myself, so I deleted them.... Ms. Williams said something similar. You might wonder how women can be so insensitive toward their own children. I think a concise answer is included in a letter written by a man named Paul many centuries ago. He told his readers to get rid of things like bitterness, rage, anger, slander, malice and sexual immorality. He stated that sin hardens our heart and makes us stupid, insensitive, self-indulgent and greedy. Ephesians 4:18-19. (Paul was a blunt guy.) I think Paul is right. I can't think of even one unrepented sin that improves me. Sin only weakens my desire and ability to love well, while increasing my self-indulgence, self-protection, self-pity, distrust, rationalization, denial, etc. Ms. Williams has rationalized her abortion, but it's a lot of work to justify the intentional death of a child. You need other people to support you in it, which the audience did when they clapped and cheered for her. I imagine that felt good. Ms. Williams and her audience deny her innocent child's right to life, but denial requires a lot of psychological energy. Receiving an enormous amount of public approval provides that energy. I haven't rationalized my abortions in many years. I used to though, and I understand the need to do so. Unfortunately, my desire to justify the first abortion put me on track for the second abortion. I didn't repent of the first abortion, and I hated myself so much for it that I punished myself with a second. Notice that the baby took the brunt of the punishment. Rationalization and displaced remorse can literally kill, whereas repentance leads to life and freedom. I previously stated that unrepented sins do not make me a better woman, which is a true statement. Happily, sins that have been repented and wiped away are an entirely different story. Romans 8:28 makes it clear that God uses everything for good, including the sin of abortion. I know that from personal experience, and from watching what can happen in a SaveOne abortion recovery Bible study. Our next group will begin on Tuesday, February 4th, at 6:00 p.m. Please call or text (909) 762-3878 for further details. I would love to answer any questions you might have. Please share this post with your friends, family, church family, pastor, neighbors...everyone. Thank you! Sonja

Public confession. I lack confidence in myself. I have another SaveOne abortion recovery group starting this coming Tuesday night. I've been leading groups like this for about 14 years, so you'd think I'd be certain of my abilities. Nope. Not so much. I still get a little edgy in the days leading up to a new class. I will never, ever sweep into the meeting room with an attitude of "I'll show you how this is done. Just watch ME!" My job is to show up as prepared as I can be, b...ut it's God who directs the healing flow of each meeting. I've learned to appreciate my lack of confidence because SaveOne isn't about me; it's about the women who bring their abortion-wounded hearts to the group. I understand how hard it is for a woman to trust a complete stranger with the story of one of her deepest wounds. How many times have you heard (or said) the words "I have trust issues"? Think about it for a moment. Abortion doesn't happen within the context of a great love story. Contrary to what you hear in the media, abortion stories are told with words like fear, betrayal, infidelity, dishonesty, self-interest, repressed grief, and sorrow. Trust issues abound and yet, women still come because our God is a God of hope. He intends everything for good for those who love Him, including the sin of past abortion. Romans 8:28 isn't a Bible verse I glibly paste on someone's wounded heart; it's a dazzling reality I've seen in my own life, and in the lives of other women. It takes a lot of courage to show up to a SaveOne class. Please pray for the incoming group as our good Father brings them to mind. If you're a woman who's been thinking about attending, please come on Tuesday, August 6. The first night is simply an orientation. You'll get to meet me and the other women and you can decide then if it's for you. Please call or text me, Sonja, at (909) 762-3878 for more information. All calls are confidential.

I’ve heard many women in our SaveOne abortion recovery study say I can’t forgive myself. Good news! You can’t. But you can accept complete forgiveness from our loving Father. Read this excellent post for more encouragement. "Many people confuse self-forgiveness with receiving God's forgiveness. Scripture never calls you to have enough faith to forgive yourself no matter how different or sorry you are now. Striving for self-forgiveness keeps you from resting fully in the su...fficiency of Christ's finished work on your behalf and asks you to exonerate yourself. It leads you to take your cues from a troubled conscience instead of from the Father of all mercies. It assumes that you have broken your own, rather than God's, holy law and are capable of freeing yourself. But you cannot absolve yourself from wrongdoing. Your conscience will continue to assault and torment you. It is only God who offers mercy; your conscience and Satan only heap accusations. Will you listen to God?" Aaron Sironi, JBC 29:2 (Healing from Post-Abortion Grief)