April 2017 Update

“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other [in Jesus].” Psalm 85:10

Dear Friends of Life,

I trust you are enjoying beautiful spring weather and the renewal of LIFE right before our eyes. Gone are the cold, bitter winds; they are replaced by warmth, sunshine, and new growth. Likewise, may God replace hard, stony hearts with soft hearts that respond to Him.

It’s been five long months since my last update, so I have much to report and I’ll get right to it.

1) In my last report, I told you about Seneca and her shower in Columbia, SC. Her daughter, Kori Elizabeth, was born via C-section on December 12, weighing 7lb 9oz. I’ve had a great deal of encouraging contact with Seneca. If you remember, she was laid off from her job late in her pregnancy and she also had many medical issues, including Gestational Diabetes and the need to have bi-weekly infusions of iron. Seneca stayed constant and steady throughout all her trials and God proved Himself faithful. Thanks to your generosity, Truth & Mercy was able to help her with a good measure of financial support. She started a new job last week and it seems to be a wonderful fit! She also is planning to move into her own home next month. The most beautiful part of the story is how she gives God praise and glory for sustaining her and her two young children. Here are a few pictures of little Kori, who, by the way, looks just like her mama.

 

2) Last time, I also told you about Latrenda and her shower. Her baby girl, Jer’miya, was born January 23, also by C-section. She’s our first baby of 2017. She weighed 6lb 2oz.

3) My first shower of 2017, was for Ondii, on January 7 — a day our area received SNOW, which made traveling to and from her Gastonia home a bit tricky. Vicky Kaseorg met Ondii at the Latrobe Drive abortion clinic months before. She also has a 4-year old son. Ondii is a sweet young lady who wants to do the right thing. She’s a good mother who was simply overwhelmed. That’s why it is so critical for us Christians to be in front of these killing centers, offering hope and help and truth. Vicky and I shared the Gospel with her and her mother at the shower. Her baby girl, Dream Norielle (Nori for short), was born February 20, after only a 1.5 hour labor! She weighed 6lb 14oz and is beautiful, just like her mama!

4) A few days after Ondii’s shower, I did an emergency shower for Anna, a teen mom. I had to move very quickly because she was due in less than a month when I found out about her from a friend. Thankfully, I was able to share the Gospel with her and leave her with Gospel materials in addition to all the glorious gifts. She had her son, David, on February 5. Both are doing well and she plans to go back to school in the fall.

5) On February 4, I showered Sabrina, a woman Jennifer Barrett met at the Latrobe clinic when Sabrina was 20 weeks pregnant with boy/girl twins. She was extremely abortion-determined, yet came on the mobile unit for a free ultrasound from Kelly Byrum, RN. Even after seeing her twins, Jennifer and Kelly thought she was still going to abort. She was right at the cut off gestation to legally abort at Latrobe (but we know they fudge the dates regularly, and abort older children). Sabrina left that day, but didn’t stay in good contact, so Jennifer feared the worst. Unbeknownst to Jennifer, Sabrina delivered her twins a few weeks later, at just 24 weeks. Tragically, the little girl, Ava, died at just four days old. What sorrow and grief. Little Ah’mere Christian survived. He weighed only 1lb 4oz at birth and endured three major surgeries on his heart, his lungs, and his intestines. Sabrina re-connected with Jennifer and asked for the promised shower. In January, when I met him, he weighed 8lb 8oz. Sabrina lives with her fiancée, Christopher, and their son, Christopher, Jr. Jennifer and I showered her, and took her to lunch and shared the glorious Gospel of life, including God’s message of sexual purity. The Great Commission directs us to not only share the Good News, but to teach them all God has commanded, so the sexual purity message is ALWAYS part of my presentation. Here are photos of Sabrina, and her two sons, Christopher, Jr. and Ah’mere, who was saved from abortion. Christopher, Jr. is wearing a little 24-month jean jacket that was included in the shower clothing for Ah’mere. I give clothing from 0-24 months, and very often older siblings can wear the gifts for the baby! I love it when that happens ~ double blessings!

6) On March 26, I showered Cynthia, a young woman Vicky Kaseorg met last fall. Initially, she went inside the abortion clinic and while she sat in the waiting room, she listened to the gentle Christians outside on the sound system proclaiming truth and offering hope and help. She was with her sister, Shantay, that day, and they both breathlessly burst out of the clinic crying, “It smells like death in there!” They boarded the mobile unit from the Monroe HELP Center, and Sherry Desloge, RN, gave Cynthia a free ultrasound. Cynthia chose life when she saw her little baby on the screen and her son is due any day now. Her sister, Shantay, and her friend and neighbor, Courtney, came to the shower and heard the Gospel and the Biblical purity message. Cynthia and her sister will soon have 11 children between them, all living together in a tiny apartment. Pray that all three ladies will avail themselves of the generous offer of mentorship through Love Life Charlotte. Here is Cynthia. The second photo captured a sweet moment between Vicky and Cynthia.

7) My most recent shower was for DeAndra, on April 8. Sherry Desloge, RN, met her at the Latrobe clinic on election day, November 8, offering hope and help and providing a free ultrasound on the Monroe HELP mobile unit. DeAndra is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is double majoring is biomedical technology and mechanical engineering. She is one sharp and impressive young lady. Her family is from Charlotte, so she has good, local support. She is currently looking for a job upon her upcoming May graduation, so if you have any job leads, let me know! She will be appreciative of your help! I was honored to meet her father, her grandmother, her aunt, her best friend, and her boyfriend, Brandon. Brandon seems like a responsible, hard-working young man. I really liked him. He is working his way through college in South Carolina. After the gifts were opened, DeAndra, Brandon, and her friend, came to lunch and heard the Gospel and the purity message. They were all receptive and open, especially Brandon and the friend. Here are DeAndra and Brandon at the shower. It’s always impossible to stage the gifts in a way where you can see them all and I rarely even try. This is only some, not all, of the small stuff, and it’s tightly compressed. The crib, car seat, stroller, bouncy seat, cases of diapers, etc. are not pictured here. Their daughter, to be named Riley, is due July 7.

Catch up time!

On Resurrection Sunday, I received a sweet text and photo of little Andres, who is now 17-months old. Look at him in his Easter finery! His mama, Alana, is doing well, finishing up her sophomore year at Wingate University.

A few weeks ago, I had occasion to re-connect with Carey and Jack, who is now 9-months old.

I’d like to thank several who have heroically helped the ministry in the last few months. I had to add another storage unit to hold all the baby clothing that used to be in Cindy Holleman’s care at her home. Back in January, my husband Doug, my son, Nathan, and his good friend Stephen Hutchinson, all helped build shelving and set up the clothing bins. Cindy and her husband Steven, delivered everything from their home, and we added even more bins and shelving. It was a huge job and I’m so grateful for all the folks who helped me make this transition.

Autumn Moore has generously offered to help me prepare the clothing for future showers, much like Cindy used to do. She and I worked together a few weeks ago to sort clothes for DeAndra’s shower (see above) and an upcoming shower in May. Thankfully, she has offered to continue! I’m grateful — and I’ll get a photo of her next time. If anyone else wants to help, we can lighten the load for all. I estimate it will take 2-3 hours a month. Let me know.

My daughter, Bethany, brought two Liberty University friends home for Spring Break back in March and they all helped me prepare for a couple of showers. Corissa sorted clothing, while Liam muscled his way through one messy storage unit and greatly improved the organization of big, bulky baby equipment. Trust me, it’s hard to organize used cribs, mattresses, bassinets, pack-n-plays, car seats, strollers, exersaucers, swings, bouncy seats, tubs, etc. Nothing stacks evenly – but Liam made great improvements! The helpful crew, left to right: Bethany, Liam, Corissa, and Nathan.

Currently, I’m busy preparing for two upcoming showers for Rebecca and Dania, who are both expecting girls in July.

You can see I’ve had a run on baby girls and my girl supplies are getting quite low. Girls have been outnumbering boys for about two years. If you have 0-24 month baby girl clothes, I can use them!

If you have any donations of gently used baby items, I’d love them. Contact me here and we can arrange delivery/pick up. Financial gifts are always welcome, as well. On my website here you can conveniently donate using PayPal, or you can mail your gift to Truth & Mercy at 4803 Crownvista Drive, Charlotte NC 28269.

(Please understand that donations are NOT tax deductible.)

I also have a Truth & Mercy Facebook page. I can’t go into detail or show mama’s photos on it, but you can like it and follow it here: https://www.facebook.com/Truth-and-Mercy-Prolife-Ministries-160532650709108/?fref=ts

Thank you, faithful supporters and friends! You equip me to serve and I’m so grateful. I could never do this without you.

I have upcoming showers for Dania, Rebecca, Wanda, and Kelly. Pray that the lavish, abundant baby gifts reflect God’s lavish, abundant MERCY, and that they soften the hearts of the recipients to receive God’s TRUTH.

As a reminder, please don’t share any of this content on social media sites. Relationships with these courageous mothers are hard won. They have each given me limited permission to share their stories, first names, and photos. Feel free to forward this email in its entirety to your friends, but please refrain from using social media. Thank you for understanding.

For His glory and fame,

Sheryl Chandler

Founder & Director, Truth & Mercy Prolife Ministries