Dear Friends of Life,
Well now ~ this is LONG overdue! Seven months have passed since I sent you an official ministry update! It’s not like ministry opportunities haven’t happened since November. Quite the contrary. I’ve plenty to tell and I’ve been supremely busy, so I will get to the long awaited news quickly, but first, let me reflect on current events.
It seems the world is on fire and each day brings more unwanted and inexplicable events to the news cycle. My only consolation and comfort (Psalm 94:19) is that the Lord is in control – and we best prepare for imminent persecution. We won’t get out of this, folks. Prepare yourself spiritually, mentally, and physically. The only way you will escape will be to capitulate.
The three horror stories from Orlando have grieved my soul. I pray for the nightclub victims and their families, and the family of the precious 2-year old at the Disney resort, and the family of singer Christina Grimmie, who was shot down after her concert. May God’s grace and comfort envelope them all. May those who are reluctant to turn to the Lord be softened by these tragedies and may God draw them near. May righteousness and justice be rendered. May souls be saved out of this devastation.
Did you hear, amidst all the Orlando tragedies, that next time a military draft is instituted, women will have to register? Brought to you by feminism. When Phyllis Schalfly was battling the Equal Rights Amendment back in the 70s, she warned us this would happen. Most mocked her for “fear mongering” when she warned of resulting genderless bathrooms and women being forced into the draft. Regrettably, she was right.
Here in Charlotte NC, my teens and I, along with many other courageous and common-sense Christians, have fought the so-called “bathroom wars” openly and in front of government authorities and hostile enemies alike. Don’t be misled. This is not simply about bathrooms. The LGBT agenda desires to completely eradicate the binary gender model and remove all biological sex references. No more “mother” or “father”, “sister” or “brother”, “aunt” or “uncle”, “grandma” or “grandpa”. Family roles will be abolished. People won’t know if they are male or female. For many years, a local preschool here in Charlotte has refused to call the children in its care “boys” or “girls” or use the respective pronouns. In February, a local mother proudly told the Charlotte City Council that she’s raising her 5-year old son to be “non-binary”. Two lesbian women ask their pre-school aged son each morning when he wakes if he wants to be a boy or a girl – or something else – that day. A high school boy in Alaska won all-state honors in the girls’ track and field race – he was allowed to compete in it because he “identifies” as a female. He also plays on the girls’ volleyball and basketball teams. Bruce Jenner was awarded “Woman of the Year” in 2015. Chaos is imminent. God, however, has spoken clearly in His Word: “Male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27. If we don’t stand here, where will we stand? If we don’t draw the line here, where will we draw the line?
These concerns have kept me busy, as well as my firstborn’s college and scholarship applications, and her graduation from our homeschool! Congrats – and happy 18th birthday tomorrow – to my sweet Bethany, who cut her teeth on abortion signs and grew up in front of local clinics. This photo is from about 17 years ago:
This fall, she’s heading to Liberty University in Virginia to study nursing on a full-tuition scholarship. Oh…did you hear the new rule Obama handed down a few weeks ago? He declared from his throne on Pennsylvania Avenue that all hospitals must perform abortions and sex-change operations to receive federal funding. I presume this would include Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements from the feds. Her future in medicine is not off to an exemplary start. What’s that verse again? “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Thy consolations delight my soul.” Psalm 94:19. It’s taped on my computer, where I receive most of my bad news.
Now I will switch gears to GOOD news!
By God’s grace alone, this report recounts 16 showers where the Gospel was proclaimed without apology or compromise, 6 salvations, and 15 babies’ lives miraculously spared!
1) Shanetta’s baby, weighing 7lb 2oz, was born October 15. I reported on her shower, where Truth & Mercy supplemented gifts, in my previous update. Here he is:
2) Alana, whose shower and story I reported on last time, gave birth to Andres Emilio on November 10. He weighed in at 7lb 1oz and was 20″ long. Alana gave her testimony at a Baby Shower Collection event that my church, CrossWay Community Church, held to benefit Truth & Mercy. In January, she and her mother came, and brought adorable Andres, as well. Alana told of her unplanned pregnancy, her desire to attend college with the scholarship she had earned, and the miracle God wrought in her and her parents’ heart in front of the abortion clinic that day. She did a beautiful job and provided a clear visual example of the fruit of this ministry – her son! Here he is at birth, one month, and two months:
3) One of my favorite moms of all time, Mayra, gave birth to her son Daniel on December 1. He weighed 8lb 5oz and was a long 21.75″. Mayra and Daniel were showered lavishly last fall. Here are a couple of photos of Daniel at birth. I love the joy captured on Mayra’s face!
4) A week after Daniel (above) was born, little Telsa Marie was born, December 8, to Mama Shantel. Telsa weighed 7lb and since I told you about Shantel and her story last time, I’ll cut to the chase with Christmas baby photos — and further implicate myself in this report’s tardiness! I will, however, remind you that Shantel prayed to receive Christ at her baby shower last October! Glory to His name!
5) Clara was showered November 14, and her daughter, Valerie Nicole, was born January 14 weighing 7lb 5oz. Clara was met at the Latrobe abortuary by Eliana Smith, who is bi-lingual. Since Clara speaks only Spanish, Eliana’s presence that day was a miracle, and baby Valerie was saved from her appointment with death! Truth & Mercy showered her, and Eliana attended, of course, and did a superb job of translating my Gospel presentation. Here are photos of Clara, and little Valerie in a professional photo proof that was too adorable not to share!
6) Zhane was showered on January 31 and her son, Jamir, was born February 24 weighing 7lb 3oz. She was slightly injured in a car accident that day and the doctors went ahead and delivered him via C-section, since she had the surgery planned for the next day. Once again, Eliana Smith was the hero at the abortion clinic who met Zhane and intervened on behalf of her unborn baby. Zhane also got a free ultrasound onboard the mobile unit from Monroe HELP…and Jamir was saved! We had a wonderful Gospel conversation at her shower. She was refreshingly honest, and admitted she was not a Christian. She adhered to some faulty theology, so I was thankful for the opportunity to accurately portray the Gospel and clear up some things. She’s very smart and asked some great questions. Seeds were planted, so now we pray for rain! Here are photos of Zhane and smiling Jamir, plus one of her diaper cake from the shower. Thank you, Corey Travaglini, for your beautiful diaper art!
7) Leticia’s story is one of my favorites, because it’s an example of the overall reach of this ministry. Leticia just happens to be a neighbor of a mom I served seven years ago, Miriam, who turned away from abortion herself and was showered. Last fall, Leticia asked Miriam for a ride to an “appointment”. Miriam cheerfully agreed, but didn’t know where they were going until she drove up to A Preferred Women’s Health Center on Latrobe Avenue. She immediately knew where they were and what Leticia was planning to do – and she flew into action! Miriam sputtered out her own testimony and pleaded with her to speak with the pro-life sidewalk counselors and board the mobile unit to get a free ultrasound. She did all she could to persuade Leticia, who finally and reluctantly agreed. Mind you, there were prolife counselors, but no mobile ultrasound unit seven years ago when Miriam had come to abort her child, so she had no firsthand understanding of what it was or what they offered, but she interceded nonetheless. They met counselor Karen Quinn-Owen, boarded the unit, and the ultrasound revealed TWINS! This news was challenging for Leticia because twins meant double the physical and financial difficulty. She already had 2 boys. Ultimately she chose life, but a serious medical set-back threatened the babies starting at about the 18th week. The identical twin girls suffered from Twin-to-Twin-Transfusion Syndrome. One baby consistently had low amniotic fluid and much less growth because the other twin was receiving more nourishment due to an imbalance in the umbilical cords – a condition that can be fatal for both babies. Doctors monitored her and the babies very closely for the duration of the pregnancy, and miraculously she never needed the corrective surgery, and the babies gradually evened out in size. All the extra appointments and ultrasounds created enormous medical bills, so Truth & Mercy – thanks to YOU – was able to assist with her huge financial need. Here are pictures of Leticia, from her shower where she received two of everything: 2 cribs, 2 bedding sets, 2 car seats, 2 bouncy seats, 2 Bumbo seats, and on and on. It was like Noah’s Ark! In one photo, she’s holding the deluxe, toy-and-gift-laden diaper cake that Gail Walker and her team of teen girls made. In the other, she’s holding beautiful sweaters that Mary Sue Mundorf hand-made for her. Rejoice! The twins, Fernanda (5lb 8oz) and Estefany (5lb), were safely born April 6:
However, I can’t stop short with the story. At the shower, I had an opportunity to catch up with Miriam’s now 7-year old daughter, who was saved from abortion and then showered by Truth & Mercy. Gaze upon lovely Evelyn, who loves to read and just aced the first grade:
8) I met Samantha next, when her father, Doug, contacted me through the internet. I tend to be a bit reluctant when this happens, as these women are not the ministry’s “target” and it’s very easy to be taken advantage of. However, God had other plans this time. Doug called and wove a long, twisted, tragic story. His grandkids had been taken away from his daughter. Samantha’s marriage had gone off the rails and her in-laws managed to get the kids taken from her. She lost her home when her in-laws, the owners, kicked her out of the home she shared with her husband. She was in a fiery trial. If I could help her with baby things, the authorities would let her have visitation and eventually custody. (All her baby items were in the home she was kicked out of, so she needed to start over.) Truth & Mercy provided a crib, mattress, bedding set, stroller, bouncy seat, tub, 0-12 month clothing, bottles, blankets, diaper bag, toiletries, formula, toys, books, 3 cases of diapers, 1 case of wipes, and many other basic baby items for her 10-week old son Jacob and his 20-month brother Zachery. Her need was extremely urgent, and they live an hour away, so I asked if they could come to my storage unit and pick up the gifts. When I met Samantha, I met a unique woman who has left her mark on me. I’ve NEVER encountered a more thankful and appreciative soul. She is the most humble, broken young lady. She wept and wept as we talked at length outside at my storage facility on a very cold February morning. I even managed to share the Gospel with her. She begged me to thank you, my supporters, for your kindness and generosity to her. She loves her boys and her mama’s heart is shattered in a hundred pieces. She could hardly smile for this picture, through the frozen tears on her face. Also pictured is little 10-week old Jacob, from a treasured photo she had on her phone. (Update: She is back together with her husband (yay!) but her in-laws still have the children under what is called “kinship-guardianship”. Her next court date is June 27, and with her husband now on her side, we are optimistic!)
9) My next shower was for Tristan and Eric, on March 12. Cities4Life sidewalk counselor, Anna Misko, met this sweet couple at the Latrobe abortion clinic back in November when Tristan was 16 weeks pregnant. Eric, who she lives with, was very supportive of Tristan, but her mother was pushing for the abortion. Clearly, she and her mom, a drug addict, have a bad relationship. Tristan has children from an earlier marriage, and her sister handles most of their care due to Tristan’s own drug habit and transient ways several years ago. She’s cleaned up and stabilized in recent years. Thankfully, gentle Christians intervened that day, and the couple chose life after boarding the Monroe HELP Center’s mobile RV and seeing their baby on ultrasound – thanks to nurse Sherry Desloge. Anna and I drove two hours to Spartanburg to shower them. We overwhelmed their tiny apartment with baby gifts and Tristan was precious and thankful! (Thankfully, they have a storage unit to keep the items they will need in later months/years.) Eric joined us for lunch at Applebee’s and I shared the Gospel with them both. We made great headway and they were both very receptive, but when I got to where the rubber meets the road – the sexual purity message – Eric got angry. He shut me down. By God’s grace, and after several profoundly awkward moments, I managed to pick up the pieces and transition, and everything eventually ended on very friendly terms and this happy photo was snapped. I left them with Gospel books, DVDs, tracts, a Bible, and a well-researched list of quality churches near them. I rejoice that the Truth was communicated and seeds were sown. I pray that they landed on some fertile portions of their hearts – and now I pray for rain. Their son, Ashton Marcus, was born April 25 weighing 6lb 14oz and measuring 20″. Tristan has texted me many times, expressing her thankfulness, and her joy with motherhood!
10) Next, I showered “Cathy” (not her real name) on April 9. Again, very fruitful sidewalk counselor, Vicky Kaseorg, intercepted 20-year old Cathy and her mother at the mill. Like most women who come to abortion clinics to “solve their problem”, Cathy has a painful past comprised of a broken home, an alcoholic father, severe depression, and near-fatal heroin abuse. Once she met Vicky and Sherry, the ultrasound nurse, her life took a sharp turn for the better. They flooded her with the Good News and hope for the future. Her depression has dramatically lifted. She told us all at the shower that this baby boy, who is due in a few weeks on July 17, saved her life! She now has joy and hope for the future. She lives with her mom and step dad, who are now supportive. Her boyfriend is committed to her and the child, and we talked a long time at the shower (about 8 hours total!) about purity and marriage. Mostly though, we talked about the Gospel. She ate it up. She was so soft-hearted and eager to learn more. She was ripe, low hanging fruit. I’m careful not to press anyone for a “decision” at the actual shower. I never want the fact that I’m giving them thousands of dollars worth of gifts to interfere and pressure them to respond a certain way to please me. But she literally asked, “What do I do (to be saved)?” Cathy prayed to received Christ right in Chili’s restaurant. We four ladies bowed our heads and joined our hands and hearts, and cried out to the Lord of Mercy and Grace. Right there. It was glorious! We’ve been in contact since. I’ve been texting her verses and asking her what she’s learning/reading. She’s been attending church with her boyfriend and his parents, who are believers and go to a great church in the area. Be encouraged! God is weaving a tapestry of beauty! Here is Cathy between my heroes, Vicky (left) and Sherry:
11) Kristen is a highly intelligent UNCC student, majoring in history – and her birthday is tomorrow! She wants to work in a museum with artifacts. She is a loving and attentive mother to her 4-year old daughter, Tamia, whom she had at age 19 with the same father. Kristen surgically aborted her 6-week child about two years ago. When she had come to Charlotte’s busiest abortion clinic back then, she had boarded the mobile unit, heard the truth, offers of help, and message of love. She saw the ultrasound of her tiny, helpless baby, yet she still aborted. It was a horrible experience for her, both emotionally and physically, and she determined to never do it again. Yet now, she was pregnant again and wobbling, thinking that a “medical/chemical” abortion (RU-486) might be an “easier” route this time. She was just getting her stride back and was close to graduation when she became pregnant this time, and she was fairly determined to abort. However, she remembered meeting Lisa Metzger and hearing her message of life and truth. She knew who to go to for information. She and her boyfriend and their 4-year old made a couple of trips over a couple weeks to the Monroe HELP Center’s mobile unit parked in front of A Preferred Women’s Health Center; they did not (yet) have an abortion appointment. These visits were fact-finding missions. (I told you she was sharp!) On one visit, they met Sherry and another they met Vicky. Even the boyfriend, Tyrone, listened intently. They saw the heartbeat flickering on the ultrasound screen at 5 weeks. After a couple of wobbly weeks, they chose life, and Lisa tells me the offer of the Truth & Mercy baby shower and maternity clothing was the pivotal piece. Truth & Mercy showered her in April and Lisa and her teen daughter, Kaitlyn, joined us. You see, Kristen believes in a god, but is very skeptical about the legitimacy of Scripture. A liberal UNCC professor planted doubts in her mind a couple of years ago. Kaitlyn is quite an expert in the veracity of the Bible, so she joined us. When the time was right in the Gospel presentation over lunch, she was able to give Kristen her own, well-read and well-loved copy of I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. She had bookmarked key portions. Pray Kristen reads/views all the materials we left with her, including the Bible. When I brought up the purity issue, she said they planned to marry this June, but unfortunately, he has since reneged, saying he’s not ready. She is heart-broken, yet feels trapped because she depends on him financially and can’t afford to move out on her own. I’m working with her through some of this, and of course recommending she step out in faith and perhaps move home to Baltimore where she has family support. This is a cautionary tale that all young people should pay attention to. Sin lays a trap. She is extremely happy about her baby now, too, and anticipating her arrival with expectant joy. She was very thankful for all the gifts. You Truth & Mercy supporters are the BEST! Your donations equipped me to supply this lavish display of God’s love and care to Kristen, and the gifts got us in the door to present the Gospel. On July 4 Kristen is expecting her daughter, who she plans to name Kaydence Michelle. Here is Kristen:
12) This next story does not involve a new baby or a shower. Instead, it’s a story detailing the full-circle approach to prolife ministry. On April 30, I was privileged to attend the wedding of Wendy, a woman I first showered about 5 or 6 years ago. Another sidewalk counselor, Katherine Hearn, had met her in front the abortion clinic. She went through with the abortion, but always remembered Katherine’s love and her kind words. She suffered greatly from the abortion (not as much as her child, of course) and when she became pregnant again, she went back to the clinic…not for an abortion, but to search for Katherine. Miraculously, she did find Katherine, who also connected her to me. I showered her lavishly and presented the Gospel, too. Her baby Gabriel was born and is now 5.
She had another baby, a girl, in the interim. Then she got pregnant again and was so distraught, she made an abortion appointment. When she arrived, she met the Cities4Life team, now equipped with the free ultrasound from Monroe HELP. Her baby was saved for the day, but she went back and forth, back and forth, and oh my, back and forth. I got involved and pleaded for life, of course, and offered her another shower. She made and broke several abortion appointments and a Christian was there each time, to intercede and remind her of God’s faithfulness.
She had that baby, a girl named Lesley, about 18 months ago and I showered her again, and shared the Gospel again, in full. Wendy has a long history of emotional pain and trauma that has left deep scars on her soul. She is a walking wounded young woman. Only God can reach those hidden places, but over the months and years, God used me and others to whittle away at a great deal of false doctrines she adhered to. We all kept loving her and pointing her over and over again to Jesus, the lover of her soul.
About a year ago, she started attending Joy Church in Matthews. This is where Tara Quinn worships, the director of the Monroe HELP Center. She got plugged in and she got radically saved! Molly Beamon, another front line warrior who also is a member of Joy Church, took Wendy under her wing and nurtured and discipled her. Meanwhile, a bi-lingual man at the church reached out to her boyfriend, Jaime and did Bible studies with him. He, too, got radically saved – and they got married on April 30. Prolife Christians provided most of the wedding essentials: her dress*, flowers, food, invitations, and photography. It was just amazing to witness and I literally wept as I reflected upon all that had unfolded over the years. What a joyful culmination! What a network of Christians, uniting in multiple facets of ministry. The Body of Christ!
Wendy and Jaime have six living children, two of whom were lavishly showered over the years by Truth & Mercy, and one of whom was dramatically saved from abortion – little Leslie shown below, at age 18 months.
*Note that the gorgeous dress she wore belongs to Kathy, a former clinic employee at A Preferred Women’s Health Clinic. Due to the love and truth expressed to her through Lisa Metzger and other prolifers, Kathy repented and removed herself from the abortion business about 18 months ago. She and her husband have come to faith in Christ as well! This is a FULL CIRCLE testimony of God’s hand at work in many lives. Prolife ministry can be trusted. It is fruitful and effective! Join in with your time, treasure, and talents!
13) Regina, who I showered two years ago, sent me a current photo of little Aubrey, who was saved from abortion. Regina could not be happier with her choice for LIFE! Aubrey looks pretty content, too!
14) I received an update from Kristi, who started life afresh in New Mexico with her father. She found a great job and she is thriving in a wholesome environment. Here she is with 7-month old Melaya:
Special need: A beautiful crib was recently donated, but it has significant damage to the finish in a few places. If anyone would be willing to re-finish it, it would be an enormous blessing. The crib is lovely and quite valuable, but I just can’t give it as a gift in its current condition. Contact me at TruthMercyLife@aol and I can send you photos so you can evaluate it. Thanks for considering this!
I’m gearing up now for summer showers for Keonna, Kimberly, Eloisa, and Makya. I have a few fall showers lined up as well. Thank you for your continued support! Your gifts are a wonderful investment in both physical lives and eternal souls.
By God’s grace alone, this report recounted 16 showers where the Gospel was proclaimed without apology or compromise, 6 salvations, and 15 babies’ lives miraculously spared!
Financial donations can be mailed to Truth & Mercy at 4803 Crownvista Drive, Charlotte NC 28269 or they can be made using PayPal here. I’m hoping to find another solution and NOT use PayPal in the future since they had nasty recourse for Charlotte after HB2 was passed.
If you have clean, gently-used baby items to donate, contact me here and we can arrange delivery/pick-up.
Also on the website, you can view an encouraging 6 minute video showing dozens and dozens of babies and mamas saved from abortion over the years. In other words, MINISTRY FRUIT! The background song is “Come and See”. I invite you to GO SEE all the fruit! Know that your gifts are worthwhile and profitable for saving, protecting, and providing for lives – and for saving souls! It doesn’t get any better or more fruitful!
I also have a Truth & Mercy Facebook page. Like it here: https://www.facebook.com/Truth-and-Mercy-Prolife-Ministries-160532650709108/?fref=ts
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 given me limited permission to share their stories 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 great glory and fame,
Sheryl Chandler
Founder & Director of Truth & Mercy Prolife Ministries