She called me on a Thursday afternoon in July. Her anxious voice told me she had a problem. "MY BOYFRIEND’S CONDOM TORE LAST NIGHT," she stated. "IS IT POSSIBLE THAT I COULD BE PREGNANT?" She explained the details to me of her menstrual cycle. "THE CHANCES ARE THAT YOU’RE NOT," I told her. "BUT I’D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU IF YOU’D LET ME," I said, praying to myself and feeling my way along. "I’D LIKE TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE MOTHERLY ADVICE ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE DOING. IT’S JUST ME AND YOU AND NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW WHO YOU ARE. DO YOU MIND TALKING ABOUT IT?" "NO," she answered.

"DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?" I began. "I DON’T THINK SO," she answered "WELL, WHETHER OR NOT YOU BELIEVE, HE IS STILL THERE AND HAS LAID DOWN CERTAIN RULES FOR US TO FOLLOW - FOR OUR OWN GOOD, JUST LIKE TRAFFIC RULES. WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WERE NO STOP AND GO SIGNS? THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF PEOPLE BEING SLAUGHTERED ON THE ROADS, DON’T YOU AGREE?" She said she did. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY? EVERY YEAR ONE AND A HALF MILLION BABIES DIE - ALL BECAUSE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE NOT OBEYING GOD’S TRAFFIC RULES!" She was surprised at the number. "WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS VERY RISKY. IT COULD MEAN TRAGEDY DOWN THE ROAD - MAYBE NEXT MONTH, MAYBE IN A FEW MONTHS. YOU’RE PLAYING ‘RUSSIAN ROULETTE’ WITH YOUR LIFE. IF YOU GET PREGNANT, YOU’VE GOT ONLY TWO CHOICES; NEITHER ONE OF THEM IS EAST. YOU CAN KILL YOUR BABY AND REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, OR YOU CAN HAVE THE BABY WHEN YOU’RE NOT READY TO BECOME A MOTHER. WHAT ABOUT YOUR MOTHER?" I asked. "WOULD SHE APPROVE OF WHAT YOU’RE DOING?" "SHE’D KICK ME OUT OF THE HOUSE IF SHE FOUND OUT ABOUT IT," she said. Then she told me her mother didn’t talk about it, taking the attitude that what she didn’t know she didn’t have to worry about

"DO YOU KNOW THAT I THINK GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING?" I asked. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THE ODDS ARE OF DIALING THIS NUMBER AND FINDING SOMEONE LIKE ME TO TALK TO? MAYBE HE’S TRYING TO TELL YOU TO STOP." "YOU’RE RIGHT," she said. "YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE EVER DONE THIS. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?" "WELL, THE FIRST THING YOU SHOULD DO IS START PRAYING. ONLY GOD CAN HELP YOU STOP. EVEN THOUGH YOU SAY YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD, I KNOW YOU REALLY DO. (She didn’t deny it.) "TELL YOUR BOYFRIEND THE TRUTH. TALK TO HIM ABOUT HOW DANGEROUS IT IS TO KEEP HAVING SEX WHEN YOU’RE NOT MARRIED." I told her if her boyfriend wasn’t willing to try to stop, it would be a good test as to whether or not he really loved her. "OH, I KNOW HE LOVES ME," she said. "LAST NIGHT WHEN IT HAPPENED I STARTED TO CRY, AND HE CRIED TOO. I KNOW HE LOVES ME." "YOU MAY BE RIGHT," I said, "IF HE CRIED BECAUSE HE CARES ABOUT YOU."

We talked about putting a high price tag on herself instead of a low one, about boys wanting to marry girls who respect themselves. Finally, at the end of our conversation, with a sincere voice, she thanked me for taking the time to talk to her. I told her I would pray for her that night.

"I JUST WANTED TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT THE LITERATURE ON MY CAR. I GO TO SKYLINE COLLEGE." "YOU CAN TALK TO ME," I replied. "I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I WOULD NEVER HAVE AN ABORTION, BUT YOU INVADED MY PRIVACY. I WAS FORCED TO LOOK AT THOSE TERRIBLE PICTURES." ‘THOSE PICTURES ARE SAVING LIVES," I answered. "ONE LOOK AND YOU’LL REMEMBER THEM FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. SUPPOSE YOU WERE PREGNANT AND YOUR BOYFRIEND TOLD YOU HE WOULD LEAVE YOU IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE AN ABORTION. THIS HAPPENS EVERYDAY TO MANY GIRLS. YOU HAVE TO FACE THE TRUTH ABOUT ABORTION, AND THERE IS NO BETTER WAY OF TELLING YOU. RIGHT NOW PEOPLE ARE HORRIFIED BECAUSE THEY ARE ABOUT TO RELEASE A MUTILATOR WHO CUT OFF A YOUNG GIRL’S ARMS. DON’T YOU REALIZE THIS IS HAPPENING EVERYDAY IN OUR ABORTION CLINICS? LITTLE BABIES’ ARMS ARE BEING TORN OFF BY THE ABORTIONISTS - 4,000 DIE EVERYDAY, AND YET WE DON’T TALK ABOUT IT. . . IF YOU WERE IN NAZI GERMANY AND SAW PICTURES OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE JEWS AT THE DEATH CAMPS MANY YEARS AGO, WOULD YOU HAVE CONSIDERED IT AN INVASION OF YOUR PRIVACY?" "I DON’T SUPPOSE I WOULD," she said quietly. "WELL, IT’S BECAUSE WE’VE HAD YEARS TO THINK ABOUT IT. BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY. LITTLE BABIES ARE KILLED AND THEIR BODIES INCINERATED. ISN’T IT TIME YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STOP THIS?" ‘WELL," she answered. "I CAN SEE YOUR POINT. I GUESS YOU’RE RIGHT,’ she said as she thanked me for talking to her.

She called after we had distributed literature at San Lorenzo High School, a grandmother calling for her grandson. "HOW CAN YOU EXPOSE THESE INNOCENT CHILDREN TO THESE TERRIBLE PICTURES?" she asked with an angry tone. I began to explain to her that girls are having abortions beginning with age 12 in some cases and that the children needed the information because they are not getting it in school or anywhere else. She didn’t seem to be listening as she went on to explain how all the programs on TV show what a mistake it is for a girl to keep her baby and end up on Welfare. I told her she was no doubt watching PLANNED PARENTHOOD propaganda and that from my own personal experience of more than 15 years of talking to girls and women on a hot line that in a good many of the cases I have seen the situation work out, particularly if there is help from the girls’ parents or grandparents. "IS IT BETTER TO PUT THE CHILD ON WELFARE OR KILL IT?" I asked. She couldn’t answer the question.

When she told me she went to church and read the Bible, I told her that there had to be something wrong with her thinking. "YOU CAN’T SAY YOU BELIEVE IN GOD IN ONE BREATH AND THEN TELL ME YOU BELIEVE IN DISOBEYING GOD’S LAW. GOD SAYS, ‘THOU SHALT NOT KILL’". I told her that not only do the children need our message on abortion, but they also need our message about God and moral purity. "WE TALK TO THE KIDS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST. YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED IF YOU SAW HOW LITTLE THEY KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING PERTAINING TO MORAL VALUES." Feeling certain that this caller was a black woman, I told her that although more black people are against abortion than white people, it is a strange thing that twice as many blacks are having abortions. "OUT OF FIVE BLACK WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT, TWO OF THEM HAVE ABORTIONS. THE RATIO IS ONE OUT OF FIVE FOR WHITE WOMEN. "THIS MEANS THAT POOR BLACK GIRLS ARE BEING EXPLOITED," I told her.

After about fifteen minutes of debating, she finally said to me, "WELL, I’LL HAVE TO ADMIT THAT YOU’VE CHANGED MY MIND. I KNOW NOW THAT YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT DISTRIBUTING LITERATURE AT THE SCHOOLS." She then told me the story about a woman in her neighborhood with a bad reputation. (She allowed her 12-year-old daughter to have all-night parties with both sexes and no parental supervision.) "ONE DAY," she said, "ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS’ DAUGHTERS HAD BEEN INIVTED TO A PARTY AT THIS WOMAN’S HOUSE. THE GIRL’S MOTHER BEGAN TO FEEL UNEASY ABOUT THE SITUATION AND DECIDED TO CHECK UP ON HER DAUGHTER. HER DAUGHTER HAD LEFT HER HOUSE AT 8:00 PM, AND AROUND 9:00 PM SHE WENT OVER TO THE HOUSE WHERE THE PARTY WAS GOING ON. THE KIDS (ABOUT 12 OR 13 YEARS OLD) WERE IN A BASEMENT RUMPUS ROOM WITH THE LIGHTS LOW, ALREADY DRINKING HEAVILY AND HALF OF THEM WERE IN THE STATE OF UNDRESSING. SHE WALKED UPSTAIRS AND FOUND HER DAUGHTER WITH SEVERAL OTHER KIDS WATCHING TV. THEY DIDN’T WANT TO BE A PART OF WHAT WAS GOING ON DOWNSTAIRS. WHEN THE WOMAN CONFRONTED THE MOTHER THE NEXT DAY, SHE DENIED BEING AWAY ALL NIGHT AND SAID SHE HAD LEFT FOR ONLY A FEW MINUTES." "AND YOU TOLD ME THESE KIDS WERE TOO YOUNG FOR OUR MATERIAL?" I chided her. Our conversation ended on friendly terms with the suggestion that she give our material to her 18-year-old granddaughter. She said she would.

Sylvia called from Daly City from a card that had been posted to the wall at her hairdresser’s. (This was the second call we had received from that same beauty shop since we had distributed literature at the Daly City schools.) Sylvia was 19 years old. She had been living with her cousin and her cousin’s husband for six years and now was pregnant by her cousin’s husband. Her cousin was also pregnant and didn’t suspect that Sylvia’s baby was her husband’s. Sylvia had "a burning desire to tell all" and called to ask advice. My response was that she should move out of the house and start a new life. If she told her secret, it would hurt too many innocent lives. I asked her whether or not she prayed. Her answer - a most unusual one - was that she did not. "DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?" I asked. "YES, BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO PRAY," she said timidly. I immediately started praying for her, verbalizing my concern for her unusual circumstances and asking the Lord Jesus to give her the help she needed. "DO YOU THINK YOU CAN PRAY NOW?" I asked her. "YES, I THINK I CAN," was her answer. She told me she had a Bible, and I suggested she start reading it everyday. "THINK OVER WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, SYLVIA, AND CALL BACK IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE. I WILL FIND YOU A PLACE TO STAY."

Two days later Sylvia called me and said that she was ready to move out. We discussed the details on where she would be moving and then she remarked, "WAIT A MINUTE - LET ME READ YOU SOMETHING." She left the phone and came back. Then she revealed that she had opened the Bible to the Book of Proverbs (opening it for the first time in her life) and this is what she read to me: "HE THAT KEEPETH HIS MOUTH KEEPETH HIS LIFE; BUT HE THAT OPENETH WIDE HIS LIPS SHALL HAVE DESTRUCTION." (Proverbs - Chap. 13, v. 3) Apparently, this message from the Word of God was all she needed to make the right decision. Both of us knew that God had spoken to her.

We had distributed literature at one of the many parking lots surrounding CAL STATE UNIVERSITY in Hayward - approximately 600 packets on a Thursday morning in early October. That night around 9:00 I received a phone call from a CAL STATE student with a strident voice and women’s lib ideas. She was obviously very upset by our literature and called to voice her complaints: "WHO WROTE THIS MATERIAL?" she asked angrily. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY WE ARE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE? - ARE YOU SPEAKING FOR GOD?" - "WHAT RIGHT DO YOUO PEOPLE HAVE TO JUDGE OTHERS?" I told her that we did not make the rules, but God did and that she should read GENESIS in the Bible to learn how we are made in God’s image. "WHAT ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS?" she asked. "DO YOU HAVE A DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY?" she asked sarcastically. "NO," I answered, "JUST FOURTEEN YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN TALKING TO PREGNANT GIRLS AND WOMEN ON THE TELEPHONE."

"WHAT IS A GIRL GOING TO DO IF SHE’S PREGNANT AND HASN’T ANY MONEY? IF YOU PEOPLE HAD YOUR WAY, SHE’D HAVE THE BABY AND END UP ABUSING IT." "LISTEN," I told her emphatically, "YOU’VE BEEN HEARING A LOT OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD PROPAGANDA. STUDIES PROVE THAT THE MAIN REASON WHY PEOPLE ABUSE THEIR CHILDREN IS BECAUSE THEY THEMSELVES HAVE BEEN ABUSED AS CHILDREN. ALSO, SOME PEOPLE JUST HAVE A BAD TEMPER. JUST BECAUSE YOU BRING A CHILD INTO THE WORLD AS A SINGLE PARENT DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE IT OUT ON THE CHILD AND BEAT HIM. WOULD YOU BEAT YOUR CHILD?" I ASKED. "I DON’T KNOW," she answered.

"GOD GIVES WOMEN SPECIAL LOVE FOR THEIR NEWBORN BABIES - SO STRONG AND WONDERFUL THAT THEY JUST WANT TO NURTURE AND PROTECT." I told her about my own experience having my first baby - the overwhelming feelings of love and protection that came over me the minute she was born. I told her it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. "NOT ONLY THAT, BUT MOST MOTHERS HELP THEIR PREGNANT DAUGHTERS. THEY MIGHT BE UPSET AT FIRST, BUT THEY STILL WANT TO HELP THEIR DAUGHTERS."

There followed at least an hour of questions and answers about AIDS, premarital sex, abortion, etc. Her voice was gradually calming down. She spoke about our comment that those who don’t believe in God are headed for Hell. "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?" she asked with a tinge of sarcasm. "JESUS IS VERY EMPHATIC ON THIS SUBJECT," I told her. ‘NARROW IS THE WAY THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE, AND FEW THERE ARE WHO FIND IT; BROAD IS THE WAY THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTIOIN AND MANY THERE ARE THAT WALK THEREON.’ JESUS ALSO SAID, ‘YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.’ MANY PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY CALL GOOD EVIL AND EVIL GOOD - ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS WHO HAVE PREMARITAL SEX AND SAY THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, ALL THOSE WOMEN WHO ARE HAVING ABORTIONS, AND ALL THOSE PEOPLE LIVING TOGETHER." I told her that I had read in the Bible that same morning what ISAIAH had said: "WOE UNTO THEM THAT CALL EVIL GOOD, AND GOOD EVIL; THAT PUT DARKNESS FOR LIGHT AND LIGHT FOR DARKNESS; THAT PUT BITTER FOR SWEET, AND SWEET FOR BITTER (ISAIAH 6, v. 20).

Then she told me about her father who had died. He was an atheist all of his life she said. "IF MY FATHER NEVER RECEIVED THE MESSAGE OF JESUS CHRIST, WAS IT HIS FAULT?" she asked. "GOD IS JUST," I told her. "HE IS NOT GOING TO SEND SOMEONE TO HELL IF HE DOESN’T DESERVE IT. THERE ARE REALLY NO ATHEISTS, YOU KNOW," I told her. "ATHEISM IS JUST A FORM OF REBELLION AGAINST GOD. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT MAN HAS NO EXCUSE NOT TO BELIEVE IN GOD BECAUSE ALL NATURE SPEAKS OF HIM." She told me that she believed in God, that she went to church "once in a while." I told her the story of our experience at U. C. BERKELEY where there was so much hatred directed toward us by the anti-life forces - how four of us were given beautiful roses and then on the way home we had received a picture of a bouquet of roses with the words, "A GIFT OF ROSES." How the odds of this experience occurring were almost beyond the realm of chance.

I told her about the girl in Daly City who was pregnant by her cousin’s husband and how God had spoken to her through the Bible. I told her that I was born again in 1974 and that I was completely changed since Jesus had entered into my heart - where I was bored with religion, now I was delighted with everything pertaining to God. By this time my caller was just listening to me. When she did speak, her voice had softened to a little above a whisper. "RIGHT NOW YOU ARE BLINDED BY THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU WHO ARE HAVING SEX AND ABORTIONS AND ARE REBELLING AGAINST GOD AND HIS RULES. YOU NEED JESUS TO OPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL EYES LIKE HE OPENED MINE," I told her. "IF YOU REALLY WANT HIM AND WANT THE PEACE AND JOY THAT COMES INTO YOUR LIFE, YOU HAVE TO GIVE HIM YOUR WHOLE HEART." "ARE YOU EVER DEPRESSED?" she asked "NOT REALLY," I answered. "WHEN I HAVE A PROBLEM THAT’S TOO BIG TO HANDLE, I JUST SAY, ‘JESUS, YOU’VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF THIS, AND I GO TO SLEEP. IF YOU ASK JESUS TO COME INTO YOUR LIFE, WITHOUT RES ERVING A LITTLE SIN ON THE SIDE, HE WILL COME IN," I said. "HE WANTS YOUR WHOLE HEART!" I said emphatically.

At the end of our lengthy conversation-about an hour and a half-I said, "MY NAME IS MARIAN - WHAT’S YOUR NAME?" "MY NAME IS MARY." She answered. "HI MARIAN!" "HI MARY!" I responded.

Mary was obviously moved. She told me she intended to start reading the Bible. It was a beautiful feeling to introduce Jesus Christ into another person’s life and to see His power working! (About two weeks later Mary called us asking for a pro life speaker for one of her classes at CAL STATE in Hayward.)

"MARIAN, WE’RE GOING TO GET CALLS FROM THIS DISTRIBUTION FOR SURE," Paulette Labrie said to me as we drove off from the parking lot of WEST VALLEY COLLEGE where we had distributed about 800 packets of literature. (It is a wealthy area, and where there’s wealth, there’s pride, Paulette implied.)

On the following Saturday morning, the phone rang and a young girl’s voice began: "I’M NOT CALLING BECAUSE I NEED HELP. I’M JUST UPSET OVER THE PICTURES - THE LITERATURE THAT YOU PEOPLE PUT UNDER THE WINDSHIELD WIPER OF MY CAR. I PAY AN ANNUAL FEE FOR MY PARKING PLACE, AND I DON’T SEE WHY I HAVE TO BE HARASSED IN ANY WAY." After she talked and complained for about a minute, I stopped her and said, "WOULD YOU ANSWER A QUESTION FOR ME?" "YES," she said. "WHY IS IT THAT YOU ARE MORE UPSET OVER PICTURES OF ABORTIONS THAN THE ACT OF ABORTION ITSELF? YOU KNOW WHEN YOU CALLED, I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE CALLING TO HELP US INSTEAD OF TO COMPLAIN." She didn’t give me a definite answer as she went on to say: "WHAT IS THIS ABOUT FORNICATION BEING A SIN? WHAT RIGHT TO YOU PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY THAT?" "SO THAT’S WHAT’S BOTHERING YOU," I said. "DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?" She said she did. "WELL, THAT’S FROM THE BIBLE. DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS CALLED US FROM WEST VALLEY COLLEGE? I THINK GOD IS KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR BY BOTHERING YOUR CONSCIENCE." She ignored what I said and continued, "AND THE PILL BEING AN ABORTIFACIENT. THAT’S NOT TRUE. I’M MARRIED TO A DOCTOR AND HE SAYS IT ISN’T TRUE." "WELL," I answered, "DOCTORS DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING. IN FACT, THIS INFORMATION IS KEPT PRETTY WELL HIDDEN FROM THE PUBLIC BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD WANT THIS TO CONTINUE - BUT I’D BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU DOCUMENTATION ON THIS." "NO, THANK YOU," she answered. She went on to talk about the material in our literature being just a "social issue." "YES, IT IS," I said. "BUT MORE IMPORTANT,IT IS A RELIGIOUS ISSUE. I CAN SEE WHY YOU BELIEVE THE WAY YOU DO. YOU HAVE BEEN BRAINWASHED SO LONG BY THE SCHOOLS, BY THE MEDIA, BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD. DO YOU HAVE ANY CHILDREN?" I asked her. "NO, I DON’T," she answered. "WELL," I said, "YOU SHOULD BE HAVING CHILDREN. THERE IS NO REASON WHY YOU CAN’T DELAY YOUR EDUCATION AND START RAISING A FAMILY, IS THERE? IF YOU WANT YOUR MARRIAGE TO WORK AND YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY, HAVE A BABY AND SETTLE DOWN." This was a little too much for her so she hung up. As I mused over our conversation, I realized how much she had needed help, and I prayed that the Lord would continue to knock on her door.

It was about a half hour after arriving home, having spent the day distributing literature in the CHABOT COLLEGE area of Hayward, when the phone rang. It was a collect call from Anna. In a voice shaking with emotion, she said, "SOMEONE PUT YOUR LITERATURE ON MY CAR - I DON’T KNOW HOW IT GOT THERE. IT IS TIMELY!" she said. Anna, a 38-year-old nurse with a foreign accent, told me how she and her boyfriend had been making arrangements for an illegal abortion at a doctor’s office in Hayward. When they got back to their car, our literature was under the windshield wiper. "IT IS TIMELY," she kept repeating. "WHEN I SAW THE WORDS, ‘ABORTION IS WRONG BECAUSE GOD SAYS IT IS’, MY CONSCIENCE STARTED TO BOTHER ME. I’M NOT GOING TO HAVE THE ABORTION. I’M JUST SHAKING ALL OVER NOW," she told me.

We talked together for over an hour. I stressed the importance of prayer to Anna, telling her that Jesus would carry the burden for her (she had many serious problems). Just before we hung up, Anna told me where her car was parked. It was miles away from the area where we were distributing literature. "MAYBE ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS PUT IT ON YOUR CAR," I suggested. "NO, THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE," she said. "JUST MY BOYFRIEND AND I KNOW ABOUT IT." "THE LORD DOES WORK IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS, DOESN’T HE?" I said. She agreed.