There is Healing

Last week I posted an interview with David Kutch regarding his work with Financial Peace University and how having a financial plan can make all the difference! I said I wanted to share inspiring stories from people I know, and Dave and Melody's was just the first. This is the second.

Colette Hughes is a dear friend of mine. We've known each other for years. She and her husband John are godly, kind, and generous people, and I love them to death! Colette has owned her own business for years, and she has also volunteered at CareNet of Scranton for the past three years.

Colette told me, "For many years, I had been politically active in the pro-life movement. I think I was a little militant. I participated in protests, wrote letters to various government offices, wrote letters to the editor of local newspapers, etc."

While neither Colette nor I would say those are bad things, they may ultimately be ineffective. "Years later, during my prayers and candidly talking to God, I experienced a type of awakening. I observed that most 'pro-life' politicians may say that they are, but none has been able to make changes to overturn Roe v. Wade. I realized (and I believe God revealed it to me) that the only way to change the way society views abortion is for God to change the hearts of people themselves." And that led Colette to pray and research the subject.

What she discovered is that since abortion was legalized in 1973, nearly 60 million babies have been aborted in the United States. And that doesn't even count abortions that aren't reported. She also discovered that women who have chosen abortion often come away from the experience with Post-Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS).

"I began to think further about the guilt and sorrow such women must feel about aborting their own child. I did some research on the subject and learned that many, many women suffer from what’s known as PASS (post-abortion stress syndrome.) My heart was broken for these women, and I believed God was leading me to help them." She spoke to one of her pastors, and he directed her to CareNet, a group within the community that already has ministries in place.

Care Net of Scranton PA offers compassionate help and hope to anyone, including teenagers, to make wise choices regarding their pregnancy. Free services include: pregnancy tests, prenatal development information, education on abortion procedures and risks, abstinence counseling, parenting classes, and referrals for medical care and related community services.

Forgiven and Set Free, a post-abortion Bible study, is one area of ministry at Care Net of Scranton. Within a setting of compassion and no judgment, this Bible study helps women to receive relief from their burdens of guilt, pain, and grief which follow an abortion. Through each step of Forgiven and Set Free, women discover a restored relationship with God who offers them forgiveness, hope, and healing. We are deeply grateful to our Post-Abortion women who invite us into their lives and share their deepest distresses, allowing us to witness the resurrection power of Jesus Christ as He sets them free.

It is in this area, the Forgiven and Set Free Bible study, that Colette serves. She said, "All I knew was that I felt an unquenchable desire to help women who were suffering after an abortion. I called Care Net and spoke to their director. Her first response, 'We have been praying for someone to lead in this type of ministry—up until now, we have had no one.' So I met with the director who guided me into learning how to lead the Forgiven and Set Free program." Colette told me why this ministry, and being a part of it, is so important to her.

"It is important because I believe it is what God wants me to do at this time. I sense the sorrow, brokenness of the women who have had an abortion. Through Jesus Christ, I can offer them hope for the future. The F&SF program offers women the opportunity to grieve for their aborted child – something that they have never done. At the final stage of the study, we conduct a memorial service for the aborted child (children). I grieve with those mothers, cry with them, love them unconditionally."

CareNet of Scranton is always looking for volunteers, and if you have a desire to serve, they will train you in the area where you want to help: administration and bookkeeping, publicity, fund-raising, light housekeeping, parenting classes, or co-leading the F&FS Bible study. CareNet of Scranton recently hosted their fundraising banquet, where 200 people attended and enjoyed hearing Gianna Jensen, a survivor of an attempted abortion who has spoken before Congress and who works tirelessly to change people's hearts in this area. But if you missed the banquet, you can still support the ministry financially, with a regular pledge or a one-time gift. And of course, if you want to support the ministry, please pray!

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If you or someone you know has chosen to have an abortion, you don't need to deal with the trauma and after-affects alone. Please refer to the Post-Abortion Stress website for more information. Also, please seek out a CareNet near you if you are pregnant and need help. They have centers around the country. Their national website can direct you.

Care Net of Scranton

415 Hickory St

Scranton, PA 18505

Hours of operation: Tuesdays 10 am to 3 pm, Wednesdays 12 pm to 5 pm

Phone: (570) 207-1907