Testimonies: Amanda Young, Part 1

I met Amanda Young for the express reason that we are probably the two youngest volunteers at Life Services, my Crisis Pregnancy Center.  When I found out about Amanda's amazing story, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask if she would be willing to share her testimony on the blog.  Please enjoy this inspirational story! (two parts)

The main reasons that Christians are not pro-life, or are not involved in the pro-life movement is because they think that abortion is okay in cases or rape or incest, or they think that things such as abortion or crisis pregnancies are not happening in the church. Or better said, their church. To put it plainly, I am an example of all of these things. When I was 15, I was raped by my second cousin and became pregnant as a result. I was also regularly attending Calvary Spokane.



Whether you want to believe it or not, abortions are happening right in front of you! Abortion numbers do not change in the church, in comparison to “the rest of the world.” Which means, neither do crisis pregnancies. Certainly, neither does sexual brokenness. Remember, none of us are perfect, so don‘t shy away from those caught in sin, because you are just as twisted up as they are!


I am lucky enough, and extremely blessed, to be able to say that when I found out I was pregnant, a woman from my church told me about Life Services. When I came to Life Services, I believed I was a Christian. But, like the majority of Christians, I always thought that abortion was okay in cases of rape. To be totally honest, I had never really thought about abortion at all. I had never dealt with it, or heard anyone talk about it. I thought it wasn’t my concern, so why waste my time thinking about it? When I found out I was pregnant, everything changed. I used to think that abortion was okay in cases of rape, but now I was the girl who was pregnant as a result of a rape. I used to be able to say whatever I wanted to say about it, but now it was me in that situation. It was something I had to actually figure out for myself. Because I had never given any thought to it before, I had to start from the very beginning.


When I first came to Life Services, I was hoping to hear that my previous assumptions about abortion were right. I wanted to hear that abortion was okay in cases of rape. I also remember saying, “God will still love me… even if I do have an abortion…” I wanted to hear that it would be okay for me to have an abortion.


I thought that something as huge as a pregnancy was way too much for me to handle. I didn’t think that there was any way I would be able to get through it. I felt unbelievably scared and hopeless. But God gave me hope, and eventually the strength to continue my pregnancy and give my baby up for adoption.


My consultant at Life Services gave me hope. She could have done what was easy. She could have told me what she knew I wanted to hear. But she didn’t, and I am so thankful for her courage. She shared the absolute truth with me. She shared the Gospel with me. She showed me how God really felt about abortion, without watering it down. The truth is, that abortion is never justified. She told me the truth, and the truth hurt. It was not easy to hear, and I’m sure that it was not easy for her to say.


My consultant shared some wonderful news with me that day as well. She told me that God still loved my baby! God still had amazing plans for my baby! She was fearfully and wonderfully made by God, Himself. Nothing could be more precious.


Life Services shared with me the very light that is God. They showered me with love, just like Jesus would have. That is my favorite thing about the volunteers at Life Services. They put all judgment aside. They are truly there for the women who need them. They love the women who have never felt real love in their lifetime. They give hope to the hopeless. The work they are doing every day is unbelievably beautiful. Because of the honest truth that God revealed to me through my consultant at Life Services, my baby is alive today. She is so beautiful, and so happy. As I mentioned, I had an open adoption, and the family I selected is absolutely wonderful. We picked the name together. We decided on Elliana, which means, “An answer from God.”

Stay tuned for the rest of Amanda's story!