More Than Just A Concert

Hi, I’m Bethany!

And I want to tell you about something God has put on my heart.

Last summer, I turned 21, and from the beginning of the year I knew I wanted to do something different with my 21^st birthday – something for God.

Something that would impact His Kingdom.

So I started praying about what He might have me do…whether that be missions, or some kind of ministry or giving. He put the pro-life cause on my heart, and called me to be a voice for the voiceless – saving the lives of precious little people not yet born.

He led me to Save the Storks, an organization whose heart really reflected my own- what the Lord had put on my heart: to reach abortion minded mothers with the truth. The truth about the precious life they carry.

They accomplish this by building Stork buses.

A Stork bus is a mobile ultrasound unit which can be parked outside an abortion clinic. They give free ultrasounds to women considering abortion, letting them hear the baby’s heartbeat and sharing the truth about the precious little life growing in their womb, as well as sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

But I'll let them tell you more about it in this video clip:

Statistics have shown that 3 out of every 5 women who board one of these buses decide to keep their baby!

MY DREAM is to raise the money to fully fund a Stork bus for a city!

Wednesday, November 5th, there will be a concert at Calvary Temple Church in Fredericktown, MO,

and it's going to be sponsored by Save the Storks!

Performing are Christian contemporary artists 1 Girl Nation

and OBB - the Oswald Brothers Band

These bands are awesome - you've probably heard them on Christian radio.

But it's not really about the bands - and it's way more than a concert.

It's about Save the Storks, and it's about standing for the lives of the unborn.

So even if you don't want to stay for the whole concert, or if you do –

it would mean the world to me if you would come and consider saving a Stork.

What does it mean to save a Stork?

They've divided the cost of a Bus by the number of moms and children who could be saved in one year, and have calculated that it costs about $30/month for a year, or a one-time gift of $350 to Save a Stork - saving the precious life of an unborn child, but also saving the mother from the grief and heartache of abortion. They are also passionate about sharing the gospel with these women,

So really, it's the opportunity to not only save the life of the baby, but to change that mommy's life for eternity by sharing with her the hope of Jesus Christ! Amen?

Here's the big thing, for this concert, and for my dream -

If I can get just 350 people, the night of the concert or before, To pledge to save a stork - whether the $30/month or $350 once -

That's a BUS!!

That's why I need you to come to this concert - tell your youth pastor about it, and bring your whole youth group!

 

Here's all the info ^

 Hope to see you there!

THANK YOU <3

MAY THE WILBERFORCE BE WITH YOU

The While We're Young Tour

HUGE news for Birthdays for Babies!

I'm hosting the While We're Young Tour, featuring 1 Girl Nation and OBB (Oswald Brothers Band)
at my church...
AND it's sponsored by SAVE the STORKS!!! :) :)
 
November 5th, 2014
Calvary Temple Church
1725 E Hwy 72
Fredericktown, MO

WHY you need to be there (and invite your youth group!):

       Yes, it's going to be an incredible night of worship and awesome music from 1 Girl Nation and OBB (Click the names to find out more!)
But more than that,
all the proceeds go to saving lives through the incredible ministry of Save the Storks!

www.savethestorks.com

AND

if [350] of you pledge to save a stork ,

in the name of Birthdays for Babies, the night of the concert or before,

   YOU could be part of helping me reach my dream goal
of getting a Stork bus rolling!

GET TICKETS: http://www.itickets.com/events/334657/Fredericktown_MO/While_We%27re_Young_Tour.html

FOLLOW ME! :) :)
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BirthdaysforBabies
Instagram: @birthdaysforbabies
 
(thank you thank you thank you)

Hope to see you there!



MAY THE WILBERFORCE BE WITH YOU

My 22nd Birthday Give - Away

"I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22..."

Yes, I'm turning 22 - next week, actually.

And this is what I want for my birthday - 

To give birthdays away

To those precious little ones whose actual, literal birth-day

is in jeopardy...

Because their mother is considering abortion.

How am I going to do this?

There's a really awesome organization called Save the Storks,

and this is what they do:

With these buses, pregnancy resource centers are able to go straight to the heart of the issue of abortion, by reaching out to abortion-minded mothers with a message of hope - that they have a group of people who will support them in their pregnancy , and that there are other options besides abortion. Most of all, they are reaching these women with the ultimate hope - the hope of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is why I'm so passionate about Save the Storks -
The pro-life battle is changing every day. This year, more and more abortion clinics have closed their doors - praise the Lord!

But check this out:http://www.numberofabortions.com/

This link shows a page that counts the abortions being done worldwide today.
Watch those clocks.
They are updated to the latest statistics.
It's not really slowing down.

Last year, when I started this campaign, I was struck with this truth.

It's the mothers.

 They are the ones we need to reach the most with the truth about abortion.

And it would not matter if there was an abortion clinic on every street corner,
If you are reaching out to her with the truth - that what she carries is no clump of cells, but a precious human life, perfectly formed.
If we are showing her love and compassion, and support for her pregnancy.
If we are sharing with her the hope of the gospel!

So please - join me in this fight by donating to my campaign for Save the Storks!
Every dollar you give goes to saving these precious, innocent lives!

My dream goal is to raise $100,000, or enough to buy a Stork Bus for a city!
I know that sounds like a lot of money, and it is - but all I would need is

1,000 people to donate $100.

Or 5,000 people to donate $20.

Or 10,000 people to donate $10.

And actually, less than that - because I've already donated almost $1000!

There's almost 1,000 people that go to my church alone! And with God all things are possible. :)

You can donate directly online at the Save the Storks page: https://savethestorks.com/donateform/
*PLEASE* write "Birthdays for Babies" in the comment section, so I can track how much I've raised!

Or you can contact me through the Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/BirthdaysforBabies

We're also on Instagram: @birthdaysforbabies

Thank you thank you thank you! :) 

Your donations would mean the world to me - really the best birthday present I could ask for!

Let's save some storks! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the moms out there who chose life: I want to say thank you. I am convinced that you have the hardest job in the world. I want you to know that you are changing the world. I think this song says it all :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkjGYaIYXPg *

To all the moms out there who gave up their child(ren) for adoption: I want to tell you that you are so brave. I know the choice you made did not come easily. Thank you for giving your child life. You could not have given a better gift.

To all the moms out there who didn't choose life or are victims of coerced abortion: I want you to know that you are still loved, valuable, and precious. There are people who want to help you and want to see you live the fullest life. Please don't suffer in silence anymore. Today could be the day the healing starts.

To all the moms out there who are considering abortion: I want you to know that you don't have to face this alone. You and your baby are so loved. Even though your baby is not born yet, you are already a mom. There is a beating heart- a life- inside you. I have heard of many women who regret their abortions, but I have yet to hear of one who regrets giving her child life. I'm not saying that the choice for life is an easy one- but I believe with all of my heart that it is the right one.


Moms, we love you and can never thank you enough for all you do!! ♥

Happy Mother's Day,

Ashlyn



*Buy One Heartbeat At a Time on iTunes

What Women Need

This past week, the president of Planned Parenthood stated that what women need for Valentine's Day is abortion.

Needless to say, I disagree.

What women need?

Hope. Help. Healing. Compassion. Grace. Truth. Love.

Be a voice. Be a light. Let's give women what they really need.

Dear Planned Parenthood:

Dear Planned Parenthood:

I hear today is your 97th birthday.

Amidst all the shouts of celebration, do you know what I hear?

A baby's cry. A mother's tears. A lost generation weeping.

The cute little cupcake and catchy slogan you advertised today doesn't quite show that, does it?

You claim to care, no matter what, yet you are our nation's largest abortion provider.

Abortion does not equal care.

If abortion were health care, it wouldn't take a baby's life and stop a beating heart.

If abortion were health care, then it wouldn't result in women having physical, mental, and emotional consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. 

If you cared, you would know that the right to life is infinitely greater than the right to choose.

I've already heard the argument that abortion is not the only service you provide. Quite frankly, I don't really care. As long as you continue to provide abortion services, you are not an organization that deserves to be supported.

To Planned Parenthood volunteers, workers, doctors, nurses, directors, supporters, or those otherwise involved:

I know what I have said so far seems very harsh. You have to understand that abortion is an issue that I cannot afford to not be passionate and get angry about. Millions of lives are at stake.

However- although I believe there is a place for righteous anger, I do not believe that the solution for abortion is judgment and condemnation. I believe the solution is mercy and compassion.
Why?
Because that is what Jesus Christ showed to me.

Let me back up a little- I deserve to die. You deserve to die. Why? Because we have all made bad decisions and have chosen wrong over right. That's called sin. All of us have sinned- there's no denying that (Romans 3:23). Whether it was one lie or one impure thought or one evil deed or many, we have all sinned. That sin separates us from a holy, perfect God. And because of our sin, we deserve to be punished. That punishment is eternal separation from God when we die (Romans 6:23). That is the worst kind of death.

That's the bad news, but here's the good news!

God loves us. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. He wants us to know Him and to receive all that He offers. But how could that happen when our sin separates us from Him?

He had the perfect solution.

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. (Guess how? As a baby. And if He would have been conceived in our time under the same circumstances, I'm sure many would have encouraged his mother to get an abortion. However...I digress.) As Jesus grew up, He lived a perfect life. He never swore, never cheated, never stole. On the contrary, He healed the sick; He gave sight to the blind; He made the lame walk; He brought the dead back to life! He was absolute innocence and holiness.
Yet He died in one of the most painful ways possible- crucifixion. He was whipped with a lash made of leather and bone and glass until His back was torn to shreds. He had a crown of long, sharp thorns driven deep into His skull. He was mocked, spit upon, and stripped of His clothes. He laid on the rough, wooden cross as it scraped against his bleeding back and as they hammered a nail into each of his wrists and then through His feet. Oh, can you imagine the sound? Can you imagine the weight He felt as they stood the cross upright and drove it into the ground? He had to push against His already shredded back and force it to scrape across the splintered wood just to take a single breath. He suffered like this for six agonizing hours before He breathed His last.
He was innocent! He didn't do anything wrong! Why did He have to die, especially like that?

He didn't have to die. But He did it for you.

By dying on that cross, He took the punishment that you deserve. That I deserve.

But wait! That's not the end of the story!

After Jesus died, He was wrapped in burial cloths and placed in a tomb.  A large, heavy stone was placed in front of the opening and guards were placed at the entrance so that no one could come and steal the body.
Three days after He was placed in the tomb, some women who were followers of Jesus brought burial spices and ointments to the place that He was buried.
They were shocked to find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty!
More than that, an angel of the Lord was there and spoke to them. He said, "Do not be afraid! He is risen, just as He said He would!" (Matthew 28)
Jesus didn't stay dead...He's alive! He overcame sin and death once and for all!

Now we can know God; we can have a relationship with Him! Now we can live. By entering into a relationship with God, we receive forgiveness for our sins and will spend eternity with Him in heaven.

How can you have a relationship with God? (And let me assure you that you can. There is nothing that is too great for Him to forgive!)

First, admit that you are a sinner who needs saving. Confess to God that you realize you cannot save yourself and need Him to forgive your sin so you can know Him.
Believe that Jesus died on the cross in your place for your sin and took the punishment that you deserve.
(1 John 1:9; John 3:16; Romans 10:9,10)

There are no magic words, no perfect prayer. A sincere prayer from the heart, even if stuttered, is what God wants- not some printed-out prayer that you race through as a "get-to-heaven-free card." That's not how salvation works. It's a free gift- we can't earn it. We won't ever be able to pay Him back for all that He's done.



Planned Parenthood, you say you support the right to choose.

Folks, God did give you a right to choose, but it's not the kind that you're thinking of.
He gave you the right to choose to live life with or without Him.
Oh, I hope you choose life with Him!
I hope this all makes sense to you!
I want you to know Him and to live.
I also want you to encourage others to choose life- both physical life for their babies and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

As an organization, I must admit that I will be thrilled if you don't make it to your 98th birthday.
As individuals, I hope you find and accept the life Jesus has to offer you.
Jesus, please open their eyes.

Sincerely,

Ashlyn

They Are Waiting

Throughout today and this week I have heard one word consistently repeated, and with a great heaviness:

Obamacare.

Socialized, federally operated medicine.
And with it, above all interests political and personal, one resounding horror has been growing and weighing on my heart and mind.
That my tax dollars will be going to fund the one thing I hate most and have sworn my life to seeing ended:
The merciless murder of innocent lives that is abortion.

This thing God has burdened my heart with.
This purpose has He set my life apart for.

And my heart was beginning to despair...
Shame on me!
I had forgotten- I let my eyes wander to the waves of wickedness around me and taken them off of Christ. I was beginning to sink, when He breathed the sweetest hope back into my soul.

He told me, reminded me-
That the Lord in Heaven laughs at the works of evil men. He sees their end, and He has the victory!
And through Christ this victory is mine!!

Oh, fellow fighters of this good fight! Fellow soldiers in this battle for the lives of the unborn! Hear this beautiful truth:
Abortion may be legal.
You may be forced to pay for it.
But if those girls are being told the TRUTH, and shown the Love of God for them and the precious life that grows inside them,
It. Won't. Matter.
If they KNOW that they carry a BABY, not a clump of cells and tissue,
If they SEE that they are loved, and their baby is loved,
That they have worth and PRICELESS VALUE in Our Heavenly Father's eyes,
And that their baby will be loved and cared for, one way or another, through motherhood or adoption,
That above all CHRIST JESUS loves them and gave Himself for them, dying on a cross to redeem them from their sins,
Many of them WILL CHOOSE LIFE for their baby!!

I have to tell you about a dream I had the other night.
I dream quite a lot, and usually pretty vividly, but this one was unlike the dreams I usually have, and I know it was from God.
I dreamed my whole life.
I could see things past, things going on presently, and some things in the future.
I saw me working for my family business, and going to a new church and making friends- all of which are things I am doing right now.
I saw me talking to old friends, and I had to let go...say goodbye, to some people. And it was hard, but the Lord was standing behind me as I did, and I felt that He had His hand on my shoulder, turning me away from those things or people I was saying goodbye to, and turning me towards a new life, and new people.
And suddenly I was standing in a brightly colored room, looking down into a baby crib.
There in the crib a baby girl was laying. She was beautiful- with large, bright eyes and dark hair, and was wearing a pink dress, with soft pink boots and a pink bow in her hair. She couldn't have been more than a couple months old, if that. Certainly nowhere near old enough to talk! But she turned and looked at me, stretched out her tiny hand and said, "Don't forget us."

My heart broke.
I had become so wrapped up in how busy my life was, that while I had not forgotten this campaign, I will confess to you that it had been pushed to my back burner somewhat lately. And while I've been feeling quite convicted about it, I still kept pushing it off and procrastinating...
And there, in that dream, God snapped my heart back to attention. And intention.
I had not stopped working, but I had ceased to be intentional.
I had not stopped praying, but I had lost the fervor and burning passion that made me start this thing in the first place.
And I need to confess that publicly.
And apologize. To the Lord, first and foremost, and then to those precious little ones who are waiting for me!
They have no voices, but I hear them.
I hear them and my heart feels their searing pain...as their lives are severed from them, and their mothers look at me with their broken, hurting souls .
Waiting for me.
To speak for them and to them.
To pray for their salvation- from death, and from an eternity without Christ!
To fight that they might know the truth and be spared!

Some of them are waiting for you.