A Friend

So...I have this friend, and recently this friend had an AMAZING experience. I thought she may choose to share it on her own blog....but alas days have gone by and still no posting. More than likely her decision not to share is one made out of being so super duper humble, but I am going to brag on her because she deserves it!

I'll tell you a bit about her first. She loves Jesus. She loves Jesus a whole lot. So much so that just becoming friends with her and being around her has made me love Jesus more. Seriously! The way she listens, the way she doesn't judge, the way she always gently points me towards his outstretched hands when I haven't thought to do it on my own. At times previous and current when I have gotten/get distracted and busy...thinking my situation seems so BIG...she ALWAYS reminds me that He is bigger and He is waiting...for me. She has made me follow him harder, love him more, and more importantly she has made me want to be for others what she has been for me - an amazing Christ following friend. One who you know seeks God for you when you can't/ haven't thought to seek him on your own. No matter the time, no matter the situation, no matter the circumstances...I know when I've talked to her about ANYTHING....she's taking those things to him on my behalf as my friend. Seriously, what more could be better in a friend? I say friend, but at this point she is as close to adopted family as I could get. My husband loves her, I love her, and my daughter slap adores her.

Of course her strength in relationships (which we've witnessed within our family) has carried on into multiple other areas because that kind of commitment to people and to Jesus is a gift. A gift with a purpose...a purpose that she is living out every day. You see...she works in an industry where women come to see her and her place of business because they are in a situation where they need help. Sometimes they are scared, sometimes they are ashamed, sometimes they are worried, sometimes they don't know what they are but they know they need help. Her job every day revolves around helping these women. She is the director of a place called Life Choices....a non profit pregnancy center in Western PA, and her name is Chelsea.

Since she began working there - BIG things have been happening. She felt God leading them in a direction that many were scared to go but she trusted Him and after months of all the associated responsibilities - they can not only counsel girls on what to do when they see a + or a - on that pregnancy test, they can offer them medical support, they can show them that there is a life form with a beating heart that God created - growing inside of them. They can then begin the process of loving them through (regardless of the outcome) one of the most challenging times in their lives. Sometimes the women choose abortion, but now...thanks to the addition of the medical clinic they hope that far less women will make that choice and instead choose life. Whatever the women choose, when they are in that center and when they are around Chelsea there is one thing they will most certainly feel....L-O-V-E-D.  

~Change directions with me for a moment~

The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of over 285,000 Americans dedicated

to ending abortion by advancing, mobilizing and representing pro-life women in the political process.

In 2011, SBA List will leverage political gains into legislative success for the unborn through its Stop Abortion Funding Campaign. This campaign advocates for the passage of the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act, which creates a governmentwide statutory prohibition on abortion funding, and the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which ensures that organizations that perform abortions, including Planned Parenthood, do not receive

federal dollars under the Title X federal family planning assistance program.

Every Spring, the Susan B. Anthony List presents its Young Leader Awards to a group of young women who embody the pro-life legacy of Susan B. Anthony.
Susan B. Anthony was a trailblazer during her time for the rights of women and the unborn, and through these awards, the Susan B. Anthony List honors a new generation of trailblazers. Past awardees defended Life in the Halls of Congress, in pregnancy centers, and in their own schools as leaders for women and unborn children.

Chelsea was not only nominated by the board members of Life Choices to receive a Young Leader Award, she was elected as one of the recipients! It is an amazing honor and the Susan B. Anthony organization has written more about her and her fellow Young Leader Award Winners here.

So on January 20th she received the following email, not even knowing she'd been nominated by her board:

 

Congratulations on being chosen as a recipient of the 2011 Susan B. Anthony Young Leader Award.

                                                                  

The Susan B. Anthony List presents its Young Leader Awards to a group of young women who embody the pro-life legacy of Susan B. Anthony. This year, the awards will be presented at our 4^th Annual Campaign for Life Gala, which will be held on February 16, 2011 at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, D.C.

You can view the invitation here. Below are some pictures from the event. She said it was amazing and they had a wonderful time. I am so glad Chelsea because you deserve it. I couldn't be more proud of you or happy for you! Keep up the good work sister!

 Chelsea and her sister Rhylie (Rhylie is on the board and took part in nominating Chelsea).

The Rearick Family ~ Love you guys!

.