Episode 209

To the jubilation of some and the horrified dismay of others, Roe is no longer the law of the land in the United States. What does that look like in our day to day lives? On this episode of the Removing Barriers podcast, we sit down with Becky Sheetz of Life First Pregnancy Center. She is on the front line of the abortion issue, reaching out to men and women in crisis pregnancy situations, providing counseling and resources of all sorts to encourage the parents to choose life, and perhaps even to choose Christ. There is so much work to be done, even in the wake of the Dobbs decision. This is a spiritual battle requiring the armor of God that Ephesians 6 tells us to put in. Becky sheds light on how things have changed and what we should be looking to in the future to keep fighting for the lives (and souls) of all involved.

[Becky Sheetz]

Anytime you’re in the Council room with a woman and she’s hopeless, share with her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she may be tearfully says yes, I want that.

[Jay]

Thank you for tuning in to the Removing Barriers podcast. I’m Jay and I’m MCG. And we’re attempting to remove barriers so we can all have a clear view of the cross.

[MCG]

This is episode 209 of the Removing Barriers Podcast. And in this episode, we will be sitting down with our guests from Episode 105. She’s a CEO of Life First pregnancy Center. Becky Sheetz, it is indeed a pleasure and welcome back to the Removing Barriers podcast.

[Becky Sheetz]

Thank you so much. It’s awesome to be here. I’m excited to share with you all today.

[MCG]

Great. Great.

[Jay]

Hi, this is Jay. MCG and I would like for you to help us remove barriers by going to removingbarriers.net and subscribing to receive all things removing barriers. If you’d like to take your efforts a bit further and help us keep the mics on, consider donating at removingbarriers.net/donate. Removing Barriers, a clear view of the cross.

Becky, we’re so glad that you’re here. Please tell us about Life First and what you do, how you do it, and how do you help women that are in crisis pregnancies.

[Becky Sheetz]

Awesome. That’s a big question. I’ll try to be succinct. Late 1st is a ministry here in the Northern Virginia area. We have two and soon to be three pregnancy medical centers here in Prince William County and we have the distinct privilege of helping to rescue children from abortion ministering to their moms and dads. We welcome them. Then we help them understand that there are options that they have for this unplanned pregnancy. We’re actively seeking to Minister to women who are the most vulnerable to choosing to terminate that pregnancy. And of course, that’s not our heart and it’s not the Lord’s heart. And we try to shelter that through love and through the technology of ultra. Down and letting her see that baby that’s on the screen, helping to introduce her to her child. Help her see the reality that this is her child and she’s got a parenting decision to make. We administer the dads as well. We have an incredible men’s ministry where he comes in. We want to have a chance to sit with him and help him understand that. Hey, he’s gonna be a dad. If she’s pregnant, some of the women are not pregnant. They’re negative pregnancy tests, and then we share the gospel of Jesus Christ with everybody who comes to our doors. And that is a distinct honor and distinct privilege that is part of that. Initial counseling session that initial lay counseling sessions. So the how we do it is through those pregnancy, medical services that are free to her because of her supporters, because of our friends who want to have you wanna see children have a chance to be born. So that is the the quick answer, I suppose to what we do and the why we do it. Is well to share Christ and to rescue babies and to minister to moms and dads.

[MCG]

And well, boast a little bit but netting yourself. But in what our Savior has. One I know I get the emails and text messages, but maybe going back to 2024 since this is 2025, how many salvation decisions have you guys seen? How many babies according to your knowledge have been saved?

[Becky Sheetz]

Sure, sure. Great question. So and we do track all of those things because statistics are important to us and we know we don’t save anybody and we don’t rescue any children. The Lord does all of this work. So we are always acknowledging him and giving him glory. But so far this year. We have seen 80 people saving get saved, make a decision for the Lord Jesus 80 people, men and women cause like I said, we share with their dads as well and so far this year that’s basically through the month of June 110 children have been born that we know of. I always have to give that caveat because.

[MCG]

Wow. Then.

[Becky Sheetz]

We don’t fully know what choice she’s going to make when she leaves here. After maybe her first ultrasound, maybe her second ultrasound. So we follow up. Our medical staff follows up. We want to make sure that she’s getting the prenatal care that she needs. If she’s choosing to have her baby, and of course we pray that she is whatever decision she tells us she’s gonna make, we follow up with her around the birth date of that baby to find out what decision did she make? Was the baby born? And then when we find out and have confirmation, then we say praise Jesus. That baby is for and there are many babies where we just don’t know. Many times, you know, we have women say. I don’t have any choice. I’m going to have to. And that’s sad, right? But then sometimes what happens is this mom comes back six months later with the newborn, with the baby to say I thought about what she told me or any number of things happen. Any number of things shifted because these are spiritual decisions. So 110 is confirmed, but low by the grace of God.

[MCG]

Amen.

[Jay]

They’re full. Now we know that Roe is overturned. Roe versus Wade was overturned in June of 2022, so exactly 3 years ago, Rose overturned. How has that changed the landscape of your ministry?

[Becky Sheetz]

Yeah, it’s a very good question and it’s it’s a thoughtful question. There’s multiple ways of looking at this, right. If you are a mom who feels like you are backed into a wall, backed into a corner, and you’re pregnant, you’ve got no support. You may have other children. You don’t know how you’re going to pay your rent, or you’re going to get kicked out. I mean, you can imagine if you talk to women. You talk to young families or young couples that have an unplanned pregnancy. It’s like everything is coming against them, so they’re not coming into our centers talking about row, right? They’re not coming into our centers wondering how they’re elected officials are going to vote. They’re coming into our centers because. I can’t do this. I need help. Maybe they don’t want to abort, but they feel like they have to abort. So on one hand I would say that that in that crisis the laws are really not on the forefront of this woman’s mind. Now, if abortion were not legal and we’re not a viable option, this would be a very different conversation with. But on the other side of that are the political ramifications, which in Virginia we have very lenient abortion laws. She can get an abortion for the second trimester and really through the 3rd trimester with the medical justification. So we really haven’t seen a change. And I think that maybe there be maybe some confusion. That folks feel like, ohh, you know, roasting overturned Dobbs decision. Everything is going to shift and it’s actually not shifting. There’s really no. Practical day-to-day change in the state of Virginia, except that we are kind of like the abortion destination of the South. We’re in Northern Virginia, so we don’t see this here, but you’ll see in the southern part of the southwest part of the state, they’re seeing a lot of women coming up from the Southern states, neighboring states, border states who cannot get a legal abortion. Where they live. So they’re seeing these women, you know, coming. Their centers, but on top of or say to maybe add complexity to all. That is the abortion pill or chemical abortion, which many of your listeners may be familiar with, may not be familiar with. That is simply like 2 medication protocol. That enables you to, I’ll say, if I may kill you, the baby and then excel the baby through medication and you can get that legally or illegally. It doesn’t matter. The point is, you can get it, you can get that anywhere. You don’t even need to be pregnant. You don’t need any confirmation of pregnancy. It’s just so demon. How those practical common sense medical protocols are not being followed. So all that to say the differences are we’re seeing the enemy. I feel like and maybe because I’m on the front lines here, I feel like I’m seeing the enemy in almost like this fervent mode. When you see these people protesting. I say I’m sorry to say these people when you see people, you’ve seen the video clips right of just people who are enraged and you see something in many of these people that is not.

[MCG]

Oh yeah.

[Becky Sheetz]

Human right. See this manifestation? My heart goes out. For now. I’m sorry for them. This is kind of the landscape in which we find ourselves doing what we do is, with this fervor of this demonic activity coming against life. But we do in our centers is just ministered to that.

[Jay]

Absolutely.

[Becky Sheetz]

One woman who’s right in front of us, that one. And Dad, who came in with her, and that’s our reality day in and day out. So we try to educate our supporters. We try to let people know things that are happening. We’re facing an abortion amendment in the state of Virginia, which is horrible and demonic and wicked and evil. And we believe we have to let our supporters know about this. But all of this. You know, it happens within the context of trying to help that one mom understand that she does not have to terminate her pregnancy. She can. And bring this child into this world. She can make an adoption plan. She can parent if she wants to parent. If that’s her decision and there are resources around her to come beside her and help her at a low cost, reduce costs, even free costs. So a lot of things are happening. All at once. But that’s that’s the world we live in, right? These are the times the Lord. Has called us too.

[MCG]

Yeah, definitely. 2 questions on that, Becky first. I think, Jen, I know that this is not the morning after pill you’re talking about another pill. Is this pill over the counter? That’s one and two go into the details of what Virginia is actually doing because a lot of folks think Virginia is actually more of a, you know, Republican, conservative state. But it’s probably not so.

[Jay]

Yeah.

[Becky Sheetz]

Sure.

Yeah. Yeah. So you’re right. This is not the morning after pill. This is the abortion pill. It terminates a pregnancy. It is a pill a woman takes after she. Believes herself to be pregnant. I say that because without a medical confirmation, you don’t know that you’re pregnant. But you were to do a search today for an abortion pill. You would be able to find any number of online pill manufacturers throughout the US throughout the world, selling Lord knows what that you could have delivered to your front door.

[MCG]

Wow.

[Becky Sheetz]

You just need someone on the other end. And to confirm that and depending on where you live, it’s not even a healthcare provider. You can imagine how human traffickers are utilizing these. I know of organizations that are buying these pills in bulk and you can only imagine what they’re doing with these pills. So the restrictions on these are just it’s kind of like it’s under the radar. It’s very well known, but it’s very, very, very unregulated the. FDA approves the abortion pill to 10 weeks. Actually, I think it might be 11 weeks now to where you’re legally able to have a prescription from a healthcare provider. Depending on the state that you live in. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a pill from some other illegal. Source. If you’re far later in your pregnancy again, there’s no confirmation of pregnancy with these telehealth appointments, so it’s a very, very nefarious industry. If anybody seen the movie unplanned, you see the. Story of her. Abortion pill experience and we had Kelly Lester is another speaker who’s kind of well known in the pregnancy center world. She spoke at our gala. Last year, and she said she’s had. I think she’s had more than one abortion. And one of those abortions she said she was so. That blood loss surpassed it’s just so traumatic, she said she had to move out of her apartment. She could not go back to that bathroom where she had that abortion. These are not unusual experiences. These are the experiences that women share. But you don’t hear about this right when you just go ahead and just take this pill because it’s safe.

[MCG]

Hmm.

[Jay]

Oh man.

[Becky Sheetz]

And there’s no complications and it’s, what do they say? Safer than Tylenol. And these are just, you know, demonic studies that are not based on. And so so yeah, that’s that’s really the face of abortion now is the pill. And then in Virginia itself, we have a constitutional amendment that will enable abortion to be legal. Unfortunately, it’s called until birthday abortion, which is. Horrible. I realize that. But up until birth can legally abort a child in Virginia up until birth. And, well, that’s what the constitutional amendment says. As you know, from the way Satan, words, things, things aren’t always worded. The way they’re actually intended, so those of us who understand what the amendment means, understand what that means. It will also strip away parental rights. So a minor can have an abortion without notification of their parents. A number of other ramifications of this amendment. So it went through the first General Assembly. So you asked me the political question, which I’m more than happy to answer.

[MCG]

Right.

[Becky Sheetz]

Virginia’s purple, which means we’re not Republican. We’re not Democrat. The northern part of the state where I live is very liberal. The southern part of the state is more conservative than you’ve got, you know, a variety of things in between. Of course, we’re in the population centers here, so the states kind of 5050 ish. But we have that balance now where we do have. I’ll say a pro abortion majority, which is to say it’s a Democrat majority, that’s, you know, I’m not mincing words there. And so they do. The Virginia State House votes along party lines. So the Democrats vote for abortion. The Republicans voted against abortion, and that’s where this sits. The House of Delegates, the General Assembly, I mean, approved the first version of that amendment or the first passing of that amendment will have a General Assembly vote in November for the state of Virginia. And then if the Democrats hold that majority apart from an act of God. They will then. Vote for the amendment second time, so it’s got to go before the House of Delegates twice a second time and then November of 2026. It’ll go into the general election in the ballot for folks to vote yes or no on, and the polling is not good. The polling is negative and it sounds OK. Reproductive freedom ones right to make this healthcare decisions. For their own body, that sounds pretty good, but if you don’t know what that means, or you’re 1 of many Christians who says, well, I’m not pro abortion, but I don’t wanna tell somebody else what they can or can’t do with their body, then guess what? You’re affirming the legal right of the child to be. Murdered up until that child’s birth and harming the legal right of a mother to do that to their child, maybe even unwittingly. Maybe by pressure of someone, maybe that person’s being trafficked. You are buying into the lies of the enemy, and I would go so far as to say that you are complicit with.

[Jay]

Alright.

[Becky Sheetz]

That level of destruction, if we as God’s people who are set apart. Right. We’re not regular folks, and we’re not called to act like regular folks. We’re not going to stand up if and if the church and that’s, you know, those of us who know the Lord. If the church is not going to stand up and do what is right for these children, then we deserve what we get, don’t we?

[MCG]

Right.

Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think one thing you left out there is well, Becky, is that this constitutional amendment cannot be vetoed by the governor.

[Becky Sheetz]

It could not be, cannot. Be that’s correct, you’re right.

[MCG]

Right. Yep. Well.

[Jay]

All right.

So how does that change the market for abortion? You mentioned earlier how Virginia is like that state that all the Southern people come up to because they’re much more likely to get an abortion, a legal abortion, and it changes the landscape, right? How are these things happening? How is the abortion market changing with all of these different things since Roe?

[Becky Sheetz]

Right.

Yeah, exactly. I’ve heard it said that Virginia is becoming more of an abortion destination, which means, you know, you take a little vacation, maybe you.

[Jay]

Yeah.

[Becky Sheetz]

Come and visit family. You make an outing of it. If you have to travel, you know a long distance. But really the reality too. Here is for most of us in the northern part of the state. We’re close to Maryland. We’re close to DC. You can roll into DC and get a late term abortion as well, right? So it’s not like that level of let’s go, whatever they wanna call access is not. Accessible. You you don’t have to go far, but it’s just the idea that this would be allowed, that this would happen on our watch as Virginians. I mean, the Lord gives US territory, right? The Lord, the territory he’s given us is our county, right? Is our community is our city, is our state. And we have authority. Over this, by the, you know, the power of our Lord and Savior, so we need to be exercising it, and we need to be walking. And it’s so practically speaking. It just makes everything more accessible. It makes everything easier and spiritually it gives the enemy more rain, right? It gives you any a longer leash to do more and more and more.

[Jay]

Yes.

[Becky Sheetz]

Of what he wants and we see, you know, we see the consequences of that.

[MCG]

Yeah. Wow. Wow. So the political landscape is kind of staying there. How was the highly political issue affect the ministry in terms of donation and stuff like that? Have you seen more donation because of row less donation because of what Virginia is doing in the Constitution? Has anything affected there?

[Becky Sheetz]

Yeah, that’s a good question. I don’t necessarily know that it has a huge financial impact. Don’t necessarily. Educate our donors, but I’m very mindful of not using the news of the day as a fundraising opportunity. Yes, there’s a place for that. Fundraising is important. We need the funds to do the work of. The Lord has. Called us to do for sure, but I read some of these fundraising. Appeals and I’m. Just like the thing that happened, there has no impact on the work that you’re doing, you’re just using it as an opportunity and it can be disingenuous. I think the work that we’re doing and being obedient. To what the Lord has called us to do. And the Lord is growing the ministry financially, I believe because of that, what I guess frustrates me or grieves me is when people don’t know what’s going on, when our supporters don’t really understand if they just wanna see, and I shouldn’t say just if they’re hard to see children rescued and whatever happens over here in politics is is separate. That’s fine. That’s fine if their hearts in the right place, but we can’t say. This political decisions have nothing to do with me. I’m a believer in Christ.

[Jay]

Right.

[Becky Sheetz]

I will, apart from politics, I don’t believe that that’s biblical. I don’t believe that that’s true. And I don’t believe that that’s Our Calling. So I would love to see people engaged in you have to pass out leaflets, but can you vote? Can you vote biblical values and can you maybe talk to folks in your circle because, you know, there are vestiges of folks from whatever their culture, their history. Their family, they’re whatever. Where they vote a certain way. And I think it’s time for us to move past. Not that one. Side is always right.

[Jay]

Right.

[Becky Sheetz]

But there’s a clear wall, and I’m probably getting off track of the question that you’ve asked, which is just not necessarily a correlation and fundraising to these decisions, but also, like I said, we don’t necessarily exploit them. To leverage them, but we do want folks who have a heart for this work to know we’re out here and to know what we do and that aligns with their, you know. With what the Lord has put on their hearts.

[MCG]

OK, alright. So we’re going to go into a break here, Becky, but. Why don’t you tell folks how they can donate if they want to donate?

[Becky Sheetz]

Absolutely. Thank you. Our website is life first VA. Don’t forget the VA lifefirstva.org that’s is in Virginia. Lifefirstva.org. You can go on there. The gifts that you give help us to draw women in because look, if they’re not coming here, they’re clicking on that abortion pill. They’re looking to buy that abortion pill and sometimes. Guess what? They buy the abortion pill, they order the abortion bill, and they’re just not quite sure yet. And they come in and they wanna talk to somebody. They want to get an ultrasound, so we are. That interceding point for them and those life and death decisions, so like first va.org.

[MCG]

Aman. Alright, you’ll listen to the Removing Barriers podcast. We sit down with the CEO of Life First, Becky Sheetz and you’re learning all about her ministry after Roe, we’ll be right. Back.

[Jay]

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[MCG]

Alright, I have a follow up question on what you just said because I think this is important because you say sometimes they will get their abortion pill and then sometimes they still come and go out to you. Can the abortion pill be reversed?

[Becky Sheetz]

Excellent question. It’s a yes, absolutely. That question you’ve hit upon something which is a lightning rod. And yes, it can be reversed. There is, I wish I had the data in front of me. Don’t Google it, because if you Google it, you’re not going to find the answer. There are many, many, many, many instances of the abortion pill being reversion. We have seen it happen here within our ministry. The intervention has to happen right away. It has to have happen within. Well, I don’t wanna. I don’t wanna. Your medical question, because I’m going to get myself in trouble, but if it’s done immediately within a day or two, it can be reversed. It can be very successful, but there are so many attacks against what’s known as abortion pill reversal, it is attacked. As not good science, it is attacked as get this dangerous to women they’re doing. It’s killing that baby, and it might kill that mother. I mean, it is extremely dangerous. The adverse effects of that abortion pill are extremely dangerous. So if you were to even look up abortion power virtually, you will see so much coming against it, which tells you. That we might be on to something if there’s so many activities to shut it down and you’ll see a couple of states that at least attorneys general are attacking pregnancy centers and attacking abortion pill reversal proponents. For even alleging that that is a viable alternative, and it definitely is, I I wish I had the number for you of how many? Children have been rescued through abortion pill reversal.

[Jay]

Wow has the number of abortions gone up or down in Virginia or in your county. What do you know about the abortion numbers and?

[MCG]

Ohh. Amen.

[Becky Sheetz]

Yeah, it’s hard to get good data by county that’s current, but the numbers have gone up in Virginia and I have numbers here from the Family Foundation that I just came across that I wanted to share with you.

[MCG]

Hmm.

[Becky Sheetz]

And that was on the number of abortions that have gone up from out of state, according to the Family Foundation, Virginia has had a 30% increase of out-of-state abortions. That’s people coming into the state for abortions from any number of bordering states. It’s 30% increase from out of state. So you asked about.

[Jay]

Mm-hmm.

[Becky Sheetz]

The impact of these, you know, liberal abortion laws. Would those women have had abortions? Would those women have taken the abortion pill in their own state? I don’t know. But I do know, according to this state, a 30% increase. So we are seeing a year over year increase in the state of Virginia as well. It’s even really increased since Dobbs and I think the other side would say, we’ll see clearly, we have a need for. Abortion. Because the numbers. Going up, which is an interesting argument, obviously not one that we would espouse.

[MCG]

Alright, I’m going to freak you out a little bit, Becky. Because. As we alluded to in Episode 105, you were with us and you made this statement that I’m going to play, but I’m mostly playing this photo audience since they may may or may not have listened. It’s a bit long. So sit back and listen to it and then we have a question to her.

[Becky Sheetz]

Oh, OK. I believe it was the Attorney General of New York Fact Check because I don’t have the data in front of me, but she has called for Google to not just make it so that pregnancy centers cannot use Google Adwords, which is, you know, pay per click where you run ads that we can. This hasn’t happened yet, but she’s asked Google to make it, and we’ve also had some movement in the House and Senate on this as well to kind of restrict pregnancy centers, access to Google ads as well as she called on Google. To purge pregnancy centers from Google entirely so we don’t exist. You can’t find pregnancy centers in the United States on Google. That is what she asked Google to do, and that’s when the Attorney General of Virginia and Attorney General from one other state at maybe Kentucky. I’m not looking at it right now, but one other AG jumped in and they said, you know, you can’t, you know. If your Google if you’re considering this, you can’t consider this what they have. I’ve done is. So guys, the way that we market to women, so the name of the ministry as you know is life first. Well, that’s not the name of our medical centers because the women were reaching, as you know, where the women most inclined to abort so. But the pregnancy medical centers are first care Women’s Health. Their medical clinics. They’re for women, their pregnancy, medical clinics. So we market our pregnancy centers as giving women. Information abortion information so that they can have a consultation with a medical professional to determine what they’re going to do. So we’re reaching and marketing to the woman who’s torn. Are you considering abortion? Are you considering the abortion pill? Talk to us. We can help you understand your options. So Google has is this has been a year or so, maybe longer where Google and actually maybe. Much longer. Google Now on all of our Google ads and all pregnancy centers adds. It says. Not an abortion clinic. So if all you wanna do is have an abortion, you don’t even want to know that there’s another option out there. You may never click. Or add. We don’t think that’s really hurt because we continue to be really busy, but they’re actively looking for other ways. And here’s the thing, they’re not for us. They’re not for us. Google is one of those businesses that’s paying its employees to go to other states to have abortions if they can’t get one in their state up to determine which they want to have it. So they’re not the good guys. So we know the deck is stacked against us. We know it’s a losing proposition. I mean, it is like playing football with. Like you know. Linebackers. And you’re the little guy. You know, I should even use the reference. I don’t even know any football references, but which is set to. But but we’ve got to attract these women. How are we going to attract them if we can’t use the Google Adwords platform? And beyond that, if they ever decide they’re going to? Poop. We’re gone from Google entirely. That’s going to really hurt us. What’s our recourse? So that’s just kind. And if you keep track of these things, there’s things like this happening all the day all the time. Elizabeth Warren made a comment about how we need to shut pregnancy centers down across the country. She’s a master. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And this is an eat. Well, I should say it’s an easy search word.

[Becky Sheetz]

It might not be that easy. You’re fine. It should be an easy search because you should be able to find it. But Elizabeth Warren said so. Two pregnancy. In Massachusetts were vandalized. I do not know if she said anything about that. Like, hey, guys, don’t vandalize a pregnancy center. I don’t know. But she did say pregnancy centers, we’ve got to shut them down. They deceive women, she said. We have to shut them down in Massachusetts, and we have to shut them down all over the country. She said you should not be able to torture a pregnant woman. Like this. This is what Elizabeth Warren, who has presidential aspirations, said.

[U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren]

In Massachusetts right now, those crisis pregnancy centers that are there to fool people who are looking for pregnancy termination help. Outnumbered true abortion plants by three to one, we need to shut them down here in Massachusetts, and we need to shut them down all around the. You should not be able. To torture a pregnant person like that.

[Becky Sheetz]

And there was actually a really funny skit. Allie Beth Stuckey did going into a pregnancy center with a wig, looking like Elizabeth Warren, pointing out all the torturous things we do, like give away diapers and pack and plays and show people the ultrasound. It was really kind of really funny. We enjoyed it here at our center. So hey, we. Know who our enemies are and our enemies. It’s not, man. It’s not the Senate. It’s not Google. It’s not the New York. Whatever your newspaper is. Name it. It’s not that it’s the. Enemy of our. Souls and the folks who are working for him are just people who were deceived, and this led who are working for him and we know who we’re working for and we continue to serve in his glory and he is still going to find ways to rescue these children lead. These women and these men to him.

[MCG]

Alright, so that’s what he said. Yeah, that was quite a mouthful. And I’m also glad to see that you’re still your bubbly self from 2 1/2 years ago, but Google other search engines, are they still up to their ways?

[Becky Sheetz]

Goodness.

Good question. The answer has to be yes. Yes. We just see these undulations within pregnancy center, where I’ve got a handful of friends really all over the country. But as Steven friends here in the state of Virginia who are running pregnancy centers and we are constantly just checking in here, are you slow this week? How’s your schedule because? See these really interesting trends where we might be really busy and then we’re just really slow and the schedule dries up and there’s not any real rhyme or. It’s and it’s not like you’re saying. Well, we’re a grocery store, and there’s there’s a snowfall or a Super Bowl. There’s not a rationale. And sometimes things just happen, right? So I can’t give you any data or anything. There’s not been any new developments. Now, the reality is there’s a different administration now than when we talked last time. So. We do as pregnancy centers do feel a greater sense. I will speak for myself and say this is common sense and say we have a greater sense of protection, legal protection, if you remember when we were vandalized, previous administration.

[MCG]

Right.

[Becky Sheetz]

That attorney? No attorney general. What was Merrick Garland? Attorney general. Right. So. But we can’t find the people who did this because they randomized at night. It’s just like, well, thanks for trying. Yeah. So we just feel it. The the landscape has shifted now to where those shenanigans are a little less tolerated. But in certain states, like New York. New York this I think it’s the same folks are coming after pregnancy centers in some of these states, so they lack those statewide protection. So is Google up to its old tricks? Yes. Yes. And you know, it’s on and off, depending on what their priorities, I guess, are one of the things that we are, I hate to say. That we’re watching is AI, and what’s that going to do? Because I’m talking to my colleagues and they’re saying, yes, I’m I’m looking up. Should I go to EXYZ pregnancy center? And what I’m finding is not good. In other words, what AI is spitting back is not positive. So the question now that we have to answer is not just. How do we compete in this Google landscape or the car just act against us? How do we compete against the AI algorithms that have the same objectives as I would say most of big tech? Which is termination of life, right, which is not life which is death. How do we compete there? So prayers for wisdom would be great because again, like I said in that clip, we know who we fight against, but we know the source of our knowledge and our wisdom and we just need as much of that as he’s willing to give. Us.

[Jay]

Yeah, definitely. Sometimes we tend to think that when we’re in the middle of a battle, that maybe the enemy is just too strong, too powerful. The country’s too far gone. We can’t possibly make a dent in the Pro abortion rocket that’s out there, but I happen to believe that we serve a God who is greater than the. And he’s a God of miracles, and you shared with us at the beginning of the podcast The Miracle that this month, correct me if I’m wrong. What was it, 80? Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Becky Sheetz]

Year to date, yes, yes. Through the end of this. Yeah, 80 so far this year.

[Jay]

These people, right and 100 or so babies saved.

[Becky Sheetz]

Yeah. Amen.

[Jay]

You know, they’re not as powerful as perhaps the enemy would like us to think that they are. So can you tell us how has God shown himself powerful in your ministry and in your efforts despite Google shenanigans and all of the threats of AI and all of the things that you mentioned?

[Becky Sheetz]

Right. Right. I mean, for one thing, he’s built an amazing, unified team of people who come in here and want to do this work, including volunteers. We have people who have, you know, robust lives and day jobs and have full schedules, and they want to come in here and volunteer every single week and just give. And the fact that. He’s knit together really good people with, like I said, two centers in the third center that we have the spirit of unity and harmony where we want to come in and be obedient to sharing the gospel and to just giving rums informed consent so that they can make their decisions. But, you know, anytime you’re in the Council room with a woman. And she’s hopeless chair with her. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. And she may be tearfully says yes, I want that. And she prayed that prayer of salvation. That’s powerful. And that’s mighty. And we don’t know what’s going to happen next. We don’t know. We want to keep up with it. We want to follow. We may.

[Jay]

Hmm.

[Becky Sheetz]

Never see that woman again. She may have a radical transformation in her life. We did have one woman in particular, one of our amazing stories, Esther, who came in and she shared her story at our gala couple years ago. She came in and she was intent on abortion. And our patient advocates share the gospel with her, and she’s very emotional. And she said, I can’t make that decision today because of what I’m going to do. And this happens. This happens more often than we would like, but we share and we show her the truth. And we just. Her that we are going to be here for her and we’ve got all these resources to walk with her. And the Haitian advocate, who ministered to her said I thought that was the last time I would ever see that woman again. It was very sad. And then months later. Esther walks into that Woodbridge Center and she said I drive by the center all the time, she said. And I had to come in here. She said. Do you Remember Me and? Said yeah. Yeah, yeah, I remember you, she said. I want you to know that I’m going to have my baby and I gave. My life to Lord Jesus.

[MCG]

Amen.

[Becky Sheetz]

And she has been walking out that decision. She’s had her baby, and that’s one, right? That’s one life. That’s one, I would say, miraculous story. And we are obedient to share Christ. And it would be easy for us to sit across from someone and say, well, you know, she’s to this. She’s too, that she’s got too many tattoos. She’s got too much going on. I’m not gonna tell this.

[Jay]

Mm-hmm.

[Becky Sheetz]

This one’s about the Lord Jesus, right? I’m not going to invite her in her relationship, but we don’t make those decisions. We are compelled to share. And if she says I don’t wanna hear it, then obviously we respect that, right? Anytime. That’s a miraculous opportunity, isn’t it? They have her come to us in crisis. She’s not coming for what we have.

[Jay]

Absolutely.

[Becky Sheetz]

She’s coming for what we don’t have. She’s coming for an abortion or she’s coming to contemplate abortion. That’s that miraculous transformation where maybe her eyes get open to. I could be a parent. I could make an adoption plan.

I’m further along than I thought I was, you know, maybe I’m going to talk to the father. The father is having a conversation with the male advocate right now, and he’s gonna come out of that conversation, maybe say to her, hey, I’m going to be here. So we have all these opportunities for miracles that occur every single day just by conversation just by. Opening up the possibilities, and like I said, being obedient to sharing Christ, that is our call. That is our mantra to invite everyone into that relationship. And through that we see miracles happening.

[MCG]

Yeah, man. Amen. Well, let’s wrap it up. With this, Becky, because that’s just amazing. If you want to be fired up, you know, go and visit life 1st and see the work that the Lord is doing there because souls are being saved, babies are being saved. You’re meeting spiritual and emotional needs. So I’ll just give you the floor unless you, you know, explain how I know you have already done that in many different ways, but pinpoint it.

[Becky Sheetz]

Man.

[MCG]

How do you actually get these ladies and these men to sit down and to actually get? From the point that they hey, we came here for this, but no, we want to present to you the gospel. How do you transition into that with them and stuff like that?

[Becky Sheetz]

That is a very good question in the rational, you might say that doesn’t make sense, right? That doesn’t make sense. And I I thought that too. But the Lord goes before them and we pray that we pray Father, bring her in today, ready to receive. And of course she’s not always ready to receive. But by listening to her, by sitting down across from her. And saying so, tell me what’s going on. So tell me how you feel about the pregnancy. Who’s going to be there to support you? Will anybody be there to support you? Listen. And giving her a chance to slow. Breathe and have someone on the other side who clearly wants to hear clearly care because the Lord cares we know when it’s genuine. We are not bringing her in here to save her and make her and just know we want to listen to her and invite her in. And she understands that and she knows that and so many women.

[MCG]

Amen.

[Becky Sheetz]

Say thank you. They’re grateful for that spiritual conversation. So once she shares, then the conversation becomes. Thank you so much for sharing. That I’m really happy to hear that or I’m sad to hear that obviously listening to what’s going on, her story made me really, really hard, so being empathetic, right, I want to tell you about something that’s given me hope. It sounds like you’re a really hopeless situation. You’re in a really tough situation and maybe I’ve been in that situation, you know, maybe the advocates said, hey, you know, I had a. Situation too, where I had a relationship like that the Lord creates those conversations right there becomes very organic way to say. Let me tell you about a safe. Here all for you already and if you want to accept and believe in that today, I can meet you in that prayer. If you’d like. Sometimes she says. Oh, right. Sometimes she says I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll pray at home. OK. And then we, you know, we let the Lord take her to her next destination. Take her to her next journey. So it’s not a regimented.

[MCG]

Amen.

[Becky Sheetz]

It’s free. It’s loving, it’s good. It’s kind. We are a Medical Center, but we’re not your urgent care. We’re 300 people are coming in today. We have one woman who’s in the ultrasound room right now and she’s the most important person in the whole wide world to that nurse who is ministering to her. And she leaves here and she knows that she was loved. She was cared. And even if she has an abortion and this happens, she’ll call us back the next time she’s got an unplanned pregnancy. That’s obviously that’s not a good outcome. But we do rejoice that we had that relationship with her where she felt love and trust enough. To say I need help again.

[MCG]

Well, Becky Sheetz, thank you so much for the work you and your team are doing over there. And thank you for joining us on the Removing Barriers podcast.

[Becky Sheetz]

God bless you both. Thank you so much.

[Jay]

Hey, thanks so much for listening to the Removing Barriers podcast. Did you know that you could find us on Twitter, Gab, Parler, Facebook and Reddit, go to removingbarriers.net/contact and like and follow us on social media. Removing Barriers, a clear view of the cross.

[MCG]

Thank you for listening. To get a hold of us to support this podcast or to learn more about Removing Barriers. Go to removingbarriers.net. This has been the removing barriers podcast. We attempted to remove barriers so that we all can have a clear view of the cross.