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By Cynthia Hsueh
If you told me 25 years ago that I would be walking alongside women in crisis pregnancies who were considering abortion as their solution, I would have laughed out loud. Although I had two school-aged children then, I knew no one who was experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, much less anything about abortion.
 But all that changed one fall evening in 1982 when our doorbell rang. It was 19-year-old Lucia, a close friend of our former pastor. The pastor had resigned from our church and my husband, William, was now the pastor; he was at a church meeting. As we sat down, Lucia didn't waste much time and asked if she could stay with us. All we knew of Lucia was that she was somewhat troubled. I didn't have any reason to refuse her, but since William was not home, I told her we needed to discuss it and give her an answer later.
After she left, I found myself mulling over the words from Proverbs 3:27: "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it." William and I prayed about Lucia and decided to let her stay for one month. Together with a church elder, we would meet with Lucia and establish some ground rules. Since Lucia previously attended our church, she knew many of our members.
Lucia agreed to the stipulation of staying for one month; after that, we could discuss options. We encouraged her independence by seeking her own transportation and that once she found a job, she would pay a small portion to us. That never happened.
The honeymoon stage lasted two weeks. Shortly afterwards, Lucia dropped the bomb when she confessed that she had been raped and was now about two months pregnant. Imagine our shock. Furthermore, Lucia questioned, "Isn't abortion ever right in a rape situation?" In our dilemma, we prayed. I also consulted my Bible study leader who said, "If you saw a friend throw her two-year-old baby out of the window, what would you do? What would you say? What is the difference between that and a baby that's not born yet?" I then understood.
Someone had mentioned a Christian adoption agency—so in our desperation, we called them. No one had heard of a CPC, at least not then. The agency counselor finally located a shepherding home where Lucia could stay during the remainder of her pregnancy.
In the meantime, with Lucia's permission, William announced to the church members of her pregnancy, requesting that instead of gossip, Lucia needed all the support possible during this very harrowing time in her life. Our church family warmly embraced Lucia.
I KNEW NO ONE WHO
WAS EXPERIENCING
AN UNPLANNED
PREGNANCY,
MUCH LESS ANYTHING
ABOUT ABORTION.
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The Christian agency also referred Lucia to a Christian gynecologist. After she heard the baby's heartbeat, Lucia came home and said, "There is no way that I'm going to have an abortion!" Once again, God answered our prayers.
Lucia stayed with us for three months and broke all our rules. We also learned that she had fabricated the rape. She was with her boyfriend in our neighborhood. When Lucia left to go to the shepherding home, she left without a word. The only note she left included some money for a long distance phone call she had made. We were angry and hurt, wondering how a 19 year-old could have twisted and manipulated us so effortlessly. We felt as though we had just exited from a dark tunnel, still rubbing our eyes to make sure this was not simply a nightmare.
After Christmas, I was listening to Christian radio when I heard of a crisis pregnancy center opening up in St. Louis. They were recruiting volunteers to work with pregnant women. This piqued my interest, and I immediately signed up for training. The director was very knowledgeable and she helped me gain a better understanding of the girl who had entered our lives. Even though Lucia may have intended to trick us, she managed to have a temporary roof over her head and eventually parented her baby. We, too, in our shielded lives, were forced to face totally foreign issues. It if weren't for Lucia's knock on our door that October, I may never have pursued a seminary counseling degree, worked at a maternity home, then later at two CPCs in Texas.
Did God know what He was doing? He certainly did. In working with pregnant women, I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with many of them. Twenty some years ago I would not have been able to say this, but today, I am thankful for that confused pregnant girl who, armed with her agenda, stumbled into our lives. Yes, just as Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Thank God for that assurance!
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