Kristine Hunerwadel
"Cast Down Your Cares"
"Cast Down Your Cares"
Steve Wagner
They Stop and Think (Then We Pray)
They Stop and Think (Then We Pray)
Kaitlyn Donihue
Connecting the Dots
Connecting the Dots
Justice For All
Team Be Nimble

In this Impact Report, we feature highlights from Justice For All (JFA) events that took place from March to September. Each highlighted event illustrates the way smaller training teams can help us make a bigger impact. We’ve found that empowering our trainers to do events on their own helps our team to be nimble and ready to meet the great need all over the country for good dialogue training—training that includes outreach whenever possible.

Team Be Nimble
Tammy Cook
Passing the Baton

Tammy Cook reflects on 28 years with JFA.

Passing the Baton

Notes for "7 Conversations in 7 Hours - Session 2"

Comment Or Ask Questions on Session 2

Respond to Session 1 and Sign Up for JFA Updates via Email and/or Paper Mail using the JFA Updates page. Or, feel free to share a comment on this post below.

Request a Free Paper Copy of the “Invitation to Dialogue” Brochure

Use the Digital Online Brochure

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View Video Resources Covered in this Session

What is the unborn? (Includes links to EHD apps and EHD video; along with embryology quotes and links to scientific journal articles)

What is the unborn? (Includes links to EHD apps and EHD video; along with embryology quotes and links to scientific journal articles)

Next Step: Conversation Starter for Session 2

Option 1: Opt Out of a Conversation

As you observe the unrest and lawlessness in many cities taking place across the country over the last few months (following the deaths of George Floyd and others), and as you survey the news of this particular week in which you are taking Session 2, you may feel like starting a conversation about abortion, especially related to abortion imagery, seems awkward or out of place. You may be surprised that many people would not find it awkward to discuss abortion imagery and may even be more comfortable with it, given the images in the news. With this in mind, and considering how serious the injustice of abortion is against a whole class of people (unwanted unborn human beings), we would still encourage you to consider the conversation starters below and see if you can make use of them.

If after reflection on the above paragraph you feel like you would prefer to not try to use images in a conversation this week, we suggest spending the time you might have spent on conversations to pause to pray to God to bring an end injustice in all of its forms, to comfort the hurting, and to solve the very challenging problems we’re seeing all around us. If you are not a religious person, or as an additional activity, we suggest listening to and reflecting on the stories of oppressed peoples wherever they are in the US and around the world.

Option 2: Use the Three Essential Skills in a Conversation with Friends about this Cultural Moment

Many of our participants will find themselves in a conversation with a spouse, child, relative, friend, or neighbor about the unrest taking place in the US, or about topics like racism, the brutality of certain errant police officers, “conservatives,” “liberals,” whites, blacks, Latinos, Asians, the proper use of law, the proper use of force, how to keep law and order, whether various strategies for bringing about change are justified, and other topics. We suggest engaging in these conversations with a conscious emphasis on the three essential skills: Listening to understand, asking questions with an open heart, and finding common ground when possible. When I engage in these conversations, one way to form questions for the other person is to first ask oneself questions like the following:

  • What am I assuming about this person’s communication? Am I adding some meaning to the plain words being said?

  • Am I giving this person the benefit of the doubt or believing the worst?

  • Am I trying to hear what the person intended or am I reacting to a meaning she didn’t intend?

  • Are there words this person is saying that may have more than one meaning? Which words would it help to clarify?

  • Are there things about this topic I don’t know?

  • Is there anything this person is saying that I can agree with? Have I pointed that thing out?

  • Is the person intending to make an argument or express a feeling? If it’s a feeling, have I validated the feeling?

  • Is the person thinking the topic through in real time with me listening?

  • Does the person appear to be confident because she is actually confident or is the confidence a part of the person’s personality that doesn’t relate to what’s going on with the topic for her?

  • Are there things this person is certain about that I can agree with? Are there things this person is skeptical about or uncertain about that I can identify with? Have I found common ground on the feeling of uncertainty or fear that she is feeling?

  • I hear the statement this person is making. I don’t agree. I wonder what it would take for me to come to agree. What amount of evidence would be sufficient? What type of authority would help convince me?

Option 3: Use the JFA Brochure Tour to Start a Conversation

Use the prompt on Page 33 of the Interactive Guide and use the script to help you structure your conversation.

Option 4: Use Delightful Images of the Unborn to Encourage a Pro-Life Friend

Even with all of the unrest in the US right now, if you want to create a conversation about the unborn this week using what you learned in Session 2, we suggest sharing the beautiful images found on JFA’s What Is the Unborn page (or the Links page — also linked above) with a pro-life friend as an encouragement. You might say:

“In the midst of the ugly and violent images on social media and news this week, I learned about some beautiful video of unborn children in my class on pro-life dialogue that I thought would encourage you.”

Links and Additional Reading for Session 2 (“Do Images Help?”)

Note: This post was originally written on 6/2/2020 for our first “7 Conversations in 7 Hours” series. It was updated on 7/29/2020 and 10/1/2020.

Links: See the JFA Calendar to view a series currently in progress or coming up soon. // Register here. // Share the details or invite a friend.

Notes for "7 Conversations in 7 Hours - Session 1"

Comment Or Ask Questions on Session 1

Respond to Session 1 and Sign Up for JFA Updates via Email and/or Paper Mail using the JFA Updates page. Or, feel free to share a comment on this post below.

 

Next Step: Conversation Starter to Put Session 1 into Practice

Option 1: Talk to Someone You Know Well via Phone or Video Chat or in Person*:

Consider three people you know who are either pro-choice or whose views on abortion you don’t know. Choose the person on the list who you believe will be the most approachable or easiest for you to talk to about abortion. Your goal is to start the conversation with that person in a natural, non-awkward way. We suggest using a direct approach which is up front about how you are purposefully trying to learn something, and you need the person’s help:

“I’m troubled by the fact that good conversations about abortion are rare. It seems to only be hurtful to people. I’ve been working recently on learning to discuss abortion productively. Would you be willing to sit and chat with me for 15 minutes or more and help me out? My commitment to you would be that I will ask questions with an open heart, listen to understand, and find common ground when possible.”

Please adjust the wording to fit your personality! Once you’ve had a conversation with the person who’s most approachable for you, challenge yourself by engaging one of the others on your list.

Another alternative is to tell the person you’re doing an assignment for a class you’re taking:

“I’m taking a class aimed at helping people create better conversations about difficult topics. The topics we’re focusing on are unintended pregnancy and abortion. I’m wondering if you would be willing to have a 15-minute conversation with me to help me out. The assignment for this week is to ask someone what they think about these topics and to listen, ask clarification questions, and find common ground without challenging anything that’s shared for the whole 15-minute conversation. Would you be willing to help me out?”

*During COVID-19, we suggest being very careful to respect personal boundaries and social distancing expectations. We are thinking here of conversations with neighbors over the backyard fence in which you can respect social distancing expectations but also be close enough that you don’t have to yell to be heard:)

Option 2: Talk to Someone You Care About with Whom Past Abortion Conversations Have Gone Badly

Introduce the conversation by saying,

“I wanted to contact you and say something about how I’ve treated you in past conversations about abortion. In short, I am sorry for the way I’ve treated you. I think I communicated that I don’t care about you or your opinions through the way I responded to you in those conversations. Would you forgive me? [Wait for a response.] I am wondering if you would allow me to try again. I just took a class in three skills I am trying to learn to put into practice: listening to understand, asking questions with an open heart, and finding common ground when possible. Would you be willing to talk to me for 15 minutes about abortion? I promise to do my best to use these skills to show you the respect you deserve.”

Option 3: Talk to a Stranger

The difficult thing about this suggestion during COVID-19 is that many of the usual places we might have suggested to find people to talk to (college campuses, parks, etc) are closed, and indeed, in downtown walking areas and other locations that may still be open, many people are very skittish about getting in conversations with strangers for fear of contracting COVID-19. We’ve included this idea here only to encourage you to think creatively about whether God has put people in your path with whom you could speak without making them feel uncomfortable.

For example, you may participate in a Facebook group devoted to some other topic or shared interest. You might direct message someone (if it doesn’t break community rules for that group) to ask them to take an informal survey you’re conducting. This appeal might be even more persuasive if you commit to ask 10 people to take the survey. Then you might even report back on the results of the survey to the people who took it!

If you take this approach, you might use the JFA “Invitation to Dialogue” Survey which draws questions from the JFA “Invitation to Dialogue” Brochure. 

Or, you might combine this approach with Option 1 above and just suggest to the person via direct message that you’re starting conversations about abortion.

Option 4: Share Steve Wagner’s Book with a Friend

Steve Wagner published Common Ground Without Compromise: 25 Questions to Create Dialogue on Abortion in 2008 expressly for the purpose of helping people create conversations. It’s a letter to pro-life and pro-choice people written in language both groups will understand and appreciate. The goal is to start the conversation with some aspect of the discussion on which we are all likely to agree so that we can then proceed to discussing our disagreements more productively. Each chapter is short and many of the chapters model this process of moving from agreement to disagreement. This makes the book a good tool for starting a conversation. What’s more, the book is available for free at Steve’s book web page.

Tell Us How Your Conversation Went

Don’t forget to use the "Share Your JFA Story" form to let us know how it goes.

 

Read More About Session 1 (“Three Essential Skills”)

Note: This post was originally written on 5/26/2020 for our first “7 Conversations in 7 Hours” series. It was updated on 6/18/2020 and 7/29/2020.

Links: See the JFA Calendar to view a series currently in progress or coming up soon. // Register here. // Share the details or invite a friend.

7 Conversations in 7 Hours

Dear Friend of JFA,

We pray that God is keeping you in his peace even as COVID-19 has caused so many changes for all of us. The Justice For All (JFA) team conducted outreach at UNT, UNM, Trinity University, UTSA, and UTD before we saw our outreach venues for the rest of our spring schedule shut down almost all at once. (See pictures of these five outreach events at the JFA Calendar page, on Facebook, or on Instagram.)

Convinced that abortion continues to be a great risk to unborn children and their mothers especially with the economic uncertainty of these times, each member of our team immediately changed gears. Together online, we have been meeting regularly to seek out conversations in places most of us thought held little promise for deep conversation (e.g. Instagram).

What about our training program, though? Even before the coronavirus outbreak, I have been troubled that so many people throughout the USA and around the world have no access to mentoring from JFA’s expert dialogue artists. Now, spurred on by the isolation of this season, we’ve developed a version of our training that anyone can access from anywhere.

I’m excited to announce “7 Conversations in 7 Hours,” a new series of seven online interactive workshops from JFA. Each hour-long session will help you to have a productive conversation on one topic related to abortion. After a short lecture, you will role-play a conversation in a safe environment and interact with JFA trainers through Q&A. Then you will receive a conversation starter you can use to immediately put into practice what you’ve learned.

We’re offering a variety of options so you can learn from JFA's dialogue artists right from your home at a time that works for you!

- Steve Wagner, Executive Director

 

Thank You to Our Supporters

Thank you for standing with us during this unique time of COVID-19. Because of your faithful giving, we have been able to focus on developing online training events and ways to conduct conversations on social media. This work will continue to pay dividends even after we’re able to conduct face-to-face events again, helping us reach more people in more places. Thank you!

 

You Can Help JFA Through Word of Mouth

Introduce one friend to JFA by asking him or her to register for “7 Conversations in 7 Hours” with you. You can help us train many we would not otherwise.

You Can Help JFA Through Financial Gifts

One JFA supporter is thinking of giving her stimulus money to JFA since she doesn’t need it. Are you in a similar situation? Thank you for considering helping JFA change hearts amidst COVID-19.

Read Recent Conversation Stories and Reflections

See our blog for recent reflections and stories from Rebekah Dyer (“Aubree Changes Her Mind”), Jeremy Gorr (“Spending Spring Break with JFA”), Tammy Cook (“My Aha Moment!”), Kaitlyn Donihue (“Outreach Over Instagram?”), and Mary St. Hilaire (“A New View of Abortion…and Pro-Life Advocates”).

My Aha Moment!

Dear Friends,

I hope this finds you well. The past six weeks have brought about a myriad of changes for most of us. It’s been quite an emotional roller coaster, but I am doing okay. Just striving to trust God. I’ve been praying for you.

I was filled with sadness in March due to the cancellation of the remainder of JFA’s training events this semester. It was a tough pill to swallow since I love doing outreach events! My fellow trainers and I have spent the last month working on several projects that will benefit our Training Program. We are now offering online events! Go to the JFA calendar for dates and details.

The last JFA outreach event this semester was held in March at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). I had great conversations that resulted in many pro-choice advocates rethinking their views. It was my last conversation, however, that was the most memorable. Here’s that story:

“Harper” was part of an active group of protesters that had grown to about 25 people on day three. I felt drawn to talk to him, but I was fearful. Would I encounter openness or hostility? The Holy Spirit lifted my fear and filled me with courage.

I introduced myself and expressed a desire to learn about his view. He voiced heartfelt concern for women not ready for pregnancy. He doesn’t believe in forcing women to carry to term, especially in cases of rape and health risks. I agreed those are tough situations, commended his compassion, and discussed it further.

I sat and listened to his concerns such as taking away choices from women and caring about children who are unloved in foster care. We discussed the humanity of the unborn and equality of all human beings. I found common ground including agreement that third trimester abortions should be illegal. It was heartbreaking to hear him speak of losing his mom, and of the racism he’s experienced as a Muslim in the U.S. He was genuinely interested in hearing a different perspective on abortion.

Then the conversation took an unexpected turn. Harper said to me, “I think I can trust you with this information. My girlfriend was raped and had an abortion two years ago.” My heart sank, and I could see the pain in his eyes and hear it in his voice. I asked how she’s doing. He said she’s having a really rough time, and he has felt helpless the past two years. She is going through counseling which has been beneficial for her. I expressed my sorrow and just listened.

Then I had an aha moment! His view on abortion was being influenced by his girlfriend’s pain. Because of my willingness to invest time listening and sharing genuine compassion, Harper finally let his guard down. And now I knew where to go next.

I commended his desire to alleviate suffering. I agreed that life is hard and that it’s not a matter of if we will face tough life challenges, but when! We should take advantage of learning from each challenge, instead of trying to escape from it. I revisited our earlier discussion of God and faith. Here’s a portion of what I said:

I tried handling some of my toughest trials on my own, but I failed miserably. Laying my problems at God’s feet and asking for help had the opposite result. I’m not implying that my problems were solved immediately, but I was better equipped to endure the bumpy road. A cancer diagnosis was one of the best things to ever happen to me. I had nowhere to go but to God, and He drew me close to Him in a way I’d never experienced. It could have been a very dark time, but instead, I felt so much peace. That life-changing event prepared me for future challenges including a severe health issue that nearly took my life two years ago. A woman who perseveres through an unwanted pregnancy can learn exponential life lessons that no money can buy. She can inspire the world. God has no limits.

Harper was pro-choice at the start of this conversation and believed a woman should have a right to an abortion for any reason at any time. At the end he believed abortion should only be allowed for cases of rape, incest, and health of the mother in the first trimester only. At the end he was opposed to the majority of abortions, which was a huge change. Harper said,

“Thanks for having this conversation. It’s been really good and refreshing, and I’ve really enjoyed it. You have a lot of great knowledge that’s been helpful to me. It’s good to learn what “pro-life” really means. I believe your group has every right to be here [remember, he was a protester], and I appreciate the way you’re attempting to dialogue with students. I think that’s healthy.” As he started to walk away, I told him that I would be thinking of him and his girlfriend, praying for them, and that I hope she starts feeling better soon. He said, “Thank you. I really appreciate that. I really do.”

Good, solid pro-life arguments are crucial in a dialogue with a pro-choice advocate, but they must always be combined with patience, listening, compassion, asking questions, and finding common ground. These qualities help us to love all three— the woman, the child, and those who disagree—equally. Then we can look for an opportunity to share the reason for our hope. I believe that God was the one that softened Harper’s heart and helped him move away from his hardcore pro-choice beliefs.

In Christ,

Tammy Cook

I Didn't See This Coming (Instagram Link)

"Through this conversation, I was reminded that I cannot really know another person or his beliefs until I take the time to ask questions and hear him out. I never know what God might do, even in the heart of a student that seems closed off." -Kaitlyn Donihue, JFA Trainer

Click here to read about Kaitlyn's surprising encounter at Fort Lewis College last year.

Mary Jumped Right In!

“Naturally gifted at public speaking, Mary quickly learns the material she will be presenting to pro-life advocates while also allowing her personality to bring joy to the conversation, even in the midst of discussing the heavy subject of abortion. Teaching Mary to present JFA material has been a delightful process for me.” - Rebecca Hotovy, JFA Speaking Coach

This was the perfect semester for Mary St. Hilaire to make her entrance into the JFA community as an intern. Given the COVID-19 shutdown, that may sound odd, but God knew the type of people we would need for this particular season.

Mary was eager to finally start the internship for which she’d been preparing. In anticipation, she said,

“Justice For All (JFA) is a group that I have known about and loved for several years now because of the way they approach the pro-life movement. JFA's goal is to educate people, specifically college students, on the reality of abortion and the humanity of the unborn through respectful dialogue. JFA's approach is not one of hate, judgment, or condescension, but of love, understanding, and openness. This is what attracted me to them. My passion for the pro-life movement put in me the urge to do more to save the lives of the innocent, and JFA is truly the perfect fit for me.”

We soon realized she was right, and that she was also a great fit for us!

I had the privilege in 2019 of following up with Mary several times about her desire to impact the injustice of abortion. Through our phone calls, her application, and the interview process it became clear that Mary genuinely wanted to help, was willing to work hard, and would enhance our team. She didn’t disappoint.

Hailing from the Lincoln, Nebraska area, Mary took her faith, her unbending pro-life convictions, her work ethic, her joy, and her sense of humor to Wichita, Kansas and didn’t look back. We could see that her family had prepared and encouraged her in some amazing ways!

Mary started as an intern in late January and quite quickly jumped into her two main tasks — creating conversations on college campuses (becoming a trusted advocate on our team) and learning our speaking material well enough to be able to contribute to our training events within weeks.

This semester will always be remembered for the impact of COVID-19 on our society, the shutdown of schools, the cancelling of events, and how it pushed our ministry to enhance our outreach and training tools online. It changed our plans, but it didn’t ruin our mission. This cultural moment has allowed us to take new chances, learn new things, and it was actually the perfect semester for Mary to start with us.

We are so thankful for the way our schedule worked out, abnormally packed for February. Mary started the semester off with a total of 11 outreach days and 4 interactive training events. She also helped in our office and learned speaking parts, making for a wild six weeks. If the schedule had been lighter, she would have had far less practice by the time the COVID-19 shutdown happened. Instead, she emerged a much stronger advocate through events in Denton, Albuquerque, San Antonio, and Dallas. By the time she completed our spring break mission trip at UT Dallas (March 9-11), Mary had also successfully contributed to our training seminars by delivering our “One Central Question” section (aimed at simplifying the abortion conversation), and she did a great job. She was polished, energetic, clear, and enjoyable to watch.

The Dallas trip helped all aspects of Mary’s job come together in a dynamic way. She helped with the speaking and brought a good amount of experience to outreach conversations there at UT Dallas. The mission trip team had enjoyable team building experiences together as well.

Mary in a conversation at UT Dallas, the last location where we held an outreach event before the COVID-19 crisis caused us all to change our plans.

Posting in March about her internship experience, Mary said,

“If I had to choose the single most important thing I’ve gained from interning with Justice For All these past two months it would most definitely be a new kind of love for all humans. In conversing with so many people from various races, religions, states, and even countries, getting to know them on a personal level, sharing my beliefs with them, and searching for the truth alongside of them, I have come to realize that my love does not have to be limited to only those with whom I share the same views. I knew this in my head, but until I actually participated in outreach, I didn’t know it in my heart. Through respectful dialogue I have been able to actually understand opposite viewpoints and beliefs for the first time in a totally new way. I have been able to find common ground and mutual interests with people I previously would’ve thought I could never talk to, and I have been able to positively impact students I thought would never want to hear my view.

“Each conversation I’ve had has brought me closer to an understanding of what Jesus’ words “Love your neighbor” truly mean. He didn’t mean “just be nice to your neighbor and put up with them.” No. He wants us to unconditionally love the people around us, despite their beliefs, their backgrounds, or their lifestyles. He wants us to take time to get to know them, listen to them, pray for them, help them, and love them as he loves us—without exception. Every single person I’ve talked to on campus holds a special place in my heart. I loved getting to know all of them, telling them about myself, and discussing the hard topic of abortion as well as other important issues with them. I think about them individually all the time, and I pray for them on a regular basis. I love them, not because we believe the same things, we’re from the same place, or raised the same way, but simply because they are children of God.

“I used to be scared to meet people who I disagree with spiritually, politically, or morally. Now, I jump at the chance to meet people of different beliefs! I find it intriguing and exciting to learn new religious, political, or moral views, and I love being able to share my beliefs and passions with them. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than meeting, knowing, and loving the people I meet through this work. JFA is by far one of the greatest blessings of my life, and I’m looking forward to the rest of my internship here!”

After our trip in early March, we decided to limit travel, and then within a week or so most schools were shut down anyway. Still, this didn’t shut down Mary’s internship. To the contrary, she pushed ahead with her speaking parts, learning several more sections of our seminar this past month. She is ready to assist with online trainings in the coming months and at in-person events when those return. Just last week, Mary was a significant contributor for our webinar. See upcoming webinars at JFA’s Calendar Page.

Mary has also been instrumental in helping us pivot during this time by being more active online with Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. She’s worked hard to connect with pro-choice folks and to encourage pro-life students, and along the way she has encouraged the rest of our staff with some specific skills she brings.

Spending Spring Break with JFA

Angelique (second from left), the pro-life club president at Trinity University, engages students at UT Dallas in conversation during her spring break with JFA.

In February, our team held outreach events at two schools in San Antonio in one trip. For the Trinity University event, we were invited by the president of the Tigers for Life, Angelique. As for UTSA, we had been working with their pro-life club’s outreach chair for years before finally getting to do outreach on campus this spring. We also did training seminar events with both of them last fall.

Our spring break team at UT Dallas

After our successful outreach events with them in San Antonio, we asked both of them if they wanted to join us two weeks later at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) since our events there took place during their spring break. They each decided to abandon their spring break plans to come to Dallas with us.

There they joined Mariana and Thomas, from Benedictine College, who also spent their spring break with us. We all had three amazing days of outreach at UT Dallas. The day that trip ended, the quarantine and stay-at-home orders started to be issued, so we finished the trip with God’s perfect timing. Judging from the response we got from these student leaders, they really were glad that they spent their spring break not on a beach vacation, but at outreach with Justice For All changing their peers’ minds about abortion, one person at a time.

“I am so grateful I went on a mission trip with Justice For All over spring break! It was a time of growth, intentional dialogue, and deepening of faith . . . I learned a lot of interesting viewpoints, and I was deeply moved by some of the heartbreaking reasons why people are pro-choice . . . It was truly amazing to see a variety of different people’s strengths and talents come together and impact students on campus. Abortion is not something to be ignored, no matter how hard the conversation is. I can bet the students at UT Dallas will be talking about the JFA exhibit for years to come, leading to a domino effect of conversations. Overall, I feel strengthened in my own faith through this mission, especially in learning how to do my part in a mission and surrendering the rest to God.”
— Mariana (Freshman, Benedictine College)

Mariana in action at UT Dallas

Thomas (green shirt) having conversations with pro-choice protestors

“I was amazed at how many conversations really changed people’s views on the issue of abortion—rarely a 180 degree turnaround, but more often than that, I found even sharing the perspective we were coming from helped open people’s minds more on the subject. I was especially impacted by seeing how each day the protestors became less hostile in their attitude and more open to dialogue.”
— Thomas (Sophomore, Benedictine College)

Catch JFA on Facebook Live Tomorrow!

Event Info

To attend one of our upcoming webinar events, go to the JFA Calendar Page to get more information and register. We are also regularly adding new online events to the calendar. Watch for those, or contact us if you’d like to book a webinar event.

Equal Rights (Instagram Links)

Rebecca Hotovy talks about the basis for equal rights with a pro-choice student at CSU. They discuss the logical consequences of two popular views. (Part 1 o...
Watch Rebecca Hotovy (Haschke) talk with a student at Colorado State University about the foundation for our equal rights. --- Read Outreach Stories: www.jfa...

An Update from JFA's Executive Director

Dear Friend of JFA,

I was amazed. During a webinar that Paul Kulas, JFA’s Director of Operations, had planned for a family of supporters in mid-April, he led us through interactive teaching related to the topics of poverty and rape. To finish the webinar, JFA intern Mary St. Hilaire shared a story of a recent campus conversation with “Liz.” The two topics Liz had been most concerned about were also poverty and rape. The story fit perfectly with what Paul had selected even though we hadn’t planned it that way. Read Mary’s story, ”A New View of Abortion…and Pro-Life Advocates,” below.

During COVID-19, our team has been hard at work creating conversations using social media and other means. In just a few weeks, we’ve discovered and tested some methods we think anyone can use to create a conversation. We’ll report soon on our blog and in a future letter.

Our team has also conducted a three-hour online workshop, and we were excited to find a way to include interactive activities using Zoom breakout rooms. We have similar online events scheduled each week in the near future, including a series of shorter sessions for those who can’t attend longer sessions. To participate, keep an eye on the social media channels below.

Our team was encouraged this past week by Henri Nouwen’s essay, “From Solitude to Community to Ministry.” You can find it online at Christianity Today and in Nouwen’s short book, A Spirituality of Living. In the solitude you may be experiencing during COVID-19, we hope that you can pause and know more clearly how Christ has called you “Beloved.” We pray you might then find unique ways to share that same love with others in this challenging time. (See I John 4:7-14.) We continue to pray for you, beloved friends. Thank you for partnering with us in prayer and financial gifts, as God gives you ability.

Steve Wagner, Executive Director

Please Pray for these Advocates and the Conversations They Created and Will Create.

UT Dallas Outreach Team (March 9-11, 2020) Missing: Kaitlyn Donihue (on plane back to MI for speaking event) and Paul Kulas (taking picture)

A New View of Abortion... And Pro-Life Advocates

Impact Report, April 2020

A Note from JFA’s Executive Director: Mary St. Hilaire had been an intern with JFA for less than a week when we sent her to four different cities from February 7 until March 12. She helped JFA accomplish eleven days of outreach at five universities and also learned to present a portion of JFA’s training seminar. Since COVID-19 has caused us to postpone in-person events for now, we’re thankful for Mary’s help in doing more with social media, including starting conversations with people online. - Steve Wagner, JFA Executive Director

In the first outreach conversation of her internship, Mary (above, right) interacts with a University of North Texas student who skipped his class to talk about abortion.

One of my favorite conversations this semester was with a girl I’ll call “Liz,” a student at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. From the beginning I could tell that Liz was very hesitant to engage us in any way. When I asked if she wanted to weigh in on our poll (“Is Abortion an Injustice?”), she seemed almost nervous to do so, but eventually got up the courage and signed the “No” side. I then asked if she had time to share her thoughts with me, to which she timidly replied, “Yeah... I do have time actually.”

At University of Texas at Dallas in March, Mary talked with the group of students pictured here. As we traveled home from Dallas, we began to see cancellations of public gatherings nationwide.

I followed up by asking her what she thought about abortion. Right off the bat, I recognized the love and compassion that Liz has for women, for she responded, “Well, I don’t really like abortion, but I understand that it’s necessary for some women if they are raped or if they’re too poor to take care of a child.”

This was the perfect opportunity, early in the conversation, to set Liz at ease and help her know that I cared about her view and about these circumstances. I responded by saying, “I agree that rape is a terrible experience for any woman to have and I can’t imagine going through that. And poverty is something I’ve never had to experience, but my heart really goes out to anyone living in poverty, especially single mothers. Both of those situations are really sad to think about.”

Almost immediately after saying this, there was a change in Liz’s disposition. I saw a transformation in her face and could tell that my response was not at all what she was expecting to hear. In fact, not only did she become more willing to discuss the topic of abortion with me, but she also began to open up about very personal struggles in her own life. She said that both she and her boyfriend have problems with their mental health. They plan on getting married, and they would love to have children, but they feel trapped because they don’t want their kids to have the same mental challenges they have.

I could tell how distressing this was to Liz, and I was able to really empathize with her. “Wow,” I said. “That is such a difficult situation. I want to have children someday, too, so I can understand how hard this must be for you because obviously we want the best for our children and would never want them to experience the same hardships we have experienced. I’m sorry you have to go through this. Is your family supportive of you and your boyfriend?” “Yes, luckily they are very supportive and loving,” she answered. “I’m so glad to hear that,” I replied. “It’s so important to have people in your life that you can lean on to help you through the hard times.”

The way that Liz opened up to me and the way in which I was able to empathize with her created a strong connection between us. In fact, most of our conversation was spent just getting to know one another. We talked about our shared Christian faith, joked and laughed over stories from our past, and talked about our families and backgrounds. We didn’t actually discuss the topic of abortion in depth until a friendship had begun to develop. Because of our connection, when I did ask her about abortion again, she was very open and willing to discuss it with me.

“So, do you think the unborn is biologically human?” I asked. “I’m not sure,” she replied. “That’s okay!” I said. “Would you be open to hearing what I think?”

“Absolutely!” she eagerly responded. I then walked her through evidence that the unborn is biologically human. For example, the unborn exhibits the three characteristics of living things, it has human parents and human DNA, and it is a whole organism that is developing itself. Liz said that those reasons made sense, and she was willing to agree that the unborn is biologically human.

I then tried to help her see why all human beings deserve the right to life by asking her a few questions: “Look around at everyone on campus. We’re all different, right? Different religions, races, ages, and genders. But could you agree that everyone on campus deserves to be treated equally at least in the sense of the basic right to life?” She nodded. “Of course.”

I continued, “So then there must be something the same about us that gives us the right to demand this equal treatment. What do you think is the same about us?” Liz paused and thought for a moment. “That’s a good question. I don’t know. What do you think?” she finally asked.

“Well, I think it’s simply that we are all human beings!” I could see that this answer really resonated with Liz. “Yes, that makes sense,” she quickly replied. I continued: “So if the unborn is also human then shouldn’t he also deserve the right to life?”

The look on Liz’s face told me that she completely understood this argument and was really grappling with it. After a moment, she answered, “I guess abortion is an injustice. But I do understand why some women need to get abortions.” This response impressed me because of Liz’s willingness to admit that she had changed her view of abortion as not being an injustice. I wasn’t at all surprised that she held onto the belief that it is still necessary for some women, despite it being wrong. I know that she was simply trying to process through everything we had discussed. A total change of heart may come later when she has had more time to dwell on this complex topic.

With all that being said, my conversation with Liz is one of my favorites not because of her altered view of abortion but because of what she said in parting after we had talked for about an hour. She looked at me earnestly and said, “Thank you! You have changed my perspective of pro-lifers and the pro-life movement.” Those are the most precious words I have heard in any of my conversations.

One of our main goals as staff at Justice For All, and as pro-life advocates in general, is to have dialogues that convey Christ’s message of love, forgiveness, and understanding. Liz’s parting words confirmed that I had fulfilled that message in our conversation. Whether or not she completely changes her mind on the issue of abortion, I know that I had a great impact on her because she has a new view of pro-life advocates as people of acceptance, love, and openness. This, in and of itself, opens so many doors for more productive conversations in the future. She will now be much more willing to listen to and understand the pro-life position without the interference of a negative association with pro-life people.

So often, pro-choice people don’t want to engage us simply because they think we don’t care about their views. Let us change that stigma by our examples of Christ-like love, unconditional and immeasurable, in every interaction we have with people with whom we disagree. Let us truly live out Jesus’ command to us: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)

Recent and Upcoming Events

Recent Events - Parital List

  • February 8-12: Seminar and Outreach Events in Denton, Texas (University of North Texas)

  • February 17-19: Seminar and Outreach Events in Albuquerque, NM (University of New Mexico)

  • February 23-27: Seminar and Outreach Events in San Antonio, Texas (Trinity University and UT San Antonio)

  • March 7-11: Seminar and Outreach Events in Dallas, Texas (UT Dallas)

  • March 11: Presentation at Retreat for Council of Catholic Women - Kaitlyn Donihue

Because JFA has canceled all in-person events for the time being, we are offering JFA webinar events in various formats! Click here to register for an upcoming online event, or book a JFA webinar.

Because JFA has canceled all in-person events for the time being, we are offering JFA webinar events in various formats! Click here to register for an upcoming online event, or book a JFA webinar.

  • April 25: “Taking Abortion from Debate to Dialogue” Online Workshop

  • April 30: “Love 3: A New Roadmap for Conversations about Abortion” Webinar, 6:00-7:30 p.m. (Central Time) - Live on JFA’s Facebook Page

  • May 7: “Love 3: A New Roadmap for Conversations about Abortion” Webinar, 10:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m. (Central Time) - Live on JFA’s Facebook Page

To attend one of our upcoming webinar events, go to the JFA Calendar Page to get more information and register. We are also regularly adding new online events to the calendar, so watch for those.

Outreach Over Instagram?

It seems like the only thing anyone is talking about these days is COVID-19. It has dramatically changed our lives, canceled our plans, and turned our world upside down. What are we, as Christians, to do?

Trinity University, February 24 and 25, 2020

We are commanded throughout Scripture to go and make disciples of all nations, to proclaim the truth, to be salt and light to a lost and broken world. The Bible doesn’t list any exceptions. Nowhere does it say to make disciples unless there is a deadly pandemic sweeping the land.

The commands of Scripture still apply to us today. Our calling as Christians has not changed. So what can we do?

We have to get creative. Many of the normal routes for evangelism and discipleship are not available at the moment, so we must seek out other routes!

University of Texas at Dallas, March 9 and 10, 2020: I am so thankful for the training and outreach events we were able to do before COVID-19 hit and forced us to change our plans.

I strongly dislike social media. Other people get great enjoyment out of it, and that is wonderful. But I would much rather have a conversation with someone face to face or at least over the phone. When our team decided to work together to leverage the internet to create conversations, I began to think through how I could contribute. Despite my dislike of social media, I started an Instagram account (@kaitlyndonihue). Why? Well, this is my creative route for trying to share the truth with others.

I have been following pro-life pages and reading the comments on their posts. Many pro-choice people comment. After reading a comment, I private message the commenter and say something like, “Hey, I saw your comment on Justice For All’s post about abortion, and I would love to hear more of your thoughts.”

Over the past three weeks, I have had some amazing conversations about abortion, worldviews, and the gospel this way.

I have been talking with one young lady who struggles to believe in God because she has been hurt and abused by a lot of people throughout her life.

Another young woman shared with me that she believes that animals and human beings are equal in value. When I asked where value comes from and whether she thinks there is a God who gives value, she shared that she doesn’t believe in God because she has been deeply hurt by some very hypocritical Christians.

Another young lady has been sharing with me her view on the issue of a woman’s bodily rights related to abortion.

I have been amazed at how open and honest these young women have been with me. They are hurting deeply and are excited just to have someone listen to them.

I said earlier that this is not my preference for outreach. I would much prefer to be on a university campus having face-to-face conversations. Yet I cannot deny that I am seeing God use this. And yes, even I am enjoying talking with these women over Instagram.

How about you? During this season, have you found any creative ways to talk about abortion, worldviews, and the gospel with those who disagree or to disciple other Christians? I would love to hear about them!

I am excited to see what God will do in and through this time to draw people to Himself. May we be faithful and creative messengers of truth.