Tonight Tommy and I celebrated his birthday by hosting a baby shower for two of the young women who have chosen to keep their babies though the assistance of Caris pregnancy centers. Our church small group “adopted” a support group of young moms-to-be, providing snacks for their weekly meetings, and ended by coordinating a shower for them! Since I’m the only homemaker in the group, most of the planning and such fell to me. After the Christmas party where no one showed up, it was great to plan a party that I knew people were coming to! My chocolate chip pound cake made an appearance, and we had fruit salad, chips, cookies, and raspberry lemonade. Tommy was so excited, even though he didn’t get any of the food…he kept busy showing off his toys to everyone and helping the girls unwrap the presents.
I compiled a “wishlist” of the bare necessities a new mom might need, then I encouraged our small group (and my mom’s Bible study at a different church) to claim whatever gifts sounded good to them. We also collected donations towards large gifts from friends and others at church, and we were able to purchase a travel system (stroller AND carseat) for each of the girls! They also got pack and plays, lots of diapers, wipes, onesies, sleepers, bathing and grooming necessities, pacis, bottles, a gift certificate for a portrait session with their babies, and a few little toys. I made sure to borrow Lauren’s brilliant idea from Tommy’s baby shower and had everyone write their name and address on pre-stamped thank you note envelopes so that the thank you note process is easier for them! I highly recommend this tactic to my fellow hostesses.
The coolest thing was what a witness we were able to be. We don’t know what kind of spiritual background these girls have, but a dozen Christians came together tonight to bless them with gifts, celebrate their choice of life for their babies, and pray for their futures. Have they ever sat in a circle and been prayed for by name by several Christian women? The hope is that we can give them a picture of what the Church is supposed to be like–Christ’s hands and feet–and that they’ll be intrigued to learn more. If nothing else, we’ve palpably helped make it possible for them to choose life. The more women who make that choice and get help from places like Caris, the more cultural awareness there will be that abortion is not the only viable option for an unwed teen mom! I encourage all of my friends elsewhere to look into doing this sort of thing with your small groups/churches/Bible studies. I’m so excited to see what else God has in store for this ministry!
Caris Baby Shower
Feb 17th, 2009 by ECM
that is really really cool!
Wow! Thank you for sharing the story of these two women, and all you other women who have reached out and adopted them! I’m moved to tears that they have chosen to keep their babies!
How awesome, Emily 🙂 What a fabulous ministry!!!