These are some thoughts Karen shared with us at our 2nd annual fundraising banquet on March 7th, 2011.

 

For those of you who are new to Deeper Still … The mission of Deeper Still is to multiply teams who bring healing and lasting freedom to abortion wounded hearts.  So, our mission is not only to do the work of bringing healing & lasting freedom, but to train and raise up others to do the same – whether that’s through a church, a pregnancy center ministry, or through another ministry outreach.

 

But before you can understand the critical mission of Deeper Still we need to pull back the curtain and show you what the abortion wounded heart looks like.

 

So, what is an abortion wounded heart?  We all know that abortion is the shedding of innocent blood and that a baby’s life is sacrificed, but beyond that we kind of shut down our thinking about what happens to those involved in the abortion, because it is too uncomfortable to talk about or to even ask any questions about because it becomes a taboo subject.  And no one knows how to talk about it so we don’t.  Therefore, silence & secrets become the new rules that surround abortions aftermath.

 

(I can’t show you the video, but here’s what it reveals).

When participants sign up for our retreats, we ask them to fill out an information intake form so that we can better understand what is going on inside their minds, hearts and relationships.  Here are some of the most commonly circled symptoms:

 

Guilt, shame, fear, numb, sad, low self-esteem, marital stress, loneliness, hopelessness, anxiety, depression, anger, suicidal ideas, nightmares, alcohol/drugs, self-hatred, sexual problems, grief, accusing voices, eating disorders, obsessive thoughts, helplessness, indifference.

 

We also have a self-assessment questionnaire that can be found on our website.  It asks questions such as:

 

• Do you avoid the subject of abortion?

• Do you expect bad things to happen to you as punishment for your abortion?

• Are you preoccupied with thought surrounding your abortion?

• Do you find it hard to even say the word abortion?

• Do you work hard to prove you’re a good mother (or father)?

• Do you feel like your relationships lack depth and authenticity?

• Are you afraid to meet your child(ren) in heaven?

• Do you feel like you’ve forfeited the good promises of God?

 

How far-reaching is the abortion wounded heart?

 

I believe that God is calling Deeper Still into a “bigger-picture” commissioning.

 

Matt. 24:14 says: And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for the witness to all nations, and then the end will come.

 

God is inviting DS into this great commission.  There has been a worldwide mission field created by abortion.  Let me just review the statistics for you.  Since 1973 there has been over 50 million abortions in the US, 40-60 % of those have been multiple abortions by the same mother.  And there are men who fathered each one of those children.  Where do you think those men and women are today?  They didn’t just disappear, they live among us, they are us!  We live in an abortion wounded nation.  (You can’t have the blood of 50+ million babies on your hands and think it’s not going to affect your nation). The whole nation of Canada only has a population of 34 Million.

 

In the bigger world, multiply that by millions.  There are 42-50 million abortions each year around the world.  We live in an abortion wounded world.  (only 2% of the world’s abortions happen in the US).

 

So, as Deeper Still is able to reach out to the abortion wounded hearts around the world, many women and men will hear for the first time of the:

• That there is a Savior that can heal their wounds,

• that they can be spiritually reconciled with their children

• And that Jesus can save their souls for all eternity.