Kim* is sitting in an overstuffed pink chair, her dark hair falling over her shoulders covering her beautiful young face. She looks up, her brown eyes filled with fear and utters those familiar words, I think Im pregnant. Barely old enough to drive a car, this teen is now facing the biggest dilemma of her life. Kims 23-year-old boyfriend waits outside smoking a cigarette while she fills out the paperwork. If the test turns out positive, Jack said he would pay for an abortion.

Bobbie, a client coordinator at an Atlanta area pregnancy care center, leads Kim into a quiet, cozy room where together they will wait for the results of her pregnancy test. The pregnancy test only takes about five minutes, but a normal visit lasts about 45. Bobbie takes the time to ask Kim about herself and her boyfriend and to discuss her options if the test turns out positive. Knowing that Kim is scared and confused, Bobbie offers comfort, a listening ear and the love of Christ. Volunteers like Bobbie have found that this initial interview is a good time to find out about the womans spiritual condition. If she is not a Christian, volunteers can begin to lay the groundwork for discussions about Christs love and forgiveness and a Father who restores our souls.

This is just one of many scenarios that Bobbie and hundreds of other pregnancy care center volunteers deal with on a daily basis. The women who minister to women in these crisis situations want to make a difference in the life of the mother and essentially save the life of the baby. These volunteers are true champions for life.

When a woman calls our hotline my first priority is to get her to the center, especially if she seems focused on abortion, says Bobbie. If I can get them in our door, I know they have a chance.

Bobbie has a full-time career but volunteers at the clinic one night a week. When I first came to work here, all I wanted to do was save babies, she admits. Now I realize that our ministry is really to the women. If we save the moms, well save the babies. When a woman is in a crisis situation she needs to know there is Someone who loves her uncon-ditionally and desires a fulfilling relationship with her. The best way to save the life of a baby is to make sure that the mother has a relationship with God. This attitude is echoed in pregnancy care centers across the nation.

Close to 2,000 centers across the U.S. provide pregnancy care to almost one million women every year. Most of these provide free pregnancy testing, maternity clothes, baby clothes, blankets, diapers, toys and other baby items, parenting skills classes, post abortion recovery, andmost importanta friend to talk to. When a woman visits a Christian pregnancy care center, she not only receives support for her and her baby, she is also introduced to a Friend who cares for her and will never leave her.

On missionmessage: Women who decide to keep their babies but dont have the support of the father or family have physical as well as spiritual needs. We as on mission Christians can open doors to share Christ by providing baby itemsclothes, diapers, formula to moms who are in need of help. By helping them celebrate the miracle of birth, we can also introduce them to the miracle of Gods grace.

Hope Pregnancy Center in Kalispell, Montana, has been open for two years. The center was started with three volunteers sharing a cell phone and a room at East Haven Baptist Church. They now have a beautiful home that God provided for them and 30 regular volunteers. Every month the center ministers to 20 to 30 women in crisis. Some come in for a pregnancy test, some need maternity clothes and some come in for baby items.

Hope is the only center in northwest Montana. It started as a ministry of East Haven Baptist Church, but it has grown into a community care facility. They have volunteers who answer the phone and talk to clients, those who inventory donations, some who lead post abortion Bible studies and others who actually give pregnancy tests and talk with clients about their options.

Leona Knutson volunteers one day a week and is in charge of baby-sitting for mothers who are taking classes and meeting for Bible study. She also volunteers on the crisis phone line. My objective is to keep a woman on the phone for as long as possible and to set up an appointment as soon as possible. Its very important to visit with a woman in crisis to build her confidence in us.

Leslie Allen works with teens at Hope Pregnancy Center. She and other volunteers have started a youth outreach program that encourages teens to abstain from sex before marriage. They call themselves the A-Team. Once a month they meet at the center for a program that usually includes a speaker, testimonies from youth, food and games. We started the program not knowing how it would turn out, but the response has been amazing. Our greatest desire is to reach kids who are unchurched by providing a safe, warm and friendly environment. By holding A-Team meetings at the center, volunteers are able to talk about God and His plan for sex within marriage. They also teach how remaining sexually pure is a way to honor God.

Abstinence education is starting to be recognized by school officials as an important part of health education. Many pregnancy care centers are receiving federal grants to teach abstinence only programs to high school students. The abstinence only curriculum does not include teaching safe sex. By teaching students at an early age about abstinence, pregnancy care centers hope to reduce the need for their services.

On mission message: Teenagers today seek approval and acceptance from their peers. Many find an artificial form of this by having sex with a boyfriend or girlfriend. You can help by telling them about Christs love for them. A moment of passion cannot compare to a lifetime love relationship with Christ.

At another pregnancy care center several states away Fran and Margaret are standing in the middle of a warehouse going through boxes of donated baby clothes. We dont actually get to see the clients who come to the center, says Fran. Our work is really behind the scenes, but we know that it takes all parts of the body for our ministry to be successful. Frans background in merchandising makes her the perfect volunteer for the centers baby store.

The women receive coupons for participating in classes that the center provides. They can use the coupons to buy maternity clothes, baby clothes, blankets, baby furniture, car seats and other essential items. Fran and Margaret also make up layettes for all the moms when they give birth to their babies. The layettes include diapers, baby clothes, a diaper bag, baby care kits and other items all tied up in a pretty pink or blue package.

Not all the women who come to these centers need help with a pending pregnancy. For example, theres Karen.

Karen* walks into the center without an appointment. Tears spill as she talks to the receptionist. Struggling with writing her name and address, she simply asks if she can speak to someone.

With a great explosion of grief she says, I came here a few months ago when I was pregnant. The pregnancy test was positive. I knew the right thing to do, but I was so scared, I aborted anyway. Karen continued with a story that is not unfamiliar.

As the anniversary of her abortion approaches, the grief and guilt have escalated. And now her sister is excited about her own pregnancy.

For Karen the feelings of remorse are overwhelming. I dont know where else to go. I cant talk to my husband, because I never told him I was pregnant. You were so supportive when I came here before. You treated me with respect that I didnt really deserve.

Statistics show that as many as one in four women who have had an abortion recognize this pain. The average length of time between an abortion and a woman seeking emotional and spiritual healing is nine years. Post Abortion Stress Syndrome may be triggered by many experiencesthe celebration of a wanted pregnancy, frustration over not being able to conceive, an abortion anniversary date.

One of the most important ministries of a pregnancy care center is post abortion recovery. It is very important for a woman to go through the grief process for total healing. At most centers the recovery process consists of a group Bible study. Many women decide to name their baby and some will even have a memorial service for their child.

There are many women who keep this secret locked in the past, and they have never received full healing or had the burden lifted, says Terri Baxter, director of the Riverside Pregnancy Center in Denver, Colorado. They are so worried about what their family might think or what their church might think, they are paralyzed to let Jesus work in that area of their lives. We want to share forgiveness and healing with them because we all have experienced God taking our ashes and making something beautiful out of them.

The most important part of the healing process is realizing that they need forgiveness from God. Many women feel that they dont deserve forgiveness. When they finally accept that God forgives all sinseven abortionthat is the first step to complete recovery. By turning over their lives to Christ they will receive the miracle of a new life in Him.

*Some names have been changed to provide anonymity.

Carol Pipes is associate editor of On Mission.