My name is Lacy. My story is 25 years in the making.  He is still writing my story. When I was 18 years old, I found myself to be in an unplanned pregnancy. It certainly wasn’t the story I was expecting to write. My boyfriend and I were not even intending to have sex. My father was a pastor. We were raised with strong values and knew what God’s best was for us. But there we were. When I first found out and for many moments afterwards, I was overcome by shame, guilt and sadness. You must read about this all the time. Please do not pass by those words, because it is the consuming depth of shame that can cause someone to do the unthinkable. Thankfully, amid my pain, God was already laying out people to walk on this journey with me.  

When I told Daniel, (then my boyfriend) he said God had already told him. I am thankful his response was immediately supportive and loving. We cried and talked for a long while. The pull of shame was a powerful force that took us to an abortion clinic. But as the nurse led me back my hands gripped the doorway. With tears streaming down my face, I told Daniel I could not do it and we left. And while we knew we were not having an abortion we had no idea what to do next.  

The first people we went to about our circumstances were our youth leaders, because they had shared their story of abortion in college earlier that year. They too seemed prepared before we walked in the door. They displayed the love of Christ to us in ways that gave us the strength to do the next tough thing…go to my father. At that point, Daniel said it was time for him to step up.  When we sat down with my father, Daniel gave him the news. In that moment, all I could think about was how much I must have disappointed my father…my daddy, who I loved so deeply. I literally crawled on my knees and grabbed his legs begging him to forgive me and love me.  In that moment, I experienced the tangible love of our heavenly Father through my own. My dad held my face and reminded me that nothing I could ever do would separate his love for me.  

God was not done providing a path of mercy for us though. We still didn’t know HOW to do this; How to walk this out practically. Enter Daniel’s mother who had been volunteering at Hope Clinic for Women. Walking up those stairs and stepping into the welcoming home that is Hope Clinic for Women, was an incredible feeling.   From that moment onward, we were wrapped in love from every direction. The Enemy meant to destroy us with shame.  God restored us with grace upon grace. The work of Hope Clinic cannot be described easily. Of course, there are the very practical ways they help with classes, counseling and material assistance. But then there are the intangible ways in which they deliver hope as well.   They mentor.  They love.  They give understanding and mercy. Hope Clinic for Women displays in real ways the hands and feet of Christ.   

Daniel and I were soon married and have been married ever since. We have 6 biological children and 6 adopted children. We know that this is not everyone’s story, and we certainly can’t say it’s a perfect one.   But God turned our pain into a purpose. A purpose that would bring us right back to Hope Clinic over two decades later.  

You see, in 2009, when we were overseas, our 9-year-old was nearly abducted and sold into sex trafficking in Asia. More of the details are in the linked video, as we now are blessed to operate our own non- profit organization, Rescue 1Global. We rescue children around the world from sex trafficking. We started this mission when no one in the United States was even talking about it. The building blocks of faith solidified during our unplanned pregnancy truly gave us the foundation and grit we needed to run this ministry.  

This past year, I met Kailey Cornett, Hope Clinic’s Development Director. We talked about the ways Hope Clinic could help the clients at our own nonprofit, with education, medical care, and post abortion counseling services. It was then that I realized I needed to tell Kailey my story.  She asked if I would be willing to share my story with Renee Rizzo, Hope Clinic’s CEO. Renee and I met, and she asked if I would be willing to document the story in writing and on video. Because I am farther down the road in my healing, I immediately said yes!   A couple of weeks later Daniel and I came to Hope Clinic to share our story. What a surreal moment it was to walk back through those same doors and to immediately feel the peace of the Holy Spirit yet again!  To see how far God had taken Daniel and me and all our children and not just our first son, has been an incredible journey and experience of His great mercy and love. 

In recent years, I have had talks with our son, especially as I was preparing to share my story more publicly. I wanted to be sure that in all these ways going public, he never felt unwanted. You see, Daniel and I told our son his own story to him (age appropriate of course) from early on. He has known that he was already with us on our wedding day. I am thankful that God equipped us in ways that provide a safe place for transparency, vulnerability, and grace. I cannot say this enough. The enemy uses shame and darkness to keep us in bondage. But God uses the LIGHT and empathy to bring restoration and redemption.  

Daniel and I are forever grateful to those who stepped into our lives quickly and with so much love. We are so grateful that there was a place like Hope Clinic to walk with us on our journey, and we are overjoyed by God’s divine appointment to bring us right back to collaborate Rescue 1Global and Hope Clinic for Women!   How it is like our Father to do more than we could ever ask for, think, or imagine!