PRO-LIFE MINISTRY AND CENTRE

God's Word has an ongoing power to inspire, convict and guide. The Jeevan Asha (Hope of Life) Ministries are an outcome of the inspiration from Mt.25:34-46 where the various acts of mercy have been mentioned. Among the acts of mercy such as visiting prisoners, reaching out to the poor and the sick, we have a special place for 'welcoming strangers' i.e. the unborn babies. This has been the motto of the Pro-life ministry of Jeevan Asha right from 1997 when it took shape as a registered Charitable Trust.

It has been over 3 years now that the Lord has moulded, guided and strengthened this particular ministry of Pro-life. Science has advanced and so have the perils of its misuse. One such evil very often overlooked, at times encouraged and seldom fought against is the horror of abortion. We are fortunate to belong to the Catholic Church that upholds the value of life in a cold world of anti-life mentality. The Pro-Life ministry of Jeevan Asha has received recognition from the Mumbai Service Team of the Charismatic renewal in India. The various aspects of work undertaken by the ministries are as follows:

The ministry seeks to educate people about the evils of abortion. This is done through Pro-Life presentations by a team of trained pro-lifers. This program includes audio-visuals along with various talks on Respect for life, Methods of abortion, Effects of abortion and the options that can be offered to people in order to enable them to refrain from abortion. These presentations are usually held at High schools, Churches at the Parish level, Sunday school, prayer groups and other institutions. Dispelling ignorance about abortion is important especially among our youth who are so susceptible to the onslaught of the degrading values in society.

Training various groups of people from prayer groups and parishes to become active Pro-Lifers and to set up Pro-Life ministries in their own areas is another aspect of the work done by Jeevan Asha Ministries. In the year 2000, we had our first training session comprising of six Sundays, where about 60 members from Mumbai and its suburbs participated. Another such training programme was conducted in February-March 2001 where another 60 members were trained. Pro-Lifers from various regions of India attended a National pro-life seminar conducted by the Jeevan Asha Ministries at Bangalore in May 2002. We have been striving to help all the like minded people who wish to support the cause of pro-life, and we begin by educating them.

But just educating or informing is not sufficient, action is needed to bring about the completion of the Pro-Life cause taken in hand. Helping all kinds of pregnant women in distress is an important aspect of the ministry. When a case of a person contemplating abortion is brought to our notice, we begin by counseling and praying with and for the person and the baby. The best alternative in that particular situation is offered to the person and very often we are able to convince the person to save the baby.

Cases that usually come to us are unwed mothers, instances of pregnancies outside the wedlock, financial crisis, already having many children and ill health of the mother. For the cases of unwed mothers, we offer the alternative of residing away from their locality for the later months of pregnancy in anonymity and then, after childbirth they relinquish their baby legally and return to their homes. The arrangements for accommodation and delivery are made by the Jeevan Asha Ministries. For pregnancies outside wedlock, we have the same procedure. For those with many children the option of giving up their child for adoption helps. Most of the cases that come to us are economically under-privileged. When it's the mother's health that prompts the decision to abort, prayer coupled with faith is effective in reverting this decision.

The children thus saved from abortion are lovingly cared for in carefully chosen foster homes until the time they go in for legal adoption. For the adoption procedure, the ministry has been affiliated with two adoption centres. These two organisations have helped the ministries to send 15 babies for adoption to childless couples (18 were relinquished/abandoned, 3 were sent to institutions for special care). A number of babies were accepted by their parents after an abortion, this was averted through the intervention of the ministries.

Sheltering pregnant women in distress is not an easy task, finding suitable homes and co- operative caretakers is difficult. To meet with this urgent and inevitable need, the Jeevan Asha Ministries is in the process of building a shelter home for pregnant women in distress, as well as, a shelter home for the saved babies. It is in the process of being constructed and should be ready for use in the near future.

It is only prayer coupled with a burden for the silent unborn, that has seen the Pro-Life Ministry bloom, blossom and bear fruit. It is with Divine Assistance and Guidance that the Pro-Life Ministry of Jeevan Asha moves on to be a beacon to women in the stormy waters of their crisis pregnancies.

We were gifted two acres of land to begin our Pro-life centre, which is situated 84 Kilometers from Mumbai, in the lap of nature, The Lord has ever since blessed and guided us to buy bits of land around it to measure up to 11 acres. It is in this small village of Wadghar, that the proposed Jeevan Asha Pro-life Centre will take shape. The Pro-life Centre will be a shelter home for pregnant women in distress and the abandoned babies. The building will measure 20,000 sq. ft., ground floor plus one.

We propose to have wards for pregnant women awaiting delivery, delivered mothers, a labour room, an operation theatre, neonatal ward for new born babes, quarters for staff and an office for administration. We also propose to have an animal farm, poultry shed, a vegetable farm in order to cater to the needs of the inmates.

The centre will shelter all kinds of women who have problems in continuing their pregnancy and who would have otherwise, chosen abortion as an alternative. The women will be cared for and sheltered until they deliver their babies.

The abandoned babies will then be sent in for adoption to suitable parents who will be chosen with great care. The shelter home will operate to lovingly care for those babies, who for some reason, are not be adopted.

The Jeevan Asha Ministries will take care of the needs of the inmates, by providing for their basic needs during their period of stay at the Pro-life centre and also take care of their spiritual needs through counseling and prayer.

We look forward, with great hope and expectation to see the Lord's Hand at work in the midst of His people. hoping to be of service in His Name and with loving compassion, welcoming the little ones He entrusts to our care, we move onwards.

In His Service,

TREVOR LEWIS