Next Step Supporters, Volunteers, and Staff
This is a beautiful melodic story told from the perspective of an unborn child. It can be a tough listen but if it is then know your heart is beating as it should.
“The first thing I was gonna do was breathe and fall in love with you. But a couple weeks before I saw the light, Mine flickered out when you changed your mind…”
I Was Gonna Be – Rachel Holt
Take a listen.
As judged by the WA State Knights of Columbus Council for 2024 –
1st Place Pro-Life Essay by St. Mark student Nicholas Yen ~ and 1st Place Pro-Life Poster Contest Winner St. Mark Student Stella Faraon! Congratulations!
By Nicholas Yen~ Throughout life, there are few forces greater than the love of a parent towards its child. This love grows increasingly greater when partnered with the love of the child’s relatives. Yet even throughout the dwindling years of our precious childhood, barriers can form between us and our friends, siblings, and even parents. And yet I know, through the experiences of my loving relatives, that although these barriers may never be fully broken, hope is always there, and with God’s help, friends, siblings, and parents, can laugh together once more.
We, as human beings, are capable of bringing joy and purpose into the lives of many, and yet, we are endangered before we leave the womb, before we can see our mothers loving eyes for the first time. So many of our siblings in the Lord, strangled by greed, walk the streets of our cities every day, helping sin to overcome even the innocent. People who believe in abortion should not be seen as evildoers, but as our corrupted brethren, waiting for a glimpse of purpose in their darkly lit lives. Abortion is not a way to “relieve a poor womens stress”, it is the cause of a loss so great that over 50 million people, who could have felt their mothers love, brought joy to others, played with other kids at the park, ran, walked ,cried, and talked, have died. While the opposition might feel that no true life is lost, it was a “potential” life, a life that could have been or done anything. So how can one truly believe that a life was not lost, when they themselves believe that they came from their mothers womb, when they themselves don’t just believe, but live the truth that from conception, a new life is brought forth? And if not, when then, would life truly begin, when you can wiggle your toes, hear you mothers voice, laugh, or smile? Our world is worn with greed, jealousy, lust, and so many more vices. There danger depicted through Mathew 13:7-8, “7 Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Jesus’ parable is not restricted to an illustration of poor faith, but can be seen as a calling to live His order to, “Go forth, and multiply”, or bring Him faithful followers.
Yet, how can we as a loving, Christian community, persuade victims of greed, not just to think of themselves, but of the life they are willing to end in order give themselves the life they desire? When we encounter a brother or sister in need, a smile, or point in the correct direction could be all that is needed, but our Lord believes that we can do more than the bare minimum for our brethren. We, as proud members of a community, who try our best to live pious lives, must live in our faith, we must spread love wherever we go. Do not despise those who have sinned in your knowledge, for a sin which is confessed is forgotten, while a sin which is not confessed is remembered, pondered, and wrapped in lies so as to keep its bearer’s mind at ease. Be away with your confessed sins, there is little worse than continuing to let oneself be enslaved by that which they had sought forgiveness. In the end, all that matters is that we love those who seek love, help those who need help, and bring meaning into the lives of many. And we must ask ourselves, when Jesus asks if we have given him food in His hunger, water in His thirst, shelter in His homelessness, visited Him in sickness or in prison, can we truly, honestly, state that we have, can we truly look back on our lives and find memories of those actions? In some ways, abortion is the next question of faithfulness in our lives.
A lovely time was had by all on May 31st when Greg and LaFon Jantz, Edmonds locals, hosted a beautiful tea party in their lovely home! The day was bright and warm, the food was delicate and tasty, and the tea was fragrant! Thank you to all who joined us for a scrumptious light lunch and welcomed Heather and Barb from Next Step Pregnancy Services to share about our ministry! Powerful and impactful words! And thank you to Rebecca Anderson for the intro and support! The generosity was overwhelming. All in all Next Step was gifted and astounding $11,500 in support!! Life wins! Always!
What a day! Neither wind nor rain nor cold! Nothing stood in the way of beautifying Next Step! Thank you to the awesome people who came out to volunteer hours of their time getting dirty, sore, and tirelessly planting, shoveling, digging, and more! Many hands made light work for sure! What a blessing. The goal was to ensure a warm, bright, and welcoming place for all our clients – mission accomplished. See below the great photos for all the angels who came to help.
Kim and Josh Cummins, Marilyn Thornton, Jake and Nicole Forman – from the NS Board
From St. Mark – Nicholas, Robbie, and Helena Yen, Abby Pinard, Alyssa and Francie House
Dennis Halpin, Eoin, Vander, and Ryan Ritter from Boy Scouts Troop 309
Anne Lombard and Eleanor Dusch from American Heritage Girls Troop 821
Isabella Couarrubias from St. Thomas More
Linda Charcas from Holy Rosary’s Respect Life Group
Thank you Donna Vago, and Grace and Stephen Heinrichs!
And finally thank you to my big brother Ricky from the Buyce clan and my darling daughter Scarlett!!
Today, March 25, marks the anniversary of the papal encyclical Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life). Written by Pope St. John Paul II in 1995.
The source of this “great joy” is the Birth of the Savior; but Christmas also reveals the full meaning of every human birth, and the joy which accompanies the Birth of the Messiah is thus seen to be the foundation and fulfilment of joy at every child born into the world (cf. Jn 16:21).
I cannot begin to write anything nearly as beautiful and profound as the encyclical referred to here but I can share its proclamations and connect them to what is and has always been the heart of our mission here at Next Step Pregnancy Services.
“Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase.” (Evangelium Vitae, 1995).
Next Step’s vocation is to recognize and name those children, the unborn, those human lives that we are privileged to welcome each and every time a woman comes through our doors whether she’s happy, or tentative, uncertain, angry, overjoyed, alone, or with family. Whatever her circumstance she is cherished, planned, and chosen. Chosen to carry new life.
For the full encyclical click here –
https://tinyurl.com/evangeliumvitae25
Thank you to all those whose prayers and gifts to Next Step continue to strengthen this thriving organization. Please check out more ways to help, pray, and donate by going to nssupport.org
P.S. Save the Date – the Next Step Pregnancy Services Gala will be on Saturday September 14th! More to come.
The 2024 Gala celebration will be on Saturday September 14th at Holy Rosary parish. Stay tuned for more information on how and when to register. Our guest speaker is Dr. William Lile!
~ Saint Charles Borromeo
As I examine that statement about charity I’m reminded of God’s ultimate charge of us, His people. To love God above all else and to love thy neighbor as ourselves because we love Him. “Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God.” (CCC1822). That’s powerful. And direct.
In Washington state alone there are over 50 pregnancy resource clinics, centers, and programs dedicated to the well-being and care of the men, women and children (born and unborn) that seek out assistance each and every day. Some centers focus on material goods (diapers, formula, clothes) while others are more medically geared offering evidence based ultrasounds, pregnancy testing, STI testing and treatment and still others offer well women health care on top of pregnancy and family ministry and still others are focused on maternity housing and better maternal outcomes as well as walking beside women and children up and beyond those first few years. Each ministry is essential and can’t work alone.
And that’s just Washington state! The latest numbers say there are well over 2000 pregnancy resource clinics and centers in the US. If you take a look at the monetary value of even a fraction of the work these organizations accomplish you’ll be blown away – and I hope – proud to know where your treasure lies.
These centers, like Next Step Pregnancy Services, also provided practical support of:
Other services include:
These essential services totaled over $358 million in one twelve-month period! Think about that for a moment. That is the power of pro-life pregnancy center. The power of what you’ve helped create at Next Step Pregnancy Services here in Lynnwood, Washington.
And yet on October 13th, 2023 sixteen Attorney Generals joined together to produce and endorse an open letter denouncing Pregnancy Resource Clinics like Next Step. You can read the letter here if you are so inclined. http://tinyurl.com/October23Letter
“The hard truth is pro-life pregnancy centers impact the bottom line of the abortion industry. They are a competition that must be eliminated.” (Bradley Mattes is president of the Life Issues Institute.)
Meet the newest Next Step babies! Lola and her mother and Musa and his big sister!
“The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder.” G. K. Chesterton
I’ve always loved this painting by Norman Rockwell. It’s called “The Discovery” and it appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post on December 29th, 1956.
The surprise, then astonishment, then the slow realization…. but not the surety. What has he discovered? Is he sure about what he is seeing and what it means?
The wondrousness of Santa. His sleigh and 8 reindeer. The clomp of boots on the roof! His huge red bag of goodies with all the names of the little boys and girls. The plate of cookies that mysteriously empties in the night…. The sparkling-colored lights and the crisp snow-covered yards and the hot cocoa and marshmallows!
The way my mom and dad made it all so magical. So believable, So wonderful! Because when you love someone, you endeavor to create a magical, joyous space where they can feel cherished. Where the unceasing darkness of the world is held at bay, even for just a little while. And the twinkling lights are like endless stars and the night is warm with blankets and footie pajamas and dad reads “A Visit from St. Nicholas” like he does every year, and there is simply none of the harshness that seems to fill the news and the hurried disconnect etched into people’s faces. It all seems to melt away during the season.
Much like a parent – Next Step Pregnancy Services – tries so very hard to create magic and warmth and security for each person who comes through our doors. We all know life is hard. Not can be hard – IS hard. And we aim to do what we can to ease the burden of stress and isolation, uncertainty and pain that many of our clients feel. It truly is the little things.
Extra diapers, warm receiving blankets, nipple cream for breastfeeding moms, an early ultrasound to confirm baby is there and is ok, prenatal vitamins, a warm hand to hold and be held when inexplicably there is no heartbeat, a shoulder to cry on when the STI test comes back negative and you feel confident you can start fresh because our nurse was there every step of the way encouraging you to take a look at yourself in the mirror and love who you are. Not who you think you need to be.
I sometimes read articles right around this time that refer to Jesus as an “unplanned pregnancy” and I think – No! He was not unplanned. He was anointed. He was – is – the plan. Mary-His mother-was planned. Joseph-His father on earth-was planned. You were planned. So was I. We were planned. He planned us. He created us. He knows what each and every one of us can do and will do. And He loves us.
It’s no coincidence – the magic of Christmas. The birth of Jesus brings out the best in all of us. Makes us all kids again. Squeezing our eyes shut, imagining we hear the sound of hooves on the rooftop.
Christmas is joy. It is wonder. It is delight. It is cheer. It is sacred. It is peace.
May your Christmas be bright and filled with harmony. Merry Christmas to you from us at Next Step Pregnancy Services.
