New Life in Lima: Crisis Pregnancy Center in Peru

By Evelyn Stone

During furlough in 1995, I counseled at a crisis pregnancy center in the United States and did research on post-abortion syndrome as part of my master's studies in Biblical Counseling. I chose that emphasis based on the rapid growth of abortions in Peru, and the lack of Christian response to the need. That furlough experience sparked my vision for starting a crisis pregnancy center in Lima; I did not know of any such facility in all of Peru.

During 1997, I challenged a Peruvian Christian doctor about the desperate need for an organized response to the overwhelming prevalence of abortions in Peru. Although abortions are illegal, thousands are performed every year. In addition to lives lost through the slaughter of the unborn, women who undergo abortions suffer severe spiritual and emotional trauma.

The doctor made a serious commitment to God, and gave me the frightening statistics:

• 85% of all Peruvian women have at least one abortion;
• Those who have one are likely to have three;
• 40% of all adolescent girls under the age of 18 end their pregnancies in abortion;
• 17% of those teens die from the procedure.

The doctor began working with me in planning a center where we could offer biblical and medical counsel. In the following months we contacted a pastor's wife who is also an obstetrician and gynecologist, a Christian psychologist, a midwife, and a social worker. These women, like me, were excited about the possibility for compassionate evangelism, but not one of us knew the first thing about running a crisis pregnancy center. Then I met Beth Larrison, an American living in Lima, who had helped run a crisis pregnancy center in the States before moving to Peru. Under her expert guidance, the New Life Crisis Pregnancy Center of Lima began to take shape. With a complete team of committed Christians reaching out to help save physical and eternal lives, New Life opened its doors on January 1, 1999.

Case Study

Although New Life had its official birth in 1999, counseling didn't wait for an office, waiting room, and official status. In November 1997, Mary came to me with the news that her pregnancy involved complications from toxoplasmosis, a virus contracted from cats. Mary's doctor told her the most likely results of the virus would be miscarriage or a severely retarded infant. He recommended an immediate abortion, and Mary's husband agreed.

But Mary lacked peace about the procedure, and sought my advice. I shared with Mary and her husband from God's Word verses such as Psalm 139:13-16 (God formed their baby), Isaiah 66:9 (God is in control of everything, including birth), and Romans 8:28-29 (trust God's sovereignty in every situation). The couple decided not to abort their baby, and sought treatment from a Christian doctor.

In the summer of 1998, I held in my arms two-month-old baby Esther-a perfectly healthy, beautiful girl-and thanked God for her life. Her parents almost killed her because: they did not realize abortion kills a living being; they were told it was simply "a medical procedure"; their doctor told them to; they did not know of any alternative; and they did not understand the teaching in God's Word.

New Life Crisis Pregnancy Center was established to rescue unborn Peruvians from death, and more importantly, to rescue Peruvian souls from the grip of eternal death. With biblical counsel that helps prevent the killing of infants, we are presenting the gospel to people who have no knowledge of the true and living God.

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