March Newsletter

Dear Church Friend,

                We are preparing for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.  This is the time of year when we observe the unfortunate court case that led to the legalization of abortion in this country.  This is an opportunity for area churches to make their congregations aware of our pregnancy center ministry, so we also have bulletin inserts available for you if you plan to recognize Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.

                Our banquet speaker this year, Abby Johnson - former abortion center director – now pro-life advocate, reminded local pastors that it's imperative to make a clear stand, from the pulpit, that life is dear.  She presented a brief portion of her testimony which included a pro-life stand patterned by her parents but with no real backing by her local church.  So when she experienced a crisis pregnancy all she knew to do was to terminate her pregnancy.  She asserted that if she had known about pregnancy resource centers like ours she might not have carried out the deed that led to the death of her unborn child. 

                Mrs. Johnson admonished pastors to make sure each church has an area designated for pregnancy resource center brochures.  That way, the churched woman will have a life-affirming place to go to for answers and for hope.  (By the way, statistics show that 2 out of 3 churched women have had an abortion.)  We've prepared four of our pregnancy center brochures to place in your foyer, back display table or wherever you prefer.  They include: a brochure directed to "potential clients", one directed to "potential volunteers /donors", one about our material assistance and earn while you learn program- "The Hope Program" and finally one of our abortion recovery ministries –"Surrendering the Secret".

                Please let us know how you would like to

have the Sanctity of Human Life message presented in your church.

 

May God richly bless you and your congregation,

Gail Duhon

Executive Director

--

**************************************************************************

 

OPEN HOUSE: January 6

Starting this Friday, January 6, 2012, Pregnancy Resource Center East will open it's doors to the public for an Open House Informational Tour.  We want the community to see what the pregnancy center has to offer its clients.  This is a great time to get more information for your church and to see how your support has helped us reach women and their families in their time of need.
 
Please join us this Friday from 1 - 3 pm for a come and go informational tour of our facility.
 
God bless you,
~Gail Duhon~ 

ABBY JOHNSON, FORMER  DIRECTOR OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD in College Station, TX, TO SPEAK AT BANQUET FOR PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER EAST

Pregnancy Resource Center East is anticipating a large turn-out at their annual banquet this year on November 1^st. Abby Johnson, former executive director of Planned Parenthood (College Station, TX), will be speaking on her experiences and updates on the pro-life movement.

Abby Johnson had been recruited at college as a volunteer for Planned Parenthood. The main reason she got involved was because she was told that she would be helping girls with unplanned pregnancies. Having been one herself, she wanted to be involved. As she volunteered there, eventually got hired and moved up the ladder into leadership position, she began to see what the organization was all about. She wanted to help reduce abortions and help girls by giving them contraceptives, but she was beginning to get pressure to push for more abortions.

When being asked to assist in an ultrasound-guided abortion, she had the shock of her life as she saw the live, moving baby being vacuumed out suddenly. She nearly dropped the probe with the thought, "what am I doing here? I am on the wrong side of the fence."

With the latest accusations toward Planned Parenthood and questions about what they are doing with the federal monies that they are receiving, Abby will be shedding light on what she had witnessed during her 8 years of service there.

The banquet for Pregnancy Resource Center East will be on November 1^st at the new Marriot Hotel on I 10. Call 281-427-2273 to purchase a table at $400 (10 seats), co-host a table at $225 (5 seats), or to purchase an individual seat ticket at $50.

There will be a silent auction before the banquet at 6pm to raise funds for the Pregnancy Resource Center East. PRCE is located at 3013 N Main St, Baytown.  Girls and women with unplanned pregnancies are helped at the Center with free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parenting classes, counseling, abortion recovery, and Earn While You Learn Program.

The banquet will start at 7pm. Tickets are also sold on-line at www.prcebaytown.org

new email address for Alice Carroll

Hello everyone,
Sorry to bother you, but I will be switching Internet Service Providers soon and will no longer have this HughesNet email address. Please note that my new one will be:

xeyedkat@gmail.com 

They are very similar, but the new one will be a gmail account.

Thank you!
Alice Carroll

Giving to the pregnancy center in Joplin.

After the disaster of the Joplin, Mo tornados, we wondered how the Centers survived there. Shortly after, we received an email from Life Choices about one of the Pregnancy Centers there.

Thankfully, the two Centers there were okay and being an instrument of help to the mothers there with supplies. We've been overly blessed with so many baby clothes. It's funny how you can wonder why God gives you more than you need sometimes, and it's more than our clients needed. Ok, that's why God sent them. It was sent to us so we could house it safely until needed. We were able to send several boxes of clothing to help the situation in Joplin.

At our resale shop, we have an over-abundance of adorable stuffed animals that we would love to send also, but it cost us quite a bit just to send the clothing. We thought that was the priority. But I'm sure those children would love to have a teddy to cuddle with also during all these problems. If anyone is going that way and would like to take them, or would like to pay for the shipping, please give us a call.

I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! By JoAnne Leppo

     Everyone knows that morality is on the decline, corruption is climbing, good wholesome values are out the window, but it still surprises me when things happen.

     The Cookie Jar Resale Shop has been open barely a year now. It was opened to help support The Pregnancy Resource Center East which is a ministry to help girls and women in unplanned pregnancy situations and to stick with them until their baby is one year old.

     While getting started and off the ground, the resale shop opened their arms to 4 other ministries by giving them vouchers for their clients who are in need of clothing & shoes for work, household items, clothes for their children and other things. These ministries are Love, INC, New Horizons Family Center, Bay Area Assistance and Baytown Homeless Shelter. So we've really stretched ourselves to doing good for all that needs help.

     And for people like me, who just love to get bargains, there's been lots of sales. One sale that we had last week was 50% off everything in the store. Now that's a bargain! So when I heard what happened on this very, very good day for customers, I just could not believe it. One lady was taking price tags off the clothes, then bringing it to the counter saying there was no price tag, so it must be cheaper. Then some toys walked out of the store with some kids. Clothes were put on in the dressing room and worn out of the store without paying. Then the biggest shock of all. There are lots of really nice earrings on racks. Someone took a set of earrings off the card, put them on, and put the card back on the rack empty! The earrings were only 99c, and that day they were half off, so that meant they were only 49c! It's not like they probably didn't have two quarters in their pockets!

     There are all kinds of programs to help people in need. And there is an incentive for people like me who likes to volunteer. If I volunteer for 4 hours in the week, I can get my whole purchase for 50% off and feel good about doing something for society. It would be so good for these people to just turn around and do something good instead of taking something just because they think they can get away with it.

     I hate to say that we have surveillance cameras. We do; 16 of them. We have recordings of all these petty thefts. It just makes me feel so sad to think that we'd have to embarrass them and tell them we know what they're doing.

     As a new store, The Cookie Jar Resale Shop is still counting every penny in order to support all these ministries, but we are making a difference in people's lives. So these small crimes do affect us more than a large chain store and it can be discouraging. But thankfully we have so many wonderful customers come in, that we are kept happy and positive.

    Shoplifting for fun in a place that will probably help them some day, will not only make a person feel guilty, but will probably make them ashamed when they are in turn helped by that organization that they took away from.

     Despite these little difficulties, we've had a lot of help along the way. Thank you to everyone who have been such a blessing to us already by donating such nice items to sell and by shopping in our store. We appreciate it.

The Cookie Jar Resale Shop

 

STARTING A NEW BUSINESS IS LOTS OF HARD WORK, BUT LOTS OF GOOD REWARDS!                  Submitted by JoAnne leppo

Starting a new business is lots of hard work. It usually takes lots of dreaming in the beginning just to get the inspiration, but like Thomas Edison said, "Genius is 1% inspiration & 99% perspiration." And Pregnancy Resource Center East has found that any success is the same.

For several years, they dreamt of opening a resale shop, not only for income, but to benefit their clients as well. Then it looked like the time was right, so the search started for a good setting and research of all that goes into setting it up.

But no matter how much research you do, no matter how much people advise you, no matter how much experience you might already have, you don't really know all there is to do until you jump in and start doing it.

Trailer after trailer, brought items in to be sold, racks and shelves were put up. Volunteers came to clean, lay carpet, and sort and price. It was an all-out fight against time since the rent had started. You don't want to be paying rent and not be open to sell!

On June 10th, the store was open…. Not the entire store, but the front part, but it was up and running.  So much still needed to be done with piles of donations needing to be cleaned, sorted and place on hangers. A wall was being built for our work room and two fitting rooms. The dream was on its way, all while customers came to purchase items. After 3 long months of hard work, the workrooms and shelving and store was set up.

Now, when it comes to pricing, everyone has their opinions, especially when it comes to used items. "We visited other resale shop, researched on-line, asked people, and looked at our neighbor stores. Some customers would say our prices were great! Others would say too high, and still others would say we're too low!  "What a dilemma! We wanted to give good prices so people could save money, but at the same time, we'd have to make enough to pay the bills, and we didn't know how the funds were going to go." said Gail Duhon, the Executive Director. "We tried our best, but you know, sometimes you just can't please everyone."

So now, after lots of trial & error, they are willing to start pricing things lower so that the community around them can have even more savings and they have a plan to let the people of the community to help.

Between April 1st and June 1st, if you volunteer for 4 hours in a week, you will be able to make a purchase for 50% off. You will be able to do that each week during those two months. By doing this, the resale shop will be able to get a lot of work done, but at the same time reward the volunteers for their hard work. Can you imagine piling $100 worth of items into your cart and paying only $50?? And the $50 will go to such a good cause! (No, not to you but to Pregnancy Resource Center East.)

Volunteer work would include: sorting, pricing, cleaning, restocking, bagging, and other things.

If you would like to participate and help, call the Pregnancy Resource Center East at 281-427-2273 or The Cookie Jar Resale Shop at 281-838-8116. The resale shop is located at the Bay Plaza Shopping Center next to Family Dollar. 2236 N Alexander, Baytown.

--

END OF THE YEAR NEWSLETTER

"Pregnancy Resource Center East, may I help you?" It was a typical day, answering the phone.

 

"I think I need some help and I don't know what to do."

 

"We'd love to help as much as possible. What is your name and what can we do for you?"

 

"I'm Megan. Well, I got pregnant. I was scared and freaked out so I got the abortion pill and took one. Then the next day I realized I'd made a very bad mistake and changed my mind, so I didn't take the 2^nd & 3^rd pill. So now, I don't know if I'm still pregnant or what."

 

"Megan, since you already took that first pill and didn't follow through, you really should go see the doctor for medical advice."

 

"I don't have Medicaid and I don't have any money to go to the doctor. Can't you help me? I'm really scared."

 

"Are you having any pain or are you bleeding?"

 

"No."

 

"Ok, this is what we can do. Come in first thing in the morning and we can do a pregnancy test, and then we can set you up for an ultrasound right away. You won't have to pay for anything. We can see if you're still pregnant, see if the baby is placed properly in the womb or in the

fallopian tubes and if the heart is beating.

 

"We can also give you a pregnancy verification so you can get your medicaid

papers in motion but you will still need to be checked by a doctor as soon as    possible. ---But  remember, if you have ANY pain or start bleeding before      morning, make sure you go to the emergency room, ok? The hospital won't refuse a pregnant woman coming in."

 

Megan came in first thing in the morning.  She was scared, embarrassed that she got pregnant, ashamed that she had gotten in that situation, and guilt-ridden for even thinking of abortion and all of the emotions that go along with it. Linda spent quite a bit of time with her that morning and Megan prayed with Linda to dedicate her life and start anew.

 

Megan told Linda, "I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here. I just didn't know who to turn to, who to talk to. I'm so glad that you took time and helped me."

 

Megan's story is a true story, but it's just one situation that happens on a daily basis at the      Pregnancy Center. Every girl has a story. Every girl has a situation that needs solving or at least needs a listening ear while they sort out the complexities of their trauma. Sometimes it isn't all that complicated, but the emotions of getting pregnant and everything can be blown up so big that it's just too much to comprehend or sort out on their own. That's why we're here. Just to help put things into perspective so good choices can be made and hope can still be seen, that glimmer of hope that each person needs to see to make it through the day.

 

Because of our donors, volunteers and prayer warriors, we are able to be there every day to talk with that girl who calls in. Even when the Center is closed at nights or week-ends, the  option-line is answering their calls so that not one will be missed. They can even make an appointment in the middle of the night, which is sometimes when a girl is so worried and can't sleep.

 

 

We plan on being there for them for the coming year of 2011 and we know that many of you have already committed to being there to support us to do this. Thank you so much.

 

This year in 2010, we've ministered to 785 girls who've come in for help. Many of them have come back to participate in our Hope Program and are attending the prenatal & parenting classes. ---and lives have been changed and encouraged. Did you know that we follow up on our clients from the time they come in being pregnant until their baby is one year old? We want to be there for them while  they get over that initial shock of being pregnant, help them get items for their baby and then learn how to be a good parent.

 

 

We have big plans for the coming year. We are

expanding our classes to have even better resources for our clients.

 

We want to be able to welcome 1000 girls into our Center, to give them courage to choose life, introduce them to the Lord, and see their lives change.

 

 

It takes lots of planning and organization to be able to take care of each girl and make room for more, but we definitely want to do it. Please place this on your prayer list as there are still girls out there, afraid and alone who need our help.

 

Planned Parenthood (Houston's largest abortion center) does have enough power, money and influence to destroy thousands of lives every day here in Houston. "The only "stumbling blocks" in their way are Pregnancy Care ministries, and life          affirming organizations". -CareNet. 

 

We are determined to be their stumbling block. We talk one-on-one with each girl. It's a slow process, but it's a solid process. Education for their decisions are so     important. Introducing them to the One that can make a  difference in their lives is immeasurable. No matter what the laws are, no matter what judges decide, it's what happens in that little counseling room that will  determine the girl and her unborn baby's future.

You can be part of that process for this coming year. You can make a one time donation to help       spearhead our budget for 2011, or you can commit to a monthly donation to assure our monthly           expenses.

 

If you would like to make a one-time withdrawal/charge, or sign up for an automated monthly donation from your checking account or credit card, you may call at 281-427-2273, or click the donation button below. In committing to a monthly donation, we will be able to better plan our upcoming budget to make greater strides in reaching more girls and better resources.

 

 

At the end of all of this, we want to thank you so much for all that you have done for us this year. Many have put many volunteer hours in to help set up The Cookie Jar Resale Shop. Many donated items to be sold, and many have shopped there.

In the 5 months that we have been open, we've been able to climb out of the "red", and into the "black". It's         definitely a big relief and burden off our shoulders. 

What this means to you is that when you give an extra gift now, it will be just that -- an extra gift that we can do  something with to build upon and to go forward, rather than giving to a struggle just to pay the bills to keep things going.

 

 

We are very optimistic and our future is bright which means the future for the women in our            community is bright also.

 

Again, please consider an end of the year gift and even a monthly pledge.

 

May God bless you for your part in this important ministry.

 

 

 

JoAnne Leppo

Executive Director