By Dave Andrusko

You wouldn't think it'd be true of someone who graduated from college when we used manual typewriters and carbon paper, but I am on the computer a ridiculous amount of time, often extending well into the evening/early morning hours. So it was hardly surprising that when my wife and I returned from a delightful evening at our oldest daughter's apartment late last night, I fired up the old Dell.

I have so much email I quickly scan to see what seems interesting or requires an immediate response. Half-way down the 35 or so emails I had received in the past several hours was one whose subject line read, "Urgent Prayer Request."

Perhaps, like many of you, such requests--while not commonplace for me-- are also not unusual. I felt honored that I was included in the list of recipients.

There were no details given and most of what few there are I will omit. The core of the message was someone was about to make a very bad decision. Would all the people receiving this request, forwarded from someone else, pray for that person…and immediately. I did, of course.

Later as I prepared for bed, several thoughts raced through my mind. Naturally, being who I am and having the privilege to do what I do, I couldn't help but think that that someone might be a young, scared out of her mind, pregnant young girl. If so, I prayed then, and I pray now.

It occurred to me how this the message of this late night email message overlaps with a book I will soon be leading my Adult Sunday school class in. The gist , which has revolutionized my life, is that when we are sincerely open, when we are available (with no qualifying "ifs," "ands," or ""buts"), and if we actively look for opportunities, we will be used. This is true even in situations where we could never have even known there was a chance to make a difference.

This can operate in a lot of ways. When someone is in trouble, we ask God to guide them, to safeguard them, to open their eyes to the dangers into they are placing themselves.

But it occurred to me last night that I had thought that the "only" help I could be was to pray that intercessory prayer. That is an critically important action to take. But it dawned on me (proving yet again what an incredibly slow learner I am) that the help that I might provide may have already been in the works. What do I mean?

When a dear friend of my daughters became pregnant, I did not learn of it until later. I was not a party to any of their discussions, but I know as sure as I am sitting at this computer terminal that my daughters were there for her, in every way. And they have been since the baby was born.

I would never, never take "credit" for this; to begin with they are much better human beings than I am. But just as your faithfulness is a model that your children see, so, too, I would like to believe that my children understand from their parents that while a crisis pregnancy is a very difficult challenge, taking the life of an innocent unborn baby is never the "answer."

The morale of this story is as simple as it is important. There will be times--many more than we could ever have anticipated--to help girls who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. It is our privilege to do so.

But the extent of our indirect influence is also far wider than we probably know. Every time we speak in love of helping both mother and child, we are sending a message out not only to people who often times have the worst image of us (thank you, New York Times, Washington Post, et. al.) but to young girls who may think there is no one who cares.

It's like a pebble dropped in a pond. There can and will be ripples of life-affirming influence that extend way beyond our wildest imagination.

Please send your thoughts to daveandrusko@gmail.com. And be sure to check out www.nationalrighttolifenews.org.

Part Two