DANA'S STORY: A Birth Mother's Gift Of Life Prompt's Adoptee's Life-Giving Passion To Save The Unborn

I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU AS ORPHANS   JOHN 14:18

   My adoption story begins before I was born, with a young woman pregnant, afraid, and alone.  Being born just two days before Christmas, I’ve often imagined what it must have been like for her- hearing Christmas music at every turn, with lights, trees, and festive attitudes permeating the atmosphere, and realizing she was a young woman about to lose her baby, a child she’d never see grow up. 
   When I was just about 6 months old, a social worker, who did home visits on my parents until the adoption would become finalized, observed that I was much too quiet, that my eyes were larger than normal, and that something wasn’t quite right. She referred me to a pediatric specialist who agreed and concluded that I had encephalitis and might need to be institutionalized for the rest of my life. Before the doctor did the final brain scan, he informed my parents that there was still time before the adoption was finalized to turn me over to the state, relinquishing all responsibilities of care for this “sick infant.” 

   My dad told him that there was nothing wrong with me, and that I was their daughter. They trusted God to heal me, and when the doctor did the final EEG scan, it was perfectly normal. Not only did I grow up healthy, but learned to read at the age of three, went on to get a Master’s Degree, and did everything the doctors said I’d never do.
   At first, being adopted was no big deal. It was who I was and I didn’t know any difference.  By the time I was three years old, I understood that I grew in “another mommy’s tummy,” but that my mom and dad loved me very much and were blessed that I was their daughter.  I remember sitting on the stairs watching my mom dust the dining room when I was five years old, and just blurted out the question as to why I grew in another mommy’s tummy, and not in hers.  Without hesitation, almost as if my mother had expected this question, I was told that my birth mother couldn’t keep me, but loved me enough to give me a mom and dad who could raise me the way she wanted me to be raised.  We might as well have been talking about the weather, and I thought no more about the subject.

I transferred to a Catholic school in the third grade, the year we were introduced to basic genetics in science.  My teacher gave us the homework assignment to interview our parents about where we inherited certain genetic traits, such as hair and eye color.  I immediately felt like a small, trapped animal with no escape.  I didn’t do the homework as I was too afraid to ask my parents what to do. The next day I straightforwardly told my teacher I didn’t do my homework because I had no answers since I was adopted.  Immediately the entire class burst out laughing. I got into trouble for “creating a disturbance” and was sent out into the hall. From that day forward, for the next four years, I was called reject, loser, told I was too stupid and ugly for my “real” mother to want me, and physically hit by bullies with textbooks on the bus every day.  The way I kept the pain from getting to me was allowing songs we sang in church to run through my head.  It was in those moments I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit so strong that I didn’t notice the pain. 
   At the age of 12, it dawned on me that somewhere in the world was a woman who gave birth to me, a real human being, and that she didn’t know what had become of me.  I felt such compassion for her even then, that I prayed to God that one day I’d find her, and thank her for my life.  She could have had an abortion, but she thought I was worth the pain to give me a life that has been filled with God’s blessings. 

When I began teaching as a career, I used an AOL online adoption site to try to find my birthmother, even know I had no information about her at all.  I did meet birthmothers online who were hurting, and I did my best to bring them comfort and witness to them in the love of God.  Not only did this site lead me to my birthfamily, but anonymous online users donated the money so I could make contact with them. Sadly, my birthmother had died trying to find me four years before I’d found her. She had cancer, but she also had two other daughters, my sisters, and several sisters of her own who I’ve gotten to know and were so happy I’d found them.
I used frequent flyer miles to fly all over the country to minister to the birthmothers responsible for financing my search, and one even came to the Lord when I visited her.  Through my devastation at not finding my birth mother alive, I was able to reach others in her honor, and that helped in the healing process.  Just when I thought I was through the healing process, I discovered that I had been conceived in rape, and no one knew who my birth father was.  Instantly I felt like I was dirty and should have never been born, to the extent that I sat on some rocks overlooking Lake Michigan in Chicago, and thought about jumping into the freezing water and ending the pain. But once again, I felt God with me, and this time He told me to go to England and that He’d meet me there.  I had no idea why He’d say that, when I’d only been to England once before just to visit. But through faith and obedience, I went to England with about $40.00 to my name, got a job, and joined a church where I shared my story for the first time in front of people at a healing service. It was at that church that my assent into women’s ministry had begun. I gave several talks to encourage others and it dawned on me that my life had a special purpose. I knew that God would use everything I’d been through for the good of helping others. That church ultimately led me to the one I’m a part of now.  With much prayer and hard work, I have gotten through to the other side, the healing side, where I feel peace about where I came from, and what my purpose in life is now. I’m in the process of answering my call to ministry, and seeking out those who are hurting in any way, to share God’s love, compassion, and mercy with everyone. 

Because of the gift of life my birth mother gave me all those years ago, I now head the Sanctity of Life ministry at my church. I go to Memphis once a month to counsel women in front of an abortion clinic to choose life over death.  Lives have been saved doing this, and every time I’m out there I see the heart of my dear birth mother and what she went through. That motivates me to keep going, but I've faced some challenges too.  I’ve had the police called on me, have been sworn at, almost hit by a car when a woman coming to have an abortion drove up on the sidewalk and tried to hit us, and have been forced to stand in a pile of garbage near a dumpster and minister from there.  It’s not pretty for sure, but with every baby saved and every mother’s soul touched, it’s worth it all.  Life is a blessing, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it!

( Rain or Shine- Speaking for Life ) Dana's peace-filled presence at abortion centers

allows her to share weekly the beautiful news of LIFE and God's redemptive plan for girls to raise their babies with support and resources or choose the other life-giving beautiful option of adoption )
Dana is a Special Ed teacher in Mississippi.  To contact Dana send her an e-mail at: rejoician72 (at) yahoo.com   When e-mailing her use the @ sign to replace (at )

**Dana welcomes your prayers, encouragement cards, donations of new or like-new women's bibles or new testaments or monetary donations to offset the costs of her Sanctity of Life Ministry through her Christian church. Contact her at the above e-mail for more information and how to send donations.
( Copyright 2014. Permission is needed to reprint this article in its entirety or excerpts- contact Jody Moreen  at  jodymoreen (at )gmail .com.  Use @ sign to replace (at )  )