August 7, 2024 • 25 mins
Welcome to our Best of Summer series, where we will be posting some of our favorite past episodes of the LoveX2 Project podcast as we prepare for the big launch of our brand new season in September. You don't want to miss a single episode, so be sure to subscribe to this podcast on whatever platform you're listening to.
In this episode, we have a very special guest, Serena Dykson, founder of She Found His Grace. Serena shares her powerful story of overcoming sexual assault, abortion, and addiction to become a beacon of hope and healing for others.
Serena recounts her journey from a dysfunctional family and a life-altering abortion at 13, to another unplanned pregnancy at 16, and the emotional and physical turmoil that followed. Through her story, she illustrates the profound impact of faith, love, and grace. She Found His Grace offers extensive resources and support for men and women hurt by abortion, providing a path to healing and community.
Don't miss Serena's moving testimony and her insights on the importance of finding a great speaker for pro-life events. Learn more about her ministry and how it can make a difference in your community.
For more information, visit She Found His Grace and check out Serena's book available on Amazon and other platforms. To connect with Serena or to book a speaker for your event, visit LoveX2 Speakers Bureau.
Make A Gift To The LoveX2 Project Music Title: Children of the Son Author: Pipe Choir Souce: www.pipechoir.com Licenses: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, this is Mike. I hope your summer is going really well. Welcome to our Best
of Summer series, where we will be posting some of our favorite past episodes
of the Love Times Two podcast as we prepare for the big launch of our brand
new season in September.
You don't want to miss a single episode, so be sure to subscribe to this podcast
on whatever platform you're listening to.
(00:22):
Music.
Welcome to the official podcast of the Love Times 2 Project.
Change the culture and the politics will follow.
Hey, welcome back to the podcast. I promise you that you will be blessed over
(00:44):
these next few minutes through the story of a very special guest.
This is part of a series of introductions to the Love Times 2 Project's new
Speakers Bureau. And if you are involved in any way with a pro-life event in
the spring of 2024, you know this is the time to make sure you have a great
speaker locked down for your event.
Now, I've been involved with different types of pro-life events like banquets,
(01:06):
fundraising dinners, things like that for over 30 years.
And I know that once you get the date, the speaker, and the location locked
down, then you have a clear field for doing all the other things that can make
your event a success. But much of that success is going to depend on finding a great speaker.
And I think we have someone as a guest on today who can be a perfect speaker
(01:27):
for your pro-life event.
That's why I'm very pleased to introduce to you Serena Dykson,
founder of She Found His Grace. Serena, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you so much for having me on. I'm so excited about our conversation today.
Yeah, it's been really exciting for me to see your ministry grow over the years.
And I think it's just really clear that God has had his hand in your life and on this ministry.
(01:52):
But I'm sure there were a lot of times in your life where it didn't always feel that way.
So share with us your story. Share with us the road that led you to being the
founder of She Found His Grace.
Absolutely. So that is correct. I definitely did not always feel God's grace.
And it kind of, I didn't grow up in a Christian family. I grew up in dysfunctional family.
(02:17):
And when I was 13 years old, I was sexually assaulted by an uncle that resulted
in an unplanned pregnancy. and the solution that was offered to my parents was an abortion.
And I remember my mom just looking for help and that was the help that was offered
and that's what they agreed to.
(02:38):
And what they didn't know was as we entered the George Crawford Clinic that
that was going to change our lives forever.
We left there very changed people and very broken people. My mom ended up having
a mental breakdown after that.
My dad eventually left our family.
(02:59):
And I was very broken after that abortion.
But at 16, I faced another unplanned pregnancy and went to Planned Parenthood
because I was so naive. Eve.
And they said, you're young, you're in school, and you're poor,
and you should abort your baby.
And I knew at 13, I didn't know what abortion was. But at 16, I did.
(03:25):
And I knew that was something that I would never, ever do again.
And so I shared my story with my boyfriend, now husband of 30 years. And
that I shared about my assault and about the abortion.
And that 17-year-old young man looked at me and said, I don't know how we'll
figure it out, but we'll figure it out. And we chose life that day.
(03:48):
And by the time we were 23, we bought our first house. We had two small children.
But what ended up happening was I faced a miscarriage.
And through that miscarriage, It triggered
a double grief that I did not understand at
all I didn't realize that I was grieving
the loss of my aborted baby and also my
(04:11):
miscarried baby And we began to
have marital issues And then a couple
years after that I had some other physical things that
happened and By the time my kids
got to middle school I felt like I
was very unworthy to be a wife and a mother and
so I in my head I
(04:33):
thought I'm gonna move out I'm gonna
bless my husband out to find a new
wife he can find a better mother for my children and I really turned to drugs
and alcohol at that time because I just didn't want to feel any of the pain
I felt so unworthy and yet I still didn't connect the dots of what was really going on.
(04:57):
My husband had no explanation of what was happening.
His family was kind of reeling, just kind of figuring out, like trying to figure out what was happening.
And we didn't know.
And so really what ended up happening was after a late one night,
I went out and I was drinking and I had used and I was really at a place where
(05:23):
I could text people and they would come and get me.
And on this particular night, text after text, people said no.
And I felt like that was the worst night of my life.
And I ended up getting in my car and.
That night and just crying out to the Lord.
And I just remember crying and just saying, God, I have no one but you.
(05:47):
And what I love is that God saw me as a broken, post-abortive,
high and drunk woman and still lavished me in a love that I had never felt in my life.
And it was at that moment that I knew that I needed to go home and physically and spiritually.
And by God's grace, I made it home. And my husband met me at the door and I
(06:12):
did not deserve for him to welcome me back into the home.
But God was working on his heart too.
And we began our healing journey.
And we We went to a counselor that attended our church, and I remember thinking
there was this faulty belief system that I had.
(06:34):
One, that you always hear that the assault is worse than abortion, and I believed that.
I thought that was the case. I didn't, at the time, understand the trauma from the abortion.
And so I also had just a lot of shame and fear that if people knew all of my
(06:56):
story, that they would cast me out of the church.
And so I focused on my sexual abuse healing and I never brought up the abortion part.
And I really felt like God had met me and did a healing in my heart.
And we got back into the church and we were serving and we were serving on different
(07:18):
boards and it was, God had done a beautiful thing.
And it was through the Teen Challenge Ministries, the director's wife asked
me, do you want to go see this movie?
And I didn't know what the movie was, but I was just like, okay,
I love supporting a good Christian movie. Of course, I'll go with you.
(07:40):
And she invited me to the movie Unplanned. And I had no idea what it was.
If you can imagine going into a movie theater, you have abortion in your past
and you're sitting there and you're seeing something I had never seen that in my life.
And so I was just like, my whole life is and folding in front of me.
(08:06):
And I heard the Lord say, now's the time to tell the rest of your story.
And what I didn't know was, I didn't know where to tell my story.
I had no idea, but I had told God, I'll do anything you ask me to do,
but don't ask me to be a speaker.
(08:26):
I'll never say that. So.
I ended up reaching out to our local Right to Life and I said, hey, here's my story.
And I just want to go in front of abortion clinics and help women choose life.
And that's really what I thought God had for me as a mission.
(08:48):
And so I went to sidewalk counseling training and there was a sweet sister there.
And she said, have you ever gone through abortion healing? healing.
And I'll be real honest. I, I rolled her because I thought I was in a better place than what I was.
But I heard the Holy Spirit say, how do you expect to help others if you're
(09:13):
not willing to go there yourself?
And so, and, and to be honest, I had no idea that there was any such help as
going through abortion healing. I had no idea.
So I gave God my yes. I went to a retreat and it changed my life forever.
I was able to finally grieve the loss of my aborted daughter,
(09:38):
Eliana Grace, and give her honor and dignity.
I was able to grieve the loss of our miscarried son, Amalekite John.
And I saw God also touch my husband's heart as well.
Even though he was not part of the abortion, it still affected him.
And so we just had this powerful moment and I continued to go out to the abortion clinic.
(10:05):
And once again, I would hear the Lord speak to me about having a memorial service
for men and women that were hurt by abortion.
And so that whole week, I had no idea what I was doing.
But I gave God my yes that I was going to serve in that way.
And the night before the memorial service, I ended up getting on my Facebook.
(10:30):
And that's when I saw that George Crawford had passed away.
And I was gutted. I was so gutted because it also said, you know,
it was also revealed that he had hoarded the 2,000, over 2,000 babies in his garage.
And that night I crawled into my bed and I just wept.
(10:55):
My first question to God was, was one of those babies, Eliana Grace,
and the Lord was so gracious in meeting me again and said, you're a baby and
all the babies are with me.
Why do you think I asked you to tell the rest of your story?
And I guess the rest is history.
As far as men and women coming to us, hurting from abortions.
(11:19):
And that's how we started She Found His Grace.
Wow. That is a very powerful story. Now tell us, She Found His Grace,
what type of resources are available for those who come?
And tell us the website, first of all, for how folks can, but what will they
find when they get there? What resources do you provide?
Right. So if they go to SheFoundUsGrace.org, we serve men and women who have been hurt by abortion.
(11:43):
We take them through an extended healing process.
And really, when the world shut down, that's really when God launched She Found Us Grace.
And we just had people all over the world reaching out saying,
I've been hurt by abortion.
And we were like, how do we serve them when we're literally in quarantine right
(12:04):
now? And so I was like, let's do it online.
And so we started serving men and women online and we didn't know how it was going to work.
But what I can tell you is I'm still blown away that men and women go through
this discipleship of healing.
And really, it's just growing in the Lord and how He is putting a healing balm on our hearts.
(12:29):
But they not only join from all over the country and all over the world,
but they fly to our little town in Indiana to meet us and hang with us and be
part of a community that they've never felt that they've been able to be part of.
And I think there's really a beauty in that for them to know that they have
(12:54):
that space, they have community, and also we help them find their voice.
One of the big things that we help people process through is being able to tell
their story because we know when we can tell our stories, it changes hearts and it changes minds.
And we actually have been able to save many babies because of our voices.
(13:20):
And so that is another part of our ministry of being able to offer men and women,
well, women that are facing unplanned pregnancies, the support that they need
and finding help in their community.
And yeah, it's beautiful to be able to do that.
Now, is your book, She Found His Grace, available on your website as well?
(13:42):
They can go to my website. They can go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble's Christian books.
So there's multiple places that they can go to get my book.
Yeah, you know, that's a really big deal also for somebody planning a pro-life
event, say a fundraising dinner.
When you have an author like Serena and a speaker and you have a book available,
(14:04):
that's something that you can certainly send to key sponsors and stuff in advance
of the event and really help promote it and even get more traction going with that.
So I certainly would encourage listeners to check out Serena's book,
She Found His Grace, visit her website.
Let me ask you, Serena, in this space that you are in right now,
with everything changing so much, it seems like across the country at such a rapid pace.
(14:27):
And of course, abortion is in the news almost on a daily basis right now,
and more so than any other time that I can recall.
Are you seeing any type of difference in ministry?
Is this bringing more light to issues? Is this causing a greater need for healing?
I guess what I'm asking is, what are you seeing in the abortion healing space,
(14:48):
as abortion is dominating headlines and everybody's news feed,
but almost always from a political angle?
I can honestly say I don't think I've seen a single news report in any fashion
or format over this last year in which abortion healing and the wounding after
abortion is ever mentioned. What are you seeing in that space?
Yeah, so we are definitely seeing an uptick of men and women reaching out because
(15:13):
they are hearing abortion so much that they're like, this is very triggering
for us and we don't even know where to process this.
And so we are definitely seen that happen.
And so we have a hotline that people can reach out to and we will text them, we'll get on a call.
We also have an online community if they're not quite ready for healing.
(15:37):
And so that's kind of a space that we've created also with this abortion pill.
Oh my my goodness, we're just seeing the trauma on the next level for that.
And so we have worked to really create a space for them because it's like nothing that we've seen before.
(15:58):
And I've talked to people around the nation of what we're seeing as far as that.
And I don't think people were quite prepared for that.
And so for us, we're just filling that space to make sure that they get the
trauma care that they need because they're not quite ready for healing at that point.
But they definitely need the care right away.
(16:24):
And so they're coming to us so much sooner because of that. And so,
And so that's why we're working really hard at building a strong voice of men
and women who are free enough to say, this was my story and this is what happened
so that people can hear the truth.
(16:45):
That experience with the abortion pill that you describe is something that we're
definitely hearing from other sources as well.
We're also hearing, I'm hearing from pregnancy resource center directors that
are saying women are making a very rapid decision to take the abortion pill.
And that becomes problematic in a variety of
different ways but one of those ways that for anyone listening
(17:06):
if you've seen the movie unplanned if you haven't you
need to see it but in the unplanned movie there's a
scene i call it the bleed out scene where it was the
heavy bleeding the trauma that happens and that's that story isn't being told
unfortunately with the abortion pill rising as the number one method for abortions
now there is this perception out there that it is like taking an Excedrin if
(17:29):
you have a headache and it makes the headache go away and life goes on and it's anything but.
Certainly that is changing the landscape dramatically.
Hey, switching gears just a little bit. Just preparing for this interview with
you today, I was looking around on your website and stuff like that and I saw
that you've been featured on Focus on the Family. That's big time stuff.
What was that experience like? I mean, did they They fly you out to Colorado
(17:52):
Springs or what all was entailed with that?
Right. So they did. We flew out to focus on the family and it was so,
oh my goodness, it was amazing to be able to be on the set and to meet their staff.
And they're just a top notch ministry.
(18:12):
And it's just such an honor. I'm still like blown away and still processing
that that was part of what God opened up for us.
And, you know, and it's it's just.
Very humbling when people will reach out and say, Hey, I heard you on Focus
on the Family. This is how I found you guys.
(18:34):
And so it's just, it's just so crazy.
And I am so grateful for that opportunity because I think the,
the, you know, I, I just know that God wants to heal our land from abortion
and there's so many people that need healing.
And so we, we are so honored that we were able to do that and be focused on their ministry.
(18:59):
Yeah, that's a really big deal. Another question I have for you,
when you're speaking at pro-life events, and I've just had this discussion with
some of our other speaker highlights with it.
I've seen a ton of speakers over the years and some really, really good ones.
And then I've seen some folks that my term is they just sort of mail it in.
They kind of show up, give the speech, and that's it.
(19:20):
And there really wasn't any fire behind them. I'm not criticizing any particular person at all.
So I'm not going to name names on it. I'm just saying that there's a difference
when you see a speaker who is really fired up about being at the event,
who wants to be there, who is really pouring his or her heart into it. It really shows.
Just curious with you, what inspires you when you know you're going to speak
(19:43):
at an event, whether it's a Right to Life dinner, a Pregnancy Resource Center dinner?
What really fires you up when you walk up to that podium, knowing that you get
this opportunity to speak to everyone in the room.
Yeah. So what really fires me up is one, I get to give my daughter,
I get to give her honor and dignity.
(20:04):
And also the other thing is I get to talk about God's forgiveness and his grace
and also just give people hope.
You know, there's so many times that people will come up to us and say,
you know what, our marriage never survived after or having an abortion and that
this gave us hope that there is healing.
(20:26):
I get really jazzed about people finding their voice to be able to share,
you know, that they walk in freedom, that it's no longer about what they've
done, but what Jesus has done for them.
And so then they are able to help others choose life.
And that just fires me up so much to be able to share that message because there's
(20:50):
just so many people that sit in silence and they God wants to use that.
He wastes nothing and he wants to use them to be so effective in this movement.
And so that's what fires me up.
Yeah, and that's great. And that's what we want to help do is connect.
Speakers with that fire like you have to organizations that are really looking
(21:13):
for a great speaker who's going to come in.
And yes, if it's a fundraising event, you want to raise money for the evening,
but you want lives to change that evening as well.
That's just a powerful presence that you bring to an event.
So we're talking to Serena Dykson, founder of She Found His Grace.
We have just a couple more minutes here. So I'm going to ask you this.
I think this is really key.
(21:33):
Let's say that whether it's a man or a woman, they've been listening to this podcast.
Maybe they just stumbled across it and they think it's by mistake,
but actually God kind of led them to this podcast, be listening to this.
But what words would you have to someone who they're listening to this,
they hear what you're saying, they relate to your story, they know they are
in need of healing, but they are afraid to make that first point of contact,
(21:56):
to step way out of their comfort zone and move towards that healing process.
What would you say to that person?
Yeah. So first of all, I would say, I'm so sorry for your loss and that you
are not alone in that pain.
And I know that it seems very scary to step out, but you're going to be met
with so much compassion, so much love.
(22:19):
And I think that enemy truly likes to keep us isolated and secluded because
he knows that you can be so effective for the kingdom.
And so I just encourage you to step out and take that first step.
And even if it's just sending an email and it takes you a while to take the
(22:44):
next step, we journey with people for a long time.
One of our staff members, I like to share her story. It took her two years before
she finally went through healing.
But we just loved on her and we wanted her to know that she was ready and that
it was in her timing and God's timing.
(23:04):
And so I don't want anybody to feel pressured that they have to take that next step right away.
But just knowing that you take the first step and then we'll help you take the next step.
And it is so worth it. And it's so freeing. And, you know, you will not regret
going through healing because God just wants to meet us.
(23:26):
And he just has so much for us. If he can meet me in a parking lot,
drunk and high and post-abortive and lavish me in love, he is certainly capable of doing that for you.
Yeah, that is such a good word. Thank you for sharing that. And just remind
our listeners once more, how can they connect with you and She Found His Grace? Peace.
(23:46):
Yes. So just go to shefoundhisgrace.org. And also,
if you are a post-abortive man or woman that just needs to talk,
you can go to our hotline, which is 574-400-5272.
And you can contact us either way.
Serena, thank you for being on the podcast today and for all that you are doing in saving lives.
(24:11):
Thank you so much. It was an honor to be on today. Hey, that's it for this episode of the podcast.
You can learn more about Serena and our other speakers at lovetimes2.org slash
speakers, where you'll find an easy form to request more information.
Remember, now is the time to book your speakers for 2024, whether it's spring or fall.
(24:32):
You don't want to miss out by waiting until after the holidays because a lot
of speakers are going to be booked by that time. So just a quick reminder,
your year-end gift for the Love Times 2 Project is really important to us.
So if you can make a contribution, you can jump over to lovetimes2.org slash
give and make your gift today. It'd be very much appreciated.
Never forget, change the culture and the politics will follow.
(24:59):
Thanks for listening to the official podcast of the Love Times 2 Project.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and never forget,
change the culture and the politics will follow.
Music.
Are you looking for the perfect speaker for your next event or conference?
(25:20):
Look no further than the new Love Times 2 Speakers Bureau, your go-to source
for great pro-life speakers.
We have a roster of renowned experts who can inspire, educate,
and entertain your audience.
Our speakers are ready to unleash their expertise and make your event a resounding success. us.
Scheduling a pro-life speaker has never been easier. Visit lovetimes2.org slash
(25:44):
speakers and schedule your speaker today.
Music.
Hey, this is Mike. I hope your summer is going really well. Welcome to our Best
of Summer series, where we will be posting some of our favorite past episodes
of the Love Times Two podcast as we prepare for the big launch of our brand
new season in September.
You don't want to miss a single episode, so be sure to subscribe to this podcast
on whatever platform you're listening to.
(00:22):
Music.
Welcome to the official podcast of the Love Times 2 Project.
Change the culture and the politics will follow.
Hey, welcome back to the podcast. I promise you that you will be blessed over
(00:44):
these next few minutes through the story of a very special guest.
This is part of a series of introductions to the Love Times 2 Project's new
Speakers Bureau. And if you are involved in any way with a pro-life event in
the spring of 2024, you know this is the time to make sure you have a great
speaker locked down for your event.
Now, I've been involved with different types of pro-life events like banquets,
(01:06):
fundraising dinners, things like that for over 30 years.
And I know that once you get the date, the speaker, and the location locked
down, then you have a clear field for doing all the other things that can make
your event a success. But much of that success is going to depend on finding a great speaker.
And I think we have someone as a guest on today who can be a perfect speaker
(01:27):
for your pro-life event.
That's why I'm very pleased to introduce to you Serena Dykson,
founder of She Found His Grace. Serena, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you so much for having me on. I'm so excited about our conversation today.
Yeah, it's been really exciting for me to see your ministry grow over the years.
And I think it's just really clear that God has had his hand in your life and on this ministry.
(01:52):
But I'm sure there were a lot of times in your life where it didn't always feel that way.
So share with us your story. Share with us the road that led you to being the
founder of She Found His Grace.
Absolutely. So that is correct. I definitely did not always feel God's grace.
And it kind of, I didn't grow up in a Christian family. I grew up in dysfunctional family.
(02:17):
And when I was 13 years old, I was sexually assaulted by an uncle that resulted
in an unplanned pregnancy. and the solution that was offered to my parents was an abortion.
And I remember my mom just looking for help and that was the help that was offered
and that's what they agreed to.
(02:38):
And what they didn't know was as we entered the George Crawford Clinic that
that was going to change our lives forever.
We left there very changed people and very broken people. My mom ended up having
a mental breakdown after that.
My dad eventually left our family.
(02:59):
And I was very broken after that abortion.
But at 16, I faced another unplanned pregnancy and went to Planned Parenthood
because I was so naive. Eve.
And they said, you're young, you're in school, and you're poor,
and you should abort your baby.
And I knew at 13, I didn't know what abortion was. But at 16, I did.
(03:25):
And I knew that was something that I would never, ever do again.
And so I shared my story with my boyfriend, now husband of 30 years. And
that I shared about my assault and about the abortion.
And that 17-year-old young man looked at me and said, I don't know how we'll
figure it out, but we'll figure it out. And we chose life that day.
(03:48):
And by the time we were 23, we bought our first house. We had two small children.
But what ended up happening was I faced a miscarriage.
And through that miscarriage, It triggered
a double grief that I did not understand at
all I didn't realize that I was grieving
the loss of my aborted baby and also my
(04:11):
miscarried baby And we began to
have marital issues And then a couple
years after that I had some other physical things that
happened and By the time my kids
got to middle school I felt like I
was very unworthy to be a wife and a mother and
so I in my head I
(04:33):
thought I'm gonna move out I'm gonna
bless my husband out to find a new
wife he can find a better mother for my children and I really turned to drugs
and alcohol at that time because I just didn't want to feel any of the pain
I felt so unworthy and yet I still didn't connect the dots of what was really going on.
(04:57):
My husband had no explanation of what was happening.
His family was kind of reeling, just kind of figuring out, like trying to figure out what was happening.
And we didn't know.
And so really what ended up happening was after a late one night,
I went out and I was drinking and I had used and I was really at a place where
(05:23):
I could text people and they would come and get me.
And on this particular night, text after text, people said no.
And I felt like that was the worst night of my life.
And I ended up getting in my car and.
That night and just crying out to the Lord.
And I just remember crying and just saying, God, I have no one but you.
(05:47):
And what I love is that God saw me as a broken, post-abortive,
high and drunk woman and still lavished me in a love that I had never felt in my life.
And it was at that moment that I knew that I needed to go home and physically and spiritually.
And by God's grace, I made it home. And my husband met me at the door and I
(06:12):
did not deserve for him to welcome me back into the home.
But God was working on his heart too.
And we began our healing journey.
And we We went to a counselor that attended our church, and I remember thinking
there was this faulty belief system that I had.
(06:34):
One, that you always hear that the assault is worse than abortion, and I believed that.
I thought that was the case. I didn't, at the time, understand the trauma from the abortion.
And so I also had just a lot of shame and fear that if people knew all of my
(06:56):
story, that they would cast me out of the church.
And so I focused on my sexual abuse healing and I never brought up the abortion part.
And I really felt like God had met me and did a healing in my heart.
And we got back into the church and we were serving and we were serving on different
(07:18):
boards and it was, God had done a beautiful thing.
And it was through the Teen Challenge Ministries, the director's wife asked
me, do you want to go see this movie?
And I didn't know what the movie was, but I was just like, okay,
I love supporting a good Christian movie. Of course, I'll go with you.
(07:40):
And she invited me to the movie Unplanned. And I had no idea what it was.
If you can imagine going into a movie theater, you have abortion in your past
and you're sitting there and you're seeing something I had never seen that in my life.
And so I was just like, my whole life is and folding in front of me.
(08:06):
And I heard the Lord say, now's the time to tell the rest of your story.
And what I didn't know was, I didn't know where to tell my story.
I had no idea, but I had told God, I'll do anything you ask me to do,
but don't ask me to be a speaker.
(08:26):
I'll never say that. So.
I ended up reaching out to our local Right to Life and I said, hey, here's my story.
And I just want to go in front of abortion clinics and help women choose life.
And that's really what I thought God had for me as a mission.
(08:48):
And so I went to sidewalk counseling training and there was a sweet sister there.
And she said, have you ever gone through abortion healing? healing.
And I'll be real honest. I, I rolled her because I thought I was in a better place than what I was.
But I heard the Holy Spirit say, how do you expect to help others if you're
(09:13):
not willing to go there yourself?
And so, and, and to be honest, I had no idea that there was any such help as
going through abortion healing. I had no idea.
So I gave God my yes. I went to a retreat and it changed my life forever.
I was able to finally grieve the loss of my aborted daughter,
(09:38):
Eliana Grace, and give her honor and dignity.
I was able to grieve the loss of our miscarried son, Amalekite John.
And I saw God also touch my husband's heart as well.
Even though he was not part of the abortion, it still affected him.
And so we just had this powerful moment and I continued to go out to the abortion clinic.
(10:05):
And once again, I would hear the Lord speak to me about having a memorial service
for men and women that were hurt by abortion.
And so that whole week, I had no idea what I was doing.
But I gave God my yes that I was going to serve in that way.
And the night before the memorial service, I ended up getting on my Facebook.
(10:30):
And that's when I saw that George Crawford had passed away.
And I was gutted. I was so gutted because it also said, you know,
it was also revealed that he had hoarded the 2,000, over 2,000 babies in his garage.
And that night I crawled into my bed and I just wept.
(10:55):
My first question to God was, was one of those babies, Eliana Grace,
and the Lord was so gracious in meeting me again and said, you're a baby and
all the babies are with me.
Why do you think I asked you to tell the rest of your story?
And I guess the rest is history.
As far as men and women coming to us, hurting from abortions.
(11:19):
And that's how we started She Found His Grace.
Wow. That is a very powerful story. Now tell us, She Found His Grace,
what type of resources are available for those who come?
And tell us the website, first of all, for how folks can, but what will they
find when they get there? What resources do you provide?
Right. So if they go to SheFoundUsGrace.org, we serve men and women who have been hurt by abortion.
(11:43):
We take them through an extended healing process.
And really, when the world shut down, that's really when God launched She Found Us Grace.
And we just had people all over the world reaching out saying,
I've been hurt by abortion.
And we were like, how do we serve them when we're literally in quarantine right
(12:04):
now? And so I was like, let's do it online.
And so we started serving men and women online and we didn't know how it was going to work.
But what I can tell you is I'm still blown away that men and women go through
this discipleship of healing.
And really, it's just growing in the Lord and how He is putting a healing balm on our hearts.
(12:29):
But they not only join from all over the country and all over the world,
but they fly to our little town in Indiana to meet us and hang with us and be
part of a community that they've never felt that they've been able to be part of.
And I think there's really a beauty in that for them to know that they have
(12:54):
that space, they have community, and also we help them find their voice.
One of the big things that we help people process through is being able to tell
their story because we know when we can tell our stories, it changes hearts and it changes minds.
And we actually have been able to save many babies because of our voices.
(13:20):
And so that is another part of our ministry of being able to offer men and women,
well, women that are facing unplanned pregnancies, the support that they need
and finding help in their community.
And yeah, it's beautiful to be able to do that.
Now, is your book, She Found His Grace, available on your website as well?
(13:42):
They can go to my website. They can go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble's Christian books.
So there's multiple places that they can go to get my book.
Yeah, you know, that's a really big deal also for somebody planning a pro-life
event, say a fundraising dinner.
When you have an author like Serena and a speaker and you have a book available,
(14:04):
that's something that you can certainly send to key sponsors and stuff in advance
of the event and really help promote it and even get more traction going with that.
So I certainly would encourage listeners to check out Serena's book,
She Found His Grace, visit her website.
Let me ask you, Serena, in this space that you are in right now,
with everything changing so much, it seems like across the country at such a rapid pace.
(14:27):
And of course, abortion is in the news almost on a daily basis right now,
and more so than any other time that I can recall.
Are you seeing any type of difference in ministry?
Is this bringing more light to issues? Is this causing a greater need for healing?
I guess what I'm asking is, what are you seeing in the abortion healing space,
(14:48):
as abortion is dominating headlines and everybody's news feed,
but almost always from a political angle?
I can honestly say I don't think I've seen a single news report in any fashion
or format over this last year in which abortion healing and the wounding after
abortion is ever mentioned. What are you seeing in that space?
Yeah, so we are definitely seeing an uptick of men and women reaching out because
(15:13):
they are hearing abortion so much that they're like, this is very triggering
for us and we don't even know where to process this.
And so we are definitely seen that happen.
And so we have a hotline that people can reach out to and we will text them, we'll get on a call.
We also have an online community if they're not quite ready for healing.
(15:37):
And so that's kind of a space that we've created also with this abortion pill.
Oh my my goodness, we're just seeing the trauma on the next level for that.
And so we have worked to really create a space for them because it's like nothing that we've seen before.
(15:58):
And I've talked to people around the nation of what we're seeing as far as that.
And I don't think people were quite prepared for that.
And so for us, we're just filling that space to make sure that they get the
trauma care that they need because they're not quite ready for healing at that point.
But they definitely need the care right away.
(16:24):
And so they're coming to us so much sooner because of that. And so,
And so that's why we're working really hard at building a strong voice of men
and women who are free enough to say, this was my story and this is what happened
so that people can hear the truth.
(16:45):
That experience with the abortion pill that you describe is something that we're
definitely hearing from other sources as well.
We're also hearing, I'm hearing from pregnancy resource center directors that
are saying women are making a very rapid decision to take the abortion pill.
And that becomes problematic in a variety of
different ways but one of those ways that for anyone listening
(17:06):
if you've seen the movie unplanned if you haven't you
need to see it but in the unplanned movie there's a
scene i call it the bleed out scene where it was the
heavy bleeding the trauma that happens and that's that story isn't being told
unfortunately with the abortion pill rising as the number one method for abortions
now there is this perception out there that it is like taking an Excedrin if
(17:29):
you have a headache and it makes the headache go away and life goes on and it's anything but.
Certainly that is changing the landscape dramatically.
Hey, switching gears just a little bit. Just preparing for this interview with
you today, I was looking around on your website and stuff like that and I saw
that you've been featured on Focus on the Family. That's big time stuff.
What was that experience like? I mean, did they They fly you out to Colorado
(17:52):
Springs or what all was entailed with that?
Right. So they did. We flew out to focus on the family and it was so,
oh my goodness, it was amazing to be able to be on the set and to meet their staff.
And they're just a top notch ministry.
(18:12):
And it's just such an honor. I'm still like blown away and still processing
that that was part of what God opened up for us.
And, you know, and it's it's just.
Very humbling when people will reach out and say, Hey, I heard you on Focus
on the Family. This is how I found you guys.
(18:34):
And so it's just, it's just so crazy.
And I am so grateful for that opportunity because I think the,
the, you know, I, I just know that God wants to heal our land from abortion
and there's so many people that need healing.
And so we, we are so honored that we were able to do that and be focused on their ministry.
(18:59):
Yeah, that's a really big deal. Another question I have for you,
when you're speaking at pro-life events, and I've just had this discussion with
some of our other speaker highlights with it.
I've seen a ton of speakers over the years and some really, really good ones.
And then I've seen some folks that my term is they just sort of mail it in.
They kind of show up, give the speech, and that's it.
(19:20):
And there really wasn't any fire behind them. I'm not criticizing any particular person at all.
So I'm not going to name names on it. I'm just saying that there's a difference
when you see a speaker who is really fired up about being at the event,
who wants to be there, who is really pouring his or her heart into it. It really shows.
Just curious with you, what inspires you when you know you're going to speak
(19:43):
at an event, whether it's a Right to Life dinner, a Pregnancy Resource Center dinner?
What really fires you up when you walk up to that podium, knowing that you get
this opportunity to speak to everyone in the room.
Yeah. So what really fires me up is one, I get to give my daughter,
I get to give her honor and dignity.
(20:04):
And also the other thing is I get to talk about God's forgiveness and his grace
and also just give people hope.
You know, there's so many times that people will come up to us and say,
you know what, our marriage never survived after or having an abortion and that
this gave us hope that there is healing.
(20:26):
I get really jazzed about people finding their voice to be able to share,
you know, that they walk in freedom, that it's no longer about what they've
done, but what Jesus has done for them.
And so then they are able to help others choose life.
And that just fires me up so much to be able to share that message because there's
(20:50):
just so many people that sit in silence and they God wants to use that.
He wastes nothing and he wants to use them to be so effective in this movement.
And so that's what fires me up.
Yeah, and that's great. And that's what we want to help do is connect.
Speakers with that fire like you have to organizations that are really looking
(21:13):
for a great speaker who's going to come in.
And yes, if it's a fundraising event, you want to raise money for the evening,
but you want lives to change that evening as well.
That's just a powerful presence that you bring to an event.
So we're talking to Serena Dykson, founder of She Found His Grace.
We have just a couple more minutes here. So I'm going to ask you this.
I think this is really key.
(21:33):
Let's say that whether it's a man or a woman, they've been listening to this podcast.
Maybe they just stumbled across it and they think it's by mistake,
but actually God kind of led them to this podcast, be listening to this.
But what words would you have to someone who they're listening to this,
they hear what you're saying, they relate to your story, they know they are
in need of healing, but they are afraid to make that first point of contact,
(21:56):
to step way out of their comfort zone and move towards that healing process.
What would you say to that person?
Yeah. So first of all, I would say, I'm so sorry for your loss and that you
are not alone in that pain.
And I know that it seems very scary to step out, but you're going to be met
with so much compassion, so much love.
(22:19):
And I think that enemy truly likes to keep us isolated and secluded because
he knows that you can be so effective for the kingdom.
And so I just encourage you to step out and take that first step.
And even if it's just sending an email and it takes you a while to take the
(22:44):
next step, we journey with people for a long time.
One of our staff members, I like to share her story. It took her two years before
she finally went through healing.
But we just loved on her and we wanted her to know that she was ready and that
it was in her timing and God's timing.
(23:04):
And so I don't want anybody to feel pressured that they have to take that next step right away.
But just knowing that you take the first step and then we'll help you take the next step.
And it is so worth it. And it's so freeing. And, you know, you will not regret
going through healing because God just wants to meet us.
(23:26):
And he just has so much for us. If he can meet me in a parking lot,
drunk and high and post-abortive and lavish me in love, he is certainly capable of doing that for you.
Yeah, that is such a good word. Thank you for sharing that. And just remind
our listeners once more, how can they connect with you and She Found His Grace? Peace.
(23:46):
Yes. So just go to shefoundhisgrace.org. And also,
if you are a post-abortive man or woman that just needs to talk,
you can go to our hotline, which is 574-400-5272.
And you can contact us either way.
Serena, thank you for being on the podcast today and for all that you are doing in saving lives.
(24:11):
Thank you so much. It was an honor to be on today. Hey, that's it for this episode of the podcast.
You can learn more about Serena and our other speakers at lovetimes2.org slash
speakers, where you'll find an easy form to request more information.
Remember, now is the time to book your speakers for 2024, whether it's spring or fall.
(24:32):
You don't want to miss out by waiting until after the holidays because a lot
of speakers are going to be booked by that time. So just a quick reminder,
your year-end gift for the Love Times 2 Project is really important to us.
So if you can make a contribution, you can jump over to lovetimes2.org slash
give and make your gift today. It'd be very much appreciated.
Never forget, change the culture and the politics will follow.
(24:59):
Thanks for listening to the official podcast of the Love Times 2 Project.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and never forget,
change the culture and the politics will follow.
Music.
Are you looking for the perfect speaker for your next event or conference?
(25:20):
Look no further than the new Love Times 2 Speakers Bureau, your go-to source
for great pro-life speakers.
We have a roster of renowned experts who can inspire, educate,
and entertain your audience.
Our speakers are ready to unleash their expertise and make your event a resounding success. us.
Scheduling a pro-life speaker has never been easier. Visit lovetimes2.org slash
(25:44):
speakers and schedule your speaker today.
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