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11th Hour Team

Update on 11th Hour Counselling

Since September 2009 we have been running an advertisement in the local Greytown Gazette newspaper, which covers the rural areas from Tugela Ferry, Muden Greytown, Wartburg, New Hanover to Kranskop.

The ad offers counselling for woman and girls who are seeking an abortion. Abortion alternatives are discussed as well as warning them about the many physical, emotional and spiritual dangers – such as post-abortion syndrome.

A helpline is given to contact us for an appointment and we meet those needing help once a week. Our helpline number is also distributed through pamphlets handed out on occasions, and placed at clinics etc.

We have received many calls during the past two-and-half years and many ladies and girls have been given the opportunity to make an informed decision.

Latest Statistics as at the end of January 2012:

By Irmela Verster (11th Hour counsellor)

140 ladies have been counselled.

70 babies have been born. (30 boys and 40 girls)

8 babies passed away due to illnesses and one unnatural death occurred.

Of the 140 counselled:

10 have had miscarriages.
1 was an Etopic pregnancy.
5 were false alarms.
1 had Post Abortion Syndrome.
6 opted for an abortion elsewhere.
18 we have no news of.

The balance of the 140 babies is due in 2012.

The following sms was received from a happy mother:

“Hello how are you? It’s me – *Joy. I wanted to tell you I have delivered a girl on Tuesday afternoon 14:20. Thanks for everthing you have done for me. I really love my baby so much.”

We thank GOD for the strength and provisions! We give GOD and HIM alone all the glory!

Michele Grobler (Chairperson)

Latest news and feedback from different branches of 11th Hour

Qwaqwa branch – by Shadrak Mile and Mrs. Mokoena
On 9 October 2011 An International Life Chain will be held at the shopping mall from 11h00 – 14-45. Please contact Shadrak Mile – Cell no. 073 535 4997

Mrs. Mokoena invited 6 mothers to her house and showed them the DVD – “All about Abortion”. They were very excited and promised to warn their children about the consequences of abortion. Informative literature was given to them which they will distribute to other young girls.

Orange Farm Vereniging – Emily Hlongwane
Emily has recently joined 11th Hour and will be working in her area where the need is extremely great. She has already been able to introduce the DVD “All About Abortion” at the nearest school and it was shown to the high school girls.  We are so thankful to the Lord for her willing heart. May this ministry be blessed richly by Him.

Pinetown branch – Nina Mc Niel
An “Open door” has been give to Nina to reach out to people with different problems including those of wanting abortion. This has started recently and we hope that it will grow from strength to strength.

Nina is also organizing the International Life Chain in Umhlanga for the 1st of October 2011.  Please contact her on:  073 7455 740

Pietermaritzburg – Maude Hlatswayo
Maude often visits the abortion clinics at hospitals in Pietermaritzburg where she does ‘side walk’ counseling for those who enter. May she also receive strength and guidance to continue in this ministry.

Greytown Branch
Regular callers are still being helped on a weekly basis. It is amazing that there are so many in such a small area. We realise that others might be having abortions through other agency’s. For every person that makes contact with the helpline through the local newspaper advert we are extremely thankful. It is not just by’“chance’ that they call us.

‘JOY’!

20110627 11th Hour Counseling We recently visited a middle aged unmarried lady who had responded to our ‘Abortion Alternative’ newspaper advertisement. ‘Joy’ suspected that she was 3 weeks pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. She already has two children of her own and takes care of some others, so she felt that she was not ready for another child. After speaking with her for a few hours she began to show concern for her ‘baby’s’ health and wanted to go for a scan and have an HIV test. When 11th Hour met with her again about two weeks later, she told us that she was 5 weeks pregnant, and had decided to keep her baby!

11th Hour is Using a New Strategy

20110624 11th Hour Counseling Since October 2009, 11th hour has used a new strategy to reach women and girls seeking an abortion. An advertisement is regularly placed in a local newspaper promoting an “Abortion Alternative” Helpline. A room is also available where the women can be counseled, enabling them to make an informed decision. 80 women were counseled during 2010 and most of them have kept their babies. We know of 30 women who have given birth to full-term babies. The first two babies born were twin girls and there are 11 boys and 20 girls’ altogether. The age groups are as follows: Teens: 12% 20 – 25 years: 37% 26 – 29 years: 28% 30 – 35 years: 17% 36 – 40 years: 4% 40 years plus: 2% The women are encouraged and supported through follow-up calls and sms’s during pregnancy and afterwards. Some baby clothing and other items have been donated and we endeavor to visit the ladies with a gift for the new baby, and perhaps something for the other siblings in the family.

Testimonies

Testimony of Nontokozo Mkhawane In 2006 I had an abortion. It was my second pregnancy outside of marriage. When I became pregnant the first time I was told to have an abortion, but I refused. The second time around I failed to refuse. I thought I was solving a problem, but I was actually creating a greater problem for myself. I thought after it was all done, the problem will just pass and I will forget about it, but I was deceiving myself. I started having a problem of being deeply troubled in my mind and spirit. After some time the relationship with the father of the child, which I thought I was saving by killing my own child, ended because of the hatred I had at the time towards him, blaming him for making me abort my own baby. Time went on and I was feeling a void in my heart. I tried to fill this void by doing all sorts of bad things which were harming my body even more. I was trying to suppress my conscience by drinking liquor and having relationships with different men. But even that didn’t help. Eventually it got to a point where I became tired of it all, and wanted to commit suicide.  That’s when God came to my life. When I met with the Lord Jesus, and made right my life with God, this sin was revealed together with others. I just confessed it, but I wasn’t serious, it was superficial. I didn’t have peace afterwards, but instead became depressed. I would cry all the time and would prefer to be alone. I was very angry towards myself, the father of the child, other innocent people, and even God Himself. I had negative, self destructive thoughts. I couldn’t trust anyone; had no hope anymore. One day I heard someone from 11th Hour Counseling testifying, and it dawned on me that day what exactly happens when one has an abortion. My heart broke when I realized what I’d done and I went back to confess the sin again in tears, as if I’ve never confessed it. It was then that I realized I had actually killed my own child, and in a cruel way. Even when the servant of God told me that God had forgiven me; it wasn’t easy for me to believe it and to forgive myself. I became more depressed and very sensitive which made it difficult to have fellowship with other people. I became fearful and started having nightmares. I dreamt one day of a baby crying. And another day, I dreamt I was breastfeeding a baby. I started thinking of the gender of the child, whether it had been a girl or a boy. When I would see someone I knew who had been pregnant at the same time as me, holding her child, I would also think that my child would’ve been that age by now. If I saw someone carrying a baby, I would be drawn to the child and wished to take the baby away from that person. I even asked myself whether my baby was in Heaven or Hell. But I the answer I got was that when my baby died, he or she was innocent, and therefore he/she’s in Heaven and I was comforted by that. I was very disturbed, but God always being faithful, was, and still is with me, helping and comforting me. The symptoms of Post Abortion Syndrome don’t all come at the same time. You deal with one now and later another one arrives to deal with. What I’m grateful for is that the Lord Jesus is with me to help me. I just think that if He wasn’t with me, where would I be? Maybe I would have committed suicide. So I thank Jesus so much. SOUTH AFRICA: ABORTION STATISTICS The prevailing conviction of South Africans has been strongly pro-life. Pressure by international and national groups resulted in Abortion-on-Demand (“Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996″) being legalised and implemented on 1 February 1997. STATISTICS according to the Dept of Health

26, 401	babies were killed in	1997	79 babies every day,
39, 177	dto.	1998	107 dto.
46, 188	dto.	1999	127 dto.
49, 690	dto.	2000	136 dto.
57, 451	dto.	2001	157 dto.
57, 472	dto.	2002	157 dto.
51, 740	dto.	2003	148 dto.

Total since 1997: 328,123 – That means over 50 thousand abortions each year for the past 3 years. – On average since 1997 every day 127 babies lives were terminated. Download complete statistics as an excel spreadsheet.

Update on 11th Hour Counselling

 

Since September 2009 we have been running an advertisement in the local Greytown Gazette newspaper, which covers the rural areas from Tugela Ferry, Muden Greytown, Wartburg, New Hanover to Kranskop.

 

The ad offers counselling for woman and girls who are seeking an abortion.  Abortion alternatives are discussed as well as warning them about the many physical, emotional and spiritual dangers – such as post-abortion syndrome.

 

A helpline is given to contact us for an appointment and we meet those needing help once a week. Our helpline number is also distributed through pamphlets handed out on occasions, and placed at clinics etc.

 

We have received many calls during the past two-and-half years and many ladies and girls have been given the opportunity to make an informed decision.

 

Latest Statistics as at the end of January 2012:

 

By Irmela Verster (11th Hour counsellor)

 

140 ladies have been counselled.

70 babies have been born. (30 boys and 40 girls)

8 babies passed away due to illnesses and one unnatural death occurred.

 

Of the 140 counselled:

 

10 have had miscarriages.

1 was an Etopic pregnancy.

5 were false alarms.

1 had Post Abortion Syndrome

6 opted for an abortion elsewhere.

18 we have no news of.

 

The balance of the 140 babies is due in 2012.

 

The following sms was received from a happy mother:

 

“Hello how are you?  It’s me – *Joy.  I wanted to tell you I have delivered a girl on Tuesday afternoon 14:20.  Thanks for everthing you have done for me.  I really love my baby so much.”

 

We thank GOD for the strength and provisions!  We give GOD and HIM alone all the glory!

 

Michele Grobler (Chairperson)