{{first_name|Friend}},
On Wednesday night, a woman named Denisha Workizer joined us from Tucson and said five words I can't stop thinking about:
"I am the face of choice."
Denisha didn't know her own story until she was 42 years old. It came in a text message to her dad. Her mother, as a young woman, had tried to end her pregnancy — first with pills, then with a surgical abortion. Neither worked. Denisha survived both.
I expected anger. What she gave us instead was grace:
"My mom is not the villain in my story."
Her mother was young, scared, and alone — and she believed what so many women are told: that there was only one door. Denisha's message to the women driving across the state line to Santa Teresa and Las Cruces this week was simply this:
"Sometimes the distance between one future and another is simply knowing another door exists."
Friend, that's why we built the door.
It's why Aida and Kelly are at Her Care Connection, now sharing a wall with the Santa Teresa abortion center, so a woman walking toward one door finds another one open. It's why Makayla and our midwives at Guiding Star are there when she's ready for real care. It's why The Lily Pad is there when she has nowhere else to go.
Denisha put it better than I can: "My life is evidence that one changed outcome changes generations."
Every woman who turns around at that wall is a Denisha. And every one of those generations starts with a community that decided to build another door.
That's what your gift does — and right now, every dollar is doubled. Through midnight on October 15, the $150,000 matching challenge turns your $100 into $200, your $500 into $1,000. And because El Paso Giving Day is offering a limited number of $25,000 bonus awards to the first organizations to meet their match, every early gift gets us closer to free money for more moms.
One more thing I'd ask this weekend. Denisha's story deserves to be heard by more than our list. If you know someone — a friend, a sister, a woman who's quietly carrying her own story — forward this email, or share the replay. Her segment is one you won't forget.
Thank you for being part of the door.
Gratefully in Christ,
Jessica Sifuentes
President & CEO
Southwest Coalition, Inc.
P.S. — Come see that door in person. Open house passport tours continue Monday and Tuesday, 5–7 PM, with Guiding Star and a shuttle to the Lily Pad.
Devotional for Day 19
Intention: For women carrying painful memories, that they may experience God's mercy, healing, and peace.
Scripture: “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” — Ephesians 4:32
Reflection: Denisha's words, “My mom is not the villain in my story,” are a beautiful reminder of the power of compassion and forgiveness. We never fully know the fear, loneliness, or circumstances behind another person's decisions. Yet God's mercy is greater than our mistakes, and His grace can bring healing even to the deepest wounds. May we learn to see others through His eyes, with less judgment and more love.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we lift up every woman carrying the pain of a difficult decision. Surround her with Your mercy, heal the wounds of her past, and remind her that she is deeply loved. Give us compassionate hearts that offer understanding instead of judgment and hope where there has been despair. Amen.
TODAY'S CHALLENGE
Think of someone you have struggled to understand or forgive. Pray for that person by name, asking God to bless them with healing and peace, and to fill your own heart with greater compassion.