Woman testifies about the value of prayerful presence outside Columbia abortion facility

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Crystal’s father suffered abuse as a child and wound up transferring that abuse onto her.

A childhood marked by neglect, instability and abuse led her into a toxic marriage at 18, with three children by age 21.

“During a marital separation, I found myself pregnant with another man’s child at 24,” she revealed to about 35 people at the 40 Days for Life Opening Rally on Feb. 17 in the Sacred Heart Activity Building in Columbia.

The 40 Days for Life Spring Campaign continues from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each Monday through Saturday until March 27, 2026.

People came from as far as Osage Bend and Blackwater, as well as from the Columbia and Jefferson City areas.

Crystal recounted how, in her feelings of hopelessness and brokenness, she chose to have an abortion.

Her painful journey to redemption began on the sidewalk outside the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Columbia.

“I recall women standing outside in prayer, their presence leaving an indelible mark on my memory,” she said.

She did go through with the abortion, but those women’s demonstration of compassion and support stayed with her.

She thanked them as she left.

She wound up having two more children, who are now 15 and 17.

“I firmly believe that the choice to bring them into the world was a direct result of the prayers that covered me that day,” she said.

But the aftermath of her late-term abortion was devastating, marked by a downward spiral of substance abuse and “estrangement from both my family and reality.”

Crystal’s path shifted in 2019 when she crossed paths with a former Hells Angels member and two women named Melissa and Mrs. Angel, who worked with different agencies in the area.

“These encounters would lead me up a hill in northwest Tennessee, where a giant cross stood on the hillside,” said Crystal.

There, she knelt down on the ground and poured her heart out to Jesus.

“He met me there and delivered me,” she said. “That is where my healing began.”

Since then, bolstered by her faith in Jesus, Crystal has been able to walk alongside women and mothers through Teen Challenge, empowering them to overcome adversity and find healing with their young children.

She began leading a local Save­One chapter, through which she saw women experience profound restoration and healing after abortion, “reclaiming their lives with purpose and strength.”

In 2024, she collaborated with the state Attorney General’s office in the nearly successful campaign to defeat Amendment 3, which substantially weakened Missouri’s restrictions on abortion.

She plans to share more of her story during the 40 Days for Life Closing Rally on April 11 in Holts Summit.

“I hope to inspire women through my testimony to find hope and healing through Christ, educate them on the harsh realities of abortion, and equip them with the tools necessary to break free from toxic relationships and generational patterns, allowing them to make choices that are not dictated by fear or shame,” she said.

Her audience stood up and applauded for her.

Prayer and sacrifice

40 Days for Life is an internationally-coordinated 40-day campaign, held twice a year, that aims to end abortion through prayer, fasting, community outreach and compassion for mothers, fathers, babies and abortion employees.

Campaigns and prayer vigils have been held in Columbia each spring and fall since 2009.

Throughout the 40 days, all-day, peaceful prayer vigils are maintained outside abortion clinics or places where abortion referrals continue to be given.

Deacon Thomas Whalen, a retired deacon from St. Peter Parish in Jefferson City, led the opening prayer at the rally at Sacred Heart.

After the rally, the participants traveled from the church to the sidewalk in front of Columbia Planned Parenthood for a prayerful candlelight vigil.

Crystal said the prayerful witness she saw on the sidewalk so many years ago is still necessary and helpful.

“Never think that what you are doing is not important,” she said.

People are still needed to sign up to spend time praying for an end to abortion.

Kathy Forck, servant leader of the Columbia 40 Days campaign, said it’s ideal to have at least three to four people on the sidewalk at a time.

“There’s always a team member to greet you,” she noted.

Through these activities, 40 Days for Life has inspired more than 1 million volunteers. With God’s help, 30 coordinated campaigns have led to over 26,000 saved babies, more than 180 closed abortion facilities and more than 275 converted workers.

Borrowing a phrase from
St. Theresa of Kolkata, Mrs. Forck stated: “Without a spirit of sacrifice, without a life of prayer, without an intimate attitude of penance, we would not be capable of carrying-out our work.”

All are invited to the Closing Rally Dinner, whether prayer came from the sidewalk or from home.

Contact Cyndi at 573-489-0977 or Kathy at 573-821-5130 or kathythebo@hotmail.com for information.

Visit 40daysforlife.com/columbiamo to sign up to participate in a 40 Days for Lif