It looks like COVID-19 has not only become the “defining phenomenon of 2020 but will probably move into 2021. It cannot be called a crisis anymore as “crisis” is something urgent. Covid-19 has already become a lifestyle. Social distancing, wearing a mask, and the absence of mass meetings cannot surprise us anymore. Some people are just fed up with it and ignore any precautions, some are frightened and worry too much. Who do you think feels the most comfortable under pandemic conditions – scientists, billionaires, dignitaries, and among those, we would include Christians? Only Christians understand that the world does not belong to them and isn’t all that there is.  They fully rely on their almighty Creator and Father. Can a human being somehow control the situation, or must we be in panic, fear or anger? We can pray, trust God, and live a confident life. The Lord will take care of all His children.
This absolute and so simple Christian truth has become very instrumental for Gift of Life (GoL) pro-life counselors who work during pandemic times. People run in many directions looking for a miraculous solution.  The counselors’ task is to point out that the miracle that they are looking for has been provided already, you just need to look up to heaven and believe the Good News.

It takes double time and effort to work with pregnant women since they are subject to physiological depression, fears, and the blues even under normal conditions. The pandemic did not make pregnant women any calmer nor did it cause a smaller number of crisis, that is, unplanned pregnancies. The biggest challenge GoL counselors were faced with at the beginning of the pandemic was a shortage of clients at our centers. During crisis times one must either adapt and start thinking in new ways or admit defeat. That is how the bad virus made our pro-life centers better. Much better! Up till recently all the counselling sessions, presentations and programs were held face to face and therefore were only for women who lived in the area and could come to the centers in person.   Working online (virtual work) at our centers was very new for us and amazingly effective: there are no administrative borders anymore and no worries about social distancing. Now there are clients, even from other countries, seeking online help from our counselors. It was not easy to completely change the methods and ways the counselors were used to. A lot of effort was necessary to learn the modern technologies, too. But now we are sure that it was all worthwhile with fruitful results which now will be an integral part of GoL’s pro-life work going forward.

During the last months dozens of crisis counseling sessions were conducted online by each pro-life counselor. Besides individual counselling, bigger and bigger groups of people meet online to learn about motherhood, childcare, STDs, the sanctity of life and many others. Each client online is as important and valuable for our counselors as any client coming through the door. And the results are heartwarming and God-pleasing too! For example, just recently two healthy twins were born in one town far from any of our counseling centers.   Help was only possible online. The baby’s mother had an unplanned pregnancy which was incredibly stressful from the very beginning. She strongly considered an abortion due to financial difficulties and other problems. The father of the twins and her close family had turned away. She is single but a very happy mother, and thankful to GoL counselors who were always close, even though hundreds of miles apart. God helped them to find the proper words, the client heard them, and they became lifesaving. Other twins and single babies have been saved from abortion due to online counseling. This particular story was so touching that we decided to send baby clothing (material aid) to this abandoned woman.