Very often, conversations dwindle to a stand still as I reveal the topic of our classes: Restoring a godly view of sexuality. Somewhere in the middle, they can’t help but become engaged. By the 5th session, the last of them, the reality of walking out with this new or reinforced information is met with pensiveness; hope meets disdain in the ‘real’ world. Recently, a class I led pretty much ended like any normal speaking engagement: limited fanfare. I mean they are high school students after all, one can’t expect a glowing review of such sensitive material. Yet, with a wild resolve, we share our message of a pure, set apart life.

This setting was different. I was not in an eager yet strangely callous public school setting, I was presenting to a beautiful group of homeschoolers. As I packed up the lead teacher, a parent, came up to me and said, “Thank You.” She then launched in to this story:

An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and were returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were defeated, discouraged, and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions.

No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President’s entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, “Something is wrong.” “Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us.”

“Dear, you shouldn’t feel that way”, his wife said. He replied “I can’t help it; it doesn’t seem right.”

When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President’s arrival. No one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city.

That night the man’s spirit broke. He said to his wife, “I can’t take this; God is not treating us fairly”. His wife replied, “Why don’t you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?”

A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, “Dear, what happened?” “The Lord settled it with me”, he said. “I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said;

“But you’re not home yet.”

As she finished I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Often times when you are called to a unique, often controversial ministry there can be deep feelings of invisibility when our efforts aren’t met with accolades and ticker tape parades. Or when we don’t see the immediate fruit of our labor. We often want our words to immediately penetrate the heart with a spark so bright it lights our minds!

Now you may not work in a pregnancy resource center or on a mobile medical pregnancy center like ICU Mobile, but haven’t we all been called to a unique ministry: to share the Gospel (declaring we need a Savior) in a world that believes it’s doing just fine on its own. No matter where you find yourself, be encouraged that even though you may not feel the throngs of witnesses cheering you on, Heaven is preparing a homecoming that will be matchless!!

YOU are not home yet!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  
Michael Homula 
Executive Director 
(330) 745-4070 
media@icumobile.org
www.icumobile.org

Memphis, TN and Akron, OH, May 29, 2012 – The first mobile medical pregnancy center in the state of Tennessee will begin providing free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds June 11th in Shelby County and Memphis. Confidential Care for Women has partnered with ICU Mobile, the pioneer and leader of mobile pregnancy center ministry, to bring mobile ultrasound services to the women of Memphis and surrounding communities. This is the next service offering in Confidential Care for Women’s comprehensive effort to serve women facing an unplanned pregnancy by going to where they are with free pregnancy tests, a free limited obstetrical ultrasound to verify pregnancy, provide education and supply materials needed to make an informed decision.

“ICU Mobile is blessed to partner with Confidential Care for Women to provide free services for women in the greater Memphis area.” says Michael Homula, Executive Director of ICU Mobile. “Over 8,000 abortions a year occur in Memphis and Shelby County. Pregnancy centers are wonderful but they are limited in reach because they are tied to a foundation. The data clearly demonstrates the need for mobile medical pregnancy services and ICU Mobile Memphis, operated by Confidential Care for Women, will deliver free services directly to women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.” ICU Mobile has a fleet of mobile pregnancy centers throughout the United States and Homula pointed to the effectiveness of the ICU Mobile fleet as an indication of what can be accomplished locally, “Memphis joins our Fleet of 27 Mobiles in the US where 87.8% of women considering abortion change their mind and choose life and nearly 40% of those we share the Gospel with make a first time commitment to follow Jesus.”

The team at Confidential Care for Women recently spent a week at ICU Mobile’s Global Missions Office in Akron, Ohio for comprehensive training, development and planning leading up to deployment on June 11th.

Cathy Waterbury, Executive Director of Confidential Care for Women said “We are excited to join forces with ICU Mobile to bring a new level of pregnancy care service and ministry to Memphis. ICU pioneered the concept of mobile ultrasound ministry and the success and effectiveness we have seen in other parts of the country, combined with the significant need right here in greater Memphis, prove that together we can make a greater impact on our community and provide more women with free health alternatives and a message of hope.”

About ICU Mobile

ICU Mobile (pronounced I See You) was founded in 2003 and is the pioneer and leader of mobile pregnancy center ministry. ICU Mobile exists to establish and support a global fleet of mobile ultrasound vehicles deployed in partnership with crisis pregnancy centers in order to help them extend their reach; going to women rather than waiting for them. The mobile pregnancy centers in the Fleet exist so that women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy may have an opportunity to receive a free limited obstetrical ultrasound to verify pregnancy and receive free options counseling.

The ICU Mobile Fleet currently numbers 27 Fleet Affiliates in 18 states and one international Fleet Affiliate in Ghana.

ICU Mobile’s ministry office is located at 2569 Romig Road, Suite 303, Akron, Ohio 44320.

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I don’t want this to be all about Kirk Cameron, but I have to mention him to make a point. I recently had the opportunity to hear Kirk speak at luncheon.

Kirk Cameron has been able to accomplish the impossible. He has done what so many childhood celebrities fail to accomplish–overcome his childhood alter ego. Now a few others have accomplished this feat. After all, Neil Patrick Harris found a way to “beat” Doogie Howser, M.D. with another role.

But Kirk Cameron surpassed Mike Seaver without finding another “gig”. Instead, he gave his life over to ministry and slowly but surely as the years passed, Kirk Cameron, the Christian, eventually became the first thing we think of when many of us hear his name.

I remember as a young pastor thinking that Kirk Cameron was well…cheesy. I recall when his film “Fireproof” came out. I was working at a mega church and the movie was all the rage. In an effort to stay relevant, I reluctantly watched the movie, only to find that it was deeply moving. Was it cheesy? Yes, a little. But it was also a tremendous film. Respectable acting with an enduring message.

I think what initially turned me off to Kirk Cameron was that he appeared on a “religious” cable channel that did in fact have many cheesy, embarrassing and questionable personalities. But Kirk Cameron was different. He started doing some great evangelism and street apologetics. He was sincere, relevant and practical. He made sense and was easy to follow. Kirk just kept going at it for years. Steady, reliable, intelligent, graceful…real.

At the luncheon I attended, Kirk was speaking to approximately 600 leaders of pregnancy resource centers. We were all deeply impressed by his heart for the unborn, his leadership by example and his ability to speak the truth plainly and fearlessly. He concluded his talk by graciously thanking all in attendance, “for putting the gospel at the center of your counseling.” This was a pro-life setting. Kirk could have really centered in on “saving babies”, and he did address the topic thoroughly. He was vocal that abortion is one of the greatest problems we face as a nation. But you left with the impression that the gospel was at the center of his heart.

I left feeling proud of this man that allowed Jesus Christ to lead and literally take over his life. There was not the slightest air of celebrity left in him. Kirk is a Christ follower and no doubt wants to be known as that.

I hope that I will live my life in such a way that my devotion to God will overshadow any of my personal achievements. I hope that the gospel will always be slightly ahead of saving babies in my heart.

“But if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” Matthew 10:39

Pastor Adam Barton

Akron, Ohio

Peggy Benicke, Executive Director of Robbinsdale Women’s Center / ICU Mobile Minneapolis, spent time with us at the Heartbeat International Conference to talk about when God called them to mobile ultrasound ministry, why they partnered with ICU Mobile and what a mobile ultrasound vehicle will do for the women and unborn of greater Minneapolis.

One of the best parts about my job is receiving emails every day from our Fleet Affiliates with updates and stories of lives being saved and lives being changed for eternity because of Jesus. It is a wonderful blessing, and I am in awe of what God is doing through the women who operate the Mobiles in the Fleet every day.

They are true heroes of our faith.

Each week the Mobiles in our Fleet literally go into the communities they serve. They park and serve women near colleges/universities, high schools, shopping plazas, neighborhoods, housing projects etc.

They go into the zip codes and neighborhoods where the most abortions are coming from, based on highly effective research and algorithm analysis, in order to meet women where they are. Meet them in their daily routine and while they are still in the decision making process.

We’re often asked why we aren’t at abortion mills more often. The reason is simple, we want to get to women before they ever get to the abortion facility. Before they ever reach deaths front porch. Changing a woman’s mind once she has arrived at an abortion mill is much more difficult than being a part of the decision making process. Our nine years of effectiveness data show that meeting  and serving women where they are before they reach the abortion mill is VASTLY more succesful.

Another major advantage of mobile pregnancy centers, specifically those in the ICU Mobile Fleet, is that we can literally GO to a women at precisely the time she is in crisis. No wait. We go to them. Just such a situation happened in our Fleet a little over a week ago. Here is the story, directly from our Fleet Affiliate’s Executive Director:

Earlier today I took a call from a college student who said she wanted to have an abortion. She told me she was 15 weeks, etc. She wanted to know how much it would cost. I told her that we do not do abortions but told her the services that we offer and explained how important it was for her to be informed as this would be a serious procedure. She asked if I could just tell her over the phone because it would be hard for her to get to the center. I asked where she was and how far she was from our scheduled Mobile location today. Her transportation situation was not good and she couldn’t even get to the Mobile clinic.

She went on to write,

So, after a bit of maneuvering our Mobile Team left their scheduled location and took the mobile to her! This is the beauty of being Mobile! Our Mobile Director  just called me and said that all of our prayers were answered. She said, that the ultrasound was beautiful and that the baby was moving and practically blowing kisses to her mother! Well, not quite but you can imagine the beauty of it all. When the mother saw her baby she said, “OH I can’t do that – it’s a baby!” She thanked them over and over and was so happy to have them pray with her and to receive a Bible of her own. She asked if she could bring her boyfriend back next week.

This woman was what we call “abortion determined”. Her mind was made up. She was looking for an abortion and was determined to have one. If our philosophy was solely to park at abortion mills then we might have seen her but our interaction with her would, more than likely, been watching her walk into the abortion mill right before our eyes. The chances of her walking onto the Mobile at an abortion mill, because her mind was largely made up, are miniscule. Sure, God does miracles and we have saves at abortion mills. But the data shows that we can be more effective by being in the hearts of the neighborhoods where abortions come from.

A brick and mortar pregnancy center, in this case our Fleet Affiliate, could never have lifted itself off of its foundation and driven to this woman. This woman would not have received any help and probably would have had an abortion. The flexibility, adaptability and mobility of an ICU Mobile allowed our Fleet Affiliate to get to this women exactly when she needed them most. There was no wait. No tense moments of wondering if she would show up at the center. Our Fleet Affiliate took the pregnancy center directly to her.

The ability to get to this woman in crisis within moments is what makes mobile pregnancy center ministry unique and, in our opinion, the most effective tool in pro-life ministry since the invention of the ultrasound machine.

Recently, we posted How To Convert An RV Into A Mobile Pregnancy Center, first of a series on whether or not your pregnancy center or ministry should go mobile. First, let’s revisit the quote that started this:

“You read what others had done, and you took the next step. You didn’t earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don’t take any responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could…You were so preoccupied with whether you could that you didn’t stop to think if you should.” – Dr. Ian Malcolm (played by Jeff Goldblum) in Jurassic Park

Some pretty solid wisdom from a movie about dinosaurs. That and if you are ever confronted by a T-Rex don’t move at all – they can’t see you if you don’t move. I digress!

Just because you could deploy a mobile pregnancy center, doesn’t mean that you should. You have to do a God check and then you have to do a reality check about both the equipment and the operations of a ministry such as this.

The God Check

First and foremost, mobile pregnancy center ministry is not something you choose to do. It must be something you are called to do. In nine years as the pioneer and leader of the mobile pregnancy center movement, we have learned this is not something a center decides to do. The very origin of our ministry began with God speaking into the heart of our Founder. He told her to reach more abortion determined women and save more babies she had to get outside the walls of the pregnancy center. He told her to GO TO, rather than wait for, the women in the community who were considering abortion. She heard God’s calling, she obeyed and the very first mobile pregnancy center ministry in the world was born. The evidence and metrics are undeniable, this works. Mobile pregnancy center ministry may be the most innovative and effective tool in life affirming ministry since the ultrasound machine. That said, it must be a calling.

If you are a pregnancy center or ministry thinking this might be for you then you must first acknowledge God (1 Chronicles 28:9-10). Acknowledge His sovereignty in your ministry, let go of those things you have been hanging on to and let God take control. This might mean letting go of a sattelite office (mobile is VASTLY less expensive by the way), it might mean releasing a program that you love but isn’t very effective or it might mean making hard decisions about other things with your ministry. If God is calling you, and you have affirmed that through prayer and consult with others, the you must obey regardless of the cost. If you are called and you don’t act, if you don’t follow His call wholeheartedly, the your acknowledgment of Him is empty. When you surrender it all to God, letting go of everything in your ministry, and let Him make the decisions and set the direction, you will know pretty quickly if deploying a mobile pregnancy center is what the Lord wants you to do.

Pure motives are critical (1 Chronicles 28:9-10). Make sure your motives are pure. You can’t go mobile for any other reason but to honor and glorify God and serve women in His name. If you are doing it because it will bring more donors (which it will), or if you are doing it to bring more clients to your center (which it will), or if you are doing it for any number of other reasons that are about you or your center it is not likely to work.

ICU Mobile does not advertise our ministry work to pregnancy centers. We do not send out fliers, emails or make calls to “sell” mobile pregnancy center ministry. Sure, we could do this and likely expand the Fleet exponentially much more quickly but we do not believe it will honor God and allow for His perfect will to move in the hearts of those He calls to this work. We are currently speaking with over 90 pregnancy centers around the world about deploying a mobile ultrasound / mobile pregnancy center vehicle. They call called ICU Mobile. Most of them have done so because they feel they have been called to mobile pregnancy center ministy. They believe they have been called to GO serve women, GO save lives and GO share Jesus.

Going mobile is not something you choose to do. No, you have to hear God’s calling to mobile pregnancy center ministry, you have to acknowledge Him by answering the call and you have to make sure your motives are pure – you want to honor God, serve women in His name and share the Gospel.

This is the difference between could you go mobile and should you go mobile. God will tell you if you should.

“You read what others had done, and you took the next step. You didn’t earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don’t take any responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could…You were so preoccupied with whether you could that you didn’t stop to think if you should.” – Dr. Ian Malcolm (played by Jeff Goldblum) in the movie Jurassic Park

Hard to imagine that we could learn a valuable lesson about mobile ultrasound and mobile pregnancy center ministry from Jurassic Park. These simple lines from a movie about dinosaurs ought to cause a pregnancy center or ministry to pause and ask serious questions before diving into the work of mobile ministry.

Just because you could deploy a mobile pregnancy center, doesn’t mean that you should. You have to do a God check and then you have to do a reality check about both the equipment and the operations of a ministry such as this.

In a series of three posts we will look at the God check and the reality checks. Though it may seem odd, today we are going to start with the reality check on the equipment.

Based on the title of this post, you may have come here looking for guidance on how to convert an RV into a mobile pregnancy center. We apologize if the title is a bit misleading but the reality is that you really shouldn’t convert an RV, bus or shuttle for mobile pregnancy center ministry. Let us explain.

When centers or ministries jump head-first into mobile pregnancy center ministry because so many are looking at it with googly-eyes, seeing the benefits and effectiveness pf the most innovative tool in the crisis pregnancy help movement since the ultrasound machine, they are only thinking about the could. By holding back, , praying, becoming educated, listening, observing, doing due diligence, praying more and making sure the vehicle itself is equipped for compliance and success, they are then thinking more about the should.

If you are a pregnancy center or ministry who feels called to GO mobile, meaning you want to equip a vehicle or RV to function as a mobile ultrasound or mobile pregnancy center, it might seem most cost and resource efficient to acquire a used vehicle and convert or retrofit it for service. This is especially true when a donor or well intentioned individual wants to donate a used vehicle or RV.

However, conversion comes with compliance, structural integrity  and possibly legal challenges. There are three agencies involved in setting standards as to the road readiness and compliance of vehicles such as this. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), United States Department of Transportation (USDT) and in the case of an RV the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA). In the interest of brevity, and to give attention to the most significant challenge of conversion, we will focus on the NHTSA.

Among many other things, the NHTSA establishes the standards for weight and weight distribution of a vehicle in two main categories: the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). The GAWR is the weight value specified by the chassis manufacturer as the load carrying capacity of a single axle system, as measured at the tire/ground interface. In layman’s terms, this is the amount of weight one axle (a vehicle has two) can carry safely and legally. The GVWR is the maximum permissable loaded weight of the entire vehicle.

The GAWR (axles) is probably the most important issue when it comes to using a vehicle for mobile pregnancy center ministry. In a standard RV, for example, the bed is built using press board plywood that is glued and screwed together in a hollow box. A mattress is placed on top and an RV bed is made. Combined these materials weigh, at most, 100 pounds. An exam table typically weighs between 250 and 350 pounds. Do you see the problem here?

A standard RV, bus or shuttle build is not designed to support this kind of weight across the rear axles and struts. Removing the bed and installing an exam table requires the axle, floor and rear struts to bear more weight than they are designed to carry. Additionally, that weight may not be distributed properly across the axle. The GVWR is likely not being adhered to and the structural integrity, thus the safety, of the vehicle is probably compromised. Now, add in a 140 pound ultrasound machine and the other equipment needed in an exam room of a mobile ultrasound/pregnancy center clinic and the risk to safety and structural integrity only increase.

Converting an RV, bus or shuttle is asking the vehicle to function and be used for something for which it was not intended. Structural integrity, and in the case of the GAWR, becomes compromised. We recently heard a story from a pregnancy center who converted an RV for mobile pregnancy center use. While driving down the road the rear axle gave way and the rear end of the vehicle literally went to the road. Fortunately, no one was hurt but the cost to tow and repair was enormous.

Additionally, modifying, converting or retrofitting a vehicle often makes it uninsurable and, if the vehicle is new, voids warranties. Often an insurance company will write a policy on a vehicle such as this but, if it is involved in an accident, will not likely pay a claim when they learn the vehicle has been modified. If it falls outside of NHTSA or any other governing body guidelines then a claim will most definitely not be paid. We have fielded calls from pregnancy centers who have experienced this as well.

As the pioneer of the mobile ultrasound and mobile pregnancy center concept, early on in the ministry of ICU Mobile, we converted and retrofitted RV’s. We discovered this was not safe or compliant and set out to research and solve the problem. We listened, learned and then executed a solution. The solution is to have equipment and vehicles custom engineeered, designed and built by a manufacturer specifically for mobile pregnancy center ministry and exclusively for ICU Mobile. As a non-profit ministry committed to doing things at a high level of excellence, not to mention the pioneers of this concept, we know we have a responsibility to take the lead in providing an affordable turnkey solution to pregnancy centers and ministries. This turnkey solution removes the guesswork about the equipment and puts them in vehicles that are safe, legal and compliant.

Today, ICU Mobile vehicles meet the standards set by the NHTSA and other governing agencies. The vehicles we provide are fully warrantied, compliant and insurable. Additionally, we provide many technical customizations and upgrades very specific to mobile pregnancy center use so that those who join our Fleet have the best equipment available at an affordable price so they may execute efficiently and effectively. ICU Mobile has the only vehicle in the world that is engineered, designed and manufactured specifically for mobile pregnancy center and mobile ultrasound ministry.

Mobile pregnancy center ministry is one of the most innovative and effective ways to reach women in crisis. It may be the most innovative and effective tool since the ultrasound machine. A mobile ultrasound vehicle enables pregnancy centers and ministries to go to rather than wait for women in crisis and bring them important information and medical services they need to make an informed decision. Prayerfully, we hope this leads them to a life affirming decision. Of the abortion determined and abortion minded women who get service aboard mobiles in our fleet, 87.8% will change their mind and choose life. For these reasons, and many more, going mobile is becoming very popular amongst life affirming pregnancy centers and ministries.

However, before diving into this work, it would be wise to heed the advice from Jurassic Park – Don’t become so preoccupied with whether you could retrofit or convert a used or new RV, bus or shuttle that you don’t stop to ask if you should.

If you are a pregnancy center considering mobile pregnancy center ministry, if you feel called to go to abortion minded women with a mobile ultrasound vehicle, we would love to pray with you and discuss how you can become a member of the ICU Mobile Fleet. Click to learn more or email us at gomobile@icumobile.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  
Michael Homula
Executive Director
(330) 745-4170
michael@icumobile.org
www.icumobile.org

Akron, Ohio April 25, 2012

ICU Mobile (icumobile.org), the pioneer and leader of mobile pregnancy center ministry, continues to grow its global fleet of life saving mobile pregnancy center/ultrasound vehicles. Founded in 2003, ICU Mobile provides a full turnkey mobile ultrasound solution for crisis pregnancy centers and other life affirming ministries that enables them to go to, rather than wait for, women facing an unplanned pregnancy. Beginning in late April, ICU Mobile will deploy 12 more Mobile pregnancy centers before the end of the year.

“The growth of our fleet of life-saving Mobile ultrasound vehicles has truly been extraordinary”, says Michael Homula, Executive Director of ICU Mobile. “Our April Huntsville deployment will be followed in May with a Mobile in Memphis. Dallas will deploy in June and Minneapolis will deploy in July. This growth is tremendous and while our team is working hard to grow and support the fleet, all the credit really goes to the Lord. Our mobile pregnancy centers bring free pregnancy testing and ultrasound services directly to women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Throughout our Fleet, 87.8% of women considering abortion change their mind and choose life.”

The ministry is also committed to sharing the Gospel with the women and their support people who come for services and 39.8% of those who hear the Gospel on an ICU Mobile will make a first time decision to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior.

ICU Mobile provides the only vehicle of its kind specifically built for mobile pregnancy center ministry, nine years of experience in this ministry space and a world class training and consulting program to help life affirming ministries and crisis pregnancy centers to deploy safely, efficiently and effectively.

The fleet has 28 Fleet Affiliates throughout the United States and one international affiliate in Ghana which hopes to deploy next fall. Currently, over 90 crisis pregnancy centers and life affirming ministries in the US and around the world are in conversation with the mobile pregnancy center pioneer regarding deployment of a vehicle in their community.

Memphis, Tennessee deploys the next mobile in May. “We are excited about how the Lord will use a mobile ultrasound vehicle to serve the women and unborn of Memphis.” said Cathy Waterbury, Executive Director of Confidential Care for Women. “We will join forces with ICU Mobile to bring the most innovative and effective pregnancy care ministry to Memphis and surrounding areas. Together we can make a greater impact for LIFE.”

Note to Media: Images of an ICU Mobile vehicle are available upon request.

About ICU Mobile
ICU Mobile (pronounced I See You), founded in 2003, is the pioneer and leader of mobile pregnancy center ministry. They exist to establish and support a global fleet of mobile ultrasound vehicles in partnership with crisis pregnancy centers to extend their reach; going to women rather than waiting for them. The mobile pregnancy centers serve women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy so they may have an opportunity to receive a free limited obstetrical ultrasound to verify pregnancy and see their unborn child in order to make a fully informed decision. ICU Mobile is committed to share the love and truth of Jesus Christ through the good news of the Gospel with those they serve.

The ICU Mobile Fleet currently numbers 28 affiliates in 18 states with 1 project underway globally.

The ICU Mobile global mission’s office is located at 2569 Romig Road, Suite 303, Akron, Ohio 44320.

During the Civil War, major revivals broke out in both armies. In the Union Army, between 100,000 and 200,000 soldiers were converted; among Confederate forces, approximately 150,000 troops converted to Christ. Perhaps 10 percent of all Civil War soldiers experienced conversions during the conflict.

Dwight. L. Moody (D.L. Moody) was a great 19th Century preacher and evangelist. So much remains of the work of love achieved by the tireless efforts of Moody and the students who have been trained by his commitment to the evangelism of lost souls.

The pure beginnings of the Chicago Chapter of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) are owed to Moody. Of course, he founded the Moody Bible Institute.

That is the D.L. Moody most people know.

However, most are unaware of his work during the American Civil War. When war broke out he found himself ministering and preaching to the young soldiers of the Union Army. Many of these young men were innocent farm boys who discovered new temptations they had not encountered prior to joining the Army. With the faithful preaching of Moody, countless young men responded to his unconventional approach to immediate conversion.

As the War lingered and casualty lists lengthened, Moody felt called to personally shepherd these broken boys who had been so cheery when they left home so he became a Chaplain in the Union Army. In March of 1862, Moody found himself at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. Among the repulsive wounds, horrific amputations and dead men, Chaplain Moody shared the urgent message that could immediately make an eternal difference by simply asking, “Are you a Christian?”

It was at Shiloh that he was assigned to a hospital ship on the Tennessee River with four hundred and fifty wounded men, most of them mortally. According to eye witnesses, Moody, “. . . would not let a man die on the boat without telling him of Christ and heaven…he would tell them of Christ as he gave them a cup of cold water.” Coming near a boy dying from shock and loss of blood, Moody gave him brandy and water in hopes he would revive long enough to speak.

A friend of the soldier was close by and told Moody they were from the same small town; that the dying boy was the only son of a widow. Knowing this mother would be anxious to receive a word from her dying son, Moody asked if his mother was a Christian. The friend acknowledged that she was. The mortally wounded soldier came to for a moment and Moody asked if he knew where he was. “I am on my way home to mother,” he said weakly. Informed the youth would die before reaching his mother, Moody shared the Gospel and encouraged the young man to commit his life to Christ. Moody sought the soldier’s last words for his mother. “Tell my mother . . . that I died . . . trusting in Christ.”

Not content to simply stay in Illinois, Moody heard God’s call to GO to the front lines of the Civil War. To GO to places where horror, brutality and death were common place. Battlefields of the American Civil War were not for the faint of heart. The weaponry was more advanced than the tactics and the gruesome carnage and human destruction that resulted left macabre scenes all over the farms, fields and small towns of America. Undeterred, Moody vowed that no man would die without hearing the Gospel and having an opportunity to commit their life to Christ.

D.L. Moody is a great example for those of us in the mission field of life affirming crisis pregnancy centers and mobile pregnancy center ministry. His unwavering commitment to serve others in the name of Christ stands as a beacon light of encouragement and a model for how to serve faithfully by imitating Christ. Like Moody, we must be willing to GO to those in need rather than wait for them. We must be willing to GO to women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and considering abortion. We must GO to the places, neighborhoods and communities where most will not or cannot go so that we may be more effective. We must GO and get outside of our comfort zone; meeting women in crisis right where they are regardless of how “safe” it might be. Our mission must be to imitate Jesus, serve others in His name, save lives and share the Gospel.

D.L. Moody heard and answered the call to GO.

Is the Lord calling you to GO? Will you answer, “Here I am, send me.”

If you are a crisis pregnancy center considering mobile pregnancy center ministry, if you feel called to go to abortion minded women with a mobile ultrasound vehicle, we would love to pray with you and discuss how you can become a member of the ICU Mobile Fleet. Click to learn more or email us at gomobile@icumobile.org.

My morning routine Monday-Friday starts off by going to the local gym to exercise. I’ve made a lot of friends there–mostly twice my age, retirees. As I left the locker room, I heard a familiar voice say, “Have a good day Adam. Don’t work too hard.” Without thinking much, I kindly replied, “Ok”.

Within 10 seconds, I realized what I had said–but had not meant. I immediately thought about the real possibility of there being a direct correlation between how hard I work and how many babies are saved. A heavy thought that I let sink in.

And then released that thought to the Lord just as quickly as it came to me–and rightly so I believe.

When a life is saved through our mobile ultrasound fleet, we don’t begin to take the credit. The response is always, “Praise you Lord,” without exception. Likewise, when a baby is lost to abortion (and millions are every year), we don’t blame ourselves.

But we still work hard. We have to. The Lord is using our team, our volunteers, our fleet, our donors and those that pray for ICU Mobile to save babies and souls everyday. Right now, that’s about 2 babies a day, and 2 decisions for Christ each day.

But that was last year. We can always do better and have to…are called to.

Sometimes I’m asked if it’s hard to ask people for money (I’m the primary fundraiser for ICU Mobile). My answer is simple, “Well, it would be hard for me to ask for money for some causes, even some very worthy causes–BUT NOT THIS ONE.” The stakes are too big and the payoff is too valuable to be embarrassed to ask for money. When you’ve seen a newborn child that was recently born because of a confused mother changing her mind aboard one of our mobiles–that does it. When you shake the hand of a 6 year old boy who was saved from abortion on one of our mobiles–that does it. When you hear the testimony of a changed life that came to know their Creator for the first time on an ICU Mobile–that does it.

No. It’s not hard to ask for financial support. It’s not hard to ask for volunteer help. It’s not hard to ask churches and businesses and individuals to promote the ministry. And we see those that help us in all these ways as co-laborers in Jesus Christ–a body with many parts, working together for a very high purpose–saving babies, sharing the good news.

Will you join us? I really mean it. Will you?

Give me a call or send me an email and we’ll talk about how you can GO with ICU Mobile.

Pastor Adam Barton

Akron, Ohio

330.745.3050; adam@icumobile.org