Listen to Amanda Tucker and Jacob Barr talk about Amanda’s backstory into pregnancy clinic work along with how God has provided healing, blessings and answered prayer.
Summary
This is Jacob Barr, and in a recent episode of the Pro-life Team Podcast, I had the opportunity to speak with Amanda Tucker, Director of We Care Pregnancy Center. Our conversation delved into the profound impact of personal experiences on our professional and spiritual journeys, particularly in the realm of pro-life work.
Amanda shared her moving story, beginning with a personal tragedy – a miscarriage – which set her on a path toward spiritual awakening and a deeper understanding of the value of life. This experience transformed her perspective on pro-life issues, leading her to question her previous beliefs about bodily autonomy in the context of abortion, especially after witnessing the reality of a developing baby.
Her path to becoming the director of We Care Pregnancy Center was equally providential. From a simple invitation to a meeting, which she initially hesitated to attend, to a series of events orchestrated, as she believes, by divine intervention, Amanda’s journey is a testament to faith and calling. Her reluctance to step into the role of director, countered by clear signs and nudges, is a powerful narrative of embracing a challenging but fulfilling path.
The discussion also touched on the significant blessings and instances of prayerful providence in the operations of the center. Amanda recounted experiences where urgent needs, like cribs for babies, were met in almost miraculous ways, reinforcing her faith in prayer and divine provision. These stories are a poignant reminder of the importance of faith in guiding and sustaining pro-life work.
In our conversation, we also explored the broader implications of such work, the power of prayer, and the importance of trusting in a higher plan, especially in moments of uncertainty and challenge. The episode was a reflection on the deep interconnection between personal faith, professional calling, and the mission of pro-life work.
For those interested in supporting or learning more about this mission, consider these hashtags: #ProLifeJourney, #FaithInAction, #DivineProvidence, #SpiritualAwakening, #ProLifeLeadership, #PregnancyCenterMission, #PrayerfulSupport, #BlessingsInService, #LifeAffirmingWork, #CommunityImpact.
Transcript
The transcript was automatically generated and may contain errors.
Amanda Tucker :
Hi, I’m Amanda and welcome to the pro-life Team Podcast i’m here with Jacob and we discussed blessings and prayer.
Jacob Barr :
Amanda, I’m excited to have you on the pro-life Team Podcast. Would you introduce yourself and maybe how you got started in this pro-life work or pregnancy clinic work?
Amanda Tucker :
Ok, so I’m Amanda Tucker i’m the director of We Care Pregnancy Center. We are a small center we’re in rural Benson. So we have reached to like different parts of Cochise County, maybe northern Cochise County, you know and so just how I got started is just, I mean it’s tied into everything really, to be honest. The reason I got saved was because I had a miscarriage like that started the my or my walk towards the Lord kind of and he kept trying to grab me he’d like a random person would stop in the grocery store and be like, hey, come to my Bible study and just for the longest time until I finally just like, OK, I’m coming like I’m doing this so. And he just healed me from a lot of that pain that happened during my miscarriage and I wasn’t really. I wouldn’t call myself pro-life because I was. I thought that people had an should have an opinion over their body, you know but once I had the miscarriage, it was about halfway through my pregnancy and so I saw a real baby there, you know, a real baby that had feet and toes and arms and legs and I’m like, i can’t imagine someone having abortion at that point and I just felt like, that’s horrible to even think that people are OK with it, ’cause it was pre 20 weeks, so that’s why it was a miscarriage but a lot of the laws are like, well, shouldn’t be before this time, you know or you can’t have one until 15 weeks i think Arizona’s like 15 weeks right now or we’ve been working on it anyways so it’s just I couldn’t imagine that and I’m like that’s a person in it’s in of itself. And so then that started leading me to question everything and which led me to the Lord. So and then as far as me actually working here, I felt a call for it for a long time i just never knew what that was. And so I was at church my pastor was on the original steering committee of We Care, and he was presenting it, ’cause he was looking for board members and people who want to be involved in some way. And I was just the whole service i was just like, felt God, like tapping on me, saying, hey, you need to listen, you need to listen. And I didn’t say anything after church like the kids and the husband all wanted to go eat, ’cause they’re all hungry. And so they just, we left right after church but my pastor came and ran out in the parking lot and was like, you need to go to this meeting you need i just feel like you need to go. And so I did, and i joined the board in 2018 that was when we had our first board and we just kind of it started there i was on the board until 2020 because before that I was a school nurse. And what in doing that, during the whole COVID nonsense, we were like, we’re not putting our kids through this so we homeschooled. And so I quit my job and the same day I left the school was the same day our director that we had hired left here. And so I kind of ended up just stepping in as interim director and then, I don’t know, God kept telling me I needed to apply for the position, but I didn’t want to because that’s a lot. It’s a, it’s a lot of work. And finally I was like, Lord, I’m giving it up i’m not even going there. And we have a applicant that will be just fine doing this. And the board president called me two hours later and was like, hey, so the applicant decided to pull their application they don’t want this job. And I said, OK, God, I see what you’re telling me to do now. So that’s why I’m here and it’s been a lot of work.
Jacob Barr :
Oh, that’s a good story. I need to probably put a pin in it right here for a moment and I can edit this part out, but my wife opened the door and there’s the guy coming from triple A to look at our car. So I’ll be right back, but I’ll yeah, just.
Amanda Tucker :
Ok, no worries.
Jacob Barr :
All right i’m back, so I can edit this part out all right so let me think oh, yeah. So the next question I wanted to ask you was, so Amanda, tell me. Yeah, Tell me about the blessings that you’ve experienced recently and I and I want to add to it, but I’ll let you go first it sounds like you might have some back stories there.
Amanda Tucker :
Yeah, it’s just, I mean, so when you when you emailed the other day, there was a spirit, a little bit of a spirit of fear and worry that we weren’t going to be able to make it to our we have a fundraiser coming up in two weeks, right. And so our president was just so stressed and worried and so was I, to be frank and you know, I’m like, God has provided so many other times everything we started this organization with 500$ check from the ministerial association in town. So we’ve started from like tiny and we’ve built it and built it. And so this year has been a struggle. And but you know what god has just every time we’ve had someone come in that needs a crib and we don’t have one, within two weeks we have a crib. And I can call them and say, hey, we’ve got a crib for you like it’s just amazing how prayer works and how God provides for the clients in this ministry. And so it’s just it’s. I’m so blessed by it even just the other day I’d been waiting about two weeks for a crib and this is a crib story because someone had come in and asked for one and i help coach cross country, middle school, cross country. And so I was gone a Friday and my volunteers and I came in on the next day on Saturday, just to check everything. And there’s a crib sitting in there and I was. I had seen my post it for that just Wednesday, I think, or even Friday before I left, you know, thinking oh, I hope we get a crib in soon. And there it was. So it’s just God has his hand here and just We’re small, but the blessings are huge.
Jacob Barr :
Yeah and so it was a Saturday and essentially I was, you know, doing work on a Saturday because things were a bit tight and i just had that pressure to follow up with people and I started following up with different Tracy clinics that we had leads with. And then I got to the point where I sort of felt like I wanted to send like a single message to the rest of the people that I needed to follow up with. And so that was the how may we pray for you and your team email? Because I was just trying to follow up and then I think within an hour and I went away from my computer for a bit and I came back and there’s a whole bunch of responses like 12 people responded back very quickly and yours was probably number ten or something like that. But out of those first 12, you were the only one that asked for financial blessing and then so before I saw your email, I got a phone call and normally I don’t even answer the phones on Saturdays because usually I don’t work on Saturdays. But i got a phone call and it’s from this gentleman Michael with the Mack Foundation and he said we have a thousand dollars and we’re wondering if you could help us, you know who to give it to. And I spoke to him probably about a year ago reaching out for a group out of Honolulu hawaii you know, asking about a grant opportunity and they ended up getting a thousand dollar gift from that phone call and then he calls today so this is the first time he’s ever called me with this question and this is also the first time I’ve ever sent off a bulk email saying how may we pray for you and your team And then your email came in forty five minutes before his phone call, but I didn’t see it yet. So then I have told him on the phone, only, I’ll add it to our prayer list on Monday morning and I’ll get back to you because I figured one of these emails coming in would have, we could, we could know which one to pick based on reading through them. But then I saw your email and I was like, oh, wow, that just came in a little bit ago. Oh, and asking for financial blessing well, that’s probably the one to go with. And so anyway, they called him back and said I’ve got one for you. They just emailed literally 45 minutes before your call and then I sent you and him the email Anyway, that’s my part of that story.
Amanda Tucker :
Yes. So here’s where I can add on to that day we were having an emergency meeting to just discuss how best to go forward, how to make sure that we can continue on with everything. And so and half of the board was kind of like, well, we need to do this and this and half of the board was we need to trust God, and God will provide for us and I had told them about your email and, i said well, we know we got people praying for us so and that was really all I was asking was prayer because I was in a lot of prayer for it myself, you know, and it just. And so later when I finally saw the message, ’cause after that I went home and I did my home things and then I saw, and my emails don’t usually pop up on my phone because there’s something, I don’t know why half the time they don’t pop up but I look and I see there’s an email and the we care email and I saw that it was yours and for the thousand dollar grant and I was just in shock and tears. I cried because I was like, this is just how God works right here. Because it was tears of joy of just knowing that our father is always providing for us and we don’t have to worry yeah anyways, it was a huge blessing.
Jacob Barr :
Yeah and it and it really is sort of like, I don’t know there’s the story of Laurie Davilas with Trotter House and she’s she was out of Austin, texas at the time and they were they had someone call their clinic and said and this is when they actually they had best been open for about 3 months and this is like probably 20 years ago because they’ve been open for a long time now but so they this lady was asking do you have any formula? And she’s like, well we don’t but we’ll get some why don’t you just come on in. And so instead of going to Walgreens, they went to a small table, their whole team and they started praying for like, you know, God, you know, how are you going to provide this formula? And then this is where the goosebumps start so that there’s a knock at the door from a lady with the health department. And she’s and then the way Lori says it is, well, it’s not normally good to get a lady from the health department at your door but anyway, so the lady says, would you guys like some formula? And then she says, well, And then Lori says, well, yes and we were just praying about it and then the lady says, well, we have a whole van full of formula right here. But then it gets so then yes and then the lady said that the post office was, you know, they send out these formula samples and they were the if they if the address doesn’t work out and it bounces back to the post office that are being collected in these really large postal bins. And the post office was throwing it out because they had so much of it. And then the late this lady saw that they were, you know, collecting and looking to throw it out. And she’s like, well, that stuff’s really expensive we should see if there’s a way to repurpose it. And then she had gotten a flyer from Trotter House back then it was called the Austin Pregnancy Clinics or Center or something like that. It’s his first name but all the and then and so then you know so since then they have been getting formula from the post office for 20 years like and like large bins. And sometimes they’ll she’ll tell stories about sometimes people need like a special kind of formula and they don’t have control over what kind comes into the post office, but they’ve gotten anyways it’s been really exciting to see how God weaves through this post office formula connection and the fact that they went to pray about it instead of going to Walgreens to me that just doesn’t even make like if I needed a formula for someone, I would think, well, maybe I could go get it at Walmart or something or you know, or Safeway or, you know, i don’t think I would even consider that but they went to pray for it And then now there’s like it just feels it’s just amazing. You know, one, God answered prayer. Two, he didn’t just answer formula for that person he provided you know like a like a flood an ongoing stream and it just and I sort of what I felt like. I thought I had a small taste of that on Saturday because, you know, going, you know, yeah. And so essentially we got a lot of prayer responses from that email series that I sent out we have. And so I’ve been adding about two three or four to our. We have a morning prayer time with a as a company and so I’ve been adding it between two to four. But i’ve got a list of about 28 that are in line to get out of it, ’cause I don’t want. Yeah but anyways, it’s praying over a couple at a time. I took all the event ones first because there are several people asking for like prayers for galas and banquets on October. And so we got we make sure that those got taken care of first and then I’m doing the other ones just as they roll in. But yeah, so that’s just exciting to have a new story of answer prayer, because like it’s exciting to see how God answers things and then yeah, it just reminds me that we need to go to prayer about small things, middle sized things and everything.
Amanda Tucker :
Yes, we definitely do i mean that was it was so quick the turn around for me asking to prayer to that happening it’s just he like immediately answered the prayer and I our board was just so blessed and excited they were like the path that was saying, saying wait for God, you know, or let’s pray about it. They were like he provides, you know, and that’s not the first instance in what we do it’s constant it’s a constant thing that, you know, we just pray and it happens.
Jacob Barr :
Yeah, So I I’m the owner of irapture.com we’re a website marketing company and it, you know, this is year 23 we started in January, January of 2000 And over the years, I so far have never been had to take out a loan. But there were times when things would get really tight like I had an appointment with the bank to get a line of credit and then and I would. And what I’ve learned is that if I just asked my wife to pray, she is diligent in her prayer life and it will and then I’ll say stop praying, We’re full we’re full. You know they have all these projects and like and like you know and very often I have I have just I have completely learned that if you know praying for financial blessing results in at least for myself having really big projects come in and the and the most recent example I had been pouring in my retirement money into the company over the last.
Amanda Tucker :
Hold.
Jacob Barr :
On Oh, yeah, hold on. Sure the crib is.
Amanda Tucker :
It spoken for Yes. Wait, by Amber? Yes and she’s here oh, wow oK Is it in the shed? Yes, it’s in the.
Jacob Barr :
Shed the Crib stories come to fruition.
Amanda Tucker :
And here’s the person.
Jacob Barr :
For the That’s good. But yes, I’ve been pouring in my retirement money into the company and my wife wasn’t happy with the way that was going because it wasn’t going to last forever. And so we were. We had started praying for financial blessing and for about 3 weeks we were. I was praying not every day but some semi regularly I guess I’d call it then and then we get this connection with someone I used to work with before he was saved actually I learned he got saved 12 years ago and we worked with him I think about 15 years ago and all that to say is he came to me with this really big project. And so we gave him a proposal that was two times bigger than our previous largest proposal ever that we’ve ever made which was it was just it was enormous. And then he they come back and say well we actually need you to do more than that. And so it ended up being four times bigger than our previous proposal ever. And it’s A. And it’s been so and then so god, yeah and then they say, OK, well, maybe that’s a little bit too much but if you’ll help us with the virtual museum on the history of abortion, we’ll call it even. And I’m like, well, I would have done that regardless of this deal because that’s just where my passion and heart and experience and time is. And then, yeah, So essentially it connects and they’re an apologetic group and we’re working with them to bring translated content into 21 languages eventually right now we’re working with seven, but eventually 21 languages to Africa, Europe and Asia. And it’s just a really it’s got a lot of essentially it ties in. They speak regularly about abortion and pro-life topics, apologetic style. They also speak about things that are coming down the road in this pro-life space, which is like the LGBT really the T. Out of LGBT influence and how you know how abortion clinics are providing hormone blocks, hormone ads and tea services and so they talk about that apologetic style and I felt like God answered my prayer, not just with financial blessing but also with like representing recognizing where we have been and we’re and where we’re going as well as evangelism. So it’s like this complicated answer to prayer with like four or five knobs in the puzzle piece that fit perfectly and I was just asking for the one to pay salaries and you know, to be able to keep things yeah. Anyway, so but that was just real. Yeah that And then it’s just been. But yeah God is. And I think it’s important to ask for a financial blessing when you need it and to literally, you know, to cry out to God with what you really need. And because God, yeah, he answers yeah.
Amanda Tucker :
Yes, he does.
Jacob Barr :
Yeah.
Amanda Tucker :
You know, he just, I it’s amazing to me and it blows me away every single time, every small thing, it just blows me away so.
Jacob Barr :
Well, I am so glad that you, yeah, that you responded to that email and I’m really glad that Michael called and that god I’ve I see got fingerprints on each of those you know those connections and I think Michael said that they were going to write the check on Monday so maybe it even arrived this week so.
Amanda Tucker :
It arrived on Wednesday.
Jacob Barr :
That’s good. Oh, that’s so cool.
Amanda Tucker :
Yes, it’s.
Jacob Barr :
That’s amazing. And wow. So what’s something? Yeah so for those who are listening to this podcast, you know, how might they pray? Or what is your current prayer for We Care there in Benson.
Amanda Tucker :
So typically our we open our days with prayer when we when we’re open the volunteers and I, we sit down and we pray and usually we’re let we always play for pray for our country we always start there and you know we pray for clients because we are small and so sometimes people don’t know about us and we just ask that God would bring the person who needs him in today. So and sometimes we get that you know sometimes someone who just needed some compassion and some love comes in through those doors so we pray that and we pray that we can just continue to grow. We have grown so much since the original when we had our steering committee you know we’ve grown. We’ve been open about five years and just we’ve gone from wondering how we were going to send someone to care net conference to being able to last year we sent like four people to care net conference. And so it’s just this balance, you know. And so we pray about our continued growth and we pray wisdom like God’s wisdom, what he wants us to do, what his will is for the ministry. You know just to give us all that when we’re speaking with clients, when we’re talking with businesses around town to support us, when we’re talking to individual donors, we just pray for His wisdom and His words to speak to them. So I think that’s those are all important things every center should pray about.
Jacob Barr :
Yeah, one of the verses that seems that I keep, it seems like it this is like the verse of the month for me at least. So Philippians 4-6 says do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving present, present your request to God. And then verse seven goes on to say, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. But yeah, I love the don’t be anxious. And then to pray as if it’s a petition or pray as if it’s yeah a request being made and then and then also to be thankful with Thanksgiving. Yeah and I feel like that’s. Yeah last Sunday I think it was by we had a sermon that was talking about being thankful or we had a couple sermons actually about being thankful and I feel like that’s really something that needs to be echoed and needs to resonate with Christians it’d be really amazing and good when someone thinks of a Christian that they thought oh that’s a very thankful person that would be a that’s a desirable place i think for us to be at is to really reflect being thankful with Thanksgiving as like a characteristic that we’re known by. yeah.
Amanda Tucker :
Yes, I agree with that, you know, and just thankfulness that he’s called us to do what we he’s called us to do and you know, i personally feel so thankful that he’s called me to do what I do. You know, it’s hard it’s a lot of work, but I just every day I’m blessed by it and I’m constantly reminded of just what God does for us and for even those who aren’t saved he does it for our clients who aren’t saved still, you know? And they’re just like, how is that even possible i don’t understand, you know, But we understand and we continue to pray for them and with them through these times that they’re in, you know. So it’s just being grateful i’m always one of the things I always say in my prayers is i’m so grateful that you’ve called me to this, you know?
Jacob Barr :
Yeah and I think part of that it when you see how when God’s working in an area, it makes it exciting and adventurous even though it might be hard, you know, it feels like, you know, it’s the reason why a firefighter will go into a really hard, smoky, you know, burning building because they understand how important that work is. And I feel like Precy Clinic directors are doing the same thing they’re going into hard spaces that are smoky, they’re on fire, they’re dangerous. But the reason why it’s exciting and we can be thankful about it is because we’re saving lives and it’s it it’s and that. Yeah and essentially and it’s needed and it’s important work and so that’s why I think there’s Thanksgiving is there, because it’s such an important blessing to those who are being helped.
Amanda Tucker :
Yes, absolutely.
Jacob Barr :
Awesome well Amanda, this has been a really nice to chit chat with you and do this podcast. Would you wrap up this podcast with a prayer?
Amanda Tucker :
Sure, Father God, thank you for today, Lord, and thank you for all the blessings that you pour out upon your ministries, Lord, and the people that you call to run these ministries and to serve in these ministries lord, we just ask that you would continue to guide those of us who are working in the pro-life area lord, we just ask that you continue to give us wisdom, to give us strength, to give us courage lord, we ask that you would just help us to bring people to you, Lord. Ultimately that’s what you want, Lord, and we want that too we want what you want, Lord, and we just ask that your will would be upon each and everyone who is listening to this upon Jacob, Lord, and upon all the volunteers who spend their time here serving Lord God. Lord, we love you and we thank you so much for everything that you do for us and we pray this in Jesus name
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