Meet The SaveOne Speakers
Sheila Harper
Founder/President/Speaking Team
615-636-2654
[email protected]
At four years of age, my mother and I were in a tragic car accident. I was thrown through the windshield, she was killed instantly. Throughout my childhood years after this event I endured sexual abuse, then a psychotic stepmother came in to the picture who hated me and made sure I knew it. At eleven years of age I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle and although my uncle was an alcoholic, those were the happiest most endearing years of my young life. My uncle wasn’t your typical alcoholic, but rather a charisma-filled, eccentric charmer who was always the life of the party. Or at least that's how I remember him. He and my aunt made life fun again. It was during my aunt/uncle years I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I was only twelve, but I knew exactly what I was doing.
Throughout my teen years I lived for the Lord and made it all the way through high school a good girl. It was only after I started college I made decisions that I knew weren't good for me, but at the time I wanted to have some fun. So I packed God up in a neat little box and put Him on a shelf. With me at the reins of my life, it didn't take long to steer right off a cliff. Within the year, I was in a relationship I had no business being in, and six months after that I was pregnant.
Everything in me said abortion was wrong, but I charged forward with really bad advice, from even worse friends, and I went through with it anyway. March 29, 1985 was the day of my most regrettable mistake. I was nineteen years old and making decisions of life and death that I had no business making. My boyfriend broke up with me shortly after and I really don't blame him. He begged me not to have the abortion and I selfishly did anyway. Don't ever let anyone tell you this is just a woman's issue. Men suffer from the aftermath of this choice as well.
For seven years after this date my life quickly became a mess. I started drinking, then consuming vast amounts of drugs. I spent all my money going to concerts and getting backstage, and signing up for credit cards and maxing them out. I suffered through a rape, and I went through relationships like water, not committing to anything or anybody. I became obsessed with death, hoping that if I took enough drugs, or drank enough alcohol I wouldn't wake up. After an attempted suicide and being consumed with hoping to die, I met a man in a bar and cleaned myself up enough to get married.
My husband Jack, is the real hero in all of this. He loved me even as messed up as I was and lived with the drama of my life for years. We had two sons right away. My first son I have always felt was a gift from God to wake me up. That pregnancy got my attention and made me realize my life was worth living, if not for myself, then for this precious creature entrusted to me. My second son was indeed born on March 29th, the very day I had taken a life, God gave me another gift straight from Him. God speaks often, heals much, and redirects life's circumstances through children and pregnancies all the time. My husband and I have just celebrated 32 years of marriage. To have spent the last three decades with this man, enjoying life, making memories, raising two awesomely incredible boys, and growing up together I can truly say I'm completely blessed.
Not long in to our marriage I heard about a class being offered for women who had experienced abortion and were having trouble afterward. I couldn't believe it. I was so happy to find an outlet for these emotions and pain that I could never fully deal with. Being in a group with others who had suffered the same experience after abortion, validated those seven years of isolation and loneliness. This Bible study I attended gave me back my life. It showed me how I needed to accept Jesus forgiveness and forgive myself. It was an incredible discovery and a much needed transformation.
Meeting God through that study, in a way I had never known, compelled me to immediately start teaching the class. I wanted men and women who were suffering after abortion to know and experience the same forgiveness and freedom I was experiencing. I enjoyed teaching for several years. Finally in the year 2000, God started showing me the need for SaveOne-an abortion recovery ministry. Since that time, my wildest dreams have come true. I have never had more fun in my entire life than when I finally surrendered all to God. To see God take my most regrettable mistake and turn it around to help others find freedom through truth is an unexplainable event.
Through SaveOne we now help men, women, and families recover after abortion. God gave me the first book to write, "SaveOne-A Guide to Emotional Healing after Abortion" for women to work through the aftermath. Shortly after He led me to write "SaveOne-The Men's Study". Then came "SaveOne- The Ripple Effect" for friends and loved ones who grieve an abortion close to them. All three of these studies mirror each other so all three can be in the same class. As of this writing we have over 300 chapters (pregnancy centers and churches teaching our studies) in 25 countries. One doesn't grow to this size if there's not a need.
In 2018, God led my husband, after pastoring for 11 years, to join the SaveOne staff full time. He has since taken the men's study and rewritten it from a man's standpoint. Men are getting their voices back when it comes to the issue of abortion.
We are seeing abortion end in our country and around the world through the stories of people who know the truth and are willing to tell what abortion did to them. The men, women, and families who have experienced abortion are the greatest voices to be telling the truth. Because of the leaders in pregnancy centers and churches who are on the front lines of this issue, we are seeing people set free, lives transformed, men and women accepting Jesus as their Saviour, marriages restored, families reconciled, generational curses broken, and abortion ending.
God has walked me through forgiving the abusers in my life, owning my bad choices, and wiping my slate clean. He has made me a victor of my past circumstances...no longer a victim. What happened to me as a child is not what defines me, but rather strengthens who I am today. The enemy meant all that junk for nothing but destruction in my life, but God used it all for the betterment of myself, my awesome family, and to help others through the same situations.
It is my passion and purpose to go wherever, speak to whomever, and do whatever it takes to get the job done. What is the job you ask? To see abortion end in our country and around our world.
So there's the real story. Without Grace I'm a mess, true and simple. With Grace life is awesome.
To start a chapter near you please go to saveone.org and fill out the inquiry, or email [email protected] to start the process. Being a chapter is free and we have done the homework for you to make helping others as easy as possible.
Jack Harper
Vice-President/Men’s Director/Chapter Coordinator/Speaking Team
615-636-2654
[email protected]
Jack Harper is the Vice President, and Men’s Director for SaveOne. He has fought in this battle for the unborn since the inception of SaveOne in 2000. Jack has supported SaveOne as a board member, a liaison to the global church, a travel partner, and through financial support. In 2018 God very clearly spoke to Jack and Sheila about coming together and Jack joining in full time ministry on the staff of Saveone.
Jack’s life has not always been about ministry. For Jack, drinking as a young teen led to alcoholism as a young adult. What started as an adolescent indiscretion became 23 years of alcoholism. Then, in September of 1998 Jack was miraculously delivered from alcohol as he gave his life to Christ. From that day forward Jack has looked for every opportunity to invest in the restoration of those hurting from the pain and destruction of addiction, alcohol, and abortion.
In 2003 Jack was called to full time ministry, and in 2007 became a church planter. He pastored Crossroads Church for 11 years before God called him to full time ministry at SaveOne. Jack is the author of the book Gifts from God a book centered on the revelation of how God blesses not only us but other people through our obedience. He is currently working on other writing projects. Jack is a board certified Mental Health Coach, and a member of the AACC.
Jack and Sheila agree, we will fight with every fiber of our being to see this door of death closed in men, women, and families lives in our nation and around our world.
Vonetta Carter
Chapter Coordinator/Speaking Team
615-636-2654
[email protected]
At the young age of sixteen I was looking for love in all the wrong places, and soon found myself pregnant. Confused and naïve, I had no idea what I was going to do. I had no relationship or thought of God. At that time, keeping the baby was not an option. At six months pregnant, I heard about a place called Planned Parenthood and went there for an abortion procedure. At six-months pregnant, I was told that I would need to have a two-day procedure. Day one: dilators to induce labor. Day two: to remove the baby. After waking up following the procedure, I remember waking up feeling empty, but also confused, lost, broken, and shocked. I felt as though when I walked out that day, a piece of me was left at that cold, dead, hopeless place.
Unfortunately, I repeated the choice of abortion at a later time in my life - and I still did not have a relationship with God. I was looking for what I thought was a way out. I finally met Jesus in a glorious way, and today I have had the privilege of raising eight children. Some grew in my stomach, and some grew in my heart. God works everything together for His good. I am truly honored and humbled to be the daughter of a King!
Because of what I’ve gone through I am passionate about educating men and women to let them know there is hope after an abortion. I am happy to now serve as a coordinator for SaveOne.
SaveOne is an organization that functions as a voice for people who need encouragement, and brings awareness to the world.
If I could leave people with one word, it would be redemption; God redeems all things.
Jennifer Crawford
Chapter Coordinator/SaveOne Trainer/Speaking Team
615-636-2654
[email protected]
Several years ago, on a rainy day in January, I found myself in a place I never thought I would be in. When I signed the form at the abortion clinic, I had an overwhelming feeling of signing my life away. I felt like this was my only choice. I was young, scared, emotionally numb from a date rape and consumed with the thought that I couldn’t embarrass my family or myself by being pregnant and with no father for the baby. He was long gone.
The surgical abortion process began at 7:30am and I ended up leaving the clinic around 4:30pm. This was the longest, worst day of my life. I was told everything would be “easy” but as I drove away I knew that a sweet piece of me was still at that clinic and I would never be the same. I made a commitment to myself that I would die with this secret and never allow myself to think about it, or speak about it with anyone. But God had a different plan for me and it was better than anything I could’ve planned.
I tried anything I could find to heal that gaping hole in my heart, like substance abuse, many relationships, and I even considered driving my car off a bridge. I just wanted my hurt to stop.
Sadly, my relationship with God was non-existent. I knew about Him from being raised in a loving, Christian home and checked the church attendance box each week. But a relationship with God was the missing piece. Not too long after the abortion, I met my husband and life was perfect on the outside. But on the inside, I felt like I was suffocating. Seven years of marriage went by before I told my husband about the abortion. Even though it was agonizing to reveal my secret to him, he loved me and covered me with grace. Together, we began chasing after God and His purpose for our lives.
I decided to stop living a religious life and started living an intentional life with a close relationship with the Lord. I spent time with Him. And as we became closer, He started tugging at that secret I had spent so many years trying to hide. The topic of abortion kept coming up over and over in my daily life. In the Bible, I read that God would take my ashes of a past and turn them into something so beautiful...if I let Him. I desperately wanted to see a garden grow from all of the dirt!
I got involved with an amazingly supportive church family and was surrounded by women of strong faith who loved and mentored me. Then I found myself at a crossroads; would I trust His Word and His promises, or would I continue to try and heal this huge wound on my own? I quickly learned that the trauma, guilt, and shame of having an abortion was just too much to try and deal with by myself. I knew I could be restored, but I had to be honest with myself; I needed my heart transformed. I needed healing that can only come from the Creator. I needed to resolve anger issues. I needed to unpack and understand how deeply this abortion really traumatized me. I needed peace. So, I found SaveOne and let God do the healing. SaveOne and the founder, Sheila Harper have forever changed my life for the better and I am so grateful! My heart is burdened for the men, women, friends and family members who suffer silently after abortion and I will spend the rest of my days fighting for life. Please hear me...God cares for you and He sees you. He adores you and wants the very best life for you.
I currently facilitate a SaveOne chapter at my church here in Florida and it is such an honor to walk side by side with these brave people! If you have any questions about SaveOne or want to get started on your own path to healing, I would love to connect with you and help you get started.
“When we express God’s truth, we depress the enemy’s lies.” -Lysa Terkeurst
Timothy Hall
International Liaison/SaveOne Speaking Team/Men's Team/Chapter Coordinator
615-636-2654
[email protected]
I dont love you enough to have your children. That was the only explanation I received from my girlfriend, who would have been the mother of my child. In a ten minute conversation on the phone, I heard from the woman, I thought I was going to marry, that I had been a father for two or three months. I had no idea that she was pregnant. For several months, I was depressed. I did not want to attend my university classes, I didnt eat, and I started a four year addiction to pornography. I didnt stop going to church and believing in God during this time. I felt like a hypocrite, and that made the feelings that much worse. During those years of pain, guilt, and shame, it never occurred to me that maybe it was because I needed an inner healing. I thought I was over it.
When I was twenty-six years old, six years after this mistake, I heard about SaveOne. They made an announcement for the start of the new class and it was open for men who had this in their past. Immediately I knew I should go. I thought I was healed and had moved on only to find out there was still hurt and grief for the child who was taken from me.
I was the only man in the class; the first for SaveOne. I was newly married and my wife took a brave step and attended the class with me. She was determined to protect me from the other women if necessary. Kristy has never had an abortion, but it turned out that this class was as much for her as it was for me. I discovered healing; she discovered wrong thinking that needed correction. So often, women who have made the choice of abortion are looked down upon. This is just as wrong as the act itself.
In 2004, a new job took us to Slovenia, in south eastern Europe. God quickly showed us the need for SaveOne there and he brought the right people in our path to translate the material. We had several successful classes. While living in Europe we met Sonja Horswell who has a pro life ministry in Vienna, Austria. We partnered together to translate the material into German language and SaveOne Europe was born. We strongly believe that SaveOne is one of the tools our almighty Father is going to use to restore the beauty of womanhood around the world. Wherever God leads us, we will spread our testimony.
Sonya Wiley
Personal Assistant to Sheila Harper/Social Media Coordinator/Speaking Team
615-636-2654
[email protected]
I was born to a single mother who hid her pregnancy from everyone. She gave birth to me in an apartment alone. She then abandoned my youngest sister and me when I was about five years old. My oldest sister took us in and cared for us as her own. She quickly became my mom.
She and her husband, who also quickly became my dad, raised us along with my two younger brothers in a good home with Christian values. I struggled in my teen and young adult years to follow Christ. This led me into bad relationships, and I ended up pregnant in my freshman year of college. Even though I knew it was wrong to abort my child, I thought it was my only option. I could not be a mother at such a young age, and I did not want to lose my scholarship.
Soon after the abortion, my life spiraled down even deeper into more bad choices and heartache. I ran through countless relationships with men, partying, drinking, drugs and promiscuity. I lost so much and didn’t care for myself or others around me. I thought I would never be worthy to be a mom and certainly didn’t deserve love from God or any man.
Fast-forward through years of a sinful lifestyle, I had given birth to my first daughter, had survived a terrible marriage and divorce and finally, I surrendered my heart to the Lord and was water baptized. For the first time in my life I knew God had forgiven me of my past and I wanted to serve Him in whatever way I could.
Shortly after I gave my heart to God, I found the love of a man who loved the Lord more than anything else in this world. He showed me that I too deserved that love from the Father. We were married and now have four children. I thought my past was just that — the past. But I soon learned the sins of my past, largely my abortion, had not been forgotten by me. I had only held on to those sins and buried them deep. I just thought I was okay. I was angry all the time. I was tormented by my thoughts of being unworthy, a failure, and a fake. And that’s when SaveOne saved my life!
I am so thankful for the women in my class that held me up in prayer and showed me that the Lord wanted me to let go of the strongholds of depression, shame, and guilt. I am eternally grateful for SaveOne, and that’s why I chose to lead SaveOne bible studies in my own church. I love to see the faces of men and women who finally make that turnaround and accept and acknowledge the forgiveness and love of our Heavenly Father. I’m so excited to lock arms with SaveOne and look forward to the future together.