Serena Dyksen - She Found His Grace: A True Story Of Hope, Love, And Forgiveness After Abortion

Many describe abortion as a womens rights issue, involving primarily the bodies, rights, and choices of women. However, the voices of post-abortive womenespecially those who have experienced deep hurt, pain, and trauma as a result of their abortion experienceare strangely absent. Serena Dyksen is filling that void, eloquently articulating how she navigated her journey as a post-abortive woman, a journey from a place of destruction and despair toward a future of hope and healing. Serenas story is a beautiful reminder that, even in the midst of great adversity and profound personal loss, it is possible to make beauty out of ashes, to find deep peace despite past chaos, and to exchange all-consuming sorrow for everlasting joy.

Lia Mills
Prolife Activist, Author of An Inconvenient Life

With awe-inspiring vulnerability woven into every page, Serena Dyksen takes readers on a journey through a series of traumatic events in her life and the resulting revelation that there are some wounds only Christ can heal. Readers are confronted with the profound truth that the scars of abortion are real, and so are the grace and redemption of God. She Found His Grace is an outstanding resource for women and for anyone involved in ministry.

Paula K. Peyton
Executive Director, Hope After Rape Conception

Serenas story is raw, riveting, and transforming as she shares heartbreaking realties and life-changing decisions that allowed her to find healing and victory through Jesus Christ. For every horrific hurt in her story, there is healing; for every tragedy, there is triumph, because she ultimately chose to accept the unconditional love of the Savior. In sharing the ugly truth about abortion and its long-lasting effects, both physically and emotionally, in her life and the life of her family, Serena is giving a voice to millions of women who have experienced the same but struggle to find a way to voice it.

Christy Stutzman
Indiana State Representative, District 49, Middlebury/Goshen

From the very first sentence of her book, Serena drew me into the riveting story of her life and Gods unfailing love for a little girl growing up in poverty. This book will bring hope and healing to those who have experienced abuse and abortion and all of us who desperately need grace and forgiveness found only at the foot of the cross. May the Lord continue to use Serena and her story to draw many to Himself, for it is only there that we are truly set free.

Cathie Humbarger
Executive Director, Right to Life of Northeast Indiana

Everyone needs to hear Serena Dkysens story of abortion at the hands of infamous abortionist Ulrich Klopfernot just pro-lifers, but anyone who cares about the profound impact abortion has on women. Her story rips away the mask of choice and lays bare how abortion exploits women and girls and damages their psychological, physical, and spiritual health.

But Serenas story is not just a cautionary tale about the harms of abortion. Its also the moving story of how God planted seeds early in her life that would later come to flower when she hit rock bottom and finally turned to Him for help. That same grace is available to every woman who is suffering from the aftermath of abortion. This is the Good News that readers will discover in She Found His Grace. Read this book to really understand whats at stake in abortionand whats possible when we trust in our loving Creator.

Eric Scheidler
Executive Director, Pro-Life Action

She Found His Grace: A True Story of Hope, Love, and Forgiveness After Abortion

Published by:
Bridge-Logos
Newberry, Florida 32669, USA
www.bridgelogos.com

2020 by Bridge-Logos. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopy), recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-61036-249-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020940386

Edited by Lynn Copeland

Cover by Kent Jensen | knail.com

Cover photo by Skyla Design, unsplash.com

Interior design and layout by Genesis Group

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission.

To all the women and girls who have walked my same path of brokenness from abortion, rape, and abuse. Whenever a woman calls on God, that is where
she finds his grace.
There is healing and hope!

CHAPTER ONE

The Secret

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

P SALM 119:105

I t was a cold winter morning with a clear, blue sky. I was sitting on the school bus looking out the window and feeling this overwhelming emotion. With each passing house along that Indiana state road, my heart beat faster. I swallowed hard and pushed back the tears. I knew I needed help. I had to tell somebody, but I was so scared. There was always that question, How will my parents react? I felt overpowered by fear and shame. How could I add more problems to my already troubled home life?

The girl sitting next to me was two years older. She was in eighth grade, and I was in sixth. I barely knew her, but I felt I could trust her. I just blurted it out. It was the first time I told anyone what had been happening to me. I kept it a secret for so long.

Later that day as I was sitting in choir, the guidance counselor came into the classroom. She called out to the music teacher, Can I see Serena, please? I obediently moved forward and followed her down the long hall toward her office. She sat me down and calmly started asking me some very uncomfortable questions. I hesitated to even respond. It was one thing to tell an older student my secret, but to finally talk to an adult was even more frightening. She kept questioning me. I kept stalling. I knew the situation had gone on long enough, but how can I reveal it all?

Slowly, I began to tell her everything. As I started to answer her questions, it was like the weight of the world just lifted right off of me: the shame, the confusion, the anger. Looking back on it, I dont know how I had kept it hidden for so long.

At thirteen years old, I had no idea how to communicate what was happening to me. I barely understood it myself, but I hated it, and I just wanted it to stop. As the words rolled off my tongue, the tears streamed down my face. My uncle had been sexually abusing me, and I wanted it to end.

I dont recall the name of that eighth-grade student on the school bus that day, but I am forever grateful to her. She did the right thing in sharing my secret with an adult. If that guidance counselor had not brought me into her office that day, I dont know how long my abuse would have continued. That eighth grader rescued me. But shes just one example of how God intervened in my life to save me from further abuse and pain.

That day in the counselors office is one critical event in the puzzle of my life. I am now slowly putting it all together and seeing the hand of God in each piece. Today, I have the advantage of seeing the bigger picture, and through every experiencegood and badGod was there all along. In his infinite grace and mercy, he was piecing it all together to complete his perfect will in my life. But to adequately tell my story, I need to share the other pieces that make up my lifes puzzle.