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Summer vacations are a cherished tradition for many families that provides an opportunity for relaxation, exploration, and making memories. For Christian families, vacations present unique ways to connect with faith in new ways and give back to the communities you visit. Here’s a guide on how to make the most of your family vacations both spiritually and socially, along with tips on recharging and reconnecting when you return home.

Connecting with Local Churches While on Vacation

One enriching way to keep your faith central during vacation is by connecting with local churches at your travel destination. This can provide continuity in your worship practices. Here are a few tips on how to find local congregations:

1. Research Before You Go: Look up local church services online prior to your trip. Most churches post service times and special events on their websites.
2. Ask for Recommendations: Use social media groups or church networks to get recommendations for congregations in the area you're visiting.
3. Attend a Local Service: Make plans to attend at least one service. This is a great way to meet local believers and sustain your relationship with Jesus while on the road.

Giving Back to the Community

Vacations don’t have to be just about leisure. They can also be an opportunity to serve. Participating in local outreach or community service projects can greatly enrich your family's experience.

1. Volunteer: Look for local organizations that welcome short-term volunteers. Reach out to  local pregnancy resource centers or foster care organizations to see how you can help for a few hours one day.
2. Support Local Businesses: Choose to support local artisans and small businesses to help boost the local economy.
3. Leave a Positive Impact: Teach your children about the importance of kindness and generosity by leaving a positive impact wherever you go.

Maintaining Spiritual Practices

Keeping up with Bible study and journaling can be challenging on the road, but with a bit of planning, it can become a rewarding part of your journey.

1. Set Aside Time: Dedicate a specific time each day for bible study and prayer. Early morning or late evening can be ideal times for quiet reflection and study. Meal times might even be a good time when everyone is together and receiving nourishment.
2. Pack Smart: Bring travel-sized Bibles, devotionals, and journals. Alternatively, utilize apps and eBooks if you prefer digital options.
3. Involve Everyone: Make Bible study and journaling a family activity. Challenge each other to find and share scripture on the topics of hospitality, going on a journey, and staying connected to Jesus.
4. Listen: Download a few faith-based podcasts for the family to listen to while driving. This is a great way to encourage conversation about the topic you heard together.

Sustain Your Connection to Your Home Church

Being away from your home church doesn’t mean you have to feel disconnected. Here’s how to maintain that vital connection:

1. Stay in the Know: Keep up with your home church’s activities through social media updates or emails.
2. Engage Remotely: If available, watch your church’s services online. This can be a great option if you’re unable to visit a church in your vacation spot. 

Recharging After Vacation

Returning home from vacation often comes with the challenge of returning to your usual routine. Here are some ways to ease that transition:

1. Take a Rest Day: If possible, allow for a day of rest at home before jumping back into your usual schedules. Use this time to unpack and reflect on your experiences.
2. Share Your Experiences: Encourage each family member to share a highlight from the trip during family meals or devotions. 
3. Take a Poll: Ask your children if there’s something you did on vacation that you’d like to do more often at home. You might be surprised at what impacted them!
4. Plan for Routine: Gradually ease back into your normal routines. It can be helpful to be more relaxed about bedtimes, meal times, and other routines for a few days after getting back home.

Vacations are meant for exploration, relaxation, and time away with family, but they don’t have to be a time to leave your faith life behind. Your time away can be meaningful in how you grow both personally and spiritually in new settings. Being intentional will ensure that your time away from home is spiritually enriching for your family. Whether you connect with a local church, serve  others, or simply continue daily devotions, your vacation can be a great example to your children that Jesus is with us wherever we go.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. -Psalms 119:105

Grab a cup of something warm because today, we're diving into a topic that stirs hearts and sometimes, well, stirs the pot: the need for pro-life warriors to engage in conversations about abortion. We understand it can be challenging, but we know you’re able. The more we open up, the more we can walk the path of understanding and the protection of unborn lives.

Let's be real, these talks can be like walking on hot coals. But here's the beautiful truth - we serve a God of love and grace. So, as we journey into these discussions, let's not just stand firm for the rights of the unborn, but let's do it in a way that reflects the love of the One who created them.

There is urgency in the willingness. There's a generation rising - one that needs us to speak love and truth in equal measure. 

Perhaps we’ve shied away from starting the conversation or contributing to the conversation out of fear of judgment or conflict. But here's a nugget of truth: Love bridges gaps. It conquers fear. And when we approach these conversations with love, we encourage others to mirror our approach.

Imagine this: You're sitting across from someone with opposing views, and instead of a heated debate, you share stories. You share why you believe in the sanctity of life. You share the truth about not only the immediate effect, but also the lifelong effect of abortion on a woman. It's not about winning an argument; it's about planting seeds of understanding.

Lovingly engaging in a conversation about abortion doesn't mean abandoning your beliefs. It's about extending grace where it's least expected. And as we know, that's the Jesus way. Just when someone tenses up and takes the defensive, your approach can allow them to relax and lean into the topic rather than argumentatively trying to escape it. And just like that, you single-handedly change one person’s experience with the pro-life perspective.

Be the one who listens without judgment. Be the one who speaks truth wrapped in love. Be the one who stands unwaveringly for life, not as a critic, but as a compassionate advocate.

We don't have to agree on everything. That's the beauty of diversity. But in the midst of our differences, we can share the values that have determined our beliefs on these tough issues. When we shift the conversation from debates to shared values, suddenly walls begin to crumble.

Friends, as we navigate these conversations, let's heed the whisper that says, "Speak truth, but do it in love." Our world needs us to stand for life in a way that reflects the life we follow. So, let's put on our armor of grace and march forward, unafraid to have the tough, loving conversations that might just change hearts and save lives.

With grace and courage, keep loving, keep standing, and keep believing in the power of love over conflict. 

Love is the language that transforms hearts.

Relationships can be complicated. Add domestic violence and oftentimes an inescapable trauma can develop that is more widespread than we think. 

Women face an increased risk of physical and psychological abuse with pregnancy in domestic violence situations.The blame, ridicule, and antagonizing that accompany abuse can escalate in the severity and frequency of domestic abuse women receive from their partners. 

Imagine living with abuse and the constant struggle with thoughts of leaving or staying and then adding an unplanned pregnancy to the dynamic. In abusive relationships, women often stay for many varied reasons, but when they find themselves concerned with the well-being of their unborn child, everything becomes heavier.

She might be happy with the news of a baby, while also experiencing intense fear at the thought of telling her partner about it. Alternatively, she might withhold the news from her partner because she may be considering abortion because of the abuse. 

When we meet women in these situations, we have the opportunity to share with them about safe spaces where they can get the support and time they need to fully consider and plan for their safety and that of their child. If she already has other children, this new baby could be the catalyst for fleeing the abuse, providing her and her children with a new beginning.

Like many other less-than-ideal circumstances in which to bring a child, this, too, can be overcome with understanding and a no-judgment zone. She already knows that living in abuse isn’t right so adding pressure to her will achieve nothing but overwhelm. 

We want every woman to know that she has a community ready to provide her with safety and health care options. She is a child of God deserving of peace. When she feels that her life is valued, she can see more easily that her baby’s life holds value, too, no matter the circumstances in which he was conceived. 

Our teams are equipped to send abused women in the direction of real help. We help her to see that she’s everything God says she is, and nothing that her abuser says she is. She can do the hard thing of leaving that life behind and forging ahead into a life she, and her baby, deserve.

Human trafficking is a complex issue that impacts victims in a multitude of ways. Labor, drugs, and sex trafficking are the trafficking categories we hear about most. Labeled as modern-day slavery, it was estimated that in 2019 there were over 50 million people around the world being trafficked in some manner. 

Women who are victims of trafficking face unimaginable abuse including abortion largely used as birth control. The physical and emotional toll is a tragedy most of us can’t imagine, and we are thankful for that. 

The pro-life perspective is that every one of these babies' lives should be spared. Yet, we’ll be countered with the argument that a woman shouldn’t be forced to have a baby conceived from sexual abuse, and how the baby would just be abused and trafficked. As though death by abortion is justified as a way to protect the unborn. 

Pursuing life is one of the few ways a woman being trafficked might be able to retain her dignity, and it is a way we can change the narrative so she understands she and her baby have invaluable worth. 

In a study conducted by U.S. Department of State, it was determined that over 55% of trafficked women had at least one abortion, while most had multiple abortions. One woman reported having seventeen abortions. The tragedy of these lost lives is magnified due to the conditions in which they were both conceived and aborted. Female victims of trafficking endure physical, psychological, and emotional abuse from the acts of violence against them perpetrated by their abusers and in the abortions forced on them. 

There is no “my body, my choice” discussion in human trafficking. There is no freedom, there is no personal opinion or values at hand. There is only violence and fear. When the pro-abortion side demands free, legal abortion on demand, they’re missing the autonomy of the most vulnerable. 

Imagine, if abortion were to be illegal and doctors held accountable if they perform an abortion? These women who lost all their freedoms might be saved sooner from trafficking and could avoid another act of violence against them. The money in trafficking is made by supply and demand. If abortion weren’t so readily available, the supply declines making it more difficult for traffickers to meet the demand. 

Could it be that limiting or banning abortion could not only save the lives of babies, but also the lives of trafficking victims?

If doctors, pregnancy center workers, shelter workers, and others who may come into contact with trafficking victims gained the education and resources for not only identifying these victims but also how to act immediately to save them, then they could be moved into safe houses and removed from their captor’s clutches.

One way you can help is to call on your local resources to receive this identification and response training. We are working with our teams nationally to understand and identify victims of trafficking and what to do in these situations. The women and children being exploited by these abusers rely on us to help them, even though they may not say it out loud. 

We believe in hope, empowerment, and the dignity of every human life, regardless of the circumstances of conception. The foundation is empathy and empathy comes through understanding. When we are willing to step out of our comfort zone to truly understand what these victims endure, only then can we step into meaningful ways to make a life-altering impact for women and their babies. 

Our world seems to be dominated by debates about political correctness and the pursuit of personal freedoms. What happened to conversations about morality and values that are the foundation of our society? 

The pro-life standpoint, which champions the sanctity of life and confirms the inherent dignity of every human being, including the unborn, is in the midst of the chaos. As a pro-life community, we need to be bold enough to bring back the respect and honor due to women and children. We can do this by following a few guiding steps. 

Step 1:

Make sure our narrative accurately portrays the Pro-Life perspective

The pro-life perspective is more than a political stance; it is a value of humanity from conception to natural death. It affirms the value of each person, regardless of their stage in life, abilities, or circumstances. This perspective underscores the understanding that we are made in the image of God, God doesn’t make mistakes, God has given women an inherent strength to carry and give birth to life, the value of children, and the importance of families as fundamental units of society.

Step 2:

Real Empowerment of Women

Contrary to popular belief, being pro-life doesn't mean being anti-woman. Being pro-life is about empowering women to recognize the strength and bravery that comes with seeing their  pregnancy through to birth. It means the narrative around motherhood should be more than inconvenience. It's about helping women see that they don’t have to choose between their career or education and their child. It's about providing emotional support, real healthcare, and resources to expectant mothers in challenging situations. It’s about changing the messaging to one that tells every woman “Wow! You are about to do something amazing!”

Honoring women by advocating for flexible work hours, affordable childcare, and access to prenatal and postnatal care are all in action today. When we promote organizations that provide resources for unplanned pregnancies, we show women that there is no shame or weakness in choosing motherhood. When society promotes organizations that want to strip motherhood away from women, the message is simply that they are not truly able to do “anything” and isn’t that contrary to the feminist message?

Step 3:

Valuing Children as God’s Very Own

Being pro-life values everyone. Seeing children not as burdens, but as unique individuals with potential goes beyond merely advocating for the unborn; it extends to respecting and protecting children and guiding them to grow and continue to change the world in ways God intended.

Each of us must be willing to provide help in some meaningful way. Mentoring, providing safe people in their lives, and being role models of kindness, respect, and responsibility. 

Step 4:

Promoting a Culture of Life

Honoring women and children from a pro-life perspective means fostering a culture of life—a culture that values every human being. It means standing against practices that devalue life, whether it's abortion, euthanasia, or violence.

You can make a difference. Use your social media platforms to promote a culture of life through stories that show the beauty of life at all stages. Support pro-life organizations. Advocate for laws and policies that protect the most vulnerable among us. Use your voice to spread a message of hope, love, and respect for all human life above all else.

Step 5:

Lead with kindness

The pro-life perspective is about kindness and love. We can choose to engage with those who think differently than us with a willingness to engage in respectful dialogue. Showing kindness to others and fulfilling our call to love others as we love ourselves is the foundation for these conversations.

Ultimately, regaining our morals and values to honor women and children from a pro-life standpoint is not just about changing policies; it's about changing hearts.

Women can do anything and everything. We can have it all. 

But, if we were to actually listen to modern-day feminists, we can only have it all and do it all if we don’t have a child or family. 

Remember when feminism first became a thing and someone, in all their wisdom and progressiveness, told all women that we can do anything a man can do - and more! We bought that and paid for it in full, with cash. 

We ran straight into the hyperbole of having a family and a career. We can make money just as well as men can, and we can do it while still managing the care of our children, managing our homes, cleaning, shopping, cooking, and transporting children to school and activities. 

Did we do it all and have it all? We sure did! Because we CAN do anything and everything and have it all. We can do it because we’re to be capable, creative, problem-solving, active people. 

Somewhere along the way, the narrative changed and those same feminists changed their minds and said we can do it all, but if we have a family or children, then we can’t. We can work 80 hours per week, shop, clean, have a relationship, and change the oil in our cars, but we definitely can’t do that if we have a child. Suddenly, a child ruined our ability to have and enjoy all those other things. 

Before, we could go back to college in our thirties and balance a family and a job. Now, if there’s a child in the picture, we suddenly can’t do any of that. 

Why would they have dropped a human life from the lineup of priorities? When did a job become more important than humanity? When did running ourselves into the ground become our definition of success?

True feminism should be to empower women to say yes to family, home, and faith. Really doing it all and having it all should mean our marriages are in tact, we are pursuing a relationship with God and being an example to our children of how to do that, and we view our homes as a place of safety, solitude, and where we want to spend our time pouring into the most important aspects of life: our spouse and our children. 

If women can do those things and have a career, that’s an achievement to be celebrated for sure! But the narrative needs to change to children first. We must be willing to say things like “Do you plan to continue your degree?,” instead of “Do you plan to keep the baby?”

Humans first. When women say they abort because they’re going to school or pursuing their career, they’re simply perpetuating the narrative of modern feminists. We want to hear them say they’re delaying school so they can have their baby. 

Feminists say that men are trying to control us while feminists are the ones who’ve retained the most control over a woman’s mind. 

We think women can do it all, and if we don’t want to, there are a multitude of options that don’t have to end the life of a child. Let’s empower women for what we really can do. 

Let’s empower women to feel strong and brave about seeing through the one thing we can do that men cannot. 

We visit with so many women every day across the country. Help us continue to remind every single one of them that they can have it all. www.icumobile.org/donate

In 2022, 42 abortion facilities closed, and 66 women’s health clinics stopped providing abortion. Whether these were a direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade or they were already on a downward spiral, we can’t know for sure. We do know that the Supreme Court decision certainly opened these providers’ eyes to the reality of their own future viability. 

Should we view closed abortion facilities as a success? Of course! The danger in placing too much weight on a few closed facilities lies in assuming that this will have a trickling effect and that, eventually, all abortion facilities will close. Ah, were that to be!

As women have a more difficult time finding access to abortion, they’re more likely to seek ways that could be extreme. They’re still vulnerable to the mobile abortion units launched by Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion organizations. Our concern is that the mobile units getting to them first will be those that want to offer them an abortion…on a bus.

At ICU Mobile, we offer services that acknowledge, serve, and preserve life. Pregnancy tests, counseling, ultrasounds, sharing the Gospel…all speak hope and life, and those good things are appropriate anywhere! We’d do it on a rickshaw if we had to.

But abortion? A woman has made the most tragic and painful choice of her life. A choice that will end the life of her very own child, a choice that will alter her entire mental well-being, a choice that only ends in death. And Planned Parenthood wants her to do that on a bus. 

When it’s done, she’ll be sent on her way back into the lonely world that didn’t disappear just because her baby is gone. She faces new problems now that include an act of violence committed against her in a place typically used for camping and family fun. 

When she leaves an ICU Mobile unit, she leaves still in tact. Life still within her and hope renewed. When she steps out of our space, she’s reminded of the joy of family, the love of her Heavenly Father, and she is assured of a circle of support that will be there for her anytime she needs us. 

So, yes, closed abortion facilities are a success, but if they’ll just be replaced by even more mobile abortion units, then we’re only getting started again in our mission to save lives. 

We have pregnancy centers and teams all over the country waiting for an ICU Mobile unit. They’re ready to be trained and to GO into their communities and make a positive impact in the lives of women facing unplanned pregnancies. They’re ready to show them the blessing of the new life within them through ultrasound. 

Will you help us get a mobile pregnancy ultrasound unit to them? 

Your monthly sponsorship can be made at www.icumobile.org/donate 

Thank you for blessing us and the women whose lives you will change for the better!

If your children rarely hear you talk about the abortion issue, they’re likely not prepared for interactions with classmates or teachers who might not share your values when it comes to human life. As parents, how do you go from not talking about it to ensuring they understand your views and are prepared to handle confrontation about it? Here are five ways to start having meaningful conversations with your children about their beliefs:

1. Know your values.

It’s important to know what you believe about life and why. This will help you share your stance in a clear way that makes sense to your children. You may need to explain the process of a baby developing inside the mother. Talk about how life begins at conception. 

The Bible is a great way to help your children understand the sanctity of life. The Bible is full of stories that teach us about God's love for every person and the value He places on each one. 

2. Make it personal.

It's not always easy for kids to understand these serious issues, but if you can make things personal for them by sharing your own or friend’s experiences with adoption or miscarriage, you'll be able to share your view on abortion in a more effective way. 

If someone has been adopted into your family, talk about that person and how much he means to everyone else. If there was a miscarriage, talk about how sad this loss of life is and that all babies are created for a purpose, even in miscarriage.

3. Look for teachable moments.

When it comes to the topic of abortion, there are many opportunities to have this conversation with your kids. You can begin by asking them about their thoughts or feelings on abortion or simply ask them if their friends are talking about it or if they’ve seen things online.

By gently incorporating the conversation at logical times, it will feel more natural and your child may feel more open to talking about it. 

4. Be prepared for resistance. 

Most children will resist talking about things that make them uncomfortable or feel like a subject is being forced on them. If your child does resist discussing their thoughts and feelings about abortion, don't force them into having such conversations. Instead, look for other teachable moments when you could talk more openly about this sensitive subject.

5. You want to make sure your kids understand the sanctity of human life in all its stages.

You want them to know that a fetus is still a person, just like you and me. Your child may not be able to fully grasp everything you say, but at least they'll have an idea of what's going on. The more comfortable you are discussing the topic, the better able they'll be to understand later on when they're older and more mature.

Abortion isn’t an appropriate topic for all ages. You know when your child is ready for that conversation. Until they are ready, you can impact their views on the sanctity of life through positive talk about each of us as God’s children. 

Let them hear you talk about scripture that describes God’s purpose for us; let them hear you talk about the blessing of babies and what a joy children are; let them see you donate diapers and formula for women’s shelters so they know babies needs should be cared for; and let your children know that they’ve made a beautiful difference in your life. 

Positive conversations around life are an impactful way to build up the next pro-life generation.

You've heard this so many times, but it's always true: self-care is important. It's not something that should be done once a week or when you're feeling particularly low. Self-care doesn't have to be something that costs money or requires a lot of time either. If anything, you should try to make it as easy as possible on yourself because making time for yourself is important and you don’t want self-care to feel like one more thing on your to-do list!

Self-care is an ongoing process that requires consistent practice to be effective. Think of self-care as the foundation of your wellness routine—one that should be built up over time so that it becomes the solid base from which all other aspects of your life are built.

Self-care doesn't have to be something that costs money or requires a lot of time.

Self-care isn't just a catchphrase or trendy phrase. It's a way of life that can be as simple as taking a walk and listening to music while you do it. Self-care doesn't have to be expensive, nor does it require a lot of time.

Self-care can come in many forms, but what matters most is your willingness to make self-care an integral part of your routine. You can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first. If you are constantly giving and giving and giving, with no attention to your own needs, burnout is inevitable. 

Take time to reflect on what makes you happy and fulfilled in life (it might just be spending time with your dog). What are your hobbies? How do they make you feel? Do they remind you of something positive from the past or help bring out skills or talents that make them enjoyable? If they do, consider how these activities could be incorporated into your life so that they become part of your rhythm again.

Self-care doesn't mean neglecting your responsibilities and obligations as a parent, student, employee, or friend. Self-care isn't selfish. It's about making sure that we are able to carry out our responsibilities at our highest ability possible! 

In reality, self-care is about gaining an understanding of yourself and your needs. It's not just about being kind to yourself, but also about taking care of yourself — your physical health in addition to your mental health. The two go hand-in-hand; you can't neglect one without affecting the other.

Here is one way you can practice true self-care:

• Practice good sleep hygiene by carving out time for relaxation before bed each night and keeping electronics out of the bedroom (or at least keep them at arm's length). Try reading a book instead — chances are it'll be more relaxing than scrolling through Instagram!

Self-care is not a one-time thing. It's not a luxury, and it's certainly not selfish. Sometimes all it takes is reminding yourself that you're important too!

Church is not just a building where we go on Sundays. It's not just the people who go to church, and it certainly isn't only answering the question of "Are you going to church this weekend?" with a yes or no. Church is something that you embrace. It is an attitude, a lifestyle, and an idea of what it means to live as followers of Christ.

It is a community where believers gather together regularly in order to support each other and encourage one another in their faith (1 Corinthians 14:26).

Church should be about serving God by serving others (Matthew 25:35-36), and being willing to help those in need regardless if they are part of our congregation or not (Luke 10:25-37).

Over the past couple years, many of us stopped going to church in person, we ceased our volunteer work, and we pressed pause on our fellowship practices. It became commonplace to watch services online, meet with small groups via Zoom, and we achieved quite a comfort level with not being in the same room with each other. These options for worship were a blessing, but leaving your comfort zone is a must if you want to make progress in your spiritual life.

As a Christian, it's important to remember that our job is not just to grow ourselves, but also to help others grow as well. If all we did was focus on ourselves, it wouldn’t be so bad to enjoy church from our living room sofa, but we'd miss out on many opportunities for personal growth and transformation, and we'd fail to reach people around us with the good news of Christ's love and grace.

We’ve come full circle and it’s time to leave your comfort zone behind when it comes to your faith life. Leave it behind when you're serving others; leave it behind when you're learning more about God; leave it behind when you're helping someone else learn more about God; leave it behind when striving for holiness (which requires cutting out sin from our lives). Leave your comfort zone for the sake of returning to the church body that sustains each other. 

Embracing church will help you get plugged into a community of believers that will build you up and keep you on the right path. God created us for relationship and community. The believer’s experience has so much more depth when we pursue God alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ. It allows us to have others around us when we’re struggling, and for us to give back to them in their time of need. Of course, we all need these relationships and encouragement even when things are great in our lives.

If you're new to church or if it’s just been awhile since you’ve shown up in person, look for ways to get plugged in by connect with church leaders. One of the best things about going to church is that it's a place where you can connect with other people and enjoy discipleship opportunities such as small groups where friends can encourage one another along life’s journey together while learning more about Scripture itself.