When I first met Serena, it was more of a virtual meeting. I had recently started off my business and one of the first designs I made was a pro-life sock. Interestingly enough, by God’s Providence, we ended up knowing a few of the same people. We both are pro-life and she liked my statement socks and their message, so she shared with her followers the Let Life Win socks. YAY! I was incredibly thankful. And that was the start of our relationship!
When I initially heard her story, I felt incredibly heartbroken for her. So much trauma to have gone through at such a young age. Pregnant at 13 after being raped by an uncle, having an abortion, then pregnant again at 16 by her boyfriend, having that baby, and then shortly after getting married to that boyfriend (incredibly, they’re still married to this day!). Wow. But as I found out more with this interview, I could hardly believe it. God is amazing. The LORD can literally take any situation, no matter how broken and shattered, and make it into something beautiful. Amazingly, deeply, and richly so.
Serena first found out about Christ when she was in the 5th grade. I think many of us can relate to knowing about Jesus (most of us in the States have minimally heard about Christ), but not really “knowing” Jesus. That was her situation. It wasn’t until 2016 that she “had a radical encounter with the Lord in (her) car…that changed (her) life forever.”
Because of a crisis in her and her husband’s life, the realization that the pain from her rape and abortion had never really been addressed and therefore never healed began to surface. Her life understandably began to unravel. Who else knows how the devil is in the darkness? LORD, I certainly do. We can hide our sin and pain, but until we give it to the LORD, we will never heal. It is a lie from Satan that hiding or ignoring our pain and/or sin will ever make things just peacefully disappear. It will fester and slowly grow the longer we sit on it and pretend it’s not there.
She started using drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. Her marriage and family were under a tremendous amount of stress and the brokenness was starting to become more and more evident and crippling. However, through God’s amazing mercy, He brought her to a place where she had no one else to turn to except the LORD. After that day in her car, the LORD began to heal her, moment by moment, day by day, all the while lavishing His all-sufficient love on her. She eventually was able to be healed of the shame and hurt from her rape and the guilt of her abortion. Incredible.
Although she never grew up knowing about the pro-life movement, she is currently a staunch advocate for the unborn. She first shared her personal testimony at the local Right to Life in her hometown. And since that time, she has started her own non-profit called She Found His Grace, who’s mission is to “help women and men who have had an abortion to find healing. We have community groups that help post-abortive mothers and fathers turn pain into purpose. Soon we will be launching one on one coaching for deeper healing. We also have a support group for new moms who were thinking of aborting.” Beauty from ashes. God is so good!
Serena had some wise advice for churches: “The church can have such a huge impact in the prolife movement once they decide this is a discipleship/heart transformation issue and not political…The church can help prevent women from going from the church pew to the abortion clinic by making sure their church will meet these women and families with love and truth.” Inviting healed post-abortive men and women to speak is also incredibly helpful. Doing sidewalk counseling and (gulp) going to the front of abortion clinics are also important steps to take. Serena sensibly reminds us all: “…to be trained on how to be a PEACEFUL and prayerful presence in front of the clinic. The way people behave will draw women to come to you or make them run into the clinic.” Have you ever had an experience with someone yelling at you and calling you all kinds of names because you’re entering a Planned Parenthood? I have. And I wanted to run in the exact opposite direction. I wasn’t even getting an abortion, but it was assumed I was. And you know what they say about people who assume (just sayin’). That moment could have been used to bring me truth and clarity. Instead, it just left me with a very bad taste in my mouth to overzealous (and unwise) pro-lifers. No matter how well-intentioned we may be, we need to remember 1 Cor 13. We must do everything with love. If not, just don’t. Please. If you’re interested in getting training, you can find out more at Sidewalk Advocates for Life.
Praise the LORD for the ministry of Serena Dyksen! I am so thankful for Serena’s honesty, transparency, and tireless work for the most vulnerable. God’s fingerprints are all over her and her life. What she stands for and how she does it all is exemplary.
If you’d like to find out how you can become more involved with her ministry, please email her at: serenadyksenshefoundhisgrace@gmail.com Also, if you’d like to hear more of her story, she has come out with a new book: She Found His Grace: A True Story Of Hope, Love, And Forgiveness after Abortion! I can’t wait to read it! Please check it out!
