For You From The Word
Suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
(Romans 5:3-4)
For You To Think About
Nadia Link was eagerly anticipating her freshman year at power house University of California at Irvine on a soccer scholarship when she discovered she was pregnant.
Nadia and her daughter
She didn’t know whether to keep the baby, place it for adoption, or end the pregnancy. “It was a very strong battle morally for me, because I’m very religious,” she says. “I have a lot of faith.”
Her family disowned her. For a time, Nadia lived with the baby’s father, then a relative, and even in a car. In the end, she decided to keep the baby girl named Arianna, born in January 2009.
When the women’s soccer coach at Long Beach State University offered her the opportunity to play after giving birth, Nadia sat down with her parents. “I told them, ‘If we’re going to do this, I need all your support,’ ” she says. “ ‘I need you guys to go whole-heartedly with me.’” They rallied around her.
“My family has been a big part of my success right now,” Nadia says, crediting family members’ personal support that allows her to fill three full-time roles: student, athlete, and mother.
Two years after working hard to regain her fitness and form, Nadia has emerged as “one of deadliest attackers in the game,” leading her team to a No. 22 national ranking and a personal call-up to the U.S. Women’s Under-23 national team’s camp.
“I would do it all over again,” Nadia says. “To see Arianna now and where I am now and how close my family is, I wouldn’t trade anything for the world.”
Nadia went on to graduate from Long Beach State University and attend law school.
For You To Pray
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for helping Nadia choose life. Help other pregnant college students get the support they need to carry their pregnancies to term.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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