by Nathalie Corbett, 2021 missionary (rider on Eastern Route)
I have been involved in the Pro-Life movement for 13 years and becoming a Biking for Babies missionary was exactly what I needed to further my involvement. Being a first-year missionary, I had no idea what it all entailed but I am so glad that I said YES.
I started training for the National Ride before I started my fundraising and my partnership with First Step’s Women’s Center. As a competitive tumbler and trampolinist, training for both was a struggle at first and for a while, I couldn’t hit anything over 36 miles. However, after visiting the Pregnancy Resource Center that I have been partnered with, everything changed. It changed my focus in biking and it gave me a way to relate more closely to the mission.
When visiting First Steps Women’s Center for the first time, I was given a tour of the facilities, was given their history, and was told about how they change women’s lives. I quickly realized what it meant to help these centers and it made me think: the women coming into these centers are coming in with similar circumstances as my biological mother.
My pro-life mission was made clear to me 10 years ago, when I heard my biological mother’s story for the first time. Young and at the beginning of a career, my biological mother, Cindy, was faced with an unplanned pregnancy with twins. Despite these circumstances, she chose LIFE. A couple of months down the line, she was now faced with a difficult decision as she received a diagnosis of cervical cancer. All of her doctors encouraged her to abort us to help the success of her treatment. She still chose LIFE. After hearing this story, my pro-life mission became simple: to be a witness to Cindy’s courage. In helping Pregnancy Resource Centers like First Steps Women’s Center, I am able to be that witness in a different way. In helping Pregnancy Resource Centers financially through our fundraising and in praying for the women coming into the center, I’m able to help women find the same courage that has allowed me to be here today.
Once I visited the center, it was easier to hop on a bike and bike those long miles because the purpose to this whole mission became so clear.
There are moments where I still struggle with some of the aspects of being a Biking for Babies missionary. There are times where I wish that I could be further along in my fundraising, there are times where I wish I could be better with the assigned scripture studies for the week, and there are times where I wish I could have been where I wanted to be with my training. What allows me to keep going? Purpose. I’m doing this for the women who find themselves financially unstable and need resources to raise their unborn baby, I’m doing this for the women who don’t know where to put their faith with a decision in choosing death or life for their child, I’m doing it for the women who might be in an abusive situation, and I’m doing it for the women who are going through the pains and obstacles that can come with pregnancies.
Being a first-year missionary there are a lot of unknowns and sometimes I do feel a bit intimidated by everything. Through group chats, video calls, individual phone calls, and emails, I feel like I’m part of a community and have found support every single time I needed it. When I asked for prayers for certain intentions, I knew that I could count on this group, just as others could count on my prayers when asked. I was struggling with an Achilles injury and after reaching out to someone in the group, I started going through a rehab program with the hope that my Achilles would stay strong enough for the National Ride. I knew that there would be some hard moments when we were all biking our routes, but I also knew that we would all be there for each other, and that was a great comfort.
