By Christy O., volunteer sidewalk counselor
During my sidewalk counseling time at the St. Paul Planned Parenthood on April 14, I was feeling a little discouraged. It seemed like no one was willing to take information or to talk to us when two ladies with two young children drove in. I gave the literature to both ladies and asked if someone was considering an abortion, but they didn’t really respond. I let them know that there was free pregnancy help nearby and gave them the Abria cards. I told them that abortion hurts women. The driver said, “Abortion hurts women?” I said, “Yes, it hurts them physically and mentally.”
Some cars were coming so they started moving forward, so my last words to them were that the siblings would be thankful for the choice of life too. They didn’t pull into a parking spot and they drove out about ten minutes later and asked about directions to Abria. I offered to introduce them to the staff at Abria. On our way there, I found out the passenger was the one considering the abortion and the driver was her sister. The lady didn’t want to go into Abria, but was willing to have someone come out to speak to her. Then I noticed a sign saying Abria was closed for a couple hours. My heart sank; I was thinking of another plan.
I decided to ring the doorbell anyway. A staff member came to the door and after I explained the situation, she came out and talked to this precious lady for 15 minutes or so. When they were finished talking, I went over to the car and asked the lady what she was thinking. She said she was pretty sure she will keep her baby. She shared that having a baby is hard as she has three children already, but it sounds like having an abortion is hard too. I really encouraged her to follow up with Abria so she would have support during her pregnancy. I also encouraged them as sisters to support one another. I offered my number as I would have liked to keep in touch and to help in any way I could. She didn’t want to exchange numbers, but said she will come back to see me sometime on a Wednesday. I gave her a baby gift of a book, and an onesie that says, “Best Gift Ever”! She smiled and seemed at peace. My discouraged heart was uplifted and praising the Lord for the work He does when we go out to stand for life.
