It's not uncommon for girls who come into our centers to have heard about us via referral. Usually that referral comes from a sister or friend, but, inexplicably, we get the occasional referral from a Planned Parenthood or other local abortion clinic.
Today Grace and I met a girl who needed a pregnancy test. The last time she had needed a pregnancy test she'd gone to Planned Parenthood, but after hearing about us from a friend she decided to see us first. Grace and I chatted with her as we filled out the intake form and she took her test, and after her test result was negative, talked to her a little bit about abstinence and the consequences of sex. She was smiling and laughing with us, listening to us and trusting us. At one point she told us, "I'm so glad I came here . . . You guys are so much nicer than Planned Parenthood!"
An important part of our work is building this level of friendship with the girls, showing them we are not just doing a job or dealing with them when they're right in front of us, but proving that we care about them tomorrow and next week too, that we care about their other children, their families and their friends, these communities. It's been good to see that these deeper relationships are not uncommon at EMC.
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