It's all worth it

Sidewalk counseling, working in the centers, doing the various jobs that we do as interns can be exhausting. However, there are times when it is just so clearly worth it.

This week, I saw one such example. A young woman, who had been in the center at least twice before came back with a friend of hers. The last time she was at EMC, she brought a cousin for a pregnancy test and counseling. She, herself, was also pregnant.

I soon found out that her friend wanted to get contraceptives and the young lady that brought her to us wanted her to learn about the realities of abortions and contraceptives and to think about abstinence. While talking to the two women, the one who had been in the office previously mentioned that she had gotten an abortion before and that the people at the abortion mill had lied to her and treated her quite harshly. After a discussion of the real consequences of abortion on women, she brightened up and said "You know, I felt so sad for a long time, but now, after coming here, I've been happy."

And now, she's bringing her friends so that they don't have to suffer the same pain that she knew. Such a great friend. It's people that I meet who have such stories and such love that make all the work worth it.