Today I sidewalk counseled outside of the abortion center on Austin St. in Queens for the first time. It is especially hard to counsel girls there because the office is right off the sidewalk and it's hard to tell who is going in and who is just walking by. You have to choose what few words you have time to say with conviction and keep an open attitude.
Over the course of the morning this couple, or one or the other of them kept coming in and going back out. Each time we saw them one of us would say something to them about our free services or encourage them to look into other options. They always ignored us or said no thank you.
Toward the end of the day the woman and the two men with her all came out and were talking on the sidewalk. Though I didn't want to be eavesdropping I heard some of their conversation. One of the men kept asking the woman what she was thinking and telling her he'll help support the child. He talked for a long time, all the while I was debating within myself whether it would be ok or not for me to walk over and talk to them. If I offended her by going over and butting in, I could do more harm than good. Then again, I had valuable information that should not be kept silent out of fear.
God was with me, though. I told her about health risk of abortion, her baby's heartbeat, and told her that it was a sign of personal strength to have a child in these tough times. The guys with her affirmed what I said and at the end of our conversation she had decided to continue with her pregnancy. In spite of my initial fear about approaching them, they thanked me for coming over and affirming the importance of this woman's decision and the life inside her.
Pray that she is able to stay true to herself and has the strength and continued support from her friends that she needs throughout her pregnancy and after.
No comments:
Post a Comment