Sidewalk Counselors are often told when a mother has chosen life at the abortion center, but probably more often, they are not told. The opposition is great at most abortion centers, especially in Charlotte where I minister. They tell every woman who enters that we lie and that we do not do what we promise. They tell them not to listen to us, not to stop for us, and to avoid us at all cost. That’s why stories like this one are particularly encouraging to those of us who labor day in and day out at that last ditch place, pleading for the lives of unborn babies.

A friend of the ministry was running errands with a fellow church member. That church member shared a story of her co-worker. A young woman, Emily * (alias to preserve privacy) had just delivered her baby a few weeks early. Emily confided to her friend that while nearly halfway through the pregnancy, she had scheduled an abortion for the child.

She had initially wanted the baby. However, the father walked out when she was entering her second term. She was devastated. She knew she did not want to raise a child alone. So, she drove to the abortion center. When she arrived, our sidewalk team was there, as we are every morning. She stopped her car for two of our team members. They spoke to her about the truth of what God says about abortion. They showed her photos and explained the truth of her child’s development. They told her of the many resources available through our ministry. She thanked them and drove on down the street towards the abortion center. Processing the information the team had shared, she began crying her eyes out. She knew she should not kill her baby.

She decided she could not keep the abortion appointment. She drove home without telling anyone. She was still all alone. Nothing had changed in her life. But she was convinced. She could not kill her baby.

Once the baby was born, she could not imagine her life without her new daughter. She told her friend that if the sidewalk counselors had not been there, neither would her daughter. She would have aborted.

Her friend told us, “It’s so important that that ministry team is out there on those sidewalks. My friend’s precious baby would not be here today if they weren’t.”

Our sidewalk teams are at the abortion centers every day in all kinds of weather. They stand for hours, calling out to every woman they see. They never give up till their shift ends. Sometimes they know a baby has been saved. Sometimes they do not. They know they are there in obedience to God because of their love and devotion to Him.

However, stories like this are a tremendous encouragement to our teams. It is a privilege to be able to help women like Emily choose life. And of course, as soon as we heard this story, we instructed our friend who shared it to let Emily know we would love to walk alongside her now and help her. The Church will insure she does not feel alone anymore.