Rose woke up early on a Tuesday morning, not feeling well for the third day in a row. She tried to shake the feeling of dread as she walked to the corner store and purchased a package of home pregnancy tests. Avoiding the nonchalant gaze of the cashier, she hurried home to find out for sure what she already expected – she was pregnant.
Rose did not waste any time, she knew what she needed to do and called to make an abortion appointment. Her second call was to her boyfriend and she matter-of-factly told him she was pregnant and was going to get an abortion the next day.
As Rose drove to the abortionist’s office, something inside her was saying she did not need to do this, that there was a way to make this work. But Rose kept driving, following her GPS’s directions to the abortionist’s. Pulling into a parking lot, Rose got out of her car, headed inside and asked “is this is the abortion clinic? I have an appointment.” She was met by a surprised young man, who quickly gathered himself and gently told her no, this was a church…
The kind man asked Rose if she would talk with him for a couple minutes and she hesitantly agreed. He gently asked her about her situation and what she was experiencing, and Rose responded by tearfully recounting the reasons she needed to get an abortion. She has only lived in America for two years, emigrating from Ecuador and is afraid she will lose her job because of the pregnancy. Her boyfriend is an alcoholic and she does not want to expose her child to his bad influence. The majority of her family still lives in Ecuador and she has no support. Finally, Rose admitted to really just being confused, scared, and not knowing what to do.
They both sat in silence for a moment, the man seemed to be mulling over what he had just heard. He then offered to show Rose to a place he knew where she could get free medical services and be connected with the resources she needed as well. Rose agreed to follow behind him in her car to CompassCare and they arrived a few minutes later.
Rose’s nurse, Julie, greeted her warmly and walked her though what she could expect from her appointment. Rose said goodbye to her escort and gladly followed Julie back to the exam room. Her ultrasound showed a peanut-sized baby approximately 6-weeks-old. Rose stared in wonder at the small life displayed on the screen. Julie asked her how she felt about what she saw and Rose responded, “I want to keep this baby, I lost one [to miscarriage] last year and I don’t want to lose another one.”
Adding joy to joy, Julie shared the Good News of Christ with Rose, who admitted to praying to be a Christian when she was thirteen but had not been taking it seriously of late. Rose said she wants to have a real relationship with God and so they prayed together.
Rose entered CompassCare scared and unsure; she exited transformed, with renewed confidence and hope. She profusely thanked her nurse for all her help and scheduled a return appointment for the following week.