Months ago, a woman walked into one of our clinics, looking forlorn and unsettled. We welcomed her in, and I was privileged to be her advocate that day. After I explained what the appointment would look like, she let me know that she’s from out of town, and she had specifically searched for a Christian establishment, because she knew she would need strong support. I confirmed that we were indeed a faith-based, Christian organization, and she seemed to relax a bit. I confirmed that we were indeed a faith-based, Christian organization, and she seemed to relax a bit. As we moved through the intake, I shared all her options with her. She expressed her surprise that we would share abortion information with our patients. I explained that we do that, not to recommend abortion, but because we want our patients to have adequate information to make their best choice.
When I asked her about the father of the baby, I didn’t get a clear answer. She indicated that the news of a new baby may not be well received. Even though she is a God-fearing Christian, and is involved in church, she was considering abortion. She had several other children already, and I’m sure she felt overwhelmed at the prospect of having another.
During the ultrasound, she demonstrated mixed emotions: happy and smiling, and yet apprehensive.
Before she left, we scheduled her for a follow-up ultrasound appointment, which often aids in the decision-making process. She later canceled it, and unfortunately, we lost contact. I reached out several times, but to no avail. Eventually, I closed her file and presumed abortion, since that was her last intention.
This past week, the patient reached out to Andrea on the scheduling line, announcing that her son had been born the day before. She wanted to thank us for the help we’d given her. Honestly, our services didn’t seem very helpful at the time. I knew when we lost contact that something was not right, but I couldn’t do anything to resolve it, except to pray.
God is so good! Sometimes, He allows us to encounter His goodness by filling in the rest of the story, as He did in this case. Our work at Ava Health is done in faith, because we follow our Father as we do this ministry, but we don’t always know the outcome of our good work. Praise be to God for sharing this conclusion with all of us!
Story by Jeanette, Program Director
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