Printer-friendly versionSometimes just being there can make a difference.   Through this outreach I have been blessed to see countless women turn away from the temptation of abortion.     My experience on the sidewalk dates back to 1994 in my hometown of Memphis. Though I had already felt a burden for the plight of abortion and had become active in a local right to life group, I had not tried to persuade someone face to face not to have an abortion. Through this outreach I have been blessed to see countless women turn away from the temptation of abortion.   Who is willing to talk? People will often take literature but usually keep going. Even then there can be an opportunity to thank them for taking the brochures and to point out information on one of the brochures about a local pregnancy center and 800 numbers for the out-of-towners. Some of these passersby will allow us to talk with them. The pregnant woman who is undecided and struggling internally can be an especially receptive person for us to reach. People are usually not antagonistic.   One of the most rewarding parts of sidewalk counseling is actually witnessing or hearing about an abortion-minded woman’s change of heart. On a Saturday morning in January of this year, I met a woman on the sidewalk who was willing to go directly to a local pregnancy center called Life Choices. She later complained of an uncomfortable pregnancy, a broken air conditioning system during the summer, car problems, nine other children, and her pre-born child had a diaphramic hernia that would need surgery. Indeed, her circumstances might look like an easy case for abortion to some people because of the obstacles facing her and her baby. Even so, I sensed that despite her venting, deep down during her pregnancy she knew she had made the right decision.   On the day of her delivery, the president of our ministry took off from work and kept her company at the hospital. The neonatal doctor asked the mom whether she wanted the child to undergo the surgery, which was needed for the baby to survive. The vulnerable baby was taken away and given another lease on life with successful surgery at a nearby children’s hospital. Both this mom, who withstood the temptation of abortion, and the father, who had pushed for the abortion, are very glad this baby is alive and doing well.   Sidewalk counseling is a magnificent opportunity to be used by God to reach that confused, maybe undecided woman under pressure with a lifeline of hope just when she is about to give up.