A New Friday....

Yesterday morning at 5:30am, I found myself awake, laying in bed with tears streaming down my face. I had the intense realization it was Friday, and with the realization I knew that this would be the day.  The day all my appointments and projects were put on hold, any random acts of laziness would have to wait. 


This was my day to stand on the corner with the others. Not just drive by, to shield my eyes from them, but to be one of them, to tell my story and to hear theirs. 

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Upon arriving across the street from the clinic, I climb out of my truck, pull out print outs of my blog and my camera and with coffee in hand I head across the street toward the few that had already gathered. I could feel the lump in my throat growing and the emotion welling up inside me, asking my self all the way there how do I approach these people, how do I explain why I'm there? But as I walked up to the three ladies who were standing on the edge of the driveway I began to choke up and tears were welling in my eyes, and it was with God's grace that they asked me if they could help me. I said "yes, but not the way you think". I was able to share with them how their efforts of standing on that corner caused me to be standing there now. I was able to tell them that I struggled with them standing there; they were hard to look at some days, that some days they made me angry and some days sad. But it was seeing them every week that also caused me to write.


They shared stories of taking a woman to Pregnancy Resource Center four blocks from where we stood, and after having a positive pregnancy test, and with the help of the resource center had her child. Another case a woman was returning after an abortion and appeared to be very ill, and after one of the volunteer too the woman to the hospital they found to find that she had a serious infection as a result from her abortion. One of the men shared with me that one day he was actually on the corner of the post office across the street just praying and  there was a gentleman milling around who seemed to want to say something, so the man I was speaking with asked him if he could help him. In turn the man shared that he had a child of his aborted without having a say in the matter and that even now many years later, he still suffered the loss of it. The man I was speaking with was able to provided resources for counseling for the man. The stranger on the corner was moved by the fact that they were there, just like I have been, he needed someone to hear him, to know that abortion had caused him years of pain. 


They showed me that if I stand on the far side of the north driveway, those in the waiting room upstairs can see us, and if we happen to step onto their property just a little they are more than willing to call the police. There are cameras on all sides of the building and they are continually watching to see that we are not stepping out of line. As we stand there chatting over to coarse of the 2.5 hours I'm there, I watch a unmarked police car circle by several times just keeping an eye on things. Also while we are there by the driveway the mail carrier is entering the law office that in the location below the clinic and she turns and thanks us for being there. I learn that the law office is the building owners and they are as unhappy as the clinic that we are there, they feel threatened that if our being there ever caused the clinic to close or move he would loose his renter, so they make threats and call the police too, even when the group stuck free standing signs in the dirt around a tree in the sidewalk, so that is not allowed either.


These people who stand on that corner provide a resource sheet for anyone who will take it with free clinic resources, information about the link from the pill to breast cancer with alternatives to the pill, post abortion resources, and pregnancy and post natal services. They stand on the corners holding their signs and they pray....and some where in the mix they were praying for me. I talked with both men and woman with willing hearts to do a unselfish work for God, that have a love for others even when they see little results. Today I was one of there results, and it was humbling to me to be thanked so lovingly for coming to the corner and sharing my story.


In the time I am there I see many that won't acknowledge that we are there, some will just say "No, Thank You", and a few were willing to listen even if for just a minute or so. I listened as they share with two different couples, one was willing to take the information offered, and interestingly enough it was the guys that were more interested or at least more polite about listening. One woman came and spoke with us after her appointment with her young daughter and infant son, and one woman was willing to roll down her car window as she left and accept the information, while others were talking on cell phones (which funny enough is against the law here) and would not look up at us. The group told me of stories of getting the thumbs up from some who drive buy, some thumbs down and other finger gestures from the traffic that pass them, but during my visit to the corner there was little acknowledgement that we were there.


Toward the end of the morning I chatted with one of the younger women there, and we talked about what kind of signs would better reach those coming to the clinic, and different approaches that would provide someone visiting the clinic feel safe in approaching us not condemned. They were asking the same questions that I asked as I watched them each week; how do we show hope, love and caring to people who are hurting?

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Now as I sit here looking back at my experience I'm really glad that I took the time to go and stand on the corner with them. To know what it is like, to see the faces of those going into the clinic, to get to know these dedicated people who use there time and endure the negative comments and gestures to save the lives of unborn babies and offer alternative services for those who come to the clinic. As I spent my time there I started with apprehension, but instead I was amazed to find peace standing there on the corner.


I now look at these dedicated people as friends and people I will pray for as they do their work, and people I will see again because I will be back from time to time to stand with them again.

My new corner friends