Tuesday morning at 3:30 am an email came across my inbox. It was generated from our Google ad. A young woman found us while searching for information about abortion. She filled out the form online requesting an appointment. The form asked about her current situation. I just had a baby and I’m pregnant again. I can’t do this, she wrote. Our team contacted this young woman and began a relationship with her that easily could have been missed if not for online marketing.
Much communication with the women who contact us comes through texting. Texting takes extra time, and unlike phone or face-to-face communication, we have to gain their trust through words on a screen. Often they agree to make an appointment with us, although we clearly let them know we do not perform or refer for abortions. Making the appointment is a major step; showing up is even bigger. We pray that this woman will be brave and show for her appointment—that God will remove obstacles and give her courage. These appointments are heavy. The women, and often their partners, are in crisis. Our client advocate and nurse practitioner are the neutral parties that have the privilege to listen and share ways we desire to walk through this pregnancy with them, sharing the HOPE of our Savior with her.
The month of August brought us 23 of these emails from our online ads. The emails come at all times of the day and night. This, on top of our 24/7 phone line and those calling during regular business hours, filled our calendar with 54 pregnancy test and ultrasound appointments and 23 STD test and results appointments in August—an almost 70% increase in appointments from the previous three years.
When you give to Choices Resource Center, you bring hope directly to a woman’s phone in her greatest time of need—sometimes at 3:30 am while she’s in crisis. When you pray for Choices Resource Center, you intercede for a woman who needs to hear the truth of God’s love.
These online ads are bringing women to us that could have gone to one of East Tennessee’s very busy abortion clinics. And to give you good news, the young woman chose life for her baby! As she left on Thursday with tears in her eyes, she said, “I was terrified when I saw I was pregnant again. Thank you for helping and listening.” We’re excited to see her in our Monday night parenting classes soon, earning diapers and other essentials for her baby and the little one that is on the way.
Thank you for being a lifesaver who is pro-woman, pro-baby, and pro-abundant life.
