The Mission Is in Our Backyard
Meet Jessica Johnson. Previously working in the healthcare industry and pouring her heart and time into the older generation at hospice, the Lord began to speak to her about a new mission. Not knowing exactly what that looked like, she assumed He might be calling her to overseas missions. After discussing this with her husband and praying for further direction, she realized that there’s important work to be done in her very own backyard.
There are people who need a voice, a much younger generation that is severely overlooked: the preborn. Jessica was often moved to tears when thinking about these babies and knew that God was calling her to advocate for them. Inspired by her best friend who had recently joined the local pregnancy center, Jessica decided to volunteer there. When the executive director position became available, she knew it was where she was meant to be.
Mulier Care is a “non-profit organization based in Nashville, Tennessee, which provides assistance to women who have a minimal support network and are facing crisis or unplanned pregnancies.”
“Our focus at Mulier Care is to hit abortion head-on in the state of Tennessee. We do see some women who do plan to carry from the very beginning, but that is not what our usual patient population looks like.”
As a mobile unit, they park in a centralized location, which allows them to travel to different areas within the city. “Though abortion is illegal in Tennessee, we are that speed bump in the road before women travel out of state. And since Roe v. Wade has been overturned, we are seeing more women.”
Without Mulier Care, women facing crisis pregnancies would be traveling straight to the abortion clinics. “We’re able to offer them something that helps them slow down and pause their decision-making and really consider what they’re about to do.”
Mulier Care focuses on reaching women before their abortion appointments at Planned Parenthood or other abortion providers. They offer pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and an option for counseling. They also work to support the entire community of women with a more encompassing approach. This can look like hosting Christmas parties for the families, providing gifts and materials like diapers and formula, and making sure these moms never question their decision to keep their baby.
Another way Mulier Care supports and celebrates women is by throwing community baby showers. Their first shower was a huge success where they served close to 700 women. Moms are being made aware that there are resources available and there are people who want to help. They’re beginning to see that abortion is not the solution.
Something that surprised Jessica was the lack of camaraderie among pregnancy centers in the area. “I thought that all of the pregnancy resource centers would all be on the same team because we’re all for the same common goal of ending abortion, caring for women, and caring for their children.”
She found that wasn’t the case.
The lack of unity reminded her of a past career in sales where everything was a competition. Among pregnancy centers, what it was boiling down to is funding — whose numbers look better and who has the bigger donor base. Jessica prayed she would never fall into that competitive mindset. “It’s ultimately His mission, and there’s no shortage in God’s funding for a mission like this.” Jessica has now been with Mulier Care for a little less than a year and has realized there’s a right way and a wrong way when it comes to receiving the pregnancy center’s funding.
“The right way of doing this is trusting in God to provide and then working with others as a team to ultimately achieve this common goal that we have.”
She believes the pro-life movement needs to move forward in unity. This calls for partnerships among nonprofits and pregnancy centers alike. Having the same goal and same mission to see abortion end is essential.
“Our partnership with Human Coalition is one that is unmatched. I can’t imagine not having them as a partner.”
Mulier Care receives calls every day from Human Coalition about women in the Nashville area looking for assistance with their unexpected pregnancies. Human Coalition counsels the mother over the phone and walks her through all her options. From there, Mulier Care then schedules a free pregnancy test and ultrasound. Through both organizations, women feel supported and cared for from the very beginning and throughout their entire pregnancy. It’s the perfect pairing because, as Jessica puts it, “We both want to reach the same patient population.”
That patient population is the woman seeking an abortion.
Jessica expressed that her heart’s cry is to see abortion end in her lifetime. That means serving the women who are most apt to terminating their pregnancies.
Mulier Care serves women who are facing an array of circumstances. Maybe it’s the woman who got pregnant in her 40s who also has a child in college, and she fears what it may be like to start over. Or the woman who was raised in a strict religious family and fears she’ll be shunned for her pregnancy. Or the young woman in college who fears she’ll be sent back to her home country and unable to finish school. These are real-life predicaments women find themselves in that Mulier Care encounters each day at their mobile clinic. But through support, lasting resources, and compassionately walking them through the decision-making process, these women are empowered to choose life for their children.
Jessica and her team at Mulier Care are truly being a light in what is a dark time for so many. We’re grateful to link arms together in the mission to rescue children from abortion throughout America.
Will you join us in praying for Jessica and the entire Mulier Care team? If you pray for them, please click the button below to let us know you’re praying.