Rosa's Story
Rosa was left alone, unemployed and pregnant. Her husband had recently abandoned her and their 3 small children. Forsaken and forgotten, she found herself in the waiting room of an abortion facility. A friend had offered to pay for the abortion hoping to help relieve some of her unforeseen burden; but instead of relief, her presence there only increased her despair. As she waited, in the midst of her pain and tears, Rosa found within a mustard seed of faith that led her to whisper one small prayer, "God help me."
God answered.
Rosa was suddenly filled with the courage to stand up and walk out of the facility before it was too late. The abortion staff wanted her to stay but she refused! She walked out of the building and right into the arms of a sidewalk counselor who knew exactly where to take her: The Downtown Pregnancy Help Center.
Rosa didn't know we had been waiting for her. That very morning, the staff and volunteers at the pregnancy center prayed intentionally for a miracle. We knew that there would be a woman in the city who needed Jesus desperately. We asked God to miraculously move her from wherever she was and into His grace. Then, shortly before closing time, Rosa arrived at the pregnancy center. It was a miracle indeed!
We offered her counsel and comfort. After seeing her baby on the ultrasound, she realized that her circumstances would not change her love for her child. We reminded Rosa that although her husband rejected her, God promised to never leave her or forsake her. We found local churches to subsidize her rent for the next few months and a bible study group who would sponsor her family for Christmas. We were able to pay for immediate utility bills and her children's school uniforms. In addition to that, the pro-life sidewalk counselor took her to the grocery store and blessed her with a shopping cart full of groceries! She never expected all that happened that day. Rosa had walked through our doors empty-handed, and left with all her needs met. In one afternoon, her life stepped from despair into hope!
We are continuously moved to extend the compassion of Jesus in the lives of women in crisis. Rosa has returned with praise reports of her renewed faith and hope in Christ. She has since found a job and looks forward to becoming settled with her four children as she depends on the Lord and His provision. We have made a commitment to help her beyond the birth of her child because we love God and we love God's people. Now, she knows that her unborn child has purpose and is important to so many people who she has yet to meet. She knows her Christmas miracle was made possible because of God's grace and your faithful support. Let us not grow weary in our calling and let us continue to generously support the sanctity of life! God is definitely using his people!
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Rosa's Story shared with written client permission. Name changed for confidentiality purposes.
Juliana's Story
The local news channels reported familiar headlines Houstonians are accustomed to seeing every year. To many of us, Hurricane Harvey’s approach registered as just another storm that would weaken before landfall. Juliana, A young mother of two girls under two, reacted the way most of us did. She believed that no matter what happened with this storm, she and her babies would be safe in her second floor apartment.
To her dismay, the three were eventually rescued by boat and taken to a small shelter. As supplies ran short at the shelter and the days ran long, Juliana worried about meeting the basic human needs of her two girls. She had resorted to feeding her youngest girl a mix of coffee creamer and water in a baby bottle. Her life was already in disarray before Harvey, and the aftermath threatened every prior effort to overcome. Lisa's challenges left her wondering how she was going to survive this storm. With nowhere else to turn, she remembered the Fifth Ward Pregnancy Help Center. Lisa gathered her girls and boarded a bus to begin the long journey through the flooded streets and the many detours of Houston to arrive at the center.
When she arrived she sighed with relief to see that we were open. Most of Houston was shutdown. She was thankful we’d removed all the obstacles to have her receive the aide she needed immediately. There wasn’t a mountain of paper work, or an appointment only response, or a “come back another day.” Se received everything she needed without hassle to meet her immediate needs for her child: disposable diapers, formula, a stroller, clothes, food and toiletries for the entire family. Juliana broke down in tears. “If only I would have come sooner. My baby never needed to be hungry,” she sobbed.
Juliana met with our case manager who worked diligently to help her get back on her feet. We first needed to get her out of a shelter and stabilize her housing. She was connected with a local home who focuses on housing mothers with small children.
What Lisa wanted most was to start working again but her ID and all her documents had been had been lost in the flood. “I don’t care what it is. I just want to work.” Her lack was making her willing to settle for anything, but we had a better option. We had the perfect place for her to go. Locally there is an organization that helps people search not only for a job, but also for a meaningful place in the workforce. Lisa needed to know that her past was not going to define her future!
We made sure that before she left, she had everything she needed to overcome. That day, we loaded her with as much baby items, food, diapers and toys for child that she could carry back on the bus. We told her whenever she needed more; the doors of the Fifth Ward Pregnancy Help Center were wide open. Juliana had come for baby formula and left with so much more; she left with resources, material assistance, referrals and the opportunities she needed for a better future.
Client name changed for confidentiality purposes. Story shared with client’s written consent.
Sierra's Story
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According to Sierra, there were two potential fathers for her unborn baby; guy #1 had kids already, so he told her “you can do whatever you want to do with the baby, because he was not ready to have another child.” Guy #2 and client had been in relationship off and on when they lived in another city; he had no kids and he wanted client to keep the baby as long as it’s his baby.
Sierra had an unstable situation since she was unemployed and currently lived with a roommate. She was a full time student with no support system here in Houston as all of her family members lived back home.
Sierra already knew she was at the early stage of her pregnancy; she thought there wasn’t a heartbeat yet. She had only came to confirm her pregnancy because her home test was inconclusive. She also wanted to hear about her options, and if possible to get information on early termination without surgical procedures.
The Ultrasound was able to show a visual sign of heartbeat; this surprised Sierra because although she was still at the early stages of pregnancy there was already a heart beating inside of her. It was then that she changed her mind from abortion to undecided. We calculated the time of conception, which indicated that Guy#2 was the FOB! Thanks to the ultrasound she had the answer she desperately needed! She was going to go and have that conversation with him that night.
We had a follow-up phone call with Sierra and she was still undecided. However her boyfriend was super happy to know he is responsible for the pregnancy and wants to parent.
We are committed to following up with Sierra regarding her pregnancy and hoping for a decision to parent her baby.
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Client name changed for confidentiality purposes. Story shared with client’s written consent.