"Help for today. Hope for tomorrow."
The Hope Pregnancy Centre is an small but might ministry found here in Plettenberg Bay that I am honored to be a part of. The Hope Centre is seeing to impact the communities around us by offering counseling support for crisis pregnancy situations, including counseling for adoptions, abortion, and parenting options as clients choose. They also offer pre-birth education and free pregnancy testing. Many of the clients being served by this ministry come directly from the clinics found in the townships surrounding Plett. Their goals it to educate women (and men) on their options when they find themselves in a crisis situation, hoping to encourage women to choose options other than abortion, as well as creating a lasting relationship that allows them to walk alongside women in the community.
In February of this year when ministry changes shook up my life, Joyce Ray (the director of Hope) stepped in and stepped up. Joyce is an American missionary that has been serving here in South Africa for over 13 years. She offered me the opportunity to serve at Hope and even helped get me to training classes so that I could be fully prepared to help in any way that I can. Jordan had already been serving with Hope on our "off" days while serving with our previous ministry. But when things changed, Jordan was able to give more of her time to Hope and I was honored to be able to do the same. I have already learned so very much by serving alongside these amazing women of God and I have skills now to help people not just in crisis pregnancies, but in life struggles of all kinds. I am so thankful that God prepared a way for me to serve with this ministry even before I knew I would need it. And I thank Him often for the women He's blessed me with who pour into my life and my heart every time I serve at the Centre.
With God's favor and provision, Jordan and I are now working to get education into the local schools on behalf of Hope. The goal is to reach the students and speak into their lives about making lasting, positive decisions to help prevent their need to visit the Hope center when they are older. We are also working to create teen mom support groups (praying for location to start this) in order to encourage girls who have made the incredible decision to keep their child. We're constantly looking for ways to break the cycle of unwanted pregnancies, abortions, and abuse. With the Lord's help, we're hoping to plant seeds of faith in the lives of these vulnerable people that God will grow into a new generation of hope, for His glory.