Pregnancy help cannot be defined in two words. These two words involve many people across states, countries, and continents. These two words include love, compassion, passion, humility, selflessness, and most of all sacrifice.
I am thankful for pregnancy help not only in its meaning but what it gives! In particular I am thankful for how it has transformed my life and what I have learned along the way.
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In the beginning of my journey, I had no idea what God had in store for my life when I came out of corporate America in 2015 due to a job loss.
A message at church that included a video of how many lives have been lost to abortion motivated me to do something about it. I signed up to volunteer at a local pregnancy center, Heartbeats of Newark, as a client consultant.
I was taught to love first through the LOVE approach and plant seeds of hope through a parenting lesson, prayer or a simple Bible reading of Psalm 139:13-16 ("... fearfully and wonderfully made …". I could see God working in the hearts of the women seeking to reach a place of peace. My time also included visiting the county jail and what began with a parenting class ended with a Bible lesson that captured the hearts of women who were seeking change in their lives.
I moved on from volunteering at Heartbeats in 2017 to stepping into an opportunity to be employed at Heartbeat International (HBI).
My main focus was helping with the affiliation process, connecting with pregnancy centers, and informing them of how Heartbeat International can help with training, utilizing Option Line.
My time at Heartbeat allowed me to see the dedication from pregnancy help directors. I also saw how widespread the movement is all over the world and HBI staff dedicated to reaching centers with the resources and tools they need.
Heartbeat International is the gateway to connecting pregnancy centers as well as people to encourage, uplift and move towards the goal of making abortion unthinkable. God is the unifying factor and the love He has for us binds this movement together.
Tweet This: God is the unifying factor and the love He has for us binds the pregnancy help movement together.
at the 2021 Heartbeat International Annual Conference/Bethany Jasper
Due to family changes, I left HBI in 2019 and God opened a door for me to work at Heartbeats as an employee this time using my skills to help identify new ways of tracking client stats, jump starting a monthly donor program and creating processes.
I was able to see firsthand the love that went into the intricate details for a banquet, how to reach more women and the power of prayer. Once again Christ was the center and stronghold like the Shepherd watching over his flock (John 10:11).
During this time, I became a board member for Beautiful Feet International (BFI), an international network of 50+ centers in 16 countries all affiliated with HBI.
They work a little differently in that they start pregnancy centers in the church to build communities. All are volunteers and first present the gospel to the women in need, God changes their hearts and the baby in most cases is saved.
Training conferences and zoom meetings happen frequently and usually in attendance are 5-10 countries. Ninety-eight percent of abortions occur outside the United States, so they see firsthand many women in the balance between choosing life and death just like the states experience.
Many who do not have access to an ultrasound machine. BFI has provided many of these lifesaving machines to them! What I love about BFI is they have been able to grow to over fifty centers within a short eight years! It shows that God has his hand in the volunteers who are called to do this handiwork.
World Walk for Life fundraiser. From left: VP Ken Heiland,
President Melissa Heiland, Jamie Bayless, Bethany Jasper
and Hannah Sharick/Bethany Jasper
As I was working at Heartbeats and volunteering time as a board member, I was approached by HBI to come back and join their team this time as a Data Analyst working in Mission Advancement. God sure has his way of using our talents and opening doors!
Pregnancy help means so much to me because I see Christ woven within it through volunteers, directors and those that give to this precious work.
Tweet This: Pregnancy help cannot be defined in two words. It's also love, compassion, passion, humility, selflessness, and most of all sacrifice.
God has given me opportunities I never thought possible, and I am anticipating even more to come! The thankfulness that I have experienced is because I know this work belongs to the Lord and anyone can get involved to see the beauty of the network as a diamond in the rough.
Yes, there is sacrifice, yes there can be sorrow, yes there can be really tough days but there is joy, hope and peace to know it is all worth it in the end! Jesus is life everlasting, and this work is part of our treasures in heaven, and I look forward to the day when Jesus says, “well done my good and faithful servant.”
