FEAR; it is a Powerful Thing

In a world that seems to be all about women; women's empowerment, strong women, women who are business leaders, women who are in political office, and so much more! Something does not seem to add up in my mind. I totally agree that women are smart, strong, intelligent, powerful, and are full of worth and value. The world literally could not survive without such brave, beautiful, kind, generous, hard working women! However, what is being said to women when it comes to their unplanned pregnancy? "You can not have a baby", "You are not married, what will people say?", "You are going to ruin your life". The world sends so many mixed messages and it is difficult to figure out what is the right move. As a matter of fact, I think that much of our world uses fear to manipulate women during this time. You see, even though we women possess all of these great characteristics, we often still believe the worst about ourselves and the world uses that against us. We think we are weak, we are stupid, we are not loved, we are a failure, we will NEVER be good enough. Because of these false beliefs, when we find ourselves in an unplanned pregnancy, it is so easy to believe the lie that we just messed up again! When we mess up, it is natural to want to fix it so that nobody knows about the mistake. It is really difficult to "fix" a pregnancy. The truth is that most women want to keep that baby, they want to give life to that child. However, the fear gets in the way. Fear that they have ruined their life, they will never be successful, they will get kicked out of their house, they will lose their boyfriend, they can not financially take care of a child, and so much more!!

That is why places like Hands of Hope exist. For those women who want to give that child life and STILL keep their dream of being whatever it is they want to be. Keep the dream of doing the thing they want to do. A baby does not have to be the end of a Dream, it can be the beginning of a new dream! Hands of Hope walks with women during pregnancy and until their child reaches the age of 2. Teaching parenting education, helping clients finish high school or college, helping them find child care, jobs, housing, and transportation. It is the absolute hardest thing ever, but we are here cheering them on ever step of the way!! During this part of their journey, while they are learning to be the best parent they can be and are getting to a point of self-sufficency, they are also earning diapers, wipes, clothing, formula, and so much more for their baby. Finally, we are connecting them to churches and other groups for long term support. We have seen so many success stories!! You can be one of those success stories!! Let us help you kick fear in the teeth and show the world just how strong, powerful, smart, and beautiful you really are!!

I/We are for you,

Michelle