We see God move in the lives of our patients everyday and we are excited to see more men than ever before accompanying their partners to our centers. We are developing our men’s ministry called Men of Hope where male volunteers will be in our centers available to meet with the young men that come with their partners.
Studies have shown that the most influential person on a woman’s decision to carry or abort is the baby’s father, so it is crucial to involve him in the decision-making process. When we listen to the hearts of women battling this decision, we see that we must include men into the conversation as a vital part of the decision. Additionally, we know father absence costs our nation. Several years ago the National Fatherhood Initiative conducted a study and estimated that the annual cost of federal spending due to father absence in our nation was $100 billion.
We must come alongside fathers and help them understand the very important role they play in the lives of their children – whether born or unborn. Solomon, a previous patient shared with us the plan that he and his girlfriend Grace struggled to decide on, and how their experiences at Hope changed their viewpoints entirely.
I remember sitting in the waiting room at the Hope Women’s Centers while Grace was having the pregnancy test. As a Christian I knew that abortion was wrong. I silently prayed that God would forgive us for what we were planning to do, or provide a way out for us. When Grace came out and asked me to come back to the counseling room, I knew the test was positive from the sad look on her face. We talked with the counselor and explained our situation. She showed us a video of the abortion procedure. It made me feel sad to know just the physical pain Grace would go through in an abortion, to say nothing of the emotional and spiritual ramifications. We made an appointment for an ultrasound and went back to the center a few days later, still feeling that an abortion was our only option. We felt very ashamed about what we were contemplating, but didn’t see any other way out. Imagine our shock and dismay when the ultrasound revealed that Grace was carrying twins! Now we felt twice as conflicted about our choices. The counselor read to us from Deuteronomy 30:19, where God says, “choose life.” She challenged us to trust God all the way with the lives of these babies. She gave us a list of resources for help with pre-natal care and other services that we needed. We began choosing life for the twins, one small step at a time. – Solomon
We are looking for men that can volunteer four hours a week at one of our medical centers. No prior experiene is necessary. We will train you. The first step is to sign up for our next Volunteer Orientation on October 26 by clicking HERE. If you have any questions about our Men of Hope Program, give us a call at 954-372-7089.
This story was shared with permission.
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