“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13

A great part of the ministry of LifeCare is giving hope to those facing what seems like impossible circumstances.  Some of those circumstances might include the shock of an unplanned pregnancy, lack of a job, disappointment at what a young woman thought was love but her baby’s father abandoned her, living in an abusive relationship, or experiencing the pain of having had an abortion.

What is hope? The dictionary refers to it as a feeling that something desirable will happen or be possible.  It’s amazing to see how far a client can go on just a little bit of hope.  Hope says, “I know I can make it!”  I believe that the source of all hope is none other than Jesus Christ.  Hope happens when we point our clients toward Jesus, whether through Scripture, some encouraging words, or just simply spending time building trust.

In the Christian church we call attention to the sanctity of human life in the month of January because almost forty years ago a law was passed that made abortion legal.  It is so heartbreaking to think of the thousands of babies that have died at the hands of abortionist since that time. We at LifeCare have been seeing to the needs of young single women experiencing unplanned pregnancies for almost twenty-five years.  Our purpose is to help them choose life for their babies by giving them hope.

Let me tell you about one of those young women.  She was a twenty-one year old who found herself in Brandon after hitchhiking from Pennsylvania.  The first time I saw her she was black and blue after having been beaten by the man she was staying with.

Dear LifeCare Partners,

As I reflect on this past year as official Executive Director, I am extremely humbled and blessed that the Lord has anointed me to carry on the life-giving ministry that He called Cookie to begin 25 years ago!  I realize God has not called me to try to fill Cookie’s shoes (no one could ever take her place!), He has appointed me to build on and expand the spiritual foundation of ministry and leadership Cookie has successfully fulfilled and grown over these years.

I am truly grateful for the strength and faithfulness of our God as The Provider and Sustainer of this ministry through the partnership He is providing through YOU!  Together, because of your investment in the Kingdom of God through LifeCare, we experienced the Presence and Power of God working in and among us in 2011.

I read the Christmas card.  The printed part was very nice, and then I got to the part that was written by the person who sent it.  The words caused a lump in my throat, you know, the kind that lets you know that you’re about to cry.  This is what it said, “I love you, sweet friend!  I don’t know how to express how much you mean to me!”  It’s really hard sometimes to say or write words describing your inner most feelings about someone who is very close.