Haven of Hope helps mother reclaim life

By Misti Strader
Tribune-Courier News Editor
mstrader@tribunecourier.com

Editor’s note: To protect her anonymity, the name of the subject in this story has been changed to “Jennifer.”

BENTON – Jennifer was a single mother of twins, a methamphetamine addict and had recently aborted her unborn child.

The day she walked into Haven of Hope, she was met by a worker who said the words, “God is going to do great things with you.”

“I remember thinking, you don’t know me. You don’t know how bad I am. Who are you to tell me that God has any sort of a plan for my life,” she said.

More than two years have gone by since that day and Jennifer says she could never have imagined how true those words she heard would eventually prove to be.

“I was all alone in this world. My parents divorced when I was five years old, my mother was a bipolar alcoholic, my sister now lives in a personal-care home and my youngest brother is in prison. So, I really have had no one.”

Jennifer recalls struggling with a fierce drug addiciton while trying to cope in an abusive realationship. She said she entered a four-month rehabilitation center in an effort to get her life back on track.

“My grandmother, who was the only thing close to a parental figure I had ever known, passed away from cancer right after I got out of rehab. So, it was just me, my two little babies and the words of that woman from Haven of Hope. That is all I had to hold on to.”

Jennifer said the loss of her grandmother and consequental death of her mother shortly after, caused her to “backslide” in her recovery efforts.

Sitting at home in what she referred to as a “run-down trailer,” Jennifer experienced the first moment of change coming into her life.

“I raised my hands in the air and prayed for God to hold my hand and not let go. I knew I had to change and I didn’t want to be just another statistic.”

It was during that tumultuous time in her life that Jennifer discovered she was once again pregnant.

With tears welling in her eyes she said, “It was then that I felt all hope was gone.”

She recalled thinking about having another abortion. “It seemed like the easy way out to me.”

But thinking back to the day when she first found herself lying on a table in an abortion clinic, things began to change in her mind.

“They patted me on the back and told me I had done such a good job right after I had killed my child. I didn’t understand how anyone could say that. It was almost too much to comprehend.”

Once again, Jennifer found herself in the familiar company of the volunteers at Haven of Hope.

“I remember the drive up to to the facility. I wondered what they might say about me and how horrible they might have thought I was when they learned what I had done,” she said.

But as Jennifer walked through the doorway of Haven of Hope, she was met a smile, open arms and a prayer.

“They never once told me how I had messed up my life, only that God loved me,” she recalled. “I knew after talking to the people there that day, that an abortion was not the right decision for me. I had to try to get my life together for myself and for my children,” she said.

Jennifer took home pamphlets about adoption. She and her boyfriend began going to the center and learning about the adoption process, watching videos and reading literature.

It was during that time that Jennifer said the two began going to church and attributes her regained faith with her being able to successfully overcome her addiction, ensuring a healthy pregnancy for her unborn child and a better life for her twins.

A few months later, Jennifer gave birth to a healthy baby boy, with the support of her family and friends.

“The day I looked into his eyes changed my life forever. I no longer felt alone and ashamed. I felt like a real woman, one who was making the right decision for her child.”

Since then, Jennifer has worked with HOH, sharing her story with other women who might be considering abortion.

“I don’t think there is anything you can really say to someone that is set on having an abortion, you have to show them,” Jennifer said. “I look at my child’s eyes and nose, ears and lips and know that I created it all. I gave him life and I have given him a better life by allowing him to go to a loving home. He didn’t have a choice in this, but he deserved to live. He would not have had that if I had gone through with the abortion.”

Jennifer looks back now and says she can’t believe how God has helped her through some of the darkest hours of her life.
“I remember looking around and wondering where God was during those times in my life, and now it is clear to me. Just like the Footprints in the Sand poem, he was carrying me the whole time.”

Haven of Hope logged more than 760 clients visits. last year alone. They rely soley on the generosity of the community for the continued success of their program.

Every year, the center hosts a “bottle drive” where baby bottles are dispersed throughout the community, each displaying the name of a child assisted by the center.

This year’s bottle drive started on Sunday, which was Sanctity of Human Life day. Some 1,600 bottles were dispersed to county churches and area businesses for donations.

If you are interested in donating to Haven of Hope, please call 527-4111.