Hope House: Hope’s Story
Hope is a 34-year-old Central Asian woman. When our director met her, Hope was in her 35th week of pregnancy and was determined not to keep her baby. The father was unwilling to have anything to do with her during the pregnancy, and he did not want to accept the child. Hope said she planned to leave the baby at the birthing hospital after delivery. She feared not only that her baby would never be accepted but also that with a newborn on her hands, she would be unable to continue supporting her family. Hope also worried that if her mother found out about her pregnancy, she might mistreat her other two children who were being cared for by her mother back in their homeland.
On October 16, 2020, Hope gave birth to a baby boy. The child was born early at 36 weeks. Though the labor was difficult, her shame and fear dissipated, and Hope changed her decision regarding giving up her child. During Hope’s postpartum recovery, our staff remained in contact with her, taking baby items and supplies as needed. Hope was grateful for the help and support she received.
Our house mom continued to develop a relationship with Hope throughout 2021, bringing her groceries, counseling her, encouraging her, and providing advice. In April 2021, Hope made the decision to get trained as a manicurist so that she could support herself. Our house mom invited her to stay at Hope House during her two, 10-day training sessions. During that time, staff and volunteers helped care for the baby, paving the way to intentionally pursue deeper faith conversations. Hope commented that she had never experienced love like she received from our staff; she now considers our house mom to be like a mother to her.
We praise God that He is working in the life of this migrant mom, Hope. She has been afraid of the rejection and shame she might face if her family found out about her unplanned pregnancy. She asked the maternity home staff to pray for her situation, and God gave her the courage to tell her mom, who responded with great understanding. Pray that migrant moms like Hope would respond in faith and trust God with their whole life. Pray for our staff to have ongoing opportunities to share with other moms in crisis.
Alliance Women is committed to prayer and financial support for the Hope House maternity home ministry in Eastern Europe. We have set a goal to raise $20,000 for this life-giving ministry to migrant women.
To participate, please visit www.alliancewomen.org/give.
Download Hope’s Story
