The past few years have been tumultuous in the US in the area of pro-life vs pro-choice. Many laws have been passed, putting stricter regulations on abortion & then other laws have been passed making it easier. We see believers sitting on both sides of the debate, torn between the sanctity of life & the very real reality that a lot of the women seeking abortions are doing so because they lack the resources to care for a child after it’s born. The pro-choice side has a pretty good argument too, “it’s great, you don’t believe in taking the life of an unborn child, but who takes care of that baby once it’s outside of its mother’s womb?” We are not here to enter the debate or discuss how we got here, the fact is, we’re here & now the question becomes, how can we, as believers, truly be pro-solution for the children who make it past the abortion? That time that we are so vocal about but then seem to just take as the only victory if the woman doesn’t abort. These women may even be unaware that there are other options. That choice for life is only the first step. There is so much more that needs to happen after that decision to keep a child is made because that woman, that made that choice for life, still has obstacles to overcome with the “what’s next?” question. The stark reality is that the western church has gotten really good at telling the rest of the world what they stand against without telling them what they are for & then being a part of creating the solution. 

 

Seeing this back & forth debate has done something to my heart. It stirred in me a desire to ask the question, “what can I do, how can I make an impact with my life?” & then to ask “what can we ALL do?” I asked God these questions & in March of 2019 I very clearly heard Him speak to me “My heart is for adoption.” God was telling me what He’s for…. Not what He’s against & in that moment I decided I wanted to partner with His heart & be what He was for. I was also reminded of an event I attended only a few weeks earlier. At this event there was a speaker who had adopted several children. He spoke about God’s heart for adoption & then he asked those who felt called to adoption to stand so he could pray for them. A lot of people stood, even more didn’t. With 6 children of my own, I was one of those who didn’t. It wasn’t until that day in March, when God spoke to my heart, that I realized adoption isn’t just opening your home to children, it’s being a part of the bigger picture, being pro-solution. Maybe our household can’t physically take in a child but I can be a part of helping those who can, financially, prayerfully, with my time & resources & through support. And so can the rest of the body. How many others at that event thought that the only way was by actually adopting? How many people didn’t stand because even though they do feel called to adoption, they feel it’s out of reach with all the red tape & financial barriers they have to break through?  

I began to ask the question, how can I help to simplify the adoption process, for both birth and adoptive parents? How could I create a network of resources that would provide financial & emotional support? Over the next several weeks a plan began to formulate in my mind & in true God fashion, He began bringing people into my life who had their own adoption story. In just a few short months I have been able to witness the journey from the adoptive family’s perspective & see the different options available to those choosing to be an adoptive family, costly private attorneys, agencies & “free” government programs, all which have proven the adoption is a difficult process theory.  Then God brought someone into my life with a perspective from the other side of adoption. Ashley is a birth mother. While it also supports the adoption is a difficult process theory, her story is powerful & beautiful. Through her experience I was able to see how we are failing to provide these brave women, who choose life, with adequate support. It was at that moment that it all became abundantly clear.

 

Adoption should be a ministry.  

 

All the pieces are coming together. Ashley was brought into my life not to just learn what a birth mom experience’s but because God wants us to be partners in this endeavor. We have now purposed ourselves to pioneer this ministry & have both said yes to the mission & as a result “Shining Hope Pro-Solution Ministries” was born. Our stories are different yet intertwined. 

 

Hope is defined as “a desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment” “to cherish a desire with anticipation” & finally “a desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.” Hope is also part of the given name of the daughter our founder Ashley selflessly chose to bless the couple, who are now her parents, with. This couple, like so many other couples, had a desire accompanied by an expectation of fulfillment & they found that in Hope. Only possible because Hope’s mother chose life.  We honor Hope, her mother who carried her in her womb & the parents that God chose to raise her in our organization’s name.    

 

This ministry is a call to action to the Body of Christ. A way to get involved in becoming an answer to someone’s prayer, regardless of denomination, to truly SHINE a light in the darkness. To be the “Shining Hope” that the world needs. It’s time to be truly pro-life so that those that have a choice to make can have the support, the network around them to guide them through their choice well beyond birth. To show them that abortion isn’t the only choice. That is why we exist. Our story is still unfolding. Will you partner with us and become a part of this story that God is writing? We believe that together we can be the possibility so that God can step in & do the impossible.