When I woke up that day, I was completely unaware that my life was about to change forever. I was in college at Texas State University and was visiting my hometown in Haiti on New Year’s Eve of 2017. I was on my way to help in an orphanage where I had been a volunteer for several years when I saw a crowd of about 20 people around a trash can. There was an infant child crying hysterically and lying naked in the trash, covered with fire ants. The people around the trash were just staring at the child. There is a… Read More
Children
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When a young single girl gets a positive pregnancy test, she is scared and confused. A lot of times, she doesn’t know what to do with the baby or where to turn, and usually ends up frantically searching for information on the Internet. And that is the reason StandUpGirl.com was created. Our online Christian ministry is a virtual pregnancy resource center that is available to these girls anytime and anywhere in the world. StandUpGirl.com helps these girls find life-affirming information that we hope helps them to choose life for their baby. On the website and social media, she'll find thousands of personal… Read More
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Life can be very difficult and challenging for any child that doesn’t have a secure home environment. And I certainly did not. My father wasn’t in my life and my mom was an alcoholic. She went to rehab and thought she was better, but relapsed and was unable to care for me. At age 10, I was taken to Big Oak Ranch, a Christian home for children needing to find a loving, stable environment. Most every child that lives in a home like this is riddled with doubts, no matter how good the children’s home may be. Are we loved? Why are… Read More
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When I was pregnant with my second child, I went in for a routine doctor’s appointment at 19 weeks. I was stunned when the doctor came back and told me our son would be born with a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palate. I instantly became a pool of tears. The doctor really didn’t know how to handle such a diagnosis. He told me to pick a strong name for my son and then hurried me out the door. Our family was shocked. I felt alone and desperate. I could only focus on the television images I’d seen where… Read More
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I understand how important a loving, stable environment is to the well-being of a child. I grew up with parents who were continually trying to figure out their marriage and careers. Because of that, I was often left alone. Except during summer! The excitement and anticipation grew throughout the end of the school year, knowing that I would soon board the plane that connected me to my grandmother’s world; a world of consistency, encouragement, and fun! As I grew older each year, the excitement of those months never diminished. I still cannot wait for the time to come to visit Grammy… Read More
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On December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire ripped through my neighborhood in Boulder County, Colorado, with winds recorded at 115 miles per hour. The devastation was catastrophic, with over 1,000 of my community’s homes completely destroyed. My husband and I were watching the news, and it grieved me to see what had happened to our neighbors. We had previously lived in an area where friends had lost their homes, so we knew how devastating this was for a family. I prayed right then, asking God how I could help, how to make a real impact in this disaster. And I got a… Read More