Community outreach is part of Glory Reborn’s weekly schedule. There is a deep need that lies beyond the clinic walls, and this deep need motivates our team to be faithful in our community outreaches. Why is it important to go beyond the clinic walls and into the poorest parts of the community?
One example is our patient Mary (not her real name) who lives in the dumpsite community. Mary was brought to the clinic by some of our team members. During one of our visits to the dumpsite, our staff noticed that Mary was pregnant and sadly had not had even one prenatal checkup.
Apart from not having access to quality maternal healthcare, we found out that Mary was a victim of abuse, which resulted to an unwanted pregnancy.
Due to the circumstances of the abuse, living in the dumpsite and the overwhelming thought of being a young, single mother, Mary had been contemplating abortion.
In the safety of the Glory Reborn clinic, our team took the time to process things with Mary. She told us that she had already attempted to take her own life several times. This is a very sad thing for us to know and an important part of why our ministry approaches patients individually, holistically, with both physical and spiritual investment to each mother and baby.
When her family found out about Mary’s pregnancy, they made it clear to her that the baby was not welcome. They were already living below the poverty line and did not even want to consider another mouth to feed. Heartbroken over the absence of support from her family, Mary lost hope. This is when our team met Mary at the dumpsite.
With grateful hearts we note that now, after much prayer, quality healthcare and ministering to Mary, she decided to keep her baby, and has been faithfully coming in for her prenatal checkups. There is nothing like seeing your growing baby moving on the ultrasound screen and hearing that precious heartbeat beating so strong. Hope arises! Life is growing! Hearts are healing!
If we had not gone out that day to visit the dumpsite community, we wouldn’t have met Mary. The prevalence of suicide in the world today is alarming and heartbreaking. We believe that God has placed us right where we are for such a time as this, for such a person as Mary, because every life is worth investing in. Just as we have received the hope of Jesus Christ, we bring this life and hope to the nation, one mother and one baby at a time!
We are eager to see the Lord’s plans and purposes for Mary and her baby’s life unfold as Mary prepares herself to take care of her child’s every need from the womb to the outside world. Thank you for helping us reach the community, and enabling us to minister to women like Mary.
For in Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
Where is God leading you today?
Blessings, Hilary