Choosing Hope

How Molly Jones Conquers Anxiety Through Christ and Service

By Camryn Whaley

A friendly face: Molly Jones, Executive Director of The Hope Center, stands proudly outside the office on Howard Street. Molly took on the director position in 2018 and has dedicated herself to making sure Hope is a compassionate, supportive, and safe space.

This post has been made possible by our wonderful partner The Hope Center.

Molly Jones has always had the desire to help people. By the age of six, she was already volunteering alongside her mother at a pregnancy resource center in Boone. Little did she know that years later she would become Executive Director of that very same pregnancy center, playing a vital part in supporting young women as they encounter life-changing decisions.

Molly Jones (formerly Petrey), a Boone native, has spent her entire life here. Like many of us who reside in the High Country, her grandparents laid down roots in town long ago. Ruth and Earl Petrey, like their granddaughter, made incredible contributions to the community over their lifetimes and were equally well known and respected as pillars of Boone United Methodist Church. 

Earl was a lifelong teacher and advocate for the Watauga County School system, where he held the roles of teacher, principal, and school board member. Ruth was a well-known volunteer who dedicated herself to causes such as the Angel Tree program and Prison Fellowship, and even founded the very first Child Development Center in Boone for families dealing with socio-economic struggles. It’s clear that Molly has followed in their footsteps into a life of community service motivated by the Lord.

The Hope Center

The Hope Center is a faith-based non-profit organization located in downtown Boone and offers young women and men a range of support services related to unexpected pregnancies and motherhood. Staffed by a team of hard-working, passionate women, Hope is exceptionally important to the community of Boone and beyond. Molly has been volunteering for and donating to Hope for nearly her entire life and feels a special connection to their purpose and approach.

“I was always interested and passionate about helping people, and had a special place in my heart for women with pregnancies they didn’t anticipate,” Molly said.

In 2014, then-Executive Director Brian Lowe presented an unexpected opportunity to Molly—a part-time office manager position at Hope, an organization she had admired and wanted to work with permanently for years. She gladly accepted. 

Excelling in her administrative role, Molly took on more responsibilities and became an essential part of Hope’s operations. Her passion for helping people and her many years of experience made her the top candidate for the open position of Executive Director, which she accepted in 2018.

A beacon of Hope: located in the heart of downtown Boone, The Hope Center offers critical services that support young women who are going through unexpected pregnancies. Among these are medical services, mentorship programs, and even scholarships to help mothers finish their education.

More Than Statistics

In her time at Hope, Molly has not only learned how to operate the center on an administrative level, but also how to provide the compassion that is so essential to helping pregnant women, especially to those who have no other support system in place. 

“I’ve learned to view people as, well, people, unique image bearers who all carry a story”

It was during one of her first appointments with a client when Molly came to realize that the women who walked through the doors at Hope were much more than statistics. 

"She was a real person with real thoughts, feelings, fears, and hardships—just like me and other people I knew,” Molly said.

Seeing the vulnerability and humanity of these women firsthand changed Molly’s way of thinking about providing pregnancy support.

“I’ve learned to view people as, well, people,” she said. “Unique image bearers who all carry a story.”

A Beacon of Support

With the help of current Director Molly Jones, previous Director Brian Lowe, and an amazing team of hard-working women, Hope has developed many invaluable programs designed to offer young women in the community judgment-free services motivated by compassion, knowledge, and most of all, support.

All of Hope’s services are completely free and confidential, and include medical procedures such as pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and STI testing. But Hope’s support doesn’t end when a patient’s appointment ends—they offer many supplementary services to assist women during and after pregnancy as well.

For instance, Hope offers the “Yes, She Can!” Student Mom Scholarship, which provides invaluable financial support for college students who are pregnant or mothers, a vital component to completing their education. Since the scholarship’s 2013 inception, over $100,000 has been awarded to student mothers, made entirely possible by contributions from the community.

Another program that Hope offers is Journey Through Motherhood Mentoring, a mentorship program where women who have been through similar experiences can help to guide pregnant women and new mothers in building a support system and teach them comprehensive information about pregnancy and motherhood.

One of Hope’s most touching programs is Showers of Hope, a program in which local churches and organizations arrange to throw baby showers for women going through unintended pregnancies. These showers can be a priceless, uplifting experience for pregnant women, especially for those who are not supported by their families and friends. Hope works tirelessly to make sure these women know that they are never truly alone.

Though Molly’s hard work has been a blessing both to her and her community, and she has been a beacon of support for many, that doesn’t mean her experience has been without personal challenges of her own.

Struggles With Anxiety

“I recall my first panic attack being when I was 18,” Molly said. “I have never been able to pinpoint an exact cause, but they continued throughout my twenties and into my early thirties.”

Debilitating anxiety and panic attacks have plagued Molly for years, at times becoming so bad that she recollects brushing her teeth felt like a huge accomplishment. Even basic actions like walking and talking became completely impossible for her during a panic attack.

“Thankfully, these attacks would only last five minutes or less and I normally always had someone around to help talk me out of that state,” Molly said.

At first, Molly was hesitant to share her struggles with anxiety with her fellow churchgoers, afraid they would think her crazy or even shun her from the community. But she decided to let herself be vulnerable and was met with a rally of support and kindness, and even connected with other people who had experienced similar things. 

“By opening up, I found that my church community was more than willing to help, talk me through it, and offer encouragement,” Molly said.

Words of comfort: a painting displayed in the client room; a space meant for families. At Hope, a professional, caring staff and a healing environment surround clients who are dealing with difficult situations.

The Lord Has A Plan

Though anxiety can be treated, it can still be a lifelong struggle for many people. Molly admits that she still has bad days, especially in such an uncertain and rapidly changing time. However, she has found several ways to manage her anxiety and find peace through God and her church community.

“Counseling with a licensed, professional Christian counselor has been instrumental in helping me weed out root issues and learn healthy coping mechanisms for days when I’m more anxious,” Molly said. “I think there is a lot of stigma surrounding visiting a therapist, but it has been one of the ways God has helped me.”

“Everyone struggles. It’s normal and can be a great opportunity to drop walls and allow the Lord to meet us in our struggles. ”

Molly has come to realize that her anxiety does not control her—in fact, her struggles with her mental health have made her value vulnerability and compassion more than ever. These values clearly translate to her role at Hope, where staff emphasize a combination of medical, emotional, and practical resources to support their patients, and even offer in-house options for professional counseling.

“Everyone struggles. It’s normal and can be a great opportunity to drop down walls and allow the Lord to meet us in our struggle,” Molly said.

Love, acceptance, and compassion lie at the core of what Hope is about, and Molly Jones is living proof of that message. Her empathy and kindness have helped to shape Hope into the organization it is today.

“[God] has softened my heart towards those that are marginalized and overlooked in our society by giving me a small glimpse into how he sees them,” Molly said.

Above all, what The Hope Center has to offer women and men in times of uncertainty is summed up right in the organization’s name—hope. Even in times of turmoil and doubt, the Lord has a plan for your life and your purpose no matter who you are, no matter what you’re struggling with. 

“Life is full of disappointments and times when you have no idea what is going on or what is being accomplished,” Molly said. “He has taught me that it’s in those times that He is working ALL things for my good and His glory. All I’m called to do is to patiently and obediently trust Him.” 

If you or someone you know is pregnant and struggling, or you’re interested in making a donation, please visit www.choosehope.org for more information.

This article was originally written for the Winter 2020 Edition of the Journey Magazine.