Sharing Mercy And Compassion

From the Archives: 2009

Written by April Isaacs

I first got involved with Hope Pregnancy Resource Center when it was still Boone Crisis Pregnancy Center. I was a student at App State and was touched by what I read in their newsletter. I knew Ann Cook, the director of the center at that time, so I offered my services as a volunteer. Originally, I helped with office and clerical work, but it wasn’t long before I was trained to do peer counseling with clients. That developed into an offer of a part-time job in abstinence education encouraging teens to make good choices. As my involvement with the center increased I became more and more interested in counseling clients. I love being a caring ear, taking the time to listen, and helping women make informed choices about their pregnancy or their lifestyle.

In 1999, I finished my M.A. in speech pathology and left the center for a while to pursue the career I had prepared for in college. I earned my license in speech pathology and I enjoyed working with kids who I grew to love. I did that for a year and a half but it turned out that God wasn’t through with me yet at the pregnancy center.

I was approached with an offer of a full-time job as Client Services Director. It was such a hard decision to make. I loved and enjoyed speech pathology but I also had a heart for women dealing with pregnancy issues. As I prayed and studied the Bible, God seemed to be confirming in me that He wanted me to return to the center. The final confirmation came on a family vacation to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where we visited the National Memorial for the Unborn. We also had several mishaps and near accidents which made us think the devil didn’t want us to get back to Boone. The Lord had given me such a love for the pregnancy center and the women who need its services that I just had to take the job.

Throughout the process my parents were always supportive. They have encouraged me to be and do what God has prepared me to do. I accepted the Lord when I was 9 years old after a revival at our church, Brushy Fork Baptist, but it wasn’t until I went to college that I had to make my faith my own. Looking back I see where the Lord helped me make good choices. My dad told me once, “April, your testimony is that God has protected you from a lot of extra baggage in your life.”

A typical day for me at the center involves working with volunteers and carrying out some administrative responsibilities, but what I really love is sitting down with young women who think they might be pregnant and helping them determine their situation. We talk about options. I try to answer their questions and walk them through the issues they are facing. Often the biggest issues are things like how to tell parents and what to do about finishing school and other concerns such as childcare, jobs, or housing. Then I introduce the client to our nurse who can perform an ultrasound if the pregnancy test is positive.

It is very rewarding work that fits well with the spiritual gifts of compassion and mercy that God has given me. When I look back on my life I see that God has been very compassionate with me. How could I not share that with others?