VOLUNTEERS - The Heart of the Ministry

"I have been a Client Advocate for Life Choices for just under two years.  What brought me to Life Choices is God.  Sue Parker spoke at my church, New Hope Christian Church, around Christmas.  I felt Life Choices' mission would be a good fit with my beliefs.  Over the next week God wouldn't let me let it go.  I called just after the New Year to inquire about where I might serve.  What I wasn't prepared for was the intense training, the girls who would tug at my heart long after they left our facility, and the impact on my life and values that I have experienced from being a volunteer at Life Choices.  The staff is unsurpassed in their commitment to the girls and volunteers who come to Life Choices.

 

What keeps me coming back is knowing that Life Choices really makes a difference.  Where else would the girls go and be received in a loving non-judgmental way and provided with such a wide range of information and services?  This is of utmost importance to me.  How can change be brought about if not by receiving information that will allow an informed decision and being provided with a network of support while working through the issues that many times seem insurmountable.  As I learned in going

through training at Life Choices, if you  want to serve, there is a place for you.

 

My favorite part of counseling is going through fetal development and being in the ultrasound room when the Client sees her baby for the first time. I'm always humbled when I see the heart beat or a hand move.  It's seeing a miracle for the first time each time. The clients who come in have varied needs, and I feel good to be able to tell them about our programs such as Taking Baby Steps, H.O.P.E., and Forgiven and Set Free.  We never know who is listening or what we say that may make a real difference in someone's life.

 

I am truly honored to be able to serve as a volunteer for Life Choices.  I have received far more through my service than I have given.

 

                                                                                         Mary Ann Albert

                                                                                         Client Advocate

 

     "Once a week I come to Life Choices and volunteer as an Event and Public Relations Volunteer.  I worked here three days a week for a year and when that time was up, I still wanted to be a part of this great cause.  What if my daughter who became pregnant at the age of 15, had made the choice for abortion?  I would never have known my awesome grandson, Rob.  He is now 21 years old and has been such a joy in my life.  He spent a great deal of his growing up years in my home, and I cherish the many memories.

                                                                                                                                                        Martha Hart - Events and PR      Please keep Life Choices in your daily prayers and continue to support

this wonderful organization."                        

           

 

 

Jennifer Knight - Events and PR Volunteer

"By the end of the first Life Choices banquet I attended three years ago, I knew God was calling me to volunteer and support this amazing organization I had just learned about.  I went through my volunteer training and observed during several counseling sessions.  I quickly  realized office counseling was not where God had gifted me.  I shared this with Amanda, and she took an inventory of what I enjoyed doing and immediately matched me up with Beth in Events and Public Relations. I love all the fun and varied jobs I get to be a part of with Beth, and each week's service opportunities are completely different from the week before.

 

What a blessing it is for me to be a part of an organization where I know the staff and feel my time each week truly makes a difference in the effectiveness of the ministry.  There are so many amazing agencies in Memphis, but I know that the hours I spend at Life Choices are helping to make a difference in the lives of women and their babies all over the city.  We are called in Ephesians 5:15-17 to "live life then with a due sense of responsibility, not as people who do not know the meaning of life, but as those who do.  Make the best use of your time, despite all the evils of these days.  Don't be vague but grasp firmly what you know to be the will of the Lord."