Chapter Spotlight: Brenham-College Station Chapter

What’s happening in Brenham-College Station:

In 2014, our son, Caleb Jene, arrived prematurely and 13 hours later went to be with Jesus. My family had also lost my father unexpectedly just 15 weeks earlier. Out of season of immense loss, I desperately sought purpose in the pain. I clung to Jesus as I attempted to navigate each day, and felt God very clearly tell me over and over that my healing would come through serving.   

In the months following our loss, I learned about Hope Mommies. The thing that intrigued me the most were the Hope Boxes. I left The Woman’s Hospital of Texas months earlier with a box that was sweet and so precious to me, but I was so burdened that nothing in it pointed to Hope in Jesus or community. I had that hope already, but what about all the other families that didn’t?

Out of that desire for hope birthed the Hope Mommies Brenham-College Station Chapter in November of 2016. We have seen God do beyond all that we could ask or think. He has been so faithful to sustain us, and we have been amazed as we watch the Lord do things that can only make us stand back in awe as we say, “But God!”  

This year, we have assembled 775 Hope Boxes through individual and chapter Box Gatherings, which is a far cry from the 75 we assembled in 2016. We currently serve 20 hospitals, doctor’s offices, and crisis pregnancy centers. Our need continues to grow exponentially, but we trust God’s faithfulness as we walk in obedience to minister to these families.   

We host Monthly Meet-ups in Brenham and in the College Station area. These are a great way to meet other Hope Mommies, share about your Hope Baby, receive encouragement, and walk through your grief journey with others who understand what you are facing. We also do fun events throughout the year such as a Board & Brush craft day, cookie decorating classes, dessert dates, and sharing lots of sweet conversations over dinner or coffee. 

This summer, we hosted an in-person Hope Group in the College Station area for Hope Moms. It was a sweet time of fellowship, growth, encouragement, and sharing of stories. In October, we hosted our third Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness event, and it was beautiful! The Lord moved in a mighty way, and we so honored to be able to celebrate the lives of over 100 Hope Babies. 

We pray that you would consider joining this community of women in the coming days. We know this is not a club any of us wanted to join, but we are so grateful through it all that we have each other to walk this difficult road with.  

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Hope Mom Testimonies:

This past summer, an in-person Bible study was offered, and I was hesitant. Hesitant to sign up, and hesitant to sit in a room full of women I didn’t know, who also experienced the sting of loss like I had. But I needed community.

For so long, I felt like such an outcast because of my grief. People who were my friends became distant, and those who pressed in didn’t fully understand because they hadn’t known loss. I knew deep down how important it was to be around others who could speak life into my loss. So I put aside the doubt, fear, and worry, and signed up for my first Hope Group session.

When I say it was life-changing, I really mean it was heart-changing. I still had doubt and fear when I walked into that room the first night, but that quickly slipped away. Comfort, love, and friendship quickly took its place. I’m so thankful I finally pressed deeper into Hope Mommies, instead of just watching from the sidelines of social media. My heart is forever changed by the love and encouragement I’ve found in this community of genuine and amazing women. I have friendships, opportunities to serve, and a place to speak my hope babies’ name. 

Nearly one year ago, I received a box. I never knew what this box would mean or how it would change my life. It was October 3, 2018. I remember gathering my things to go home from the hospital. I was thinking about how strange it felt to be leaving there empty-handed. The tiny life that once lived inside me was no longer there or in my arms. I felt hopeless, and thought, “This cannot be it.” I couldn’t even begin to think about what life was going to look or feel like in the days to come. 

As I packed my final things, the nurse brought me a box. It was blue with pink roses. The roses, oh the roses. What a sweet little kiss on my cheek from God. Earlier that day, before I delivered our baby girl, the word “rose” played over and over in my head. I decided it would be her middle name, and my husband and I decided that we would let our other two kids name her in the days to come.

Even though I left the hospital without my baby in my arms, I did not leave empty-handed. I left with a literal box of hope. I opened the box right when I got home. I read the note and saw all the love that was poured into it, and suddenly didn’t feel as alone. 

I researched the Hope Mommies organization, started following them on facebook and Instagram, and just watched from the distance for most of the year. I wanted to reach out, but I was so scared. It was a step I just was not quite sure I was ready to take. 

God had a plan though. A special Hope Mommy heard my story and reached out to me. I felt God stirring in my heart, but I still did not feel ready to reach out to fully explore all that Hope Mommies is. God had another plan. A friend invited me to a special dinner. She invited several women that God put on her heart. That night when I arrived, that special Hope Mommy was standing in the kitchen of my friend’s home. I ran to her and gave her a big hug. Then, I met another special Hope Mommy that had been invited as well. I also learned that someone I already knew that was at the same dinner was also a Hope Mommy, and I had no idea she lost her baby around the same time I did. God placed these amazing women in my life, leading me to take the leap and go to my first group gathering. 

I arrived at the meeting at a local restaurant and could not make it past the hostess stand. I was a mess, in tears and ready to run. I texted my new Hope Mommy friend and she came to my rescue. She met me upfront with open arms and told me it was ok and that the first time is always hard. I took my seat with these other amazing women. Everyone’s story was different, but we all shared the same pain. It changed my life forever. Iattended my first Hope Mommies retreat this October. 

Hope Mommies was a gift from God. It started with a box and continues with new friendships I will cherish forever. My Bella Rose has so many sweet friends to play with in heaven.

I love every second of any meetup I’m able to attend and every event I’m able to be a part of. Hope Mommies BCS has blessed me in more ways than I can express in a short testimony. I’m welcomed, loved, and understood, and my daughter is spoken of freely. I love being a part of a group that sees my daughter as someone who is not someone who was. She is living her life in heaven, and I find hope in that. This group reminds me of that, even from afar, through Facebook. Sometimes when life takes over and things get busy and I barely have two seconds to think of my daughter, I need a place to run where I can focus on only her. Hope Mommies BCS is one of those outlets for me. I’m so thankful for this ministry and especially this chapter.

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Pray for Brenham-College Station

• Pray for new opportunities to engage rural communities in our chapter
• Pray for the Lord to continue to provide financially for all of our needs
• Pray that we will continue to be obedient to the call the Lord has placed on our lives as we reach others with the Gospel
• Pray for our volunteers that give endlessly of their resources, energy, and time away from family to carry on the responsibilities of running the chapter.

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Hope Mommies Chapters assist in our mission to share the Hope of Christ with bereaved mothers and families experiencing infant loss by serving their local communities through providing on-the-ground support in their geographical area.

Would you like to see a local chapter in your area?

We are currently accepting new Chapter applications.
Submissions will be accepted July 1, 2019 – January 31, 2020.

Learn more and apply here!

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