Chapter Spotlight: West Texas

What’s happening in West Texas:

The West Texas chapter was formed in May, 2016 to help support the mission of Hope Mommies by sharing the hope of Jesus Christ and creating local support to moms and families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss. Our chapter has experienced a lot of change in the past year as we continued to grow daily in the number of families we support. This growth was beginning to take a toll on our leadership and volunteer team, which caused us to look at how we could better serve our area with our time and resources. 

Prior to October, 2019, we provided this support in the larger communities of Midland, Odessa, Lubbock, San Angelo, and Abilene, as well as the smaller communities within 50-100 miles of these major cities. We made the decision to split our chapter, and this is when the new Hope Mommies Heart of Texas chapter began. Our West Texas chapter now serves the cities of Midland, Odessa, Lubbock, and surrounding areas; and the Heart of Texas chapter absorbed the cities of Abilene and San Angelo. This change has proven to be a good one as it has allowed us to better serve the area of West Texas. 

We continue to be a thriving chapter with the many partnerships we have with hospitals, funeral homes, doctor’s offices, businesses, and churches in the area of these three major cities. We are excited to see where the Lord takes our chapter in 2020 as we have many goals to expand awareness to new Hope Moms and partnerships with anyone that serves the loss community in West Texas. God has richly blessed our chapter with so many wonderful women, and while we wish we didn’t have to exist, we are so glad our chapter is available to these families, helping them know they aren’t alone. 

Hope Boxes are the heart and soul of Hope Mommies, and our chapter has gained awareness and involvement from the gifting of these boxes to moms after loss. We host chapter gatherings to put together these boxes two to three times a year where we invite Hope Moms, families, and the community to join us. In addition to these boxes being available at our local events, we also have a request form where Hope Moms, friends, or family can request boxes to be given to those who have not received a box after loss. 

• In 2016 HMWTX assembled and provided around 100 boxes to West TX families
• In 2017 and 2018 combined HMWTX assembled and provided around 700 boxes and had three families with personal gatherings provide 160 boxes. 
• In 2019 alone HMWTX assembled and provided around 500 Hopes Boxes to West TX families
• In 2020 HMWTX has already assembled 200 Hope Boxes in January to be available for our Hope Moms.  

Our chapter also provides monthly social gatherings in Lubbock and Midland to give local support to grieving mothers, as well as family events planned a couple times a year. These are great to help provide the in-person support and community that so many long for after their loss. Life-long friendships are made in an environment where everyone feels seen and heard, and knows that they are not alone. 

Our Care and Prayer team works hard to show extra love and support to any Hope Mom that fills out our HMWTX directory and provides us with their Hope Baby information. They are given a small gift at least once, and then cards on subsequent years letting them know that we are praying for them and remembering their sweet baby along with them. We also have plans to send extra love in the mail during special holidays such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and October during the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. We want every West Texas mom and family to feel loved and know that their baby is loved, cherished, and never forgotten. 

Our fundraisers and memorial events are another important element that make up our chapter. We host and partner with many local ministries supporting the loss community that provide events for the October 15^th Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness day. All information for these events is provided on our chapter Facebook page. Our big memorial and fundraising event for 2020 will be a 5K/1mile run in Midland, Texas. It will be on Saturday, October 10 at Midland College in observance of the National Pregnancy and Infant loss awareness month. We have hosted two in the past, both in April, and each was a huge success that provided much needed funds. But most importantly, they provided a place for West Texas families to come together to remember their babies gone too soon. Our 5K event includes a 5K race and 1 mile fun run, a silent auction/raffle, a Hope Baby memorial, live music, bounce houses and other family entertainment, food trucks, and a balloon release. Stay tuned to more information in the near future!

We fully support and encourage participation in Hope Mommies events, such as the annual retreats, which we offer scholarships for and have provided over ten scholarships for Chapter Hope Moms since 2017. We also participate in Hope Groups and are hosting an in-person group in Midland for the 2020 spring session. We hope to expand the availability of these in-person Bible studies in the coming months. 

Losing my firstborn daughter, Blair Nicole, in 2011 was the hardest thing I have ever had to endure. I was desperate to make something good come from something bad, and Hope Mommies has given me that platform to share the good and relate to the hardships in life. The life-saving hope of Jesus, and sharing that with others, has given greater purpose to the loss of Blair. God has truly made beauty from the ashes of my broken heart, and it has been such a blessing to see God use suffering for His glory. Leading the West Texas Chapter as the president for the last three and a half years has been such an honor and something I hold dear. I have loved serving Hope Mommies in this capacity, and so many blessings have come from saying yes to the Lord’s call on my life to start this chapter. I have made some of my closest friends, watched as the Lord brought in funds upon funds to continue our mission, and seen how much this ministry has touched each of the moms we serve through the countless emails, messages, encouragement, involvement, growth, and support we have received. We are truly doing the Lord’s work together and it has been awesome to be a part of it!

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Serving with Hope,

Hope Mom Testimonies:

On July 14, 2018, and then again, the following year, on July 22, 2019, I had to give my beautiful girls, Dylan Paige and Ava Lane, back to the Lord. I felt so helpless and alone leaving the hospital empty handed. Walking out of those doors without having what my heart so very much desired is a feeling forever etched on my heart. I was not completely empty handed though. Yes, my arms were empty and longing for my girls, but in my lap, I held onto a box. I was literally holding a box full of hope in my lap. 

I didn’t realize at the time how close the Lord truly was in those early moments, but He was closer than ever. He was guiding my heart to a place of healing, a place of hope. I can’t say that I even remember all of its content, but when I finally got up the nerve to open that box, I do remember the path it set me on. Hope Mommies not only helped with my healing, but it gave me so much peace knowing I was not alone.

The West Texas Hope Mommies Chapter gave me a place to open up and speak Dylan and Ava’s names while these women listened. They loved my girls and let me love their precious babies. Because of this ministry, I am able to honor my precious girls’ memories. I was introduced to other God-loving women and created lifelong friendships. God used Hope Mommies to fill up some of that empty space, gave me new and cherished friendships, and reminded me that He will never leave me nor forsake me. This chapter gave me HOPE. 

As I was thinking about the ways Hope Mommies has impacted my life, I began to ponder on the symbol of the anchor they use. After a bit of research about anchors, I was amazed at what I found.

During the Roman persecution of Christians, the anchor was a symbol marked on homes to let other Christians know that home was a safe place for Christians seeking refuge. They chose the symbol of the anchor because it symbolized strength, but more importantly because it looked the closest to a cross. An anchor also holds a ship in place during a storm.

Hope Mommies has been such a huge blessing in my life. When I lost my firstborn son, Han, on October 6, 2019, I just didn’t want to reach out or have anyone talk to me. I’m already the type of person that has a hard time asking for help, but after my son passed away I just wanted to be alone. Hope Mommies was that anchor marked on a home, letting me know I could find refuge. They have been that anchor in this storm of grief and pain.

What encouraged me to reach out to Hope Mommies was receiving my Hope Box. My fellow Hope Mommy, Laci, who is the mother of her amazing firstborn son, Kye, and two beautiful Hope babies, Dylan and Ava, delivered my box. What made this so special was that the week we buried Han, my husband and I noticed a resting place of two baby girls near his. Our hearts broke for the parents, because we knew they were living our same nightmare. So, imagine my shock when the Hope Box I received was from the mommy of those two precious girls! I truly believe it was divine intervention. I knew then that it was okay to let go and ask for help.

My local West Texas Hope Mommies has given me a purpose. It’s given me a chance to do something to honor my sweet Han. It gives me a reason to keep on serving the Lord through the Leadership ministry here in Odessa, Texas. The Hope Moms I’ve met are so brave and encouraging. I just listen to their stories of pain, grief, but also hope, and go home a better and braver person every time.

Even though I had great support from my husband, our families, and friends, I felt so alone after losing Everly. I went to my first Hope Mommies gathering six weeks after she passed. It was so nice to sit and have fellowship with other moms who understood the pain and loneliness. Hope Mommies has become a sisterhood I didn’t sign up for, but one I so desperately needed. I’ve created lifelong friendships out of the ashes.

Pray for West Texas:

• Pray for more women and families to be reached ultimately with the hope of Jesus, and be pointed to our chapter for the support they need as they navigate life after loss.
• Pray for our leadership team and volunteers as they selflessly sacrifice their time and energy to serve the women and families in West Texas.
• Pray for our upcoming event in October 2020 as all the plans come together, for financial favor, and that it would be a beacon of hope for the loss community of West Texas. 

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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?

Learn more and apply here!

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