Hope Group Testimonies: “A life-changer”

Spring Hope Group registration is currently open. This semester only in-person groups will be offered. We will resume online groups in Fall 2018 with the launch of a new study! Learn more about Spring 2018 groups and locations >> HERE. Are you on the fence about joining an in-person group near you? Read the testimonies below of other Hope Moms and their encouraging experiences with Hope Groups! We praise God for the comfort He gives us that we can in turn share with each other (2 Cor. 1:3-5).

“I participated in the I am study with leaders Paige and Chelsea in the Brenham/College Station chapter. I joined because I wanted to get more involved with the chapter and with Hope Mommies in general. I really enjoyed the study and the content even though I truthfully only finished about half of it (I’ve been meaning to go back to it!) My son Judah, my first rainbow baby, was born right while our study was going on and I kind of petered out after that. But, the girls were such a good support system for me during that time. My hope baby, Julianne, would have been one on 9-16-17 just 5 days after her brother was born on 9-11-17. I also have a 2.5 year old, Warner. Anyway, I struggled with postpartum depression and had several anxiety attacks during those few weeks after his birth. I won’t go into the details but I was so frustrated with myself. I had a healthy baby boy in my arms and couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get it together. Julianne’s first birthday was harder than I expected and Judah’s life lining up with all of her anniversaries was tough for me. Sometime during our hope group, I was telling the girls through Facebook messenger what I was dealing with and Paige Meyer said something to me that really helped me have more grace for myself in that time. She reminded me that having a baby after loss isn’t always so magical. It’s hard and it’s real life.

I think I had envisioned all of these unicorn, perfect scenarios when it came to life after loss. I could turn this into a whole other testimony but I’m trying to keep this fairly short. Having a baby is hard so don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go the way you imagined. I was very thankful to have my Hope Group’s support during that season. The content of the study also helped me refocus on God and his character. I was reminded of lots of truths that I had kind of lost sight of after losing Julianne. I’m very glad I did it and am so looking forward to the retreat in March!”

Krisann Watson
Hope Mom to Julianne

“Joining a Hope Group was a life-changer for me. I have a great support system, but I still felt so alone in my grief journey. From the first night we met, I felt a connection with the other moms, a sisterhood that we didn’t ask for but shared anyway. Hearing our leader speak the names of my babies did something so healing for my mama heart. We discussed some really hard things but we did it together. Even though our study is over, we still message and pray for each other. Most importantly, my heart is full of hope in our Lord that I had had trouble seeing in the midst of the grief.”

Debbie Garner
Hope Mom to Grace, Trevor, and Micah

“Heartbroken, devastated, grief stricken…these are just a few of the emotions that I experienced in the past year. My baby girl Aleksandra was born 2 months early last March and passed away 82 days later due to a genetic disorder called Trisomy 18.  My husband and I knew prior to her birth that she had both spina bifida and a heart defect but we were unaware of her genetic diagnosis.  A Christ follower my whole life the day she passed I felt like my whole world had been shaken.  There were so, so many questions—Why her? Why us? Thankfully the chaplain at the hospital the day she passed away at gave me a beautiful box and then asked me to wait to open it until I got home. A few days after her passing I opened that beautiful Hope Box and found a number of things including the Anchored Bible Study.  In the days and weeks that followed her passing I worked thru the Anchored book chapter by chapter and was led thru biblically based answers to so many of my questions as well as hearing other Hope Mommies stories.  God had not forgotten me, He was slowly leading me to His Word and asking me to lean in closer to Him and take refuge in Him.

I explored the Hope Mommies website and discovered Hope Groups. I felt led to sign up for a group that would go through the book, I AM. What a blessing this Hope Group has been to me! God blessed me with a community that understood the daily struggle of grief. I have been able to be ‘real’ with my feelings and I have been reminded that I am not alone—that God sees me, He sees my struggle, and He sees my grief.  Our Hope Group worked chapter by chapter thru the I AM book, listened to each other voice our daily struggles, and lifted each other up in prayer.

My journey with grief continues—there are good days and bad days but I have been able to add unending hope to my list of emotions much in part due to God leading me to join a Hope Group and to God using the Hope Mommies Organization to minister to women who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss.”

Brittany Mondlak
Hope Mom to Aleksandra