Knit Together at the Heart

“I’ve always been pro-life,” Beth says. “After my kids grew up, I wanted to do something hands on to support moms who choose life.” So Beth reached out to One by One about mentoring a mom who had chosen life for her baby.

One by One matched Beth with Stephanie who was looking for a mentor because “I didn’t know what I was doing.” Stephanie says, “I was scared. I couldn’t get in contact with my baby’s daddy. Beth helped me stay calm by giving me advice I was looking for.”

Beth was concerned about their age difference, but, despite the gap, she and Stephanie formed a close friendship. “Our relationship has been great from the moment we first met. She was supportive of being involved with me. I’m older than her own mom, so I was surprised to see she embraced me so readily! We got together all the time. We’ve wanted to spend time together. Stephanie is very interested in learning how to be a good mom. It’s been wonderful to spend time with her.”

Stephanie adds that Beth has helped her with spiritual questions as well as with parenting questions. “She’s a spiritual mother and best friend. I needed that friendship with her. I kind of felt lost, but being with her took the chip off my shoulder. I really appreciated that. I check on her now because I look at her like a godmother to my child. She taught me a lot.”

Beth also helped Stephanie through a string of challenging obstacles. Her house was broken into and then burned, and she ended up staying in a hotel for a long period. Stephanie says she went to church with Beth a couple of times and it really opened her eyes. The church was also there to help her when her house burned by donating clothing and providing support.

Beth adds, “It’s easy to encourage Stephanie because she never quits. She really has perseverance, and she never lost hope. I was able to encourage her that God is with her and that He will strengthen her. I reminded her that we don’t always know why these difficult things happen, but Jesus has been through it all, and He will be with us as well through thick and thin.”

Stephanie absorbed the lesson and was able to support and encourage Beth when she went through a difficult loss during their time together.

Beth adds, “The Lord has affirmed again that if he calls you to something, He’s going to equip you and work it out and that it’s going to be a blessing. In watching Stephanie go through a very difficult time, I just have so much encouragement in watching these brave women, and it’s made me have a lot of empathy and compassion for things these brave women go through that I personally haven’t had to deal with. The Lord blesses all of us in different ways, and He’s certainly blessed me in the relationship I have with Stephanie even across age and cultural barriers – I feel we’re knit at the heart.”