Every person serving in the pregnancy help movement carries a story. For some, those stories include deep wounds, brokenness, and seasons of despair. Yet time and again, we see how God redeems the darkest chapters of our lives to prepare us for ministry that touches countless others.

Take Jean Marie Davis, for example. Trafficked from the time she was a toddler until adulthood, she endured abuse, addiction, and unimaginable trauma. It was only when she became pregnant—and connected with a compassionate pregnancy center worker who introduced her to Jesus—that her life began to change. Today, Jean Marie leads Branches Pregnancy Resource Center in Vermont, where she helps women facing homelessness, trafficking, and crisis. What once seemed like the end of her story became the very foundation of her calling.

Amy Ford also remembers the fear and isolation of an unexpected pregnancy. At 19, she and her boyfriend scheduled an abortion but, after a moment of clarity, chose life for their child. Now, more than two decades later, Amy leads Embrace Grace, a global network that partners with pregnancy centers and churches to surround women in crisis with love, encouragement, and resources. Her message is clear: the pro-life movement must be fueled by pro-love action. And her son Jess has a child of his own and a business where he uses his God-given gifts to support pregnancy help organizations.

Then there’s Da’Chiron, who experienced two unplanned pregnancies while in college. Overwhelmed and unsure of her future, she turned to a local pregnancy center that welcomed her without judgment, providing the support she needed to continue her education while preparing for motherhood. Today, as a call center manager at that very clinic, she encourages young women in similar situations, showing them that they are stronger than they believe.

These stories remind us that what once felt like a burden—our past, our pain, our mistakes—can become the very tool God uses to equip us for ministry. What the enemy meant for harm, God transforms for good.

If you are serving in this movement and carrying a heavy past, take heart! You are not disqualified. On the contrary, your story may be the exact encouragement someone else needs to hear. The love and hope you now offer comes not in spite of your past, but because of how God has redeemed it.

Be encouraged: God wastes nothing. Every tear, every trial, every step of your journey has prepared you for such a time as this. You are living proof that light shines brightest after the darkness.

So press on with hope. Because just as Jean Marie, Amy, and Da’Chiron show us, when we surrender our brokenness to God, He builds something beautiful that blesses others for generations to come.