Meet Patrice
|
|
Hi, I’m Patrice, and from day one, JMJ has been my rock. I came to JMJ Pregnancy Center last summer looking for help with an unexpected pregnancy. My sister just had an abortion in May with the same problem and said I should probably consider the same thing, especially since the guy I was with was in trouble with the law. I came in without any hope or expectation, just wanted to get it over with. I ended up meeting with Chloé, who listened to my story about my husband being killed very young and me raising 4 kids on my own on just our survivor’s benefit. My 2 older kids were already living with another family member out-of-state because I could barely make ends meet, and I was staying at a friend’s place with my 2 younger kids. This pregnancy was basically a mistake because I was lonely and made a bad decision. I didn’t want to be pregnant and have to deal with further financial and family issues.
Chloé shared her experience of dealing with an unplanned pregnancy and how she regretted her decision for many years after. She asked if I had considered adoption, and I had actually never thought about it, but now it seemed like something I could do for this child. JMJ set up a meeting with an adoption counselor from Catholic Charities the following week. Susie and I spent a lot of time talking about the options, and I never felt pressured, I was always reassured that I was in control of what happened. Susie and Chloé helped me with my other kids, getting groceries, maternity clothes, and rides to and from the doctor. I did not have a car or my own place, so JMJ also started the process of applying for housing through Catholic Charities and another local program. Chloé even followed up with my sister and sent a little gift to her with some post-abortion services. She had met her the day I came to get the pregnancy test and asked her if she had healed from her abortion. My sister was really moved.
JMJ also helped to clear my name in the court system. I was on probation for previous bad decisions I made when struggling to support my family, and because of that, I was being rejected for housing. Chloé wrote a letter of clemency to the judge and drove me to the hearing to petition for my release. Later, I found out that my housing application had been approved and that I would be moving into my very own 3-bedroom house, where ALL my children could live with me. This is when I made the best decision, to keep my daughter, Melani. The first person I called was Chloé, even before my own mom! We cried and laughed on the phone together, and she reminded me that when we trust God, all things work together for the good. I showed her pictures of the house, and she excitedly pointed at the front door. It had a mosaic tile cross embedded on the door, and Chloé asked if I would ever forget who did all this for me. She said God was at the center the whole time and never let me fall. My whole world has been transformed since I came to JMJ. I can never express all the words to describe how much better we are now because of their help. My daughter is a gem, and so is JMJ.
Truly Blessed,
Patrice
Chloé shared her experience of dealing with an unplanned pregnancy and how she regretted her decision for many years after. She asked if I had considered adoption, and I had actually never thought about it, but now it seemed like something I could do for this child. JMJ set up a meeting with an adoption counselor from Catholic Charities the following week. Susie and I spent a lot of time talking about the options, and I never felt pressured, I was always reassured that I was in control of what happened. Susie and Chloé helped me with my other kids, getting groceries, maternity clothes, and rides to and from the doctor. I did not have a car or my own place, so JMJ also started the process of applying for housing through Catholic Charities and another local program. Chloé even followed up with my sister and sent a little gift to her with some post-abortion services. She had met her the day I came to get the pregnancy test and asked her if she had healed from her abortion. My sister was really moved.
JMJ also helped to clear my name in the court system. I was on probation for previous bad decisions I made when struggling to support my family, and because of that, I was being rejected for housing. Chloé wrote a letter of clemency to the judge and drove me to the hearing to petition for my release. Later, I found out that my housing application had been approved and that I would be moving into my very own 3-bedroom house, where ALL my children could live with me. This is when I made the best decision, to keep my daughter, Melani. The first person I called was Chloé, even before my own mom! We cried and laughed on the phone together, and she reminded me that when we trust God, all things work together for the good. I showed her pictures of the house, and she excitedly pointed at the front door. It had a mosaic tile cross embedded on the door, and Chloé asked if I would ever forget who did all this for me. She said God was at the center the whole time and never let me fall. My whole world has been transformed since I came to JMJ. I can never express all the words to describe how much better we are now because of their help. My daughter is a gem, and so is JMJ.
Truly Blessed,
Patrice
