Written by Rebecca Mack, a former client of our services
My experience with Care Net goes back almost 18 years, to when I was 17-year-old teenager. At that time, I was lost, lonely and looking for acceptance in all the wrong places. My earlier years had been riddled with poverty, neglect, physical and mental abuse, and I had been split up from my four siblings and in and out of the foster care system for years.
Although I was adopted out of foster care at 12 years old, my childhood haunted me, and I had a difficult time adjusting to “a new life” and leaving everything and everyone behind. By 17 I felt that my life had no value, and I was not making great decisions. In the pursuit of love and belonging, I ended up pregnant, lost, alone and scared to death. I kept my pregnancy a secret from almost everyone. I was scared to tell my mother, and I didn’t have the support I needed to bring a baby into this world. The few people who knew about my pregnancy warned me about the troubles soon to come and told me I shouldn’t go through with the pregnancy because it would make my life much harder. I had no clue what to do or where to go. When I got in touch with Care Net I received the support I desperately needed.
Care Net sent a woman out to meet with me, and she told me about how much God loves me, even when I don’t make the best choices, and about how special my baby is. She helped me understand that my baby would be a blessing and not a burden. She gave me information on resources that could help me get the things I needed for my baby, and she took me to go get them. Yet, the most meaningful thing she did for me was spend time with me. Sometimes she took me out to go get something to eat, or she would stop by my house where we sat on the steps and visited. We talked about the things I was most excited about and the things I was worried about, not just about my unborn child but also about my life in general, because she realized that I was still a child myself; She even helped me get in contact with my younger brother who I hadn’t seen in many years. She was more than a resource; she was a friend. She was someone I could trust and rely on and tell all my secrets to. She helped me to see that God is the best friend I could ever have. She worked in my life as a vessel of God’s love and truth.
Around seven months of pregnancy, I could no longer hide it, and I told my mom. By then, I had turned 18 and found a place of my own through various assistance programs, and I had all I needed to care for my baby. A few months later, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and I chose to name her Maya.
Before getting pregnant, I was in a dark place in my life and on the path to self-destruction, but Maya changed my life for the better. She gave me a reason to care about myself and the choices I was making; and she was my first tangible proof of God’s love for me here on this earth. Though I had no idea at the time, I later learned that Maya means “From God” in Hebrew. Maya is now 17 years old, a senior in high school and in an accelerated program where is works as a teacher’s aide at her school. She holds a part time job.
Maya is about to celebrate her 18h birthday. She loves children and plans to be a psychologist. As for me, I have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and I have been working as a registered nurse for the past 5 years. Two years ago, I bought my first home and invited my mother who is now 80 years old to live with me. We also have a 3-year-old rescue named Nala. Maya was the first of 4 children I have raised, which includes my two nephews and my 10-year-old son DJ.
I cannot speak to where my life would be if I had not gone through with my pregnancy, but I can say without my daughter there would have been no obstacle and nothing to deter me from the path of destruction. My children have not only given me purpose but motivated me to be a better person, if not for myself, for them. Every day they remind me that God loves me so much, that he has entrusted me with his most precious gifts. This doesn’t mean my life is perfect and without mistakes, because it is not; however, it does prove that being a young, single mother is not a life sentence of poverty and hopelessness, regardless of what others say. Instead with trust in God, guidance, and help from others, like CareNet, and a lot of perseverance, there is hope for a better future.
James 1:12 says“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him”
I cannot be more grateful to Care Net and all they do to help support girls and women like me though the most vulnerable times in our lives, revealing God’s love for human life, and helping to make a way in this world for these wonderful gifts from God. And I want to personally thank everyone who has given and continues to give Care Net because you are making a difference in the lives of so many people. Last year I gave for the first time, and it felt so good to give back to those who gave to me and my family, as Hebrews 13:16 says “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
Thank you.
