Heartache and Hope: A Year of Ministry and Impact

We are rapidly approaching the one year mark of launching the official ministry of Heartache and Hope-a formal recognition of work I'd been doing among the bereaved and those who love them for nearly a decade and I wanted to give a brief update on how things are going.

There are several components to the ministry:

* I continue to publish a daily blog at www.thelifeididntchoose.com.  In September, I will begin the eleventh year of both sharing my own child loss journey and advocating for grievers who are too often misunderstood and overlooked. In the past year over 315,000 individuals have viewed it more than 400,000 times. Posts have been accessed over four million times in the decade of hosting the site.

* I also publish blog posts three times a week on this website www.heartacheandhope.org. Some of these are reposts from my primary blog site and some are new. As of today, the website has had over 20,000 views.

* There is a public Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/heartacheandhope, where I share the blog and other encouraging posts to help hearts hold on to hope. I also host a private, closed group open only to bereaved parents at https://www.facebook.com/groups/947404501987955, where they can share frankly about the struggles of living this life none of us chose in a safe and welcoming environment. Thousands have chosen to join me there.

* Next month, I will host the FOURTH "Broken into Beautiful Retreat for Bereaved Moms". In total, 20 moms and families have been positively impacted by these four day getaways where we explore the intersection of faith and loss. Prayer, Perspective. Purpose and Perseverance are the main topics. Every mom who has attended can testify that she leaves strengthened and encouraged to carry on and steward her grief well until Jesus calls her Home.

* Every month, I host an in-person support group at my local church for parents. We have had folks from three counties join us at various times and have served more than 30 families as they carry this burden. I'm investigating the possibility of hosting monthly virtual support meetings as well. Look for updates!

* I shared at the April Our Hearts are Home conference in Lynchburg, Virginia. There were hundreds of attendees online and in person. Much of the content is available on the Our Hearts are Home YouTube channel. I also hosted an online book study of A GRIEF OBSERVED through Our Hearts are Home in May.

* I spend anywhere between two to three hours a day messaging or talking with individuals who contact me via Facebook, the blog or the website, and try to point them toward Hope. If you need me, you know where to find me.

* I traveled to Chattanooga earlier this year to share with a While We're Waiting local support group and will be sharing online with a group in Maryland in September.

* I'm hosting one more full retreat in October this year and a mini-retreat that same month in Texas with a local support group that invited me to join them. Next year's retreat dates will be released in December.

* I am available to share with groups online and in person as time and funds permit. Please message me if you'd like me to be part of your local effort to support parents.

The website is still not exactly what I want it to be but I'm learning and refining it.

There are downloadable, printable resources available there and I hope you will take advantage of them! Some are for parents and some are for educating the general public.

I have a one extremely generous annual donor who has underwritten much of the work so far and a couple of generous monthly donors who "keep the lights on" by providing the funds for monthly meetings and other recurring costs. Many friends have made one-time donations that have provided the means for what I consider a successful first year of this fledging enterprise. I am oh, so thankful for EVERY one!

Please join with me in praying as we enter a new year of ministry for these specific needs:

• That the Lord will expand our reach and bring the hearts who need it most to our retreats, groups and monthly meetings.

• That I will use my time wisely, balancing ministry work, family life and other responsibilities.

• That I will continue to look to Jesus as I, too, long to steward this grief well.

• That I will be able to learn the necessary technical skills to make this website more user-friendly and to host online resources for bereaved parents and those who love them.

• That the Lord will continue to provide funding so every event and resource can be offered free-of-charge to those who attend or access them.

I know there are multiple causes and ministries competing for your attention and dollars. This one isn't close to everyone's heart. But I trust that if the Lord prompts you to give, you will, knowing every single dollar is spent directly on ministry. Every event is offered free to those who attend. ( square.link/u/cNen14Q1 )

Thank you, thank you, thank you to each person who has prayed, given, shared and supported this ministry in any way.

I am deeply grateful.

May the Lord bless you as you have blessed others.