Vineyard Pregnancy Center Testimony
Compassion is a direct outworking of God’s character and was lived out by Jesus. As disciples of Jesus, He calls us to genuinely love, care for and serve others by coming alongside them.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” ~ Matthew 11:28-30. This is the example that Jesus gave. This is the Why.
In April, God led me and the ministry of nursing that He has blessed me with to Vineyard Pregnancy Center. Led by Pastor Ben and Mandy Cloud, Vineyard Pregnancy Center serves women in the San Tan Valley / Queen Creek area by providing pregnancy testing, pregnancy monitoring, prenatal classes, material assistance, resources, parenting classes, emotional and communal assistance but most importantly – the love of Jesus. Vineyard Pregnancy Center is one of LifePoint’s local partners and is committed to coming alongside women that are facing unexpected / crisis pregnancies. The role that God has for me as a Registered Nurse on the team is to utilize Ultrasound technology to lovingly show women the beautiful lives of their babies that God created in hopes that they will choose life when faced with a crisis pregnancy. However, to be able to perform Limited Obstetrical Ultrasounds for clients, I needed additional training. It was clear that God intended for this to happen for his Kingdom. God quickly blessed Vineyard Pregnancy with the finances to be able to send me and another local RN to the costly training. He opened doors for Vineyard Pregnancy Center to partner with Heartbeat International’s L.O.V.E. Approach Ultrasound Training. The L.O.V.E. approach can be used in all situations. The L.O.V.E. Approach was the basis for the spiritual component of the training.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 reminds us: “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up”. The L.O.V.E. approach focuses on 4 steps that transform relationships in church’s and communities –
- L-Listening and Learning from those you are serving or are in relationship with
- O-offering Open Options
- V-creating Vision / understanding the Value of others and
- E-Extending the Kingdom / Empowering others.
God provided me with the time to complete the 80+ hours of didactic training before attending the week long clinical training in Columbus, Ohio in July. 25 Christian nurses from different churches and pregnancy help centers in the United States attended this training. The requirements for the Clinical Ultrasound Certification were to complete 75 scans on pregnant women / models of various pregnancy gestations. 75 was a HUGE number. How could we possibly do this in just a few days? Well, I should know better than to ask by now… God’s plan was revealed when He doubled down and supplied us with the ability to scan almost 100 women / models! The 100 scans provided us with competency in clinical skills but there is a much bigger picture. The training allowed us to be placed right in the center of God’s Will for these women, a potential critical point in their lives where they need the love of Christ. Praise God for the opportunity for the ability to do this for women in our community!
In our daily walk with Jesus, it is important to remember that each person we encounter has been made for a relationship with Him – a relationship that has been broken by human brokenness, but that can be made right and reconciled through Jesus. It is important to let others see Jesus in our lives through our actions so that we can draw them closer to Our Heavenly Father.
“Let your light shine before all humanity that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven” ~ Matthew 5:16