OWENTON, Ky. (KT) – It’s a story of answered prayers. Hope Lives Pregnancy Center, a fledgling ministry birthed by Kentucky Baptists in Owen County, is nearing a spring opening date, and a sister pregnancy center has played a role in equipping Hope Lives for effective ministry.
Kelli Carper, a registered nurse and the executive director of Hope Lives, moved to northern Kentucky a few years ago and wanted to build on her 20 years of service in pregnancy help ministry near her new home. She didn’t set out to start a new ministry, but a vision for the pregnancy center quickly took shape and gained traction among local churches.
Now, around two years later, Owenton is gaining a new community resource.
Many pregnancy centers are members of the Kentucky Association of Pregnancy Care Agencies, and it was through KAPCA that Carper connected with Laura Tapp, executive director of Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center in LaGrange. That relationship recently yielded a harvest of answered prayers.
Tapp recounted the story this way: “A pregnancy center in northern KY offered (Carper) a portable ultrasound machine they were no longer using. This machine was good for abdominal scans but lacked the ability to perform transvaginal scans. These are the scans that show the earliest signs of life and are immensely helpful for women to see the truth and life growing inside.”
Carper took that gifted portable ultrasound machine to the mission field in Honduras. When she returned, Carper began praying for a 3D machine that was capable of performing early pregnancy scans, around 6 weeks gestation; if the Lord answered that prayer with a “yes,” she wanted to donate the portable one to the medical team she served in Honduras.
Meanwhile, a couple in Oldham County decided to bless Crossroads and purchased a new ultrasound machine for the ministry. The updated technology would provide even better images to women seeking services at Crossroads, and a nurse had been praying for God to provide that blessing for around a year.
“His timing is always perfect. Knowing that my friend in Owen County is starting a pregnancy center, but not knowing if she had an ultrasound machine, I reached out to her to see if she wanted ours,” Tapp explained. “As she laughed hysterically, she told me that God was answering her prayer. My guess is He was also answering the prayer of some medical missionaries in Honduras.”
Soon the portable ultrasound machine that made it’s ministry debut overseas will be on the mission field.
“Our board of directors voted unanimously to donate the portable ultrasound machine to be used in Honduras in an area where women rarely get medical care for their pregnancies,” Carper said. “We plan to donate it during this summer’s trip and are so excited to again host prenatal clinics using this awesome machine to show life.”
“Because one couple was obedient, God is using them to bless people all over Kentucky and others almost 2,000 miles away,” Tapp added.
In addition to receiving the 3D ultrasound machine late last year, Hope Lives has recently been granted nonprofit status, leased a building to house the pregnancy center, begun renovations and launched fundraisers to support the work being done to prepare their building to serve women and families in Owenton.
Hope Lives is planning to open in Owenton this spring. Follow the ministry on Facebook and get updates at hopelivespregnancycenter.com.
Friends of Life KY 