Client Testimonies
When I found myself unmarried and pregnant at twenty, I was devastated! I was a full-time college student and had plans that did not involve a baby. It was a time of a lot of confusion and soul searching. So many thoughts crossed my mind! In the end I chose my baby because in my heart I knew it was a life. God had given me a precious gift and a detour from a road of destruction. There was no other option, I chose life.
-Kim
Finding myself pregnant at the age of 18 with no husband, no job and a high school diploma wasn’t exactly the way I thought my life would turn out. I had big plans on going to college, becoming a registered nurse, finding my dream guy, having a big wedding and one day starting a family! But here I was, fresh out of high school and pregnant! Although, my whole life had been turned upside down, abortion never crossed my mind. I knew what I to do, I had 9 months to get my life as normal as possible before the baby was born. I vowed to myself and to my little miracle that I would do my best to guarantee her the best life possible, whatever it took.
On March 17, 2008 I became a Mommy to a beautiful Baby girl, Lauren Clare. That is the day my whole life began! From that day forward she has been and always will be my number one priority! Being a Mom is one of the best feelings I have ever experienced. We’ve had good times and we’ve had rough times but I wouldn’t trade my decision on choosing life for anything in the world. I’m so thankful that I grew up in a Christian home where I was always taught the Word of God and His commandments! On some of the darkest days I know God never left my side and He had me and Lauren Clare right in the palm of His hands! When I made a wreck of my life, I turned it over to God and He made a way. Looking back 6 years ago choosing Life was the best decision I could’ve made!
-Kayla
As a previous client in need of support and unbiased counseling, the staff prayed with me and my boyfriend at the time and reminded us that everything would be okay. We chose life and love under the grace and peace only God provides. The Center continued to connect with us as expecting parents by encouraging us and providing much needed supplies to help bolster our journey ahead!
Though we were not leaning toward abortion, I was terrified by the fact that I was pregnant at the age of 17 and a junior in high school. The Center gave me the courage to keep moving forward, despite the odds I thought were against me. I completed high school, and 2 degrees in higher education all because of the support of family, friends and caring staff at Enterprise High School, Meridian Community College and Toccoa Falls College. Still happily married to the father 18 years later, we now have our oldest son, a baby in heaven (miscarried ~9 weeks), and our 8 year old rainbow baby!
-Sara Smith, Center Director July 2021 – Present
I can truly say that there is life after a crisis. At the age of 30, I found myself pregnant. How could I have allowed this to happen; after all, I was a very respected school teacher. Because of wrong choices, I was at rock bottom. There were many people praying for me even though I didn’t profess to know Jesus. They loved me anyway. My daughter, who is now 24, was miraculously spared from an attempted abortion. I still did not want the burden of raising a child. However, through a process of change and making better choices, it was this situation that taught me the real meaning of life. God has given me the opportunity to serve as Meridian’s Pregnancy Center Director. Sera Beth and I are having the time of our lives sharing about his goodness and his love. There is no problem that he can’t solve.
-Beth Sharp, Past Director of the CPC of Meridian.
Summer’s childhood was marked by trauma. Her parents struggled with addiction and abuse, and before she was even old enough to drive, her father took his own life. As a teenager, Summer became pregnant. Instead of support, her mother coerced her into signing adoption papers—and she made sure it was a closed adoption. That wound left Summer feeling abandoned and powerless.
For the next twenty years, she tried to fill the emptiness inside her. She turned to the streets, believing the lie that she could survive on her own. But instead of freedom, she found herself trapped—in relationships with men who used her and hurt her, in addiction to meth and cocaine, in a cycle of shame and loneliness. Then, one day—on the Fourth of July—her life took a drastic turn.
Some neighborhood kids saw her sleeping by a clothing donation bin. As a cruel prank, they threw firecrackers at her and ran away laughing. Humiliated and in pain, she turned to the aid of the emergency room. But that’s where God stepped in.
A nurse at the hospital told her about the CPC of Meridian. And that day, Summer decided to visit.
She walked across Meridian in the heat of summer. She was exhausted, hungry, dehydrated, and carrying the weight of trauma and regret. When she arrived, we gave her food, clean clothes, and a safe place to rest. We offered her a life-revealing ultrasound. And for the first time in a long time, she began to feel hope.
Summer told us about her past—about abuse, about the pain of a forced adoption, and about the heartbreak of being pressured to have an abortion. She told us she wanted this pregnancy to be different. She wanted to break the cycle. She wanted to be a better mom than she had ever been before.
But she also sighed and said, “I can’t be homeless and raise a baby too.”
That’s when our team went to work. By the end of the day, in partnership with another community organization, Summer went from being homeless… to being housed in a safe local hotel.
And over the next few weeks, we began to see something amazing—Summer gaining confidence in her journey of sobriety. She started to believe that her story wasn’t over. She started to believe that God still had a plan for her life and for her baby.