Sister Share Aids Teens Facing Crisis Pregnancies in Ontario Sister Share, a new initiative of RCA Women's Ministries, helps fund five projects that serve women and children around the world. One of the projects supports services at Elisha House Pregnancy and Family Support Centre in Welland, Ontario. Elisha House works with pregnant women, mothers, and fathers. It offers pregnancy counseling and support as well as parent groups, mentoring programs, and classes. By taking classes or utilizing a resource library, parents can earn credits for purchases in the Elisha House Marketplace, which stocks baby clothes, diapers, and other essentials for young families. Recently, 19-year-old Ashley came into Elisha House for a free pregnancy test, which came out positive. Ashley's mother lives four hours away, and her father is in prison. The baby's father is abusive. The staff at Elisha House sat down with Ashley to discuss all the legal options available to her: adoption, parenting, and abortion. They also talked about Ashley's relationship with God, the message of salvation, and her desire to know him more.  Ashley is living with her aunt and uncle as she waits for the baby's arrival and is taking parenting and anger management classes at Elisha House, as well as exploring options with the staff on where she and her baby can live. She says, "I know all of this isn't going to be easy but I want the best for my baby; that's my main concern. It's not only about me anymore." A donation to Sister Share helps support Elisha House and the ministry of RCA missionary Gail MacLaurin, the organization's director. MacLaurin knows what an impact Elisha House's ministry can have: she first came to the organization for post-abortion counseling. "I had been suffering the pain of past abortions," she says. "The counseling I received helped me to receive God's freedom and forgiveness through Jesus Christ." As director, she now helps other young women find guidance, comfort, and healing. "Our main concern is that they receive factual information and to let them know that we will walk beside them no matter what decision they make," she says. In addition to confidential pregnancy services, Elisha House also offers Life Skills Programs, group sessions that cover topics like healthy relationships, anger management, parenting basics, and life skills like budgeting, cooking, being a parent, and finding time for yourself.  Sister Share raises funds for projects that serve women and children around the world. In addition to providing pregnancy support at Elisha House, Sister Share supports a feeding program in Nicaragua, provides sewing machines for home-based businesswomen in southern India, sponsors trauma healing seminars for women in Sudan, and helps marginalized women in India become self-sufficient.
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