By Annetta Cooper, Client Services Director
We often don’t know what God can do with one act of obedience. I began volunteer training at Pregnancy Resources in October 2004 at the recommendation of my pastor. I remember vividly when I prayed for direction, and God confirmed in my spirit that He wanted me to submit my application. The seed was planted.
I started as a Receptionist, learning the phone scripts and the filing procedures. My heart for the ministry began to grow. Many women
poured into me as a young mom, discipling and advising me in my life and the ministry. Because I had previously worked at a pregnancy center, I was quickly moved to a Services Coordinator, now called Client Advocate. I remember one day driving across the bridge, wondering how God could possibly use me when I felt so inadequate. That day I had the privilege of leading someone to the Lord – another seed already planted!
God was working despite my insecurities and showing me that I could depend on Him! Soon I was asked to consider teaching abstinence in the schools. Again, I wondered what God was doing. My heart was willing, but there was so much I didn’t know and so much that I hadn’t experienced. I will never forget the very first time teaching alone.
I was scheduled at a local High School, where security guards met and escorted me to the classroom. I was nervous, and the students knew it! Somehow, I survived, came to love the job, and even trained a few others to teach with me – Additional branches were added to my growing plant.
Life hit a bump in the road, and I needed to step back from my work in the schools to be home for my teenage daughters. My plant was being pruned. God showed me how to be content without work and to depend on Him in difficult circumstances. After two years of volunteering, I received a call to return as Director of the Davenport center. Again, it was something that I had never considered, but God had a different plan for me – a plan for more growth. In this new position, I could see God giving me more responsibility and more leadership opportunities. I was no longer the young naïve volunteer but a growing member of the Pregnancy Resources team.
Currently, I see the ministry in another season of real growth. My co-presenter and co-worker in the Davenport Center became the new Executive Director. I wondered how our relationship would change, but our team is stronger than ever. With a recently paid-off Moline Center and a new location for our MMU, we are poised to expand our work even further into the communities where God has planted us. When I look back at my beginnings, I realize that God knew it all and continues to guide me in this new season of growth. I am excited to see how God grows the ministry and how He prompts you to join and support this growth.
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