lois lodge is a maternity home in charlotte for women experiencing unplanned pregnancy. lois lodge provides residential care, family support and “the mom shoppe,” which is a program where girls can earn credit towards clothing, baby items and personal items for attending enrichment classes.
i was blessed to be able to spend some time with these girls and get to hear their stories, so i thought i would share a few. the benefit concert i helped coordinate through SIM was to raise money for lois lodge and for another home in ethiopia & i am SO thankful i was introduced to lois lodge that way!
i hope to spend lots more time there, getting to know the girls and leaving with them a few keepsake photos of their pregnancy & time at lois lodge.
carrie is 24 years old and came to charlotte from new york to stay at lois lodge during most of her pregnancy; she wanted to be around other women that were going through the same thing she was and take pregnancy and parenting classes. as soon as i saw the girls interacting in the house, i knew carrie was the “house mom”…she was the organizational one, and also very encouraging to the girls about where they needed to be next and what the plans for the day were. i asked if she saw herself as the “house mom” and she said “yeah, most of the time i do, but i love getting to know these girls.”
i’ve seen carrie a few times since and she ALWAYS looks this smily! she has a very warm heart and very genuine words. carrie has since moved back to new york to have her baby!
kelsey is 19-going-on-25. she found out she was pregnant just a few weeks before her graduation from high school in 2008. she lived with her parents and sister in the same county i grew up in – they are completely your all-American family and never imagined they would find themselves in the situation that they were in.
kelsey said that overnight, she felt that she didn’t relate to her family anymore and she didn’t want to be told what to do with the baby – whether to parent or put the child up for adoption. her mom said she also felt lost, knowing that her baby grew much older overnight but still treating her like she had the week before. kelsey found out about lois lodge and realized that it might be best for her to move in and spend some time getting her thoughts and feelings together, and learning about her options.
kelsey’s sister’s words touched me the most – she cried as she talked about kelsey leaving the house and expressed how difficult it was without her sister around as she was used to. she said she missed her and the time they spent together, but knew that kelsey needed to be where she was.
kelsey said she spent lots of time in prayer at lois lodge, learning about God and talking with girls who were making the same decisions. she said that one night in bed, she was praying and simply realized that she wasn’t ready to be a parent, and that she needed to look into adoption. she started that process at 7 months with a Christian agency in matthews and found dream parents for her little girl. she had her baby in january and said that as soon as she had her, she thought “i had this baby for this family” and she has not regretted her decision. she still sees her frequently and the mother even texts kelsey when the baby does cute little things!
kelsey will be starting college in the fall and she wants to be a social worker. she spends lots of volunteer time with the girls at lois lodge and the gratitude she has for this place is clear.
ashley is a mom shoppe client who lives in charlotte, not at lois lodge, but she attends parenting classes and spiritual enrichement classes and earns credit for her pregnancy and post-pregnancy needs. ashley is FULL of life and says that lois lodge has given her hope and confidence during her pregnancy. she is so thankful for the people who spend their time and give their clothes and baby items to lois lodge so that they can be used again. she was a joy to spend time with, as you can see in her pictures!
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the greatest impression that i left lois lodge with is that there is HOPE in the midst of CRISIS.
these girls made quite an impression on me & rocked my perception of what a woman facing unplanned pregnancy looks like – the truth is, they don’t “look like” anything stereotypical! they are normal, everyday people just like you and me. but they have found LOVE and HOPE at lois lodge & it has made all the difference in the world!
{if you would like to learn how you can help lois lodge, please visit their website! what a great cause in our city!}
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