It takes no time at all in talking with Hannah before you realize she packs about as much life as she can into every day. Although being a doer is a part of her personality, some of Hannah’s zeal for life was born out of difficulties and challenges she’s faced along her journey.

After experiencing a lot of trauma in her young life, Hannah spent time in and out of group homes, hanging out with gangs, and was even homeless for a year as a teenager. “I was on a very destructive path and just doing my best to survive.”  It was at this time Hannah found out she was pregnant. “I had dropped out of High School and realized I wasn’t in a place where I could bring my daughter into the life I was living.”

At seventeen, Hannah was at her lowest point and attempted suicide. She entered a drug and alcohol program when one of her mentors told Hannah, “You’re letting your trauma win.” Then, he asked her a life changing question, “What’s your destiny?”

Hannah decided she wanted to work with young women going through the same types of things she had been through. Her mentor told her that if she finished the program, walked away from her destructive lifestyle, and finished college, he would give her a job when she graduated.

That’s just what Hannah did. True to his word, her mentor offered Hannah her first job in social services working with teenagers. Hannah message to them is simple, “I know you feel so alone in your pain. But, God always shows up and says, ‘There is so much more than this. You are not alone. I love you.”

While she was getting her personal and professional life on track, Hannah continued to struggle with unhealthy relationships. Her second child was born not long after she graduated college. Hannah says she was in a relationship she knew, “was not good, but in the moment it was what I wanted.” The relationship ended, but Hannah decided to focus her attention on her son. She told herself, “I’m going to figure this out and be his mom.”

Not long after that, Hannah got married. The marriage was troubled from the beginning and ended in divorce. Hannah had her daughter during this time and became a single mom with two children at home.

One of the challenges she faces is, “owning my own decisions. My kids have suffered for some of my decisions. I’ve made some really bad choices in my life.” She says she works hard to get over the guilt and shame of some of her past. “I have to check myself and remind myself God has delivered me from so much trauma.”

Another enormous challenge Hannah lives with is illness. She suffers with Crone’s Disease. The medication she was taking caused her to develop Lupus. She says it’s been a great awakening for her to learn to listen to her body. She’s learning when she can push through and when she simply needs to rest.  She says she tells herself, “My destiny is not done, it’s just on pause so I can heal.”

One of her biggest joys was when the daughter she gave up for adoption as a teenager came back into her life. Her daughter recently moved to Iowa to be close.

One piece of advice Hannah would give other single parents is to, “stop chasing the perfect family!” She says we often miss all that God is doing in our lives by fixating on our perfect ideals.

When she thinks of Single Parent Provision, Hannah says she thinks of, “hope. Hope is the word that comes to mind. Having an organization like SPP, who is so clear in their mission, who provides a hub of resources and thoughtfulness in their programming is amazing. But, even more, they offer connections in relationships. Sometimes single parents can feel so alone, and SPP helps them feel connected. Sometimes I need to be prayed for and SPP offers that, from someone who understands the journey. It's such a hopeful experience.”

Today, while being a mom to her wonderful children, Hannah is still helping underprivileged kids and young women to understand they are a beautiful treasure.

Thank you, Hannah! Your story is an encouragement to us all!

Published March 2018