Makeup smudged by tears, she sits in our medical wing, her toe nervously tapping the floor. Seventeen weeks pregnant. Living conditions tenuous. Already a mother of a six- and thirteen-year-old. There is a quiet strength she exudes.

A week later she returns for mentoring. She offers a tentative smile. Someone is here who will hear her story. A story of abandonment, of dropping out of high school, of addiction to meth. A story of sacrifice for her children, of fighting to stay clean, of wanting to move forward. When told she is street smart, she is skeptical. No one has ever referred to her as smart. A flicker of hope appears in her eyes.

That flicker ignites the desire to study for the GED, and her mentor offers to walk alongside her on this journey. It begins with a small step, but a step toward pride, toward hope. Hope springs eternal when its source is in God, and it is this hope that opens the door to abundant life.