Seeing God Show Up
I asked Mandy to share something God has been teaching him through his time in the Word, through a recent sermon series, or in community. These are her reflections.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27 ESV.
In August 2024, I took on the role of Executive Director of Christian Family Services (“CFS”) after spending almost fifteen years as an attorney in the child welfare system. CFS has served women with unplanned pregnancies in Gainesville and around the state of Florida since 1978, and its mission is based on James 1:27: to look after the fatherless. While I viewed my work as an attorney in the child welfare system as one way to further this mission, I had become increasingly troubled by the limitations of an underfunded and inadequate system charged with protecting children and strengthening families. Now, I am grateful to be a part of an organization that has placed over 500 babies in Christian homes and ministered to many more women with unplanned pregnancies.
My first day on the job presented an opportunity to pray with an expectant mother who would later place her son for adoption after CFS worked with her throughout her pregnancy. By the end of the first month, I experienced three placements and three opportunities to witness the love of a mother choosing an adoptive family for her newborn. When I began this new role, I wasn’t sure what these moments would be like and worried they could be filled with tension. The opposite has been true and it has been a privilege to walk alongside birth parents and adoptive families through this ministry. God’s presence is
clear as birth parents make difficult decisions and adoptive families pour out love to children as well as their birth parents. This sacrificial love is deeply touching and inspiring, and Paul’s words ring true: Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV).
Meeting former CFS families and being surrounded by volunteers with profound commitments to the success of CFS has also been a source of deep encouragement to me these past nine months. Some of these volunteers are dear friends from Creekside. My OAG jumped right in to help park cars for our Gator Game Day Parking fundraiser during football season, and my DNA group graciously provided Christmas gifts to some of our birth mothers who were moved to tears by their generosity. Other donations have allowed CFS to increase counseling and support for women with unplanned pregnancies who wish to parent. Last month, CFS provided temporary lodging for an expectant mother who was a victim of domestic violence and could not safely return home after an OBGYN appointment. Our caseworker then helped her secure housing through another local organization. CFS also recently provided food and gas cards to a mother living in Ocala so that she could visit with her newborn in the NICU in Gainesville.
Thank you for allowing me to share how God is working at CFS and through a job transition in my life. I enjoy hearing about how God is working in your lives too and would love to answer any questions you might have about CFS.
Sincerely,
Mandy Harrell
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27 ESV.
In August 2024, I took on the role of Executive Director of Christian Family Services (“CFS”) after spending almost fifteen years as an attorney in the child welfare system. CFS has served women with unplanned pregnancies in Gainesville and around the state of Florida since 1978, and its mission is based on James 1:27: to look after the fatherless. While I viewed my work as an attorney in the child welfare system as one way to further this mission, I had become increasingly troubled by the limitations of an underfunded and inadequate system charged with protecting children and strengthening families. Now, I am grateful to be a part of an organization that has placed over 500 babies in Christian homes and ministered to many more women with unplanned pregnancies.
My first day on the job presented an opportunity to pray with an expectant mother who would later place her son for adoption after CFS worked with her throughout her pregnancy. By the end of the first month, I experienced three placements and three opportunities to witness the love of a mother choosing an adoptive family for her newborn. When I began this new role, I wasn’t sure what these moments would be like and worried they could be filled with tension. The opposite has been true and it has been a privilege to walk alongside birth parents and adoptive families through this ministry. God’s presence is
clear as birth parents make difficult decisions and adoptive families pour out love to children as well as their birth parents. This sacrificial love is deeply touching and inspiring, and Paul’s words ring true: Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV).
Meeting former CFS families and being surrounded by volunteers with profound commitments to the success of CFS has also been a source of deep encouragement to me these past nine months. Some of these volunteers are dear friends from Creekside. My OAG jumped right in to help park cars for our Gator Game Day Parking fundraiser during football season, and my DNA group graciously provided Christmas gifts to some of our birth mothers who were moved to tears by their generosity. Other donations have allowed CFS to increase counseling and support for women with unplanned pregnancies who wish to parent. Last month, CFS provided temporary lodging for an expectant mother who was a victim of domestic violence and could not safely return home after an OBGYN appointment. Our caseworker then helped her secure housing through another local organization. CFS also recently provided food and gas cards to a mother living in Ocala so that she could visit with her newborn in the NICU in Gainesville.
Thank you for allowing me to share how God is working at CFS and through a job transition in my life. I enjoy hearing about how God is working in your lives too and would love to answer any questions you might have about CFS.
Sincerely,
Mandy Harrell