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Hannah's Prayer |
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Message Board Ministries
Previously
Known As Ladies In Waiting
They that WAIT on the Lord will renew their strength!
Isaiah 40:31
Hannah's Prayer Community Forums are the message/bulletin board branch of Hannah's Prayer Ministries (HP), growing out of our Ladies In Waiting (LIW) email lists and HP Email Pals programs. If you are interested in joining any of the following groups, please confirm that you are in agreement with our Statement of Faith and our views on Faith and Fertility. The steps for joining the Community are below (you may wish to print this page for reference). Once you are a registered member of our Community, quick links to each forum are listed under our groups offered option. If you have any questions, you may email our Community Administrator at liw@hannah.org.
Ladies In Waiting began as an informal group of Christian women who met on AOL and Christianity Online message boards in 1994 (about the same time Hannah's Prayer was being formed). The concept behind "Ladies In Waiting" was the feeling that we are always waiting: for a baby, for a period to start (or hopefully for it not to start), for a doctor's appointment... But most importantly, we are all called, as Christians, to wait upon the Lord. As Julie Donahue strove to connect her dozen or so email pen pals, this small group of women started exchanging regular emails to offer one another support in the midst of their shared journeys through infertility. Soon the group established themselves as an email "club," exchanging the bulletin board systems where they had met, for a series of email list.
As LIW grew, it became a more formalized ministry, yet never had the resources to legally become its own entity. In May, 2001, LIW was officially incorporated into HP. (Hannah's Prayer has been a registered non-profit organization since 1995.) As of August, 2002, God has carried the ministry of LIW "full circle" as we return to bulletin board format with the launching of our own message boards, renamed the Community Forums of Hannah's Prayer. We offer Christian-based internet support for married, Christian women (husbands, if your wives are active in this ministry, we desire to provide a few special resources for you as well) surviving the physical, emotional, and spiritual struggle brought on by fertility challenges. As we find ourselves in families that do not fit the picture of what we had imagined them to be by now, we strive together to find contentment in God's plan.
Our membership comes from diverse backgrounds, both personal and spiritual: While many or our members have never been pregnant, some have faced one or more miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, or even stillbirths and infant deaths. Some have one or more biological children and are dealing with secondary-infertility. There are several adoptive moms in our group, including survivors of adoption losses. A few are pioneers in the brave new world of embryo adoption. Some of our members are just beginning to ask if there is something medically wrong, while others have already exhausted all medical options. The Lord has led some members to not seek any kind of medical aid while others have prayerfully delved deeply into assisted reproduction methods.
Our ages range from late teens into early 50s. Our marriages (and time dealing with fertility challenges) may be newlywed or spanning more than twenty years of experience. While most of our members live in the United States of America, we span over 100 countries and cultures. We are interdenominational, meaning that are members come from many church backgrounds, but are all agree to abide by our central Statement of Faith as we share common views about Faith and Fertility. Some members have spent their lives attending church, some are new to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, some have faith but feel very far from God right now. With all of our differences, we all have at least these four things in common: we are married, we are Christians, we are women, and we are seeking God to aid us in surviving our fertility challenges.
Because infertility has a life-long effect on us, and because we are not all at the same stage, our Community Forums provide over 70 specific regional and topical support groups. If you have a unique need that you don't see addressed by our existing groups, we are always open to suggestions!
Once you have read our Statement of Faith and views about Faith and Fertility, if the Hannah's Prayer Community seems like the place for you, go to HannahsPrayer.org. Your screen will read, "You do not have permission to view this board." From the "Useful Links" (bottom left of your screen) select, "Register a new account." You will need to choose a username and password, give us your email address and agree to our terms of service. Please note, username and password are Case Sensitive. (Example: If I register with the word aPple, the I must use aPple each time. Apple, or apple or APPLE or appLe will not work.) You will then be sent an email to confirm your registration. Click the email link to activate your account and you are on your way!
If you have any questions or encounter problems with your registration, please contact our Forums Administrator.
First time visitors, please join the Community before trying to access these links.
Emblem indicates this is a specialized group with additional password protected
required. If you desire to join any locked forum, you will need to go
through the above described general application process, then contact the email
associated with that specific forum, found on the description of the group in
the Community Forums master board.
Before
You Post How
Do I? Hannah's Prayer History & Leadership Introductions Introduce
Yourself Community-Wide
Interest
Trying
to Conceive TTC
Naturally Primary
Infertility Secondary
Infertility Family
of Two Hope
of Pregnancy Ended 40-ish Step-Parent
Infertility |
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Pregnancy / Infant Loss Forums Postpartum
After Loss How
Could This Happen Again? Early
Losses Late
Losses / Stillbirth Losses
In Multiple Births Embryo
Adoption/Donation
Cycle
Buddies ARTs
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Prayer
Requests Reading
Resources Hannah
to Hannah Newsletters Military Weight
Issues Facing
Loss Love
& Marriage
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Adoption
Losses Waiting
Room International
Families Adopting United States Domestic Adoption Adoption
of International Children Foster
Care Adoption/Foster
Prayer & Praise
Celebrations Life
Outside Infertility Doing
Business
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Pregnancy
After Infertility Pregnancy
After Loss Pregnancy
Complications Negative
Prenatal Diagnosis
Special
Moms Moms
of Newborns Motherhood Parenting
Adopted Multiples Parenting
Onlies Multiples Moms
of Many |
Count restarted April, 2003
Hannah's Prayer is a California based, non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization, established Jan 1, 1995. All staff members are unpaid volunteers who are proclaiming
Christians (from a range of denominational backgrounds) and have personal
experience with the heartache of fertility challenges. 
was
designed exclusively for Hannah's Prayer by