Our Story
In 1982, YWAM missionary and visionary leader, Beverly Kline, met a Tyler teenager who was fearful that she might be pregnant. In seeking help for this young lady, Bev was directed by the health department to an 800 number for a free pregnancy test. Bev soon learned that the free test was provided by a Dallas abortion clinic, which utilized a local Tyler laboratory, that ultimately provided the lead for an abortion sale.
Little did anyone know, that that one inquiry would result in closing the door to that clinic’s abortion access in Tyler! Since then, more than 40,000 free tests have been administered by Tyler’s Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center. Today, in addition to pregnancy testing, the Center also performs free sonograms which drastically increases the survival rate of the unborn child. The Center’s Building Blocks program continues to minister to the women after a confirmed pregnancy with individual parent mentoring, childbirth education and doula services, to ensure the safe arrival of the baby.
Fatherheart Maternity Home has provided more than 600 young women safe haven to mend the past and move into the future with a renewed hope. Babies are a great start to a new beginning. For many of the girls, a new beginning starts with an adoptive family for her baby, facilitated by the ministry’s Loving Alternative Adoption Agency. More than 200 birthmothers have made the loving and sacrificial choice to prepare an adoption plan, and placed their precious baby into the arms of trusted adoptive parents.
Loving Alternatives was also honored to utilize its agency license for a season, by helping the Smith County Family Court find Christian families for 100 children who were waiting in foster homes for an adoption. This ministry is called ForThe1.
Statistics tell us that many girls who age out of the Foster system are at a higher risk for trafficking and unplanned pregnancies. KEEPS Boutique combats these statistics by providing a unique shopping experience for teen girls in the State foster care system. This free shopping experience enables personal connection through “girls’ nights out” events, and a summer camp experience. Through these brief but impacting encounters the girls experience the touch of the Father’s love as the staff welcome them with warm embraces.
The flagship of all the Living Alternatives ministries is the Pregnancy Resource Center. The PRC is the where the heartbeat of Living Alternatives emanates from, and this heart is ENLARGING. In partnership with the community, 1.2 million dollars was raised for a state-of-the-art facility called The AXIA Center that allowed Living Alternatives to reach more women in even more effective ways. Free pregnancy testing and sonograms are tools utilized to reach the target audience of abortion-vulnerable women with hope – and help – to make life changing decisions for their unborn child and their future.
