Unexpected pregnancy is one of the most devastating things that can happen to teenage girls in our society today. In America, three out of ten girls get pregnant at least once before they turn 20. More than 80 of them get pregnant each hour. One-third of those pregnancies end in abortion.

Enter Hands of Grace Ministries, a faith based ministry located in Bellville that primarily serves the Greater Houston area, including Austin, Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Washington counties. Operating since 2007, Hands of Grace Ministries offers life intervention programs for pregnant teens ages 12 to 19.

Hands of Grace Ministries currently operates through Cara's House, a maternity home that provides a safe living environment to teenage girls who choose not to end their pregnancies in abortion and, because of that decision, have no place to go. It is their home for the duration of their stay, which lasts up to six weeks after the birth of the child.

Through Cara's House, Hands of Grace Ministries offers love and support, embracing and encouraging teens who have chosen life for their unborn child by providing housing and financial, spiritual, and emotional support to each girl, as well as educational opportunities and life skill development services.

Cara’s House is also a program; a program of intervention that the applicants must read and agree to before admission. This program encompasses education, counseling and foundational training, and practical life skills training, Without intervention, statistics show that 83% of single teen mothers stay on welfare the rest of their life.

Education is crucial for each girl to move forward and begin to support herself, and possibly her child, in the future. Most of the girls at Cara's House are in junior or senior high school, so they are required to enroll in school and continue their education. If a girl has completed all of her high school requirements, or if she has a GED, then she must begin planning for technical training or college. She then has the opportunity to enter into a job skills program where she learns to write a resume and learns interviewing techniques and workplace etiquette, such as job-appropriate attire.

A core component of the program includes addressing past hurt and family trauma. A certified Christian counselor works with the girls in a group session. Depending on the needs of each girl, independent counseling is also available. In addition, each girl completes a tailored list of required reading that covers topics such as boundaries, co-dependency, addiction, healthy relationships, and the true meaning of love.

Foundational training teaches expectant young mothers responsibility and good decision-making skills. In order to learn fundamental life skills, Cara's House residents are required to keep their rooms clean and to eat dinner together, as a family. They also help with meal planning and preparation, as well as grocery shopping.

While living at Cara's House, girls must attend prenatal, childbirth, and parenting classes taught by volunteers. Each girl must care for the ‘Baby Think It Over’ doll, which introduces her to the reality of being responsible for a baby. Each class is designed to help them understand what to expect, enabling them to make responsible, well-informed choices about their child's birth and, ultimately, whether to parent the child with a plan or to make an adoption plan.

Learning who Christ is and the plans He has for them, is a core component of this program. The girls attend church each Sunday and learn about Christ through weekly Bible studies led by the house parents. They learn that, with Christ, all things are possible. He will never fail them or forsake them.

Through Cara's House, Hands of Grace Ministries acts as the hands and feet of Christ, showing His love and grace to a population of girls in desperate need – in need of love and a chance.