Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Juhlke.
Hi Debbie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Embrace Life Initiative originated as a tiny seed that God planted in my heart many years ago. While volunteering with the St. John Paul II Life Center as a client advocate and being introduced to the profound documentary MAAFA 21, I became increasingly aware of the need to educate and advocate for life in our community. As a woman of color, I knew that God was calling me to do more, and that’s when Embrace Life Initiative was born. With a servant’s heart, I surrendered to God’s call. I dedicated my life to a mission that included educating, empowering, and supporting men, women, and children facing unexpected life challenges. That mission included advocating for life inside and outside of the womb. With God’s guidance, I was led to collaborate and partner with churches, various pregnancy resource centers, adoption agencies, maternity homes, and various community leaders to provide support to women faced with unplanned pregnancies and who were considering life-altering decisions. I offered these women loving support, encouragement, and resources, inspiring them to choose life-affirming options.
Adoption Story:
God truly has a sense of humor, and he said if you can talk this talk, then you can walk this walk. Debbie was inspired to adopt, along with her husband Dr. Timothy Juhlke, to adopt and becoome loving parents to one child, but after they realized it was three other siblings, they decided to trust in God and adopt all four. They realized in that moment that they could not pick and choose because ALL four children deserved LOVING PARENTS.
While Debbie and Tim became instant parents again, they have experienced lofts of laughter and never a dull moment. While it is a lot of work, they are equipped with God’s grace and have the opportunity to be loving parents.
There are tons of children in the Foster System that need loving parents, and while Embrace Life Initiative can not protect them all, we seek to encourage our community of the options available for adoption.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Just like any start-up organization, we have faced many obstacles along the way. Our biggest challenge has been reaching our intended audience. Without a brick and mortar, it’s impossible to maintain a physical presence within the community consistently. However, since our inception, we have been happy to say that we have obtained a community mobile that will allow us to have a more consistent presence.
Thanks for sharing that. So, tell us more about your work next.
Embrace Life Initiative is a local non-profit organization that educates, empowers, mobilizes, and supports expecting mothers and fathers. We empower expecting mothers and fathers to make choices that benefit their lives and future generations. We are part of a growing network of dedicated individuals and community leaders committed to partnering with other life-affirming agencies in the Greater Austin Area. We identify real solutions to financial and physical needs and empower families to change the unplanned into a loving plan. We are proud of all our achievements, but most importantly, we are honored to have a reputation in the community as a trusted organization committed to supporting the life, health, and well-being of mothers, fathers, and their children. Like any other Christ-centered approach, we are set apart because we believe we are called to serve on a mission.
What does success mean to you?
Our work is our ministry, and with that, I don’t think it’s about success; for us, it’s more about educating and touching the lives of those who would benefit from our services. If I had to define success, it would be described as “touching one life that will empower future generations.”
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendsofembrace/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Embrace-Life/100080466540344/
