by Nafisa Kennedy, Director of Option Line
On the evening of February 16th, 2006, I arrived at a quiet brick building in Columbus, OH. A few cars were in the parking lot as I walked toward the door. I took a nervous deep breath, carefully entered my entry code on a keypad, and wondered what my first shift on the Option Line hotline would be like. My colleagues, some of whom I met for the first time that day, welcomed me as if I were family (between calls, of course). I observed that same warmth and kindness as I heard them connecting with our callers that night.
My first hotline shift was 6 hours long, and I still remember that I spoke with twenty-six people. My colleagues told me it was a quiet shift, but as a young professional with a heart for missions, I left with a heart bursting with gratitude for the opportunity to serve twenty-six souls in as many different cities! Not only was it incredible to speak life to them, but I knew that their next step would be a visit to a local pregnancy help center. What an honor to be part of a vast network of support which always leads back to the Lord our God! At the time, I was unaware of just how much God was already at work at Option Line, and I couldn’t have imagined all that He would do.
Later that year, we received an email from a mom who said she had called and spoken to someone by my name. When Sarah initially called she was considering abortion, but because of the support she found through Option Line and her local pregnancy help center, her email contained a photo of her (the mother) and her newborn child, absolutely beaming. She had not forgotten our late-night conversation, and she wanted to say thank you.
Up until 2012, all Option Line staff lived in the Columbus area and reported to the office for every shift. As a 24/7/365 operation, Option Line consultants would arrive and depart from our building at all hours of the day and night, in every season, too. In 2012, we began testing remote work with our Columbus area team during the overnight and weekend hours. Thanks to innovative technology, and God’s leading, we hired our first fully remote team member in 2014, and this year more than 60% of our team is remote. We’ve even had our consultants answer calls while in Guatemala, London, and Mexico; advancement in technology can bring many unexpected blessings!
Some things never change though. We still have an incredibly dedicated team of people-loving servants. Just recently, one of our consultants went into labor during her hotline shift; she chose to serve other moms until the time was near and was holding her own baby within two hours of her last hotline call.
Another aspect of our service that has not changed is our approach to people: respect and empathy are integral to Option Line culture.
“My caller says she reached out a year ago and spoke to me. She remembers my voice. She was raped a year ago and reached out to our helpline. She reminded me how she felt alone and that she decided to tell her husband…they kept the baby! She said that God heard her cries and they got help at their local center. Her baby is now 10 months old!”
- Sylvia, Option Line consultant
Option Line was developed on a solid foundation by its early leaders within Heartbeat International. God has ordained every step forward, and we have seen His blessings through those serving, as well as the people we serve. While my first shift on the hotline resulted in twenty-six calls, it is not uncommon for a hotline consultant today to speak with over 100 people per shift. During that first year, we celebrated reaching a quarter million contacts; as of our 22nd birthday, we have reached 7 million. To God be the glory, forever!
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Click here to learn about Option Line's impact today and how we've expanded our modes (digital, emails, texts, chats, and calls) of making over 390,000 connections per year.
