Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Heiland. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melissa, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I had spent 17 years in pregnancy ministry in the United States, when God opened the door for me to begin a pregnancy ministry in Costa Rica. It required a huge leap of faith. Following this path would mean working in a different country, language and culture. I would need to learn new laws and new ways of working with clients, volunteers and donors. The costs were high and I was moving into uncharted territory. However, I believed that God was calling me to take this leap. So, I prayed and I jumped! It was scary and thrilling. As I write this story, 10 years later, our ministry has 69 pregnancy ministries in 21 nations.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a wife, mother of 6 and grandmother of 10. I have been in pregnancy ministry since 1995. I am the Founder and President of Beautiful Feet International. We start pregnancy ministries around the world. We currently have 69 centers in 21 nations. We help women and girls in unplanned pregnancies. These girls often feel alone and have little to no help or resources. We provide education related to pregnancy and parenting, pregnancy tests, prenatal vitamins, lay counseling and many other services to help them take care of themselves and their children. We teach nationals around the world how to help girls in their own communities. It has been exciting and rewarding to watch the ministry grow. We started our work in Latin America and it has expanded to the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and we are now preparing to work in Eastern Europe.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Once I was asked to speak in Tanzania. It was a very long trip and I arrived tired, but excited to do the work I had been asked to do. On the first day of training, I was met with a lot of opposition to what I was teaching. I quickly realized that the material I was teaching needed to be taught in a different way in this culture. The Lord guided me to teach the same concepts and principles in a different way. I drew on His strength and my 20+ years of experience and taught them in a way that made sense to them. At the end of this trip, I wrote an outline for a new curriculum which I now teach throughout the world.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Managing a team is key to the success of any endeavor. As I look for people to serve on my team, I’ve learned to be very selective. Not everyone who asks to serve, is truly willing to persevere and sacrifice for the work. I endeavor to be very clear regarding expectations for each team member before they join the team. I put expectations in writing. I want each person on my team to know specifically what I expect from them and what they can expect from me. I build them up and generally ask them to work in their areas of strength. I have developed forms that they complete before they join the team so that I can better understand what motivates and de-motivates each member. I have regular points of checking in with each person ‘, to get a pulse on how they are feeling about their job and role. I try to adjust whenever possible to meet their needs. I publicly applaud successes and give credit to all involved. I try to cover for the mistakes of others and to treat them with grace and respect at all times.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beautifulfeetinternational.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautifulfeetinternational