Have you ever held onto a dream so tightly that your knuckles turned white? Most of us have. We plan our lives like engineers drafting blueprints—carefully, methodically, with every detail in place. But what happens when life crumbles those plans like a sandcastle at high tide?

For Deborah Simmons, founder and CEO of Anchor Point, that moment came 30 years ago in a hospital room, cradling four tiny babies who never got to come home.

Deborah's journey isn't just inspirational—it's a roadmap for anyone wondering how faith can transform both personal tragedy and business leadership into something beautiful and lasting.

From Heartbreak to Hope

As a young college graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering, Deborah had it all figured out. She married her college sweetheart with dreams of being a young grandmother someday. But life had different plans.

"I ended up pregnant with quads," Deborah shares. "Those boys were born at 26 weeks and they passed away in my arms."

In that darkest moment, Deborah made a decision that would reshape her entire future: "I remember clearly in the middle of being in the hospital that night after the boys were born and had passed away, just putting a stake in the ground going, 'God, I am going to trust you.'"

Like a sailor in a storm choosing to trust their anchor rather than their own swimming abilities, Deborah grabbed hold of faith when everything else was washing away.

Learning to Ask the Right Questions

When facing tragedy, many of us get stuck asking "why." Deborah learned a powerful lesson:

"If you and I spend all our time asking why, then we're never gonna get better. And the reality is, this side of heaven, we're not gonna get a satisfactory answer."

Instead, she started asking different questions:

• "How do I survive?"
• "How do I not just survive, but thrive?"

These questions became stepping stones across the river of grief, leading her toward a new purpose.

Nine Children and a Ministry

God's answer to Deborah's heartbreak was unexpected. First, He called her away from engineering and into seminary. Then, He opened her heart to adoption.

"We could spend all our money trying to get pregnant and have no success. Or I could take that money and invest it in children that needed a home," she explains.

Over time, Deborah and her husband adopted nine children from the foster care system—three separate sibling groups, including five children all at once!

"The first night, one of them was in my house, the youngest one, he was six, looking up at me and goes, 'Hey, what's for dinner?' And I looked at this kid and went, 'Do you ask this every day? Because I am not prepared for this!'"

Like a gardener suddenly given an entire orchard to tend, Deborah had to quickly develop systems and strategies to nurture her growing family.

The Birth of Anchor Point

While raising her children, Deborah worked in prison ministry with Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship. She thought she had found her perfect fit—until God began planting a new seed in her heart.

"God planted a seed in me that what could I do that would be bigger than me and would last way past my time on Earth and impact people."

At first, Deborah resisted. She already had a full plate with seven children and full-time ministry work. But sometimes God's call is persistent, like a pebble in your shoe that won't go away.

When her job at Prison Fellowship suddenly ended, Deborah knew it was time to listen. Rather than wallowing in self-pity, she and her husband threw a "What's Next Party"—complete with cake and gifts—to show their children how to face unexpected changes with faith.

Building a Family Network

Anchor Point began with a vision to help families "from before the child was born all the way into adulthood to break cycles." Today, the ministry offers:

A Medical Clinic - Providing pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and abortion pill reversal to help women choose life

Family Center - Offering case management and support for both mothers and fathers

Maternity Home - Housing homeless pregnant women for up to 18 months while providing education and support

HOPE Community - Running therapeutic camps and recovery groups for families dealing with trauma

Like a lighthouse on a rocky shore, Anchor Point guides families through storms of crisis pregnancy, trauma, and uncertainty toward safety and hope.

Faith Lessons for Business Leaders

Deborah's journey teaches important lessons for anyone leading a business or organization:

1. Trust Is a Muscle

"This idea of trusting God, we just have to grow in that. And that is a muscle that has to be developed over time."

Just as athletes develop strength through resistance training, our trust grows stronger through challenges.

2. Count the Cost

Before expanding her family, Deborah sat down with her existing children to help them understand what adoption would mean—from sharing toys to potentially not having money for college or cars.

Similarly, business leaders must honestly assess what each new venture will cost in time, resources, and opportunity.

3. Fund Your Vision

In the early days of Anchor Point, Deborah often wrote checks from her personal account to keep the ministry going.

"I literally would call my husband and I would go, 'Dude, I just wrote a check for $5,000 to give to the ministry.' And I said, 'So don't buy anything.'"

This sacrificial giving demonstrates the principle that what we truly value, we will find a way to fund.