I’m going to brag about my contact mom, Lacey.
Lacey is 20 years old and has been at Maggie’s Place since August of 2014, when she was just a few months pregnant and unsure of what she wanted to do other than move in to Maggie’s Place. She plans to continue living at the house for several more months–if she had her way, she would never move out! She came to us from California, where she had moved to get clean and sober. She bet her whole savings–a total of $76–on a Greyhound ticket to Phoenix before she even had a intake interview with us, trusting that God’s Providence would provide a place for her at Maggie’s Place, which she knew would give her the kickstart and accountability that she needed to become independent. And she was right! A week after taking that leap and moving to Phoenix, she moved in to Maggie’s Place.
In the past 8 months that she has lived here, Lacey has worked so hard to make lasting changes in her life. She started going to school last October for a Medical Assistant certificate, and will complete the program in July of this year; she already has a few places in mind for her externship, some of which offer jobs when the students complete their externships. Her ultimate goal is to be a registered nurse, and she is well on her way. Besides going to school, she has been working part-time to save up for a car, a goal that she reached in March. She also is a participant at the Maggie’s Thrift Job Training Program, where she hopes to earn donation dollars to use as an alumni mom, as well as furniture voucher to use when she has her own apartment one day.
Balancing a job, school, the thrift program, and parenting her son hasn’t been easy, but she’ll be the first to tell you that it’s all so worth it. That’s another thing about Lacey–she has her down days like the best of us, but she also has an optimistic spirit that has helped her to keep moving forward. To give an example: Serve Saturdays are not her favorite day of the month (who really likes to do chores anyway?), but one month she told me that as she was washing all the windows on the property alongside a volunteer, grumbling internally all the way, she suddenly thought to herself, “God, thank you for giving me these windows to wash, because that means I have a home to live in.” Can you see why I love her!?
She reminds me often that we trust in Divine Providence to provide, but that it takes hard work to get where we want to be as well. I admire her big heart, her determination, and her integrity in owning up to the mistakes she has made in life, and the knowledge that she can do better. Please keep Lacey in your prayers as she continues to do big things with her life!
By Lucy Miller, a MissionCorps member
