Joyful Anticipation

Advent- a time of joyful anticipation of a baby’s birth. Not just any ordinary baby, but the baby who would change the world forever. When Mary gave her, “Yes,” her, “Fiat,” and became pregnant with the baby Jesus, she faced many difficult realities. But these difficulties, while very real and painful, were so small in…

I Wouldn’t Be Here

When I first started working at Maggie’s Place, I quickly grew to expect a visitor during my Wednesday morning duty shift. This man very generously brought produce to our home, a small gift every week. This gift was often accompanied by a few words of encouragement, of hope, of healing. He always shook my hand as he was leaving, would look…

A Maggie’s Place Thanksgiving

There’s a turkey on the table, and wafts of pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is delicious. The house is full of family and friends stopping by. Thanksgiving is familiarity. Mom cooks; we eat and enjoy each other while memories fly. Thanksgiving is company. This year instead of one mom I have many more. Thanksgiving is abundance. I…

Thank You, Volunteers!

At Maggie’s Place, all are welcome. We acknowledge that all who come through our doors have diverse gifts, talents, stories, and wounds. This is applies not only to the moms, MissionCorps, and staff, but extends to our volunteers and donors. To me, this is the most beautiful aspect of Maggie’s Place: that we try our…

Because She Has Loved Much

If there’s one thing I’ve learned at Maggie’s Place, it’s that love is beautiful, even when it’s messy. Our Patron Saint, Mary Magdalene, is a beautiful example of what it means to love, even when love is messy. Before arriving here in the Arizona desert, I already looked up to the example of Mary Magdalene…

Valley of the Sun

The road that brought me to Maggie’s Place at the beginning of August was full of twists and turns; a constant ride of uphill climbs and downhill soars. When I accepted the MissionCorps position in December of my senior year, my spiritual life was at an all-time high. I was so ready to minister to…

We All Love Tacos

“Eleven women of distinct and unique ethnic backgrounds and cultures move into a house together…” This could sound like the beginning of a joke, but at Maggie’s Place, this is the beginning of a daily reality. I live with, work with, and love 10 women of vastly different backgrounds than myself on a daily basis.…

Love Lives Here

They come to us unexpectedly. They come to us broken, betrayed, and burdened by a world that has let them down. They come to us looking for a place of peace amidst the storm they’ve been trying to survive. Their passage through our front door transforms them from a stranger to our beloved sister in…

Grace In Hidden Places

As I get older, I find myself speechless by the grace of God more and more often. As it becomes more precious and real to me, it somehow simultaneously becomes a deeper mystery. And the real gift in it is that He shows up with lessons of grace in ways that are upside down and…