My name is Alycia Marie.  You may remember me. Once upon a time I was associate editor of Tirzah Magazine.  One day, God told me to start a home for teenage mothers. Mind you, I was 26 years old and perfectly content on my career path to be an executive director of a pregnancy center one day.  Then, I met a girl. She was young, African American, pregnant, running around the streets of Milwaukee with no one to care for her. There was nowhere stable for her. I had moved to Wisconsin from Kentucky, where I had worked for a home for teenage mothers.  In the midst of this young girl’s crisis, I discovered a need. One God had given me a solution for. That was the moment I found one of the callings God placed on my life.

When God places a calling on your life, He creates a divine interruption.  Everything you thought you knew shifts. The world as you know it changes. All you know is that you have to do whatever He says or things feel off.  At least, that’s how it is for me. This call continued to follow me, haunt me, and surround me. Until the day a friend and mentor, Dorothy, came up to me and said, “I have a house.” She said she knew I had a dream to start a home for teenage mothers.  Dorothy said that was a calling I had to pursue.

That was the moment I knew I had to quit my pursuit of writing, career, and solitude.  God was calling me to community, creation, and a new culture in my city. Yelena, the founder of Tirzah Magazine, and I actually met up in St. Louis.  I told her my dreams and she explained the unusual passion I awoke in others for social justice. God used her to show me that I should pursue this calling.  Not long after this date, I wrote an article for Tirzah Magazine explaining that I was no longer associate editor because I was transitioning into a new season to start a home for teenage mothers.

When I wrote that article, I included that I lived near Milwaukee, Wisconsin and anyone in the area was welcome to grab coffee.  Another young woman read that article. She also lived near Milwaukee. It turned out she worked 10 minutes away from me: we were both in ministry, the same church denomination, and passionate about teen mothers.  We met within one week and immediately clicked. She and I started the journey to build this home together. Every piece has been so clearly orchestrated by God. As I step out in faith, God closes the gaps.  

Courtney, my ministry partner, and I have seen God continue to close the gaps.  He continues to shift our directions and paths. Throughout the journey, He heals us.  My story is hard. It’s beautiful, messy, and imperfect. Someone once asked me if I would share a five minute “My Story” of my testimony at church.  I told them it would take 3 hours to even begin to share. She told me I would have to stand on stage and say you could read my book to hear my story.  This is what I’m doing here. Finally telling my story and showing how when you step out into faith - into God’s story - you find others. You find community.  There is a healing in your own life that you didn’t even know was possible.  

Most importantly, You find Jesus.  You find Him in the ordinary, the mundane, the extraordinary, and the miracles. Join me for my story.  Check back each month for the signs, wonders, and healings I’ve had the privilege of seeing as I’ve stepped into God’s story.   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alycia Marie is a free-spirited missionary and follower of Christ. She spends her days wandering around the city with the unique family that God has given her. At this time, she is currently working with two non-profits to tackle rebuilding families in the city of Milwaukee. In her free time, she plays with preschoolers, writes in coffee shops, and travels the world.