Slideshow image

            In September, a group of the St. Mary Magdalene Myrrhbearers went and visited the JMJ Maternity Home here in Atwater. We were given a tour by the director of the home, Stephen Hunt. He had a vision where low-risk pregnant women in need would have somewhere safe to stay so they could have stable ground to be able to choose “life”. It has over the years evolved into a mission that has helped hundreds of pregnant women and their children, typically being high-risk cases that involve backgrounds of drugs and alcohol, domestic violence, or homelessness. If under drug and alcohol use, they first refer the women to a local rehabilitation center before they can stay as a resident. Once they are a resident at the home they are able to receive shelter and apply for the government assistance programs they to get care, food, and housing so they can get on their feet to be on their own with their families.

            We toured a few of the bedrooms in which the women stay, the 2 kitchens (one of them being solely for washing baby bottles) equipped with 5 refrigerators, a playroom with baby bouncers, toys, board games for the older children, and a good library. We met and briefly talked to 3 mothers that were staying there. All had different backgrounds and situations they were going through with their babies and/or their pregnancies. We were told stories of both heartbreak and success as women navigate their difficult circumstances with their babies in tow. JMJ is a local charity that really does a lot of hard work in offering grace to women in need and the most vulnerable of our society- as the director put it “those who don’t know the world they’re being born into”. They are a small organization standing by what they believe in love, action, and compassion.

             St. Mary Magdalene made a donation from our drive of mostly boxes of diapers, baby wipes, and miscellaneous baby items. JMJ was very grateful for the support and generosity from our Church Community. They are in need of volunteers who would be willing to stay a night and help as needed as they don’t have a full time “house mom” at the moment. They are also in need of pillows, blankets, bedding, and towels as they go through these items quickly with new occupants. They could also use monetary donations to go towards general renovations and updating to the aging home.

             We look forward to being able to support JMJ again in the future in ways that we can. It was a touching and eye-opening visit where we learned about and gave back to our local mothers and children.

 

Angelica Hocking