#all of them roasting jt is something special to me

[storiesaboutmara-blog]

2 Year Reflections from Friends of Mara

On Her Way with Relationships

One of the things I loved most about Mara was the way she made a person feel. Mara had a beautiful gift of making everyone feel welcome, loved, seen, safe. She was always pulling in, pulling toward. She did this with friends and strangers, she did this with children. This is what I remember most about Mara. This is what my daughter (Kalia) remembers most about Mara.

One morning, when Kalia was about 4 years old, she got a tiny stone stuck in her nose. (Yes - for some reason she decided to stick a little rock up her nose!) My husband was out of the country at the time, and I couldn't get through to our family doctor. The first person who came to my mind was Mara. I knew she would know what to do. I knew she would bring calm to me. I knew Kalia would feel safe with her. I also knew that Mara was battling cancer, needed rest, and had little time to spare. Even still, I called her. We were over to her house in minutes. She was so gentle and kind and good to Kalia. She laid her down on a bed, told her a little story, found a pair of tweezers, pulled the offensive stone out, and laughed with us. She made everything ok. That's what Mara always did. She made things feel ok.

After the stone was removed and 'saved' in a little box for safe-keeping, Mara pulled out some trinkets and treasures for Kalia to explore. She shared the story connected to each one, she never said 'don't touch', she welcomed Kalia's curiosity. The three of us sat on the bed together for long, slow minutes that morning. We smiled and played and talked. It was precious, human, real. Kalia still remembers that day. I think she always will. It was Maya Angelou, I believe, who said that we will never remember the words a person says, but we will always remember the way that person made us feel. Mara wrapped everyone in welcome and love. I miss Mara's smile. I miss her joy. I miss the way her eyes and cozy words welcomed me whenever I saw her. I miss her delight in my kids. They never had to perform around Mara. She welcomed them right were they were, right as they were. I miss the way Mara made them feel safe. I miss the way Mara made me feel safe. 

-Marcy Klug

First Memories of Mara My first memory of Mara is from college. She and Mindy beautifully sang Rock of Ages at one of the FCA retreats.  Their passion for the Lord and rendition of the song really struck me.  I think it was during that weekend that I got into a discussion with Mara about what to do if you needed to study for an exam the next morning, but someone was hurting and wanted you to spend the evening talking and praying. I thought that God would be most honored by studying hard for the exam the next day.  Mara insisted that no, God would want you to spend the time caring for a friend.  At the time I was sure I was right, but now I am sure sweet Mara was right. 

Mara and I were on staff together at Trinity for about six months. I remember one time Mara was so excited because she and JT Gill had discovered that ConAgra would sell underweight/off weight frozen Healthy Choice entrees for about a dollar. (This was before her conversion to all things healthy!)  For all us 20 somethings on a ministry budget, this was a windfall.   She stocked the Trinity freezer full of meals and ate them many days for lunch, and did her best to convince us all to make the trek out to ConAgra to do the same!

Once she bought a freezer someone was selling for about $20.  She quickly realized it was too big for her house, and somehow hauled it to Amy Sherman’s house and convinced Amy to put it in her kitchen. This was fortuitous because not too long after, she was at Shebeen and discovered that they had had a cancellation at the last minute for a big party, and had massive amounts of food ready and waiting. Mara, with her special charm, convinced them to give the food to her, for free of course, and she packaged it all up and put it in the freezer at Amy’s house. We all happily ate salmon and South African chicken skewers for months!

I always admired Mara’s sense of style. She could take a shirt she found for $5 at a thrift store and make it look like a million dollars. She always looked beautiful, and she always seemed to do it on a budget! She had a real gift for creating beauty.  

I learned so much from Mara. As Dave has said, she was a forerunner.  She was on the cutting edge for all things alternative/healthy living, and was always discovering wonderful new worship leaders or conferences or teachings about ministry in the Holy Spirit.  Mara introduced me to essential oils and juicing, and taught me not to burn my marshmallows when roasting them for health reasons ☺.  She and I shared a love for the Prayer Room in Kansas City, and traveled together on at least one Saturday night to a worship service at the Richmond Vineyard.  She helped me learn to navigate the sometimes-overwhelming charismatic world. We had many conversations about listening for God’s voice and ministering in the Spirit. She had so much wisdom. 

One of the sweetest times in recent years that I spent with Mara was in our home in Philadelphia.  She and David had dropped the boys off with family and come up for a conference. They came over for dinner and my husband Mark and I had a wonderful, long evening with them where we sat by the fire and talked about health, the Holy Spirit, and all things baby and parenting as I was pregnant with our first and they already had their two boys. Mara had me convinced I could potty train Ellie as an infant, and would have the energy to make my own baby formula. ☺ 

The world is a lesser place because Mara is no longer in it. We all miss you, Mara! But I love to think of Mara now in the most amazing prayer room ever, far better than the one in Kansas City. 

-Anne Brown

On Being Friends with Mara

Being friends with Mara felt like carrying a permanent VIP pass wherever I went, when I was with her. At restaurants she would go missing and a half an hour later we had an extra appetizer, courtesy of the chef, who was taken by Mara and her ability to see through the soul of a person in less than ten minutes and minister to their heart in a way few could. We went to the Shane and Shane and David Crowder concert with Mara and, halfway through the concert as David Crowder was performing, Mara’s seat was empty. I leaned over to my husband and said “ten bucks says that Mara is backstage with Shane and Shane.” Sure enough she surfaced near the end of the concert, slid into her seat and casually whispered out of the corner of her mouth “those guys are so great.” In the same way, I traveled to a house of prayer just a few hours away with Mara and ended up spending an entire afternoon with the director and Mara, watching her speak wisdom and insight into their ministry in a way that I could tell that few had, before her. We just went, intending to sit in the room and worship, and Mara left a deposit of His Spirit, through her ministry, instead.

Mara’s ability to see through the layers of the human heart into the story and the reach for vibrancy, tucked behind those layers, drew out that very vibrancy for God in a person. You couldn’t know her for even just shy of an hour and walk away unchanged. Those words seem dramatic as I type them, yet they're true and most anyone who has spent time with Mara would agree. She carried the heart of God into the grocery and the dry cleaners and the gym …she just wore Him, inside of her, in the most unnaturally, natural way.

-Sara Hagerty