Never Been Kissed

"I just want to be loved. Is that too much to ask?" she cried in her journal one night. Until middle school, she had believed that anything was possible, that all people were genuinely good, and that she mattered. As a twelve-year-old she had just begun to understand worth, thinking she could do anything and that she was worth everything. Mr. Jacuzzi Hot changed all that in a matter of minutes. From middle school to high school, from college to career, follow her journey of discovering worth amidst rejection, purpose amidst singleness, and love amidst pain. Mary-Kate Martin is the co-founder and Executive Director of the non-profit, Hosea's Heart, Inc. She resigned from her dream teaching job at La Crescent High School in 2014 to move indefinitely to Swaziland (eSwatini), Africa. The small town Wisconsin native now works full time in the Swazi heat, running homes for girls who've been sex-trafficked, sexually abused, in prostitution, or at-risk for these situations. In her free time, she plays basketball for the Swaziland women's league, reads novels (especially by Francine Rivers), enjoys the outdoors, and writes poems, blogs, and stories. She is a visionary, passionate about bringing beauty from ashes and hope for the broken. "She sees value in the people who think they're not worth anything. She sees light in many dark souls. That's what she's good at." -Skylar Matter, 2015