Sage

My name is Sage, and I have known Mariel for nearly seven years. We were in a small group through church for many years. In this small group, we met to challenge and encourage one another to lives of authenticity and integrity. We discussed the sermon and shared prayer requests weekly and really became transparent and accountable to one another.

Mariel has always been the kind of person who is honest to the core. She will tell you the truth (with grace) whether you want to hear it or not. She doesn't flatter or do the “Minnesota nice” thing. She carries herself with the utmost integrity and encourages others to do the same. I have spent time at her home when she was watching another child and was humbled by her heart to love that child like her own. and I was struck by her patience. At the time I only had one child and was impressed by her ability to stay calm and collected when dealing with the complexities of taking care of small, and oftentimes irrational children. You could tell she had been a teacher by the way she would often stop to give a tender-hearted teaching moment to a small child in need of redirection. She was never too busy to take a child in her lap and read them a book.  

She is someone I would absolutely trust watching my own precious kiddos. Mariel is one of those people who must tell the truth. She is honest to the core. If she said she did not harm this dear child, she did not hurt this child. I thought we had a justice system that assumed you were innocent until proven guilty. Where is the proof? Mariel is innocent.