Maldonado said Reckel has “saved me multiple times,” including from attacks with machetes, the “weapon of choice” among people living on the streets.
Colorado Springs Minister Learns People’s Stories
In a March 2022 episode of the “What’s Your Story?” YouTube talk show, Reckel spoke about overcoming trauma and using her experiences to transform lives. While growing up in Chicago, she was a victim of sex trafficking starting at age 4. Later she was raped, became pregnant as a result, and decided to keep the baby. Through it all, Jesus “kept me going,” Reckel told host Emmanuel Mutui.
Many unhoused people have experienced trauma, including sexual assault, and they often self-medicate, which can make it difficult to hold down a job, Reckel said. Instead of being afraid of these people, she said, she prays with them and asks about “their story.”
Many people experiencing homelessness “know their Bible” and have college degrees, said Reckel. Others are veterans. “But no one ever wants to give time to know them,” she added.
During the 2022 interview, Reckel expressed disdain for churches that tell people in need to “just pray” about their hardships. “Some of these churches, wow,” she said. “I would love to be a fly on that wall when they come before the Lord.” Some local pastors, she continued, are “the first ones to turn their backs” on people experiencing homelessness, elderly people, and refugees.
“There’s a church here where they’ll go pick up the homeless [people], but they’ll say, ‘Go sit in the corner there and don’t move,’” said Reckel. When she heard about that situation, Reckel “went off” on that church. “I don’t care who you are,” she said. “The only person I will bow down to is the Lord Almighty. Your church means nothing to me. I will defend anyone…but I love the Lord more than anything. So I work for God…and no one else.”
Reckel also made headlines in 2011, after a neighbor’s son was killed while serving in Afghanistan. Reckel rallied local businesses to repair the woman’s house and provide a new roof and fence. “My husband and I have taught our six kids that this is how you live,” Reckel said. “We always help people in need.”
