On the outside, it’s nothing extraordinary. On the inside, it’s quite the opposite.
Our Lady’s Inn is an emergency shelter for pregnant women, all coming from differing circumstances – rape, abuse, abandonment, etc. Some suffer from mental illnesses.
“Somebody saw a need, and they wanted to fulfill it,” Child Advocate Jodi Schulte said. “We want to love the girls because a lot of them haven’t been loved.”

In the front yard of the “Inn” lies a playground.
On the swing, sits a little girl with a polka-dotted pink tank-top. Her dark, braided hair moves back and forth as she moves up and down. A woman stands behind her, forcing her swing higher and higher.
“I can push myself. Push yourself, Mom. Push yourself. Push yourself!”
While many of the residents are pregnant, many are not. Some have already had their children, and some have already had multiple. As long as they come to the shelter pregnant – whether at eight months or two – they are allowed to stay for up to a year. This past October, there were nine children, seven infants, and 15 ladies.
The program encourages the ladies to find employment and enroll in college. Many girls staying there currently attend the Saint Charles Community College and work at local fast food chains, such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell.
“Push yourself Mom!”
Her mother sits on the swing next to her, pushes off the ground and begins to sway.
With two Missouri locations, one in St. Charles and one in St. Louis, funding can often become an issue. Both buildings rely on grants and donations to stay in operation.
“It’s really crazy how God provides,” Schulte said. “The other day this lady came in and just handed us a check.”
The ladies have to follow strict guidelines while living at the Inn. They have curfews, required classes, and meals they must eat together as a family. The ladies often struggle with the rules, especially their 9 p.m. weekday and 10 p.m. weekend curfews.
“Mom, if the swing goes forward, you got to push your legs forward. If the swing goes back, you got to push your legs back!”
Classes range from budgeting and parenting to sexuality and internet safety. Volunteers, employees, and the ladies alike reap the rewards the Inn provides.
“Seeing the outcome and the progress of the girls, seeing that we made a difference, it’s a great feeling,” House Monitor Karen Benscoter said.
The two continue to swing, gradually flying higher and higher.
“We’re gonna make it to the sky, baby! You ready?”