Did you know that Rescue Hill’s legacy is deeply rooted in powerful, trailblazing women? In fact, we use the word “RESCUE” not because it describes what we do, but because it describes where we’ve come from. Maggie Mae Upchurch and Pearl Simmons were innovators who understood human trafficking in a day when very little was known about the issue. Maggie Mae and her husband J.T. felt led to open a home of refuge for exploited women in crisis. In 1942, J.T. said, “American girls are bought and sold in the shambles of shame, and are dragged, by their owners, into a life so terrible it makes one shudder to think of it.” Maggie Mae and her husband welcomed women from all over the country who needed a safe space, and the property sat on a knoll what would eventually become known as Rescue Hill. Today you can walk through a park on that property and visit a cemetery and memorial garden. One of the women who found her way to Rescue Hill was Pearl Simmons. Pearl grew up an orphan, and led a brutal life until she found her way to Berachah Home on the knoll of Rescue Hill. As she healed and found rest and belonging, she realized she was called to something else. She decided to become a missionary, carrying the love of God to India.