Long story ahead...😉 My name is Malana (muh-lay-nuh) and am a wife and mom of four out of Midwest City, Oklahoma with a passion for families. I began family photography in 2012 working for the old Midwest City JCPenny studios for four seasons. As a first-generation college graduate from UCO in Family Life Education and having my first two children, I needed something more flexible that I could do to make money on the side for my family while my babies were little- so I went into small business in corporate photography & design.

From 2019-2022, my family and I moved to Charleston, SC in a big move of faith. It was an amazing three years for my family's growth (we added two littles in our time there) and for my husband and I professionally. We made lifelong friends and still visit at least once a year. During my time there, I felt led to grow in my business and pursue a dream I've had my entire life- to be an author. I published my first book Momma, Don't Worry for pregnant moms looking for hope and faith for their future in July of 2022 and have since written three more titles on the topics of Jesus, family, and community.

One year after moving back from Charleston to Midwest City, my family was notified of a huge need in the Mid-Del area- no one was taking care of mommas with young children. In a 60,000 person town, there were no OB-GYNs, no mom groups, and no community groups helping with things like physical resources like diapers. Our mommas were forgotten. It was no one's fault- just a reality of a post-Covid world.


We knew we had to do something- so we did.

Along with an amazing volunteer team, (some of which are contributors to Midwest City Moms) we opened a temporary DBA of our family nonprofit called Building Generations that served pregnant mothers or mothers with children three and under in Mid-Del/EOC (now back to our original name, Bracht Family Ministries now that our mission is complete). I realized that what good is helping moms become stable if there is no healthy community connection to help them not just survive, but flourish- hence how Midwest City Moms came to be.

Within two years, both exploded! We grew to 5,000 members online, reached all over the world with our online platform, and had amazing turn-out at our first mom-event, Chosen Moms. We knew we had met a need. After two years of community work and advocacy for OB-GYN's, THREE OB-Gyn's joined SSM-Health St. Anthony's Hospital- Midwest which was an answer to prayer and a huge win for our city. Considering all of the governmental changes to federal funding and now the acquisition of three OB's, we felt confident to close our doors and focus our efforts on to Midwest City Moms. If you or someone you know has a need, check out our Helping Hand Resource Page.

As we were finishing our time with Building Generations, everything began to change. I mean- everything. My husband and I had worked in the local church as youth pastors for many years on 29th & Anderson Rd. and then became senior pastors of a church that was shutting down in Oklahoma City. I was confused- I thought we were to serve Midwest City only? The Lord had other plans. A door opened in Oklahoma City on a campus in Crown Heights near Bishop McGuinness High School. We now had the privilege to lead families in their faith with Jesus and grow their families in things such as pre-marital counseling, marriage, community connection, and spiritual growth in their Christian faith (if you have questions about who Jesus is and why it matters to you, go here).


After publishing the Midwest City History Book in July of 2025, the question next was- what are we supposed to do with Midwest City Moms?

I am a praying woman by nature. I always had many things I was responsible for as a leader. When I prayed, I did not feel like Midwest City Moms was finished or meant to be passive. I started getting all of these new ideas and renewed vision of how this could help moms, how it could be a blessing to my city, and how I could honor God with the gifts and talents in my hands.


And here we are.


Welcome to the new and improved Midwest City Moms, now part of a new community called Restored Roots Collective. Each chapter is led by a local mom and is meant to tell stories and create content that inspires growth in our faith in Christ (though any mom is welcome in), cultivate thriving motherhood and families, and bring freedom to the family cycle breakers hoping to have more for their future generations than they had- in peace and resources.

Thank you for joining us on this journey! Thank you for allowing a Type-C nerd-mom who wears many hats and who drinks too much coffee to cheer you on and encourage you.

We will be transferring all of our previous articles from the last couple of years on to our new platform so thank you for your patience!


We believe in you, Momma!


-XOXO Malana