Ana Maxim was born in 1987 as the youngest in a family of six children. With four older brothers and one sister, Ana learned to be tough and self-sufficient, but eventually learned to move from self-sufficiency to dependence on God. During her conversion, God began to speak to Ana's hurts, confusion, pride and fear. He also began to break her heart for the things that break His. At the age of 16, she heard Him ask, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And she responded, "Here I am Lord, send me" (Is. 6:8). Shortly after that, Ana began to work with Word Made Flesh Romania among the poor in her city.

In community, Ana found a place for giving life, for maturing and for listening to the voice of the poor calling out for love and communion. Through service in community, Ana began to understand her call to be a voice for the voiceless, to walk alongside the suffering and to identify with their needs as a sign of the presence of God in the midst of a hurting world.

Ana served as a volunteer for three years at the WMF drop-in center. After her graduation from high school in 2006, she came on staff as an intern, serving as an educator for school children, in particular for the older school girls.