Margaret Arriaga was born on January 27, 1970 in Nueva Rosita, Coahuila, Mexico. When she was 10, her family moved to Fort Worth, Texas where she spent the rest of her childhood. Margaret is the oldest of six children in the blended family of Reynaldo and Juanita Arriaga. She was raised Roman Catholic and received the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation before she was 10. While in Fort Worth, Margaret attended the local Catholic Church in her neighborhood.

In 1991, one year after her high school graduation, Margaret married her ‘high school sweetheart’, Michael Gonzales. In 1992, Margaret graduated from the Fort Worth Beauty School and was licensed through the State of Texas as a cosmetologist. In 1993 the Gonzales’ moved to Dallas where Margaret established herself as a children’s hair stylist with over 400 clients on her roster. Although she was finding success in her career, Margaret did not find fulfillment. In search for more fulfilling work, Margaret enrolled at Dallas Christian College in 1996 and began working towards a degree in business administration. After the birth of her first child in 1998, Margaret decided to put her career and college on hold and concentrate on her family. This choice gave Margaret the opportunity to reexamine her life and caused her to consider her calling as a wife and mother.

In 1999 the Gonzales family relocated to Denver, Colorado. Initially, Margaret stayed home with her baby but towards the end of 1999, she took a part-time job at a local retail store. Margaret made a friend there that introduced her to Kehilat T’nuvah and Messianic Judaism. In February 2000 just before the birth of her 2nd child, Margaret accepted Yeshua as Messiah and was born again. By the end of 2000, Margaret and Michael were both born again and immersed. Soon after, they became members of Kehilat T’nuvah and have been committed to the congregation’s mission and vision.

Margaret has been involved with a variety of Kehilat T’nuvah ministries and has volunteered whenever possible. From 2001-2004, the Gonzales’ led a weekly Torah-study group in their home. They are currently revisiting this concept with another Torah-study group that meets in their home during Motze Shabbat. Personally, Margaret has felt a call to minister to women and children in the Kehilat T’nuvah community. For the women, Margaret taught a very successful 14-week class called ‘For the Man’s Sake.’ The class focused on helping married women understand their role as a wife and help-mate to their husbands. Margaret occasionally mentors women in the Kehilat T’nuvah community and she also organizes the monthly Ladies’ Night Out Group. For the children, Margaret has volunteered to work in the nursery and teach in the children’s classes. In 2002, Margaret held the title of Children’s Education Director overseeing all the children’s classes offered on Shabbat. Margaret also created the acclaimed Girls’ Hebraic Dance Team Ministry in May 2008 and continues to grow this vision. In addition to all of this, Margaret home schools her five children and she is the biggest supporter of her husband in his call to fulltime ministry.