Mentor Mom Panel

Mentor mom panel day is always a welcomed treat at M2M. I find it just as interesting to hear your questions as I do the mentor moms' answers. I think there is much to be learned and gained from hearing each other's situations and challenges. I also find it reassuring to know that I am not alone. The great thing about parenthood is that even though our children may be of the same age, each child is uniquely, fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Therefore, I'm finding that although there are often standard and practical answers to most of our questions, there are some answers that can only be answered by us, our husbands (if you're married) and the Lord.

"For the LORD gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you." ~Proverbs 2:6-11

So far, the interesting thing about motherhood for me is that it's been more of a personal journey in growing my character. Each day, God uses the gift of my children to help mold and shape me into who He wants me to be. There are some days that I resist the schooling more than others but it is through this process that my children see examples of Christ-like behavior and love. I find that prayer is one of the most important things I can do for my family and teaching my children how to pray is invaluable. They can learn from an early age that mom and dad don't always have all the answers but we serve and love our mighty God who certainly does.

The beauty of our mentor moms is that they have all journeyed ahead of us. Each of them went through different challenges within their own respective families. They speak and share from years of experience, successes and hearthaches. I have enjoyed learning from all of our mentor mom panels throughout my time here on Wednesday mornings.

As conscientious moms who seek the Lord in all we do, I find that God sometimes places people in our paths to help guide us or give us a word of encouragement when we need it most. Other times, He places people in our lives that we may reject at first but it's those very people or situations that prompt the Holy Spirit to convict us of something that only the Holy Spirit can. Let us always remember that because we are in Christ, we are never alone. May we continually seek counsel from the One who desires the best for us and for our family. God loves our precious children more than we can ever comprehend.

*A warm welcome to Peggy Schluchter, our newest mentor mom!

Christopher's Clubhouse

Heavy stuff. What an eye-opening morning. It broke my heart to hear all those statistics about children being molested and abducted in our country. It is evident that the prince of darkness is very much alive and lurks in even the most unsuspecting little town. As the morning unfolded, I couldn't get my mind off the horror that 10 year-old Christopher must have faced in his final hours. Mika experienced something that no parent would ever allow themselves to think about, let alone, should ever have go through.

It's stories like these though, that remind me that God has a purpose for every life- even those that are cut short in such a horrific manner. God is the only One who can take something that is so awful and despicable, and turn it into something for good. Our Heavenly Father has the power to restore, renew and bring light to even the darkest corner of our lives. Instead of letting her circumstances defeat her, Mika used her grief, pain and passion to start Christopher's Clubhouse, a non-profit organization that provides invaluable safety education to children and families. Thus far, her organization has helped over 150,000 children develop the skills necessary to avoid exploitation and abduction. I was amazed when she told us that 43 of her students have since been preyed upon! Thank God that they all managed to get away. How scary is that? The sad reality is that we do not live in a safe world and for many sick predators, children are their main target. I was certainly left with a heightened awareness and urgency to take a more pro-active approach in teaching my children about safety.

After Mika spoke and we briefly had a chance to share a little at our table, I wondered how many of you moms were once preyed upon as a child? If the statistics are correct, there are many of you within our own M2M group. My prayer for you is that you have come to a place of resortation, peace and most of all, freedom in knowing just who you are and what you mean to our Heavenly Father.

Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

*Christopher's Clubhouse is planning the 2nd Annual Coachella Valley Child Safety Event for May 2, 2009 in conjunction with National Missing Children's Day.

For more information on Christopher's Clubhouse and the programs that are offered, please visit http://www.christophersclubhouse.org or call Mika Moulton at 1-866-546-7464.

Welcome back!

Welcome back, ladies! And a warm welcome to all of you new moms that are joining us for the first time! Isn't it GREAT to be back? It was so wonderful to see all of your beautiful faces this morning. I love the energy of our first morning together. It's always fun to see everyone after a long break and find out who's at your new table. Like most of you, I walked into Mom2Mom about a year and a half ago and didn't know a soul. Since then, I can honestly say that I have met some of my dearest friends through this amazing ministry. It is our hope that through Mom2Mom, you would be encouraged to learn more about the kind of woman and mother that God calls us to be. We pray that you would find this to be a safe place of respite, support and inspiration in the weeks to come. And you never know, you may just meet a friend for life here as well. We are praying for each and every one of you.

Let us know if you need anything and how we can better serve you.

Love & Blessings,

Catherine