Joy

Can joy be present during difficult times?

This past Wednesday morning we were blessed with guest speaker, Kristin Tanner. Kristin, a 10-year resident of the Desert, a Registered Nurse, wife and mother of two recounted her first-hand experience in finding joy while accepting a very difficult medical diagnosis of her three-month-old daughter Natalie.

Natalie was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer; merely three-months old, her head was increasing in size due to the fluid surrounding her brain and a tumor that had wrapped itself around her brain stem. The diagnosis was the beginning of a journey that Kristin later described as, “an experience that most people do not get.”

Kristin gave a phenomenal recount of her emotions as a mother during this time in her life; making decisions that didn’t always feel right, smiling when she didn’t always feel happy and finding hope when medical history dictated otherwise. Her thoughts were raw at times when she described how confusing it was, when bonding moments with her daughter left her wondering whether she should, “enjoy her (daughter’s) spirit” or “prepare for her (daughter’s) loss”. During these difficult times Kristin explained to us that her strength came from the, “peace and joy of being fully engaged as a family, experiencing their new normal and embracing Natalie’s progression and growth.”

Kristin’s final words to us Wednesday morning answered the question we ponder when faced with difficult situations, “Joy needs to be found during times when it’s not there and then remembered.”

Today Natalie has been cancer free for three years and has an 85% chance of survival; Praise God for their miracle and for the hope and the joy they experienced during their most difficult days.

“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” Nehemiah 8:10

Rhonda Coombs

M2M Guest blogger

Gentleness

Donna Rowell spoke to us about gentleness on Wednesday. Donna basically oozes gentleness :) As soon as she started speaking, we could all tell that she was meant to teach on this topic. She encouraged us to be quick to forgive, not to scold our husbands, and to remember that we cannot take our words back. She asked us to consider these questions, "When you're not speaking, what are you reflecting to your children/husband? What do they see and sense when their eyes find you?" She also encouraged us to ask God in every situation, "What do you want me to learn from this?" Remember that when our children are challenging us, God is giving us the perfect opportunity to exercise gentleness. I was given PLENTY of opportunities to be gentle this week....were you?! Thank you Donna, for sharing your heart with us!

As always, Leadership is here for anyone, we love you!

Blessings,

Katie

Kindness

Wow. Wednesday was a very moving morning at Mom2Mom. Shelene Bryan was our speaker, and she certainly had us all laughing in one moment, and then crying in the next. Her energy was intense, and we loved every minute of it! Shelene is a producer from LA, who decided that she was going to fly to Africa and meet the children that she and her family sponsored. That experience changed her life, and she has since started the non-profit organization called Skip1. Shelene encouraged us to "Skip 1", one latte, one manicure, one dinner out, one new purse, and donate that money to help feed children who are in need, children who are starving. Below is the PSA for Skip1. Please take a moment to watch it, and consider skipping.

www.Skip1.org

Faithfulness/Worship Day

What a moving morning! On Wednesday, one of our amazing Mentor Moms, Misty Moss, shared about faithfulness. Misty shared her testimony, and there wasn't a dry eye in the room. She told us of the struggles she faced in her marriage, specifically her unfaithfulness, and how her husband showed her love throughout it all. Misty is a perfect example of the Lord at work, He can do GREAT things if we let Him in, if we trust Him, if we are faithful to Him. Thank you, Misty, for being so willing to share your heart!

We also had worship on Wednesday, and it was so moving! The image below is of Jason and myself singing, but it should be of all of YOU worshiping. I always feel so blessed to lead worship at SCC, and it's because when I look out, I get to see all of you amazing moms, worshiping our King, praising His name. It's truly a sight to behold.

Here is a list of the songs Jason and I sang, just incase any of you would like to know :)

1. Cannons

2. Hosanna

3. Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

4. Our God

As always, the entire Leadership Team is here for anyone who may need prayer or support!

Blessings,

Katie

Self Control

What a great morning! This week, we learned about self control. After Rhonda's devotion and Ruthie's teaching, we had some AMAZING table conversation, and I know my table wasn't the only one. Rhonda encouraged us to approach self control as a game: when we exercise self control, everybody wins, and the reward is personal growth. Great idea!

It's always a joy to hear Ruthie speak. She is so sweet, wise, and quite entertaining! She encouraged us to E.A.A.T.......................................................................................

E-Engage with our "Trainer" (the Holy Spirit). Instead of venting to our girlfriends about our kids, husbands, jobs ECT, process our emotions through our Trainer. Go to Him when we need to let it all out.

A-Asses where you lack self control. Is there a specific time of day that is difficult for you? (EG: after nap, before church, before bedtime) Are you very emotional, or quick to react? Try to figure out what areas you struggle with.

A-Aim for a goal, a realistic and achievable one. We all have things that we struggle with and that we'd like to change. Overloading ourselves with expectations only leads to disaster. Start out with one, simple goal. Ask yourself these questions, "What am I becoming? What things are important to me? What do I need to cut out in order to become who the Lord wants me to be?"

T-Train yourself. Work the changes into your life! Remember that the Trainer will push you beyond your comfort level, and that's OK, you MUST obey. Recognize that your Trainer is there to guide you, but YOU have to do the work.

Do you struggle with self control? I do, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Hopefully this week's teaching has been beneficial to all of us, and hopefully we're all in prayer, asking our Trainer to help us along the way! Moms, please let ANY of the leadership team know if you need prayer, perhaps an extra prayer for self control :) We're here for all of you!

Blessings,

Katie

Patience

Patience: Good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence.

Another great morning at M2M! This week, our topic was "Patience". I'm sure that our devotion and speaker sparked plenty of great conversations at your tables. As Moms, patience is something that we all need a good dose of :)

Our speaker, Marcey Hawkins, spoke of her struggles while she and her family lived in a travel trailer for a year. Although that time in her life was very challenging, she eventually gave it all to God, and found joy in waiting for HIS timing. It's not up to us to make things happen. Our job is to be faithful, continually praising the Lord in every circumstance. Marcey likened patience to endurance. Amen! The Lord already has a plan for us, all we need to do it slow down and trust in Him.

Have any of you struggled with patience this week? I know that I have. Please don't hesitate to contact your Small Group Leaders, or any of the leadership team if you're in need of a little extra prayer for patience or anything else!

(PS: Blogger is being silly right now.....I don't know why the bottom of this post is underlined and I can't make it stop!)

Many Blessings,

Katie

Fall Session: Day 1!

What an amazing 1st day of Mom2Mom! We have well over 100 registered women, and more to come! If you weren't able to make it on Wednesday, we are looking forward to welcoming you next week! M2M has seen some great changes this year. Lots of new leadership, ideas and a HUGE desire to serve YOU. Debbi has done an amazing job all summer, planning, brain storming and preparing.

M2M's new look....don't you love the new colors?

Kameron, our Special Events Coordinator, will always liven things up. Stay tuned for future Mom's Night Out events!

Shannon, our Kid2Kid coordinator, had many things to remind us of...."No green boogies or fevers allowed!" Rest assured that your children are downstairs, being loved and enjoying their morning just as much as you are enjoying yours :)

We filled the room!! "Getting To Know You" has never been so much fun!

In case you did not receive a newsletter, here it is.

I'd like to encourage each of you Moms to take a peek at the study we passed out for the week. The theme for this week is "Love". Doing it isn't required, but we can all benefit from it!

At the end of the morning, M2M Leadership Team, Small Group Leaders and the Mentor Moms shared our "cardboard testimonies". It's our hope that through that, you will all see that we are human, we've made mistakes, we've lived through trials, and that we are just like you. Feel free to contact M2M leadership should you have any needs, questions, concerns or feedback. We're here to serve you, and will be praying for you all week!

Many Blessings,

Katie

M2M Publicity

M2M Leadership Retreat

Last month, the leadership ladies spent a couple of days at the Walker Ranch for the annual leadership retreat. It was so nice to be able to get to know one another on a deeper level. The rest and relaxation was great too ;) We played and laughed until we cried! We also discussed many business items, and changes for the year ahead. We are all so excited about what the Lord is doing in this ministry, and are looking forward to an amazing year!

Summer Playdate

A few of us showed up for the Mom2Mom playdate at the park behind Applebees in LQ yesterday. It was a warm morning out but the breeze every so often felt good made it manageable. I love this park as it's about 95% fenced in and the kids can just run around, play and roll down the grass hills while the moms are able to chat and sit with the babies.

So Long... Farewell...

Another year of Mom2Mom has come to an end. I know I say it at the end of each session that I can't believe the session is already over, it goes by so fast, etc. etc. but this year really did absolutely FLY by!! It feels like just yesterday I was sitting down to type out this!! Wednesday was a busy, busy morning that went by a little too fast for my liking. The mentor moms blessed us with a wonderful taco salad and a beautiful cake that Nancy Walker made. We had a morning of extra long talk at our tables, followed up with sharing by some of YOU and just praising God for all He has done this year in the lives of each one of us through this ministry. We concluded with a slideshow and a very emotional farewell to Kerri, who shared that she isn't returning as the Mom2Mom coordinator next year. Kerri, YOU WILL BE MISSED more than any of us can even begin to express. We prayed for Debbi Garcia as it was announced that she will be stepping into Kerri's shoes next year as coordinator... I'm eagerly looking forward to next year (or September I guess... it'll be here before we know it!) and all that God has in store for this ministry and each one of us!

It has been a pleasure serving you this year at Mom2Mom.
We love you,
The Leadership Team

Worship Day & Mrs. Shafer

This past week we had the wonderful opportunity of Jason Shafer & Katie McGihon leading worship!! Worship Day is one of my favorites of the session, if not the entire year, at Mom2Mom and this last worship day of the this year proved to be no different. Jason and Katie sang Cannons, Desert Song, Living for your Glory and From the Inside Out, and they rocked each and every one of them!

We also had the pleasure of having Elizabeth Shafer (Jason's lovely wife) come and share all about her amazing mom, Kim, with us! The title: It's not what happen to you, It's what happens in you. Although Elizabeth isn't a mom, yet, she shared with us some wonderful things that her mom did in raising her and ideas for each of us to use with our kids. One of the main things I took away from her talk was wanting my kids to be able to come and talk to me about anything, in the years to come. Elizabeth was able to do that because she and her mom had such an open and honest relationship and Kim would shower her with grace anytime Elizabeth had something she needed to come and talk to her about.

Thank you to Jason, Katie & Elizabeth for blessing us on Wednesday!

Nutrition

April Johnson and Diane DeVall came to speak with us about KIDS and NUTRITION last week. They've both become certified in Dr. Sears Lean Kids programs and offered a TON of helpful information, most of it being pretty common sense stuff, but the way they presented it and gave ideas on how to help remember them was very helpful.
A few things that I took away from the morning:

Traffic Light Eating - easy for kids to remember too!!
GREEN: Green means "go" - Green light foods are "grow" foods. You want to help your child learn to eat as mucha s they want of these foods, which include all fruits and vegetables. Green light foods are: grown and not manufactured, low in calories, high in nutrients, colorful and usually can be eaten raw.
YELLOW: Yellow tells us to "slow down" - Yellow light foods are okay to eat everyday, in moderation. Yellow light foods include: pasta, rice, bread, tortillas, noodles, eggs, lean meat, chicken, low fat yogurt, nuts and seeds, olive oil, soy foods, whole grains, fish, low fat cheese and vegetable oil.
RED: Red means "stop" and think - When we come across a red light food, we should make a different choice or eat a smaller portion. Red light foods are low in nutrients; high in calories, fat or sugar; or contain artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils or trans-fats. They include: butter, cookies, candy, frozen yogurt, fatty meats, pastries, chips and white bread.

April's Cereal Rule:
Over 4 grams of fiber
Less than 6 grams of sugar

Nibble Tray: Fill a muffin tray in the morning with an assortment of different snack and goodies for your kids to nibble on during the day. Fill it with mostly green items, some yellow and a couple of dips (peanut butter/ranch dressing). Great idea. Uses the colors of the rainbow and gets kids intrigued and excited about all the options they have.

If you missed last Wednesday come and see me for extra handouts with lots of helpful information that April and Diane had out on the tables!!

A few books that were mentioned during their talk and were up at their table:
Dr. Sears' L.E.A.N. Kids: A Total Health Program for Children Ages 6-11

The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood: Ten Ways to Get Your Family on the Right Nutritional Track

The N.D.D. Book: How Nutrition Deficit Disorder Affects Your Child's Learning, Behavior, and Health, and What You Can Do About It--Without Drugs

Fit For Christ

As Rhonda Coombs shared with us last week, she is starting a women's fitness small group. Her marathon-spiritual-journey was life changing to say the least and I'm so excited that she's passionate about sharing her journey and helping those of us who may need a little push or accountability.

Small group information
Start Date: Monday, 5/17/10
Days of the week: Mon./Thurs./Sat. mornings
Time: 5:30 AM – 6:30 AM
Location: SWCC church parking lot

5:30AM: Prayer/morning devotion
Distance: 2.2 mi course – walk/run

*once you make it back to your car, you are free to leave. I am committed to staying until 0630 for the support and safety of all women.
*I also encourage multiple laps (2.2 mi) if you desire.
*Monthly: Once a month I would like to schedule a “late” Saturday morning so that we have time to fellowship and connect as a group (snack/water break).

Rhonda will have a sign up/small group sheet at the tables tomorrow, 5/12 in order to get emails/phone etc.

"The Gift of an Ordinary Day" by Katrina Kenison

Happy Mother's Day!!

Hope you all have a fabulous, relaxing day!!
Love & Blessings,
Holly

Cupcakes Galore!

It was a fun, festive Cinco de Mayo celebration at M2M this week! We started out our morning with a conga line to breakfast, followed by a devotion by Karen Blodgett and finished up with decorating delicious treats!



Carol Pawlak, Bridgette Ridenour's very talented aunt, came to teach us all about the art of cupcake decorating this week! We all had the opportunity to try out our own decorating skills and make roses out of fondant. It was fun to be able to start with something small that doesn't seem to intimidating for those of us who have never worked with the stuff before. It was a fun, messy morning and I know that the childcare volunteers and our loved ones enjoyed our creations immensely! Thank you Carol for blessing us and for bringing just about everything we needed for the fun morning!



Here's the website for the Cupcake Cuddlers that Carol created to put cupcakes in for pretty much any event/occasion you can think of. Check it out!!

All of the Milton fondant products can be found at Michaels or Joann's if you want to practice with it more at home!!

***

Also, just wanted to let you know that pre-registration starts this week! Bring your checkbooks/cash to reserve your childs spot downstairs for Fall 2010 session.

Jackie Moothart

Jackie Moothart, one of our wonderful mentor moms, shared her testimony with us this week and what a joy it was to hear all about her journey with our Lord. This was her first time sharing but you would have NEVER known!

Jackie was raised Catholic but started attending a Christian Sunday school when she was 11 and loved it! However, during the women's movement in the 60's, she was just sooo busy raising her family and doing other things that there was no time for church as she was very much in the world. In the late 80's her son, Craig, started dating a good Christian girl and was on fire for the Lord. He was very persistent in wanting his parents to attend church with him so they finally gave in but mostly just so that he would be quiet about the whole thing. Hah!! Boy did God have something else in store! From the moment Jackie entered the church, she knew she was home. She began to realize was she had been missing all of these years... not a religion but a relationship! God knew there were going to be trials coming Jackie's way and put Craig and the church in her path in His perfect timing so that He would be able to carry those burdens. They knew that God had the perfect plan and that even through the rebellious and disobedient times, He continued to love and protect them. Jackie and "Mr. Moot" just celebrated their 50 year anniversary and it's all about Him!

Still to come...

Can you believe we're half way through the Spring session?!?! I SURE CAN'T! Before we know it we'll be taking our summer break and I'm soooo not looking forward to that! But enough of that... just getting ahead of myself...

Here's the lineup for our second half of the session - It looks great!!!

April 28th: Jackie Moothart - Testimony
May 5th: Carol Pawlak - Cupcake Decorating

May 12th: April Johnson & Diane DeVall - Nutrition for Kids
May 19th: Jason Shafer - Worship & Elizabeth Shafer - A Godly Mom
May 26th: End of the Year Celebration!!

Spoons!!

What a fun day we had at Mom2Mom this last week!! It's fun to deviate from the normal schedule, speaker and whatnot occasionally to sit back and just have a fun time with our girlfriends! We had a wonderful devotion by Nancy Walker (thank you Nancy for sharing your heart - I know you spoke directly to many of us!) and then got into a super fun game of SPOONS! I've never played before but had a blast watching all of you get into it!! Catherine Gough was our Spoons champion - way to go Catherine!!

Our Switch, Swap and Save time turned out to be a big hit! THANK YOU to all of you who contributed - MANY MANY MANY of us were so blessed, as was the Crisis Pregnancy Center who took all of the leftover items over to Sweet Peas Boutique.

I hope everyone's had a great weekend!! Our weather has been incredible and I'm praying we have another few weeks of the same! See you Wednesday!!!

Love & Blessings,
Holly