Giving Back

Thanksgiving is a holiday that I wish we spent more time acknowledging. I love Christmas, very much actually. I love decorating and singing carols and Santa and remembering that God came to Earth as a baby. I think everyone loves Christmas and that is why we are so quick to jump right over Thanksgiving without giving it too much thought. But when we do that we miss out on an opportunity to really notice just how blessed we are. As I type this I am sitting in a warm home on a comfortable couch. My husband is home because he is a teacher and has wonderful hours. My three children who I get to stay home with are all healthy. And I am so very thankful. But my thankfulnesses can't end there. It can't end with saying a quick "Thank you, Lord", even though I'm sure He would appreciate that. When we realize just how blessed we are it should spark us to think about those who have so much less. At our November 22nd MOPS meeting we are doing just that. Doing something to make life a little easier for someone else. Come join us as we make blessing bags. Bags filled with toiletries, snacks, etc. for the women and children of the Circle of Hope. We will also each be taking a blessing bag home with us to keep in our cars to give to a stranger in need. I hope you'll join us for this time of fellowship and giving. If it is possible for you to do, please bring $4 to help with the cost of materials. 

Happy Saturday!

Leslie

Girls, a miracle has taken place. I finished a book from start to finish! Guess which book it was? That's right! Our book study for this year, Desperate. When my daughter, Myla, was born two and a half years ago, I had some vision loss and have lost the desire to read much because, quite frankly, it requires a lot more concentration than it used to. I've become more of a skimmer than a reader. But this book, y'all, it is something else. Never had God spoken to me through a book other than the Bible quite like He did through this book. It was like each word on every page was written just for this girl. Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson cover everything from setting unrealistic expectations for yourself as a mom, to housework, to motherhood being a high calling. If you haven't started it yet, you are in for a treat. As you read the Introduction and Chapter 1 in preparation for the meeting this Friday, I pray that you will be encouraged by the honesty of the moms who wrote it and that God will use it to remind you that, as Sarah Mae explains it, "...'good' motherliness has nothing to do with how God sees me. Nothing. I am pleasing to Him on my good days and my bad days. His love for me never wavers...and never will. Because I'm His". Looking forward to seeing you all THIS FRIDAY, September 20 at 9:30 a.m. for a time of discussion about what we've read, a fun craft and a really great video about comparing ourselves to each other.
I hope you've all enjoyed your weekends with your sweet kiddos.
Leslie

A Beautiful Mess AND Play date change info

I don't know about y'all, but I am a total mess. From the day my Myla's scrawny little booty appeared on the scene, my standard for what is considered a clean house, clean car and clean hair have all lowered significantly. I just came to a point where I realized there were things more important than whether or not there were Cheerios on the floor. But sometimes I forget that. And sometimes I am hard on myself when I look around and can't see the floor or even worse, see an ant on the floor. When both Myla and I are on our last pair of clean shorts and the couch we bought less than a year ago has spots on it that make it look 10 years old. It is so easy for me to give Myla grace. She's two. She's going to do things that seem totally crazy. She's going to make a mess. Me, on the other hand, it's not so easy. In our world of Facebook and Pinterest and Twitter and Instagram and blogs, we have other moms to compare ourselves to right at our fingertips. And their houses are cleaner and their kids clothes match. And I have a mess. This years MOPS theme is about just that. Messes. But guess what? As daughters of a gracious God, we have beautiful messes. God is using these messy times to show us that he can bring beauty from messes, even the stickiest, stinkiest ones. His love for us is steadfast and his grace never ends. Join us this Fall at Mops as we discover together all God wants to show us through our new theme!

I'm so excited to be your new publicity leader this year. I am going to be MIA for the first meeting or so as I'm due with twins the end of August. I am planning to maintain the blog and Facebook, though, so check for updates.

Friday, July 12th, we have a play date scheduled. On your cards we sent home at the last meeting it says that this will be held in Clayton at Chick-Fil-A. It has been changed to CORNELIA CFA at 10 am. It is dress like a cow and get free chicken day, so that should be fun! We hope you are all able to make it for a time of fellowship with other mommies and some yummy food!

Leslie

May 10th- final meeting (sniff, sniff) and Mom Olympics!

Believe it or not, this Friday, May 10th, 9:30am, will be our LAST meeting until next August And what better way to celebrate the end of a successful MOPS year than Mom Olympics!  Come dressed to compete and show off your mad mom-skills like laundry folding, car seat installation, and sandwich making.  Breakfast will be provided by Chick-Fil-A- yummy!

At this final meeting, we'll also still be collecting donations for our MOPPETS workers thank-you gifts.  Remember, for every $10 you donate, you get entered in our drawing for the FREE WEEK at Strong Rock Camp this summer!  You can also get entered again by pre-registering for MOPS next year for only $35!  Also, if you ordered a shirt and have not paid for it, please bring your $15 to Friday's meeting.

Finally, if you have a story to share about how a MOPPETS worker has positively influenced your child, please share it with us at habershammops@gmail.com.  We would love for these volunteers to know that their work is making a difference, and we've only received one email so far :(

Although we won't formally be together until August, we will have summer playdates, currently scheduled for the mornings of 5/31, 6/14, and 7/12- stay tuned to the blog and Facebook page for more info...

Look forward to seeing you on Friday!

Strong Rock Camp- free week!

We have an AMAZING opportunity for you and your family!  The directors of Strong Rock Camp in Cleveland have blessed us with the donation of a FREE WEEK for a camper, age rising 1st-6th grade, this summer at camp.

At the last two MOPS meetings, we will have TWO opportunities for you to be entered for in the drawing for this prize:
- You will be entered once for donating $10 on Friday, April 26th, for the Moppets workers
- You will be entered again for pre-registering for next year's MOPS program.  You can do this at either the April 26th or May 10th meeting for only $35 (cash or or check to BBC)

The winner of the raffle prize will be selected at the final MOPS meeting on May 10th (you need not be present to win).

April 26th meeting- Tea and Treasure

It's time to officially celebrate spring, and ourselves, at our next meeting on Friday, April 26th, 9:30-11:30am, at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Clarkesville.  Our theme will be "Tea and Treasure"- come a little dressed up (as if "going for tea") and delicious food will be provided.  Instead of an item swap, as in previous years, our "Treasure" is going to be swapping stories and sharing a little more of ourselves with each other.  So if you have a testimony, a special story, or a life-changing experience that you would like to share, come prepared :)  We'll also be having our final discussion of our book, "Give Them Grace," with our tables.

As you may already know, we are VERY blessed to have women who will come serve as Moppets workers during our meetings so that we can enjoy our time (many MOPS groups charge for childcare!) We would like to take some time at this next meeting to thank our Moppets workers, so we ask for two things:
1)  If you are able, please bring a monetary donation to the meeting so that we can purchase gift certificates for our workers, and
2)  If you have a story or testimony about how MOPS and/or a Moppets worker has made a difference in your child's life, please email that to habershammops@gmail.com - we would like to compile these to share with these wonderful women who give up their time to volunteer for our ministry.

What MOPS means to me...

The summer of 2011 was one of drastic change for our family.  On Father’s Day, June 19, our adopted son, Eli, was born, and we brought him home from the hospital two days later- to our home in Duluth, located on ¼ of an acre in a cluster community, within 5 miles of 4 different grocery stores.  But just two weeks later, we moved to Habersham County, into a small farmhouse on 7.6 acres off a quiet country road, with the nearest grocery store almost 8 miles away.  One month later, having transferred from Norcross High School, I started my job at Gwinnett Online Campus, where I worked from home most days, with a new baby, and my day was spent on the computer, with the majority of the communication with my colleagues, students, and their parents through email.  Life had developed the potential to be overwhelming and isolating.

My only connection to the community was Marva Griffith, who owns the Jazzercise Center in Clarkesville, and I began teaching classes for her.  She and Lindsey Brackett told me about a group called MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers.  My first thought was, “Eli’s not a pre-schooler, he’s only two months old!”  A little research on the MOPS website dispelled that misconception.  My next thoughts were, “What would I have in common with these women?  I’m a first-time new mom, with an adopted son, at 38 years old.  I’m not from here, and I’m a work-from-home-mom, not a stay-at-home-mom.  Plus, this is a Christian group and we don’t’ even go to church.”  Boy, was I wrong- about all of it!

At the first meeting, I was assigned to Laura Garrett’s table, and she warmly took me under her wing, making me feel welcome, asking questions to get to know me, and introducing me to other moms.  At our table, I was shocked to find out that not only was I not the oldest mom there, but most of us were from places other than Habersham, including California and Maine.  Many of the moms work their own businesses from home, and I even found a fellow online teacher in Kristi Redding.  While I was the only adoptive mom in the group, I could still laugh and share stories about being a new mom, plus learn from the “more experienced” moms in the group.  I even had an opportunity last year to share our adoption story with the group.  And today, my husband and I are being baptized as new members of Bethlehem Baptist Church. 

MOPS is a ministry for women with young children, but more importantly than that, it’s a group that meets these women “where they are,”- in their lives and in their walk with Christ- to help them be better moms, better wives, and better Christians.  As the MOPS organization says, “Better Moms Make a Better World.”  We seek to provide a safe community for women where they can learn from each other, from our guest speakers, take some time for themselves, and build strong, lasting relationships.  For myself, MOPS has blessed me with some wonderful friends, introduced me to the Bethlehem community, but has also provided a path for me back to God.

(from a testimony shared by Amy Hayes with the congregation of Bethlehem Baptist Church on April 14, 2013)