A BUMPY START Good Morning!

September 10, 2013
Good Morning!
A BUMPY START
By Sarah Sanderson
>> Co-Coordinator
Upcoming Topics:
Oct 1: Embracing Your Story Authenticity
Nov 5: Sharing the Beauty –
Dear fellow mothers of
Blessed to Be a Blessing
Here is our agenda
preschoolers,
Dec 3: Embracing the Author of
for
Our Story
I have a confession to
today.
make: when I first came to
Welcome
MOPS a few years ago, I didn’t like it very much. I was
Breakfast & Check-In
uncomfortable making conversation with people I didn’t
Question
know, and I was intimidated by being around so many
moms who seemed to have it all together. Underneath my
Introduce Steering
insecurity was a feeling of worthlessness – I didn’t believe
Raffle/Announcements I would ever measure up, or that anyone would ever really
want to get to know me.
Speakers: Amy Sklut
Like I said, that was a while back. Then, over the
and Tami Wilcox
course of the next couple years, God put me under the
Small Group Discussion knife. In what might be described as spiritual open heart
surgery, God led me on a journey that included confession,
Young Lives Speaker confronting childhood traumas, extensive counseling, and
Shauna Edwards
renegotiating family relationships. The whole process was
Connection Cards
extremely messy. Spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically, I was a wreck.
Clean Up and Pick Up
Coming out on the other side of all that, though, I
Kids
can see the beauty that God has created from ashes in
(Continued on page 2)
1
(Continued from page 1)
my life. Through it all, God used people, prayers, Bible verses, and much more to
show me that I’m not worthless but worthy, by the grace of God - worthy to receive love from God and others, worthy to enter into real relationships, worthy to
be accepted for who
I am without
comparing myself to
others.
Where Does My $55 Go?
And guess
$24 to MOPS International (44%)
what? Now I can
$11 to Leadership Training (20%)
honestly say that I
$10 to MOPPETS (Childcare) Expenses (18%)
love MOPS. My
$10 to Program Expenses (18%)
heart has been
healed enough that
I can enter into relationships with all of you without feeling afraid, ashamed, or
insecure (most of the time, anyway!). I’m so thankful for MOPS and for the role I
get to play in serving all of you here.
This year our theme is “A Beautiful Mess: Embrace Your Story.” That
theme lends itself to showcasing the physical messes of mothering young children. We’ll share plenty of stories about crumbs, laundry, and poopy diapers. But
sometimes our mess goes deeper than all that. Sometimes the work God is doing
in our hearts makes us feel messy on the inside. Our vision for MOPS is that it
will be a safe place to share and encourage one another with those messes, too.
Thanks for joining us this morning. Whether your mess is in your car or in
your heart, we believe God is bringing about something beautiful through it all.
We invite you to journey with us this year as we embrace our messes and look for
the beauty in each other’s lives. And if you came today feeling like MOPS just
isn’t your thing, watch out – someday you might be the one up front with a
microphone. God has a way of surprising us!
With love,
Sarah Sanderson
2
Family information:
Husband- Aaron, Daughter- Sophia
(4), Hunter (17 months), Chloe
(Boxer- 7 years)
> Hometown: Born in
California, but raised in Spokane
since age 5
> Job status: Stay at home
mom- previously a patent law
paralegal
Q & A with Anna Goforth
from our Steering Team
> First joined FP MOPS:
last year- thanks to the
encouragement of Amy Hook
(sis in law) & Carly Pickering
> What compelled you to
join MOPS? I wanted to meet
more mamas like me :)
> What church do you attend? Summit Ridge Christian Fellowship
> Number of years on steering team and current leadership role? This is my
first year - Registration-
> Some of my proudest mom moments are when... My daughter talks or sings about
Jesus, my kids act lovingly towards one another, anytime we have a sweet, special moment!
> One of the greatest challenges I face as a mother is...teaching my kiddos to get
along, time management.
> I have been impacted by MOPS... It has helped me realize we all face the same
challenges, frustrations, pains, and joys!
> One of your favorite things: Spending time with my little family & time alone with my
husband.
> What do you like most about fall? My daughter's birthday, football starts (I love
watching with Aaron), attending the Spokane County Fair & apple picking at Greenbluff with Aaron
and the kids- I love watching their joy experiencing these things!
> Things I do: Pinterest during down time, dance with my kiddos, pray throughout the day, try
to keep up with Hunter's energy level!
> Things I don't: exercise enough, read my Bible enough, scrapbook :)
> Favorite verse right now: " Bless our God, oh peoples, and sound His praise abroad-Who
keeps us in life and does not allow our feet to slip." Psalm 66: 8-9
3
Introducing Your Beautiful Mess
Tami Wilcox and Amy Sklut
Speaker Notes
Hi MOPS moms! My name is Carly Pickering and I am in charge of lining up
meals for new moms in our group, as well as mom's in need of meals for
other reasons (surgery, family emergencies, etc). Delivering meals to families in our MOPS groups is such a wonderful ministry and one that I am passionate about! I will be sending out emails through the year, and you will
have a chance to sign up to deliver a dinner! Keep in mind, these meals can
be as simple as you want them to be (even a Papa Murphy's pizza and carton of ice cream is a huge help to a mom who just brought a baby home
from the hospital or one who is going through a difficult time!). Or, consider
doubling a meal that you would be making for your family that night anyways! If everyone in our MOPS group can commit to delivering one meal this
year, we will be able to bless so many moms.:)
Please let your table leader know if you are pregnant, or if we can deliver
meals to you for another reason. You can also contact me if you know of any
moms in need! Please email me at carpickering@gmail.com
4
What is Young Lives?
In Young Life, we have the privilege of extending Jesus Christ’s love to kids as they are, where they
are. For high school and middle school girls who are expecting or are raising a child on their own,
that love takes the form of a program called YoungLives.
What can I do?
This year our MOPS group is partnering with this local ministry to provide our moms with an
opportunity to serve others. Today, Shauna Edwards, the director of Spokane Younglives, will come
to share about the ministry with us. We will begin our partnership with a
diaper and wipe drive. Please bring any diapers and/or wipes to MOPS and they will be collected
throughout the year and passed onto the ministry.
Young Lives
Shauna Edwards
Speaker Notes
5
Mentor Mom Spotlight >>> Margo Clark
—————————————————————————————————————————————--
I have been married to my husband, Gary, for 55 years. We have 3 married children, two daughters and one son, 8 grandchildren – 4 girls and 4 boys, 4 great-grandchildren – 1 girl and 3 boys.
We feel truly blessed! They all come home each Easter because they know bunnies and Jesus
are BIG to Grammy (and Papa understands too!)
Now that I am retired from my
work as a Real Estate Broker,
my interests are centered in
family activities, cooking,
reading, walking, biking, serving and visiting with church
and P.E.O. friends. I have
served as a Deacon and Elder
in our church. My experiences as a Mom have included working the evening
shift at a local hospital to help
my husband finish college
(while our 2 girls were babies), starting a co-op preschool, leader of our daughters Brownie and Girl Scout
troops, Jr. High Church Youth
Leader and High School ski trip coordinator. Gary and I have tried to be involved in our children’s lives encouraging them to bring their friends to our home, when possible. At times, I will
admit, to feeling exhausted, disorganized and needing to pray “Help Me Lord”. Looking back, we
sure had a lot of fun, and our pictures show smiling faces Thank goodness! (The truth be known
there probably was a messy kitchen or piles of laundry – just not time for it all! My kids remember “Company is coming in 4 hours, I am going to the store, throw that in the closet and whatever you do don’t open that door when the company is here!” Oh dear!
I have chosen to be a MOPS mentor again this year because I want to support these young mothers who have so much responsibility to nurture their little ones to grow up and to provide hope
and love in this challenging world of today. I pray I can be Christ’s light in some way and be an
encourager to them in their journey. It is such a joy to share in their lives!
Margo Clarke
Mark your calendars! October 8th - Scone making party
More info to come next month.
6
Summer Babies!
Are you looking
for more ?
Jessica Folsom and family welcomed
Looking To Christ: His Story – Our Story
Alexandra Mackay on May 14th. She weighed 7 pounds, 4
ounces and was 20.5 inches long.
New this Fall - a weekly Bible study for MOPS moms at
FPC
Lisa Chun and family welcomed Soren Makai on May 7th.
He weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces and was
21 inches long.
Sarah Pell and family welcomed Norah Diane Pell on May
29th at 4:22 am. She weighed
8 pounds, 13 oz and was 20 inches long.
Kristi Williams and family welcomed Margaret Rose on
June 5th. She weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was
21 inches long.
Jessica Anderson and family welcomed Korbin Dexter on
May 21st. He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and was
19.5 inches long.
Thursday Mornings Sept 19- November 14th
(no meeting on Oct 31) 9:30 to 11:00 AM
Through an in-depth study of Jesus Christ, we will gain a better
understanding of who Jesus is, what Jesus taught, how Jesus
lived, and how he calls us to live. Jesus is God in action! As we
come to know more of Jesus' story, we begin to recognize
God’s amazing love for us, which enables us to embrace our
own unique stories.
Who should come? Anyone who is interested in learning more
about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith in a relaxed and
conversational setting with other moms… Bring your questions, a Bible if you have one (we have Bibles if you need one),
and join us.
Childcare is provided free of charge but you must pre-register.
Questions? Need more info? Sarah @ 624-5818 or
sarahls@bluebottle.com ; Kerry Hill @ fivesticks@hotmail.com
; Jeanne Walsh @ 991-2587 or jeannewalsh47@gmail.com.
—————————————————————————————————————————
Do you feel overwhelmed? Inexperienced?
Laura Collins and family welcomed Harrison Connor on May
Intimidated? Insufficient? Too old? Too young?
25th. He was 6lb, 5oz and
19.5 inches long.
Kallie Mills and family welcomed Mason on July 9th. He
weighed 8 pounds, and was
19 inches long.
Rachelle Stolcis and family welcomed Genevieve Mae on
July 29th. She weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces.
Laura Chuang and family welcomed Olivia Fei-Li Chuang on
August 21st. She weighed 8 lbs 13 oz and was
19 inches long.
Too invisible? Too afraid? GOD CAN USE YOUR
WEAKNESS!
Register now for Gideon, a DVD and small group Bible
study by well known and respected Bible teacher Priscilla
Shirer. Priscilla is a dynamic teacher and herself the
mother of young children. She is practical and personal in
her teaching. You will come to know the Bible and yourself
better.
Thursday Women’s Studies Fall Session: Sept. 12 –
Dec. 5, 9:30 - 11:30 am, Fireside Room. Look for a
brochure or contact Robin Gray 536-4392 or
Brenda Norton 747-1058 x220. Cost $20, scholarships
available. Childcare provided at no charge. Preregistration required, contact Carole Spotts x114.
7
2013-2014
MOPS steering team
Crystal Cochran - Co-Coordinator
cochranbc@hotmail.com
Sarah Sanderson - Co-Coordinator
sarahls@bluebottle.com
Joanna Semler - DGL Coordinator
joannasemler@yahoo.com
Discussion Group Leaders
Ashlee Erlandson
ashleebeth@hotmail.com
Jessica Folsom
folsomj@gmail.com
Amy Gustafson
amyhgus@gmail.com
Suzanne Holling
suzanneholling@hotmail.com
Amy Hook
Amyhook11@hotmail.com
Megan Kapaun
Megan.kapaun@gmail.com
Rachel Pitts
pittsfam@gmail.com
Jill Reuter
jillsreuter@gmail.com
Rachelle Stolcis
rstolcis@gmail.com
Hospitality
Kathleen Duke
kathleenduke@u.boisestate.edu
Angela Parris
Angela.parris@gmail.com
Robin Pettit
basquenrobin@hotmail.com
Amy Tilton
amymtilton@gmail.com
Linda Storey (Mentor Mom)
storeylinda@yahoo.com
Moppets
Amy Beert
aebeert@gmail.com
Christy Krustangel
christinekrustangel@gmail.com
Anne Grow (Coordinator)
growfive@msn.com
Events & Outreach
Kristin Daniel (Publicity)
kristindaniel@msn.com
Sarah Conklin (Scones)
nsconklin@hotmail.com
Sarah Pell (Service)
sarahdpell@gmail.com
Carly Pickering (Meals)
carpickering@gmail.com
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY!
Jolen Hollingsworth 8/9
Mandolyn Hume 8/12
Suzie Zidek-Mayne 8/28
Josie Dix 8/29
Kelly Estes 9/3
Erin Rocha 9/9
For we are God’s
masterpiece. He has
created us anew in Christ
Jesus, so we can do good
things He planned for us
long ago.
Ephesians 2.10
Nuts & Bolts
Laura Chuang (Finance)
Laura141@aol.com
Jessica Crockett (Newsletter)
curlycrockett@yahoo.com
Anna Goforth (Registration)
mrsadg@hotmail.com
Mentor Moms
Kae Johnson
katherinejbd@comcast.net
Jami Webb
jamiawebb@me.com
Tani Carlson
tanic@spokanefpc.org
Debbie Canaday
djcanaday@gmail.com
Margo Clarke
spokaneclarkes@comcast.net
Liz Little
jlittleiii@msn.com
Kathy McCaffree
Kathymac64@msn.com
Sue Mushlitz
suemush@hotmail.com
Barbie Olson
Barbcheer1@aol.com
Diane Scelfo
scelfo@comcast.net
Wendy Shoemaker
shoemakercw@comcast.net
We would love to hear from you!!!
Newsletter submissions welcome.
Email Jessica @
curlycrockett@yahoo.com. Deadline
for the next newsletter is
October 1st.
8