Meeting Recap - April 12th, 2012

Our April 12th MOPS meeting featured guest speaker and former MOPS Coordinator Pip Chambers. But first lets have some important announcements:

• Don't forget! Our next meeting on April 26th is SPA DAY!  We will have massages, manicures, and other pamper-yourself activities!
• Please get your registration forms for next year to Elizabeth K. by April 26th.  Dues for next year are due no later than our last MOPS meeting on May 24th.  Remember each child needs their own Moppettes form.  Babies can be a moppette once they have had their 2 month checkup.
• Be sure to sign up for our facebook group!  It is a great way to connect with other moms, especially during those summer months ahead.
• If you are interested in MOPS leadership for next year please contact Lauren B.
• A Homeschool Q&A panel with Pip Chambers will be held at First Baptist Church on April 19th, from 7-9pm in the Youth Fellowship Hall.
• Our MOPS meeting on May 10th will feature a Mops-wide ministry opportunity!  Please bring $1 to this meeting.
• The Charlottesville Walk for Life is this Saturday, April 21st. The team from First Baptist Church will be meeting at Scott Stadium at 8:30am. They would love to have you joint them!
• Our local Crisis Pregnancy Center will have training for counselors on April 23rd; see their website for details.
• First Baptist Church will have their Ladies' Tea on April 21st. Featured speaker will be Pip Chambers. Cost is $6; see website for more details.
• Volunteers are needed for Design House, a fundraiser for the SHE Domestic Violence Center. Please see Kelly P. for more information.
• Happy Birthday to our Mops moms born in April:  Lee S., Krista, Kristina P., Emily K. 
• We welcome our newest Moppette, Zachary! Congrats to mom Rachel G.

Our door prize winners were Emily B., Beate T., Rachel G., and Ivonne L. Congratulations ladies!

Allison B.

Our first speaker was Mops mom Allison B., who spoke about how God used a difficult time in her past to show her how to be a better mom.

Our special guest speaker was Pip Chambers. Pip is the former Coordinator for our MOPS group and wife to a pastor at FBC. She was raised in an atheistic home and came to know the Lord as an adult.  She spoke to us about "Being a Christian with a Chronic Condition".  A chronic condition could be depression, issues with anger, a health problem, a history of abortion, issues with your children, or history of sexual assault, to name a few. 

Pip Chambers

Even after Pip became a Christian she still longed for the peace and joy that she saw in some Christians. You could tell when they walked into a room; they radiated it. For ten years she wrestled with God, trying to figure out how to get it. She likened it to having a swing (salvation), but no swing set to hook it up to - thus no swinging!  She has come up with the four "parts of the swing set" that we need to have that peace and joy.

The first part is Abiding. You must abide in Christ; have a relationship with him.  Relationships involve both speaking and listening. After you read your Bible, take time to listen and be quiet, to hear what God might be telling you.

The second part is Prayer. Do you have a few people who are willing to pray you through your chronic conditions?  If you do not, pray and ask the Lord to provide you with those confidants who you can "get ugly with". Those who can see the sin in your life and hold you accountable. Pip also cautioned us on asking for prayer coverage for our marriage; don't tear down your husband in the process.

The third part is Forgiveness.  Bitterness and peace cannot coexist in the same space!  So you must forgive others.  Pip says that forgiving someone who has wronged you doesn't feel "fair", but you will get something so much better in return. Also, forgiveness is not a "feeling" but a choice. The feeling will follow later.

The fourth and final part is Thankfulness. We need to learn to be thankful in all things, even for those chronic conditions. The Bible tells us to "count it all joy" - and that means all of it!  We have so much to be thankful for, but especially the fact that because of what Jesus did for us we don't need to worry about the wrath of God.

Thanks so much to Pip for the inspiring talk. Now let's take it to heart and grasp that peace and joy!

Our next meeting is Thursday, April 26th, and it's SPA DAY!  Hope to see you there!