MENTORING YOUNG MOTHERS

When I had my first son, I stopped working and stayed home. I loved it, but after nine months, I started to go a little stir crazy and missed the socialization. That’s when a friend told me about MOPS—Mothers of Preschoolers. I found one nearby and went to my first meeting, scared to death. But once I got there, I loved it! I was suddenly surrounded by other moms like me, craving connection during that season of motherhood. I saw firsthand how they encouraged young moms, all while incorporating God’s word. At MOPS, I spent time with a table leader and a mentor mom. My mentor mom was great. She would invite us over for tea and just pour into us. For moms with little ones dripping off of us and feeling exhausted, it was wonderful to have a more experienced mom remind us that “it’ll all be okay.” The next year, I felt led to be a table leader and continued in the program until the youngest of our seven children graduated from the program. Then, I was approached to be a mentor mom. I was humbled. It hit me that I was now at the point where I could pour into new moms the same way my mentor did for me. God had used MOPS to bless me, and now I get to be on the other end, serving Him and blessing others. Many years later, I am still serving as a MOPS mentor because He isn’t yet done with me there. God still has something else for me to accomplish through the program, or some other mom to encourage.