My husband and I moved to Kansas 3 years ago when I was 27 weeks pregnant with our first child. {We moved over 12 hours away from all of our family and friends!}
A part of me was really excited about this adventure but I was also really nervous about completely starting over in a new place-- especially with a baby on the way. I had thoughts like...What will it look like for me to make new friends? Will they also be moms? Will they be older than me? Will that matter? I work from home...how will I meet friends? etc. etc.
My husband and I found a new church shortly after moving to Lawrence and we were introduced to a very friendly couple who went there. They had one 16 month old daughter and a son on the way! {Perfect! A cute mom friend!} Our husbands even had things in common. :) It wasn't long before I gushed to her that I wanted to make mom friends and talk "mom stuff" with other women.
{ENTER MOPS.}
This new friend of mine just happened to be the Assistant Coordinator of a MOPS group in town.
After I had my baby and was ready to meet some new friends she invited me to a Moms Night Out. I feel like I remember so much about dinner that night because I was so longing for friendships and was wondering if these couple of moms I was hanging out with could fill that void. I had a really good time laughing and sharing stories with those moms.
The next MOPS meeting the group had was actually the Christmas Dinner/Party so that was my first "real" experience with MOPS. I definitely walked into that meeting uncertain of what it would be like and whether or not I could see myself as a part of this group. I met some friendly ladies, had a great dinner and heard a wonderful testimony shared by one of the MOPS mentors. The testimony that Julie shared really stood out to me the most that night. The story she shared about her life was very real and vulnerable (and a little messy). My thought was -- hey! I can relate to her! I also realized that the dedication this "older" and more seasoned mom and wife had for the younger moms in this group was really special.
After the Christmas holidays and New Year, I jumped right into MOPS for the Spring semester. I honestly don't remember a ton from that first semester other than I had fun meeting new moms and wanted to keep coming back!
I knew when the semester was coming to a close and the coordinator was talking about steering committee positions for the following year that I wanted to take on a role and be apart of making it a great place for other new moms.
I loved spending two years as the Hospitality Coordinator and especially loved helping to plan out the meetings for the year. It's really fun to think through what other moms enjoy learning about, thinking about, talking about, etc.
When I made the decision to join the Steering Committee 2 years ago I didn't imagine I would love it as much as I do or that I would stay on it for another 2 years but I am...and that's because the friends I've made in MOPS and the community of all the moms has been such a blessing to me!
I know this sweet family of mine is grateful for MOPS in my life.
