Area Coordinator's (AC's) Corner

Area Coordinator's (AC's) Corner
Nichole Bethel, Zone 22 AC

CONVENTION UPDATE

Ta da! A Convention announcement!
We just signed the papers and we thank you for your prayers as we worked on moving, well, a whole lotta details in just a few days.

Drum roll #1: The Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, FL (Orlando area) was able to welcome us (in the midst of many conventions needing to move).

Drum roll #2: We're able to keep the registration fees the same, so some of you might decide to come early or stay late, and enjoy the Orlando amenities with your friends (or family).

And thanks for all the great ideas of cities! You helped our future dreaming. 'Twould be fun!
And again, it will be great because of Who we'll be with: "Where(ver) two or three (thousand) are gathered in my name, there am I with them." (Mt. 18:20, our year's theme verse with my additions).

Naomi Cramer Overton

Convention Details:
The MOPS International Convention will be at the Gaylord Palms, Kissimmee, FL (Orlando area). Dates will be the same, August 5-7, 2010. Speakers and artists will be the same great lineup — Julie Barnhill, Margaret Feinberg, Donald Miller, Naomi Cramer Overton, Shelly Radic, Go Fish, Mandisa, The Katinas and Richie McDonald.

Convention registration will re-open on Monday, May 17.
The early bird registration deadline will be extended to June 7.
We are working with the Gaylord Opryland for an official letter we can provide to anyone who has already purchased airline tickets to use with airlines to avoid rebooking fees. This letter should assist you in rebooking airline tickets — it will be posted online at www.MOPS.org/convention.
We continue to pray for families and businesses affected by the flooding and we have sent MOPS materials to local MOPS leaders who are distributing supplies in the Nashville area.



MOPS International Convention 2010

August 5-7, 2010
Gaylord Palms, Orlando FL



Check back often for more information!



Your MOPS International Convention Checklist:

Register for Convention (re-opens May 17)
Reserve a room at the hotel (register first!)
Schedule shuttle transportation



MOPS Convention ~ August 5-7, 2010

MOPS Convention ~ August 5-7, 2010
Registration for Convention is open on Monday, May 17th! Click on the picture.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Roadside Assistance

Recently the words "roadside assistance" caught my attention. I immediately thought that if you had to use those words in a sentence there would have to be an adventure story to go with it. That thought reminded me of an adventure I had with my boys over 10 years ago.
We were still fairly new to Jersey Shore PA in 1998. My sons were 1 and 6 years old. We got in the minivan and went to the Lycoming Mall. I can't recall why we went to the mall that day, but it is a bit of a drive. On the way home, while driving on the highway, I noticed that the van was making a strange pinging noise. It didn't feel safe for me to be driving with the kids on a highway with a strange noise emitting from the engine, so I exited in Williamsport (about halfway home from the mall) and pulled into the Pep Boys. I unloaded the boys and silently prayed that the noise was not too serious. One of the mechanics went out and checked the van.
Ugh, I do not like to admit my weaknesses, but I don't know too much about cars. (Fill them with gas, get the oil changed & tires rotated every so often, and make sure there are some children's cds in there to entertain Danielle.) I feel uncomfortable in repair shops and usually let my husband handle the details. Even if I did understand everything that the mechanic said to me, remember that I am in a Pep Boys with a 6-year-old and 1-year-old. My attention was divided. When he came back, he said many things to me, but in the conversation I heard that I shouldn't drive the van anywhere because the engine could blow. (ok, slow down and take some deep breaths) I quickly called my husband at work, about a 45-minute drive away, and he was sympathetic to my plight, but was unable to leave work early. He said he could probably get there in the next 2-3 hours.

WHAT???

I didn't want to be sitting in a Pep Boys for 2 or more hours with my children. We were going to have the car towed to our repair shop in Lock Haven, but I didn't think I would be able to get two car seats and me in the tow truck too.
I was not very happy. I was probably near tears trying to figure out an alternative.
Then it happened.
One of those God moments. (I think some people call them coincidences.)
Deanna, from my MOPS group, came into the Pep Boys. What were the chances? She heard parts of my conversation when she came over to say hi to me and then without a moment's hesitation, she offered us a ride home.
THANK YOU GOD!
Thank you Deanna!
I had not been a member of my MOPS group for very long and Deanna and I only knew each other through a couple of meetings. She rescued me that day.
Who knew that I would eventually become the Coordinator of the group and Deanna would serve on Steering with me and we would become good friends?
It is those small moments that sometimes get forgotten that really helped me build friendships within my MOPS group.
It all happened so quickly, but I know in the moment that I was very grateful to Deanna. I didn't have to hang out at Pep Boys for a couple of hours with my boys. I didn't even have much time to be too stressed about it.
That memory remained tucked away and almost forgotten and then I heard the words "roadside assistance" and I recalled an adventure that ultimately brought me closer to God.
Do you have a MOPS adventure like that? Please share.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

New Year's Resolutions: How Are You Doing?

It's February 10th, the 41st day of 2009. Did you make any New Year's resolutions? If so, how are you doing? I'm sure that question will have a variety of answers such as, I'm right on track; I've steered off a little, but getting back on track; I'm off track; and my all time favorite, what is a track? The good news is wherever you are with your New Year's resolutions, you are not alone.

Phil 3:13b-14 says, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." One of Webster's definitions for the word strain is excessive tension or exertion. Now it all makes sense. No wonder many of us have struggled to keep up with our New Year's resolutions: they require hard work. Well, wasn't that the point? You don't jump off a roller coaster ride once you realize it's more than you originally bargained for, right? I know some of you are thinking, I NEVER got on the roller coaster in the first place. Humor me anyway by not focusing on the hard work (strain) it takes to achieve the goal, but think about what you'll gain once the goal is achieved. I love focusing on outcomes.

Our kids had always been homeschooled. Last spring, my husband and I decided to send our 4 children to school outside of the home starting in September 2008. I was terrified of what this new beginning would require of us including, keeping up with 4 different teachers, hectic schedules, and homework. The transition has been very painful. I feel like I am straining everyday to achieve what is expected of us. This morning I was deep in thought about it all and decided to call my beloved husband, Keith, on his way to work and asked, "Do you have a plan for how we are going to finish this school year well?" My loving and wise husband recognized this was potentially a very loaded question, so he asked, "Do you have something on your mind that you would like to share with me?" I love when he answers my question with a question. The truth is, I didn't. I know in order to reach the goal, which is completing the school year successfully, we have to forget what is behind (poor test scores and name calling) and continue straining ahead (get tutors, meet with teachers, talk to our kids regularly about how to handle unpleasant situations). I n the end, I know this outcome is well worth the strain.

So, I ask you again, how are you doing with those New Year's resolutions? Don't answer, just keep straining ahead, knowing you are heading toward somewhere good. As women, mothers, and leaders, be encouraged that as we continue to develop, we are equipped to strain across the finish line.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Optimism: Where can I get some??



OPTIMISM. Bath and Body Works is selling it all bottled up as an aromatherapy. I admit that I shop there, but this discussion isn't about where I shop. Perhaps we can discuss that at another time. No, this discussion is about what I want. I got the coolest flyer in the mail with a picture similar to the one here and inside there was a coupon for "a free aromatherapy body care or home fragrance item of your choice with any purchase of $15 or more". I couldn't stop my mind from wandering and I thought "Wow, I could really use some optimism right about now."

Within the flyer, it says "Optimism: jump-start your day with confidence and a smile! Our newest Aromatherapy Collection for body and home is a bright blend of jasmine, tuberose and mate(accent over the e)absolutes to help lift your mood and instill a sense of optimism."
Ok, so I don't really know what tuberose and mate(accent over the e) absolutes are but they must be some pretty powerful scents mixed in with jasmine to help lift that mood that I'm in. I want some. Give me, give me, give me.

Before I go out and get my free bottle of optimism (after a $15 purchase), I was inspired to check on the definition. My The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary has this definition:
op.ti.mism:an inclination to anticipate the best possible outcome of actions or events

Super, that is what I really want right now to anticipate the best possible outcome of actions or events. WOW! I really want some optimism when I see people's homes going to foreclosure, so many job cuts every time I open the paper and read the news, and friends and their families falling ill and struggling. Being bombarded with the recession and how it is affecting everyone has really made it difficult not to worry. (sigh) I start to worry, then I get myself a little worked up, and then I become a downer. It is all I can think about and all I can talk about and it consumes me and my life. So, ok, give me that bottle of optimism, I am ready.

Wait a second. Slow down sister. Let me think. There is a way for me to get some optimism and I don't think I need a coupon. It doesn't come in a bottle either. I think I can find it in the Bible. If I truly want to "jump-start my day with confidence and a smile" I can turn to God. It sounds almost too good to be true in advertising "jump-start my day with confidence and a smile", but isn't that (and, oh, so much more) what God offers us through a relationship with him.

Looking at the MOPS International theme verse for this year helps me to understand that through my relationship with God and through the Holy Spirit (verse 16), Christ is a part of me and I can know God's love.
“…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Ephesians 3:17-18

We also have the much-loved and well-known verse:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
Knowing that I have eternal life should help me start my day with confidence and a smile.

Maybe I will use that coupon or perhaps I will let it expire, but it doesn't really matter because I know that when I am down, I can turn to God. I can start my day with confidence and a smile by renewing my relationship with him and refreshing my attitudes with his Word. I am "optimistic" that no matter what happens, God is with me.

Thanks,
Christy