MOPSTalk Zone 22 ~ Eastern PA and NJ: Roadside Assistance

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

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.