Wednesday, July 11, 2007

M.O.P.S


(Picture is of Matthew and I about a week before he passed away)
OK I was reading Amanda's blog tonight and I realized something, I have never written a post on M.O.P.S. now you can look on their site and find out all about MOPS but I will tell you my experience. I have been attending MOPS since Liz (now 9) was a baby, I was 18, newly married, and had no friends with babies... well probably because 18 year old's should be in college not having babies right? well, whatever Gods grace is awesome, and I wouldn't change it! OK... rambling that has been a problem for me lately :) anyway I went to MOPS not knowing anyone but the one lady who invited me and I didn't even get to sit with her, but I loved it, everything about it, the ladies were nice didn't judge (you know I was just 18 at the time) and I liked the crafts! so I went there for a year, then tried one closer to my house, then another with a Friend I had met. by this time I was having my 2ND baby and was 22 now. 6 months after having my son David I found out I was having twins!!! twins! I had a good pregnancy and when I had those boys Johnathan and Matthew my very own church was starting a group. of course I joined and was on steer team and a table leader(I was a pro at this whole mom thing now ya know!).we were set to start in November, well October 23rd the most horrible thing happened our little Matthew passed away at 10 weeks old, he was a healthy baby and I went to get him up from a nap and he wasn't breathing, needless to say we were devastated but amongst everything that happened this awesome group of ladies who hardly knew me other than the few meetings we had rallied around me and gave me support, they brought us meals for weeks, babysat for us when we needed to make funeral arrangements, or I needed a minute to breath. They prayed for me, let me cry and said nothing when I needed to talk (you know when someone is grieving sometimes it is better to say nothing) anyway I had a new respect for MOPS and my group at that point I always loved it but now I needed it.


Fast forward about 4 years, I just had a baby and some of those same ladies, and some new ones are there for me again , bringing us meals, support, and friendship. I am the coordinator of my group now and I know God has used the experiences I have been through with Matthews passing for me to be able to minister to the moms of our group, to able to love them and be a little more understanding (because I tend to be very black and white, right and wrong) well when your a mom there is a lot of gray, all moms do things differently and that's OK! I love this ministry, God has changed me from a 18 year old wife/and first time mom, who thought I knew everything but was so afraid at the same time to a 27 year old wife/and 5Th time mom, who realizes I know some things but I have a lot to learn but I also have a lot to share with other women. God is good! he never gives us anything we cant handle, he is there with us in the hard times and carries us when we are weak, and loves us amongst all of our faults.


OK done rambling... I tend to do light posts but today I had this on my heart and I needed to share. so if you re struggling with anything today, give it to the Lord! to make it a even longer post here are the words to my favorite worship song, I love the part at the end (highlighted in orange) because even when God gave us something huge to go through, we knew we would still chose to put our faith in the Lord and worship him, even when it was hard!!! you know it is easy to love God when we are getting things, but what about when things are taken away will we chose to say "blessed be your name"...



Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman
album: Where Angels Fear To Tread (2002)
Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman
- - -
Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name


5 comments:

  1. What an increible testimony. I love MOPS groups. I speak to them all the time - and I am still a MOPS mom, technically, I still have a preschooler in the house.

    I don't kow where you live, but I would love to be consdiered for a speaker if you needed one - your calendar for the year may be already set.

    Whatever is great, but thank you for posting what HE has brought you through!wow!

    Have a great day

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  2. Raquel, you are such a blessing to our MOPs group. You are a great coordinator and friend. Your love for and trust of Jesus shines through you!

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  3. Your story is wonderful way to share God's grace and provision. I know I would not be the same with our the mom's group I attend and meeting some incredible women in that group. I love that God provides for our needs - sometimes that means providing friends to meet those needs!

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  4. so sorry about your loss-but what a great thing for your MOPS group to come together like that.

    I live about 40 minutes from where my MOPS group meets. When I had my miscarriage last year I got a few emails and that was it-of course it happened during the summer and we were done with meetings. But I really expected more from my group.

    I am sorry to say I haven't been back. Mostly because it was too painful-at the beginning of each meeting we started out asking who had the newest baby and who just found out they were pregnant-and we gave goodies to those mommies. That alone would have been too difficult to bear.

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  5. Thanks for sharing that incredible testimony! MOPS has been such a blessing in my life, too.

    Btw, I found your blog through the bloggy giveawayss.

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