Find Your People

Today I want to dedicate this blog to an organization that had been such a blessing in my life: MOPS. 

One of the goals of MOPS, to help you find your people.

For those of you who don’t know, MOPS stands for Mothers Of Preschoolers. It is an organization that operates around the world, in over 60 countries. The whole goal of MOPS is to connect mothers together and encourage them, just like the goal of this blog! 

I was invited to join MOPS thirteen years ago. If you do the math you see that was about two years before I was pregnant. That is how kind our local group of MOPS is. They knew I was babysitting a preschooler at the time and wanted me to join them so I could get support and fellowship, even though I wasn’t a mother. I was kind of embarrassed by that and declined, but when I became pregnant with my first baby I joined right away.

MOPS groups vary. Ours is hosted by our local Baptist church. They are kind enough to cover half the registration fee, so it only costs our ladies $20 a year to join (but you don’t have to become a member to attend the meetings). The membership includes a welcome packet and online resources. 

I got my membership packet this week! It includes a journal, prayer cards, a neat keychain, and more!

Our meetings run 1 ½ hours long and occur twice a month. They include a potluck brunch and free childcare. Each meeting is a little different. We always have an icebreaker question, which can be silly or serious, that allows us to get to know each other a little better (its really one of my favorite parts of the meeting). Then we pray and eat. Next we may watch a video or do a craft or have a guest speaker. The most important part of the meeting is the time we have to discuss whatever is on our hearts (mothering, childhood development, faith, marriage, ect) and listen to and support each other. Some meetings our leaders have thrown aside the planned content and let us just talk the whole time. It really is a fabulous time of rest and fellowship.

The last few years I have been on the leadership team and been in charge of the crafts. That has been a real joy. It’s nice to be able to give back and be helpful in planning and organizing the meetings.

I’m really thankful for the friendships that MOPS has given me. None of the other members go to my church or live in my neighborhood, so I may not have gotten to know them as well if it wasn’t for MOPS (even though we live in a small town, it’s surprising how seldom you can see each other if you don’t have a planned meeting time). Because I have older kids, some of my MOPS friends’ kids have aged out (entered the school years) and the mamas have moved onto other things. But we have still been able to maintain our friendships and get together when we can (usually summertime). 

It’s so important for us mamas to know that we are not alone. That pretty much all of us struggle with the same things, to some degree, and all of us need support. I really encourage you to go to mops.org and see if you have a mops group meeting near you. It could help you forge friendships that last to lifetime. And if nothing else, it’s 1 1/2 hours of free childcare!

What has helped you find your people?

Have a wonderful day!
Lee