MOMSnext meeting this Friday, February 8th!

Hi ladies,

I hope you had a wonderful week. We are back again this week to meet for our final session of our Wife Lab series.  We hope you can join us upstairs in our new home in the newly remodeled Venue 2.  We will be discussing our final Wife Lab topic and closing out the series.

We are so thankful that Julie was able to lead us in these sessions and hope you were able to come away with some inspiration, hope, and maybe a new outlook for your husband and marriage. Let's show Julie our appreciation and have an amazing turnout for her last speaking event. Will see you all on Friday!

Check out some of our other announcements and upcoming events:

Silent Auction coming up, March 8th!

One of our biggest fundraisers of the year will be coming up at our first meeting in March. Each table has given a basket assignment. Please follow up with your Table Leaders and/or Mentor Moms to find out what you can bring. Our last date to collect items will be at our next meeting this Friday, February 8th. 

Calling all small businesses! If you have a small business, or you'd like to donate something a little extra special outside of your table's auction basket, we welcome any and all donations! Please contact Sonia at skaopt@yahoo.com if you are able to do so. Thank you all in advance for blessing this ministry!

Funds from the Silent Auction help offset the costs of our meetings, dues, MNO events, and more. Thank you to all of you for helping to support this amazing ministry!

Save the Date - February Mom's Night Out

Mark your calendars for next month's Mom's Night Out on Thursday, February 28th! Dawn Akeroyd, our MOMSnext Outreach Coordinator, will be hosting a night of Bunco at her house. This is one of my favorite events. If you've never played Bunco, then this is your chance to learn. It's super easy and a lot of fun.  And if you have played before, then you know you don't want to miss out. Keep your eyes open for an evite coming soon. Hope to see you there!




This Week's Devotional

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

EPHESIANS 6:13-18

This past week has been one of the most challenging I have faced as a mom. I've had some hard days, but nothing compared to 5 straight days where my patience, courage, and love were tested. I felt like everyday I put my clothes on in the morning was a day I was preparing for battle. And at one point during this week, these verses popped into my head. As I put on my pants snuggly around my waist, I remembered God's truth. My shirt represented the breastplate of righteousness and my shoes that of peace. I would grab my purse as I left the house and take my shield of faith with it. I pulled my hair back tight in a ponytail and put on my helmet of salvation. Everyday I spent in the Bible and the word of God. Everyday, I felt was another day in my battlefield of life.

I was put to the test and every day I got dressed, I put on my Armor of God and I was ready for another day of battle. It wore on my spirit and my patience, but I reminded steadfast, calm and as loving as I could possibly muster.

But...this time was different from any other. Not only was it one of the most challenging and dark days I've had in awhile, but I was in a battle of my life as a mom. One message rang true throughout the week, though. With God on my side and armor on my body, I had hope! Hope for a better day tomorrow, hope that God was working in my child's heart, and hope that my prayers would be answered. With God by my side and in my corner, I will always have hope!

I knew my prayers would be answered in God's time, but what is more miraculous is that I found a tribe of women surrounding me with prayer and love this past week. Women God placed in my life and surrounding me in different corners. He knew this would be a hard week for me and not only did He start to prepare me, but He had me surrounded. He carried me.

So when are days feel dark, and they will, know God is watching from His throne ready to carry us through. Every day He prepares us for something we face today or something yet to come. Every day is a battle. Every night a victory. Let us surrender to Him not only in our dark days, but also the joyful ones and let Him carry us through every moment.

LORD, thank you for giving us hope. For preparing our hearts as we face each new day, and for never giving up on us. Our jobs as moms are hard and we can't do it alone. Thank you for guiding us and carrying us every step of the way. Help us to learn something from the hard days and praise you for the good ones. Help us to always seek your guidance for through you can find truth, peace, and above all love. AMEN.