Great Start To MOPS!

Ladies, what a great first meeting we had. It was so great to see familiar faces and new faces. What a great start we had! We enjoyed great food and wonderful conversations.

Our speaker, Kristin Rizau, reminded us all of the "Beautiful Messes" in life. It is so much easier not strive for perfection and enjoy every moment in our flaws. We were able to take a moment and reflect on the "stuff" we carry as Moms of little ones.

Our next meeting, Friday, October 1, we hear from PazNaz's Pastor of Special Needs, Julie Keith. She will speak on Inclusion - Child Development.

Our newsletter was emailed two weeks ago so please take a moment to look through it. If you didn't get it, please email Saleama at saleamam@yahoo.com.



Have a great day!


Blessings
Saleama

It's Time to Register for MOPS!

Can you believe it is almost Fall? The summer has not slowed down for me, but I have been enjoying some great times with my children and I hope you have, too. As we look ahead to fall, I would like to encourage you to be a part of MOPS. We have recently decided to add another opportunity to be a part of this wonderful community on Thursday evenings from 6:30-8:30pm in Gilmore Hall, beginning October 14th. This group is designed for women who work outside the home or have a conflict with Friday mornings.

The leaderhip teams are busy getting ready for the upcoming year. During our first meeting we will be discussing our lives as though we are "A Beautiful Mess." Kristin Ritzau from Azusa Pacific University will be sharing about women's self care and the power of words. I hope to see you all there. Also, we are looking for someone to work on the publicity team doing the MOPS newsletter and updating the blog. If you are interested in these positions, please contact Saleama at saleamam@yahoo.com.

Click here for a registration form that you can fill out and mail into the PazNaz office. We would love to begin placing women at tables in the next several weeks, so if you have not filled out a form, please do so as soon as you can. Also, here are some photos from the July 26th play date at the Underwood Family Farm. Enjoy!

Much love,

Jayme Lenker

MOPS Takes on Marital Drift

We had a fantastic speaker on Friday who spoke on the topic of "Marital Drift." Andrew Whaling, a Marriage and Family Therapist in Pasadena, shared many insightful thoughts regarding marital drift, as well as some great tips on how to avoid this pitfall in our marriages. To give you a little background on what Andrew does, here is an excerpt from his website: "[Andrew] oversees a variety of programs designed to enrich and empower relationships. In his private practice (Great Marriages Now) he works with individuals and couples who want to prepare for great marriage, a lasting relationship, or improve the relationship they have now." If you'd like to contact Andrew for an appointment, please call 626-564-0480, or visit his website to email him. Thank you, Andrew for the wonderful information you provided and for giving us some great pointers on becoming better spouses. What a blessing!

Well, our last meeting is upon us, ladies. As sad as I am to miss it, I know it will be a wonderful time of fellowship, sharing and laughter. Please don't miss it! The last meeting will be on Friday, May 21 at 9:15 a.m.

Now, enjoy the photos from our meeting on Friday and have a wonderful week!

Workshop MOPS

This was a fun MOPS, ladies. Well, not that ALL MOPS meetings aren't fun, but this one was chock full of good stuff. The steering team set up a wonderful array of workshops, from which we could choose three to attend. We were lovingly, but sternly warned that we must only spend 20 minutes at each workshop. As Debbie politely reminded us of this throughout the morning, I quickly realized she'd already been to my room twice! I stayed in the "card making room" with Mary the whole time...it was THAT fun:) Sorry, Debbie! There were prayer rooms, cake decorating rooms, digital photo organizing rooms...no mom was left wanting. It was a great morning!

We also (sadly) had to say to goodbye to Mary. Click here to see the farewell given by Debbie. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we'll miss Mary tremendously, but we're so happy she will be with her family again in Illinois. Yay!

To see what's coming up, check the events section to the right. Enjoy the photos and see you this Friday, ladies!

Jana Alayra: It is Well With Her Soul

Last Friday at MOPS, Jana Alayra gave the moms and tots quite a show! After a beautiful breakfast on the patio at PazNaz, all of us (including the kids) filed into Lee Chapel for a wonderful performance by Jana. Her music really got the kids going and they were dancing all over the place. Some couldn't keep from climbing onto the stage - it was priceless:)

After the kids' concert was finished, we settled down for a little adult time while Jana gave her testimony. To say that it was a life-changing, moving testimony would be an understatement. Jana opens herself up so honestly and tells her amazing story, all the while interlacing it with some of her beautifully written songs. I'm sure that all of the moms there could relate to some part of her testimony as she's experienced so much triumph and tragedy. Her message? That God's will IS done and that in the end, it is WELL with her soul.

Thank you so much, Jana for your wonderful message and for sharing your talent with all of us. It was such an emotional, sincere, fantastic story. Please come back!

Coming up this week...

Remember, we have MOPS this Friday, April 23rd due to a schedule change, so don't miss it! We'll be participating in a few different workshops, so please be there. It will be lots of fun!

Also, if you didn't pick up a newsletter, an online version will be uploaded soon. There is a fantastic opening message written by Saleama, some entries written by a few of our own MOPS and Mentor Moms, and important dates coming up this month. Please do not forget to grab one.

FOOD REMINDER: Jayme, Jaime and Kristy's tables are bringing food this week. Please contact your DGL if you don't remember what you're supposed to bring.

Enjoy the photos from last week...