"Our Plan B is God's Plan A"

Debbie Wong decided to go with the flow when our speaker, Joe Whitcomb, came down with the flu the night before our MOPS meeting last week. She knew that whatever God had planned for our group was going to be great, and it truly was! We started out with announcements, prayer, food and some chatting (as we women are wont to do!).

After a few minutes of visiting, we watched a video provided by MOPS International. The video dealt with the issues many of us face when other family members have different parenting styles than our own. It was a great way to learn and laugh a little about the situations that can arise in families when our methods of raising children don't mesh with others. We can learn a great deal about what we need to change with regard to our own parenting styles when we decide to have open minds; however, we can also be content with having differing beliefs about child rearing without causing familial controversy. I think the key word here is respect. We can respect others for their parenting styles in the same way we hope others to respect ours. Thanks, Debbie for showing such a wonderful video!

After the video, we played an ice-breaking game. It was a great way to chat and be silly with each other as the topic of the day was "in-laws." Many of us shared about uncomfortable situations we've had with our in-laws, although I did come across quite a few who had only great things to say! Thanks for participating, everyone!

Once the ice-breaker was over, we had ample time back at our tables to discuss the topic of in-laws a little more. I have to say, it was pretty nice to be able to hear from all the ladies at my table without much of a time restriction. I think God's "Plan A" was truly in effect as we all got a chance to learn so much more about each other last Friday.

I've posted some pictures from the morning below, so I hope you enjoy! Also, please be aware of a couple new announcements below. I hope you all have a wonderful week and we'll see you on Friday, February 5 for our Valentine's MOPS meeting!

Important Announcements!

1) MOPS Playdate - See column on the right for more details.

2) Haiti Crisis Care Kits - See column on the right for more details.

Jeremy Calva Knows Money

Although I wasn't in attendance last week at MOPS, I heard nothing but great things about the meeting at PazNaz. After opening in prayer, our very own Mentor Mom Rosie led the group in a devotional about "Grandma's Apron," a beautiful story about her apron's many uses. Thank you, Rosie!

After the devotional, each table worked together to make knot fleece blankets to donate to Compassionate Ministries at MOPS. I talked to many of our moms who were amazed at how easy it was! What a wonderful way to use our abilities and gifts to help others. Thank you for all your help putting those together, MOPS.

Following the break, our guest speaker Jeremy Calva spoke on the topic of Finance. This guy knows his stuff! He had so many questions after his talk - I think he had the attention of every mom in the room. After taking a look at his LinkedIn profile, I was able to read a little bit about his specialties. Are you ready?

"Contract negotiation, third party solution selection and integration, developing teams, revenue assurance, capital markets, specialized accounting implementation, motivating teams, and converting strategic thinking into executable plans."

Tired yet?

After reading through his past experience in the finance sector, and as the current Chief Financial Officer at PIR Capital LLP, I realized just how great an opportunity it was for our moms to be able to pick his brain. It is obvious that he sparked the interest of so many with his discussion. If you'd like to reach Mr. Calva, or you have any more questions, please email him at jcalvacpa@yahoo.com. Thank you!

Important Announcements!

Speaker Change - Our Jan 22 speaker, Lisa Hall had an unexpected conflict in schedule. She will now be speaking Feb 19. Joe Whitcomb will be speaking on Jan 22 on the issues of "Attachment."

Sticky Faith (For Parents of Teens) - Kara Powell from Fuller Youth Institute will be talking about how parents can help their teens instill lasting faith in God. This event is open to all parents of teens and youth workers at PazNaz. The cost is $5 to help cover overhead expenses. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 19th in the Youth Center Room 134 from 6:30-9:00pm. Please contact Keegan Lenker at klenker@paznaz.org if you have any questions. Thanks!