I spent October 2-5 in Dallas, Texas, at the MOPS International Annual Convention. It was my first time attending Convention, and I was in no way prepared for the amazing time I had. I traveled with 3 other ladies from my church: Pacifica, Nina, and Christy. I only casually knew these women before our trip, but after spending these few days together, I feel as though we’ll be lifelong friends. The 4 of us had a wonderful time bonding together, sharing with each other, laughing, staying up until all hours of the night talking, and drinking coffee!
Convention was held at the beautiful Gaylord Texan Resort just outside of Dallas. The hotel was huge (it was Texas, after all!) and gorgeous. I tried to take some photos of the center of the hotel, but I had little time and even less camera battery. Unfortunately, my camera died on the evening of the 4th!
The theme of MOPS this year is “Adventures in Mothering”. We certainly had plenty of adventures at Convention! This theme will continue through the year in the discussions at each MOPS group around the country. I was awestruck by the extent of Convention. I’m struggling to even find words to describe my feelings. On our first night, during the general session, there was a duo of acrobats who performed Cirque Du Soleil-type stunts in front of an audience of 6,000 moms. It was amazing! I never expected Convention to be larger-than-life, but at the same time to reach moms exactly where they are and give practical, real-world advice!
We were treated to excellent musical performances every day. Jaci Velasquez, Plum, Go Fish, and Avalon all put on incredible shows for us! I was expecting worship music, but not concerts! Our worship leader was Grammy winner Kim Hill. The music was one of the best parts of Convention for me, because music speaks to my heart like almost nothing else can.
Compassion International had a booth at the Resource Fair. Alex & I already sponsor a little boy from the Dominican Republic through Compassion, but I’d been thinking for a long time about sponsoring another child. I especially wanted to find a little girl from an AIDS-affected area in Africa. I believe I found the perfect child to sponsor during Convention. Her name is Ruth and she lives in Burkina Faso. I’ve already received two letters from her, and am thrilled to be her sponsor!
Oh, did I mention that we also managed to attend workshops and general information sessions about how to make our MOPS group as successful as it can be? All of the sessions I attended were wonderfully put together. After leaving Convention, I truly felt prepared to begin our program at Andrews. I can’t wait to see how God uses our group and our willing hearts to equip mothers in our community. Better moms make a better world!
Click any of the photos to see more from our trip!
