My Moms in Prayer Story

The spring before my daughter turned five, she had decided that on her upcoming birthday she would not be five because that would mean she would go to kindergarten in the fall.  Perhaps some of my fears had rubbed off on her--unintentionally.  Our neighborhood’s school had only fulltime kindergarten, not something I wanted for her.  Home schooling was not an option.  So, open enrollment at another school was the answer.  But we were late in registering her.  What to do?

God had a gift planned for me and for her.  That spring, I heard a Focus on the Family broadcast of some moms talking with Dr. Dobson about Moms in Prayer International (then Moms In Touch International), a ministry for moms just like me.  These moms met in small groups with other moms each week to pray for their children and their schools.  So, I contacted the ministry and found out the details which revealed there were currently no registered groups in my area.  I prayed that God would help me find some moms to pray with while I prayed on my own that we would be able to enroll our daughter in an afternoon class and that she would have a Christian teacher.  I also desired a group to pray for my son who was entering middle school.

In the meantime, God answered my prayer and opened up a place for daughter in an afternoon kindergarten class, which was important as she was still attending Bible Study Fellowship with me two mornings a week.  I also spoke with the State Coordinator who encouraged me to ask moms I knew with children in the same schools.  I did that while at the same time looking to one of them to be the leader. 

I soon discovered that it was not going to be easy to find someone to pray with if I expected her to lead.  However, God assured me as did the State Coordinator that I could lead.  They were right.  Moms in Prayer makes it very easy to lead a Moms in Prayer group.  And the State Coordinator was very happy to answer all my questions, no matter how silly I thought they were. 

So that fall, my daughter began her school career.  God had answered my prayers.  She was in a school that had not only a new principal who was a Christian but also Christian kindergarten teacher.  A friend and I began meeting to pray together each week for just an hour; during that hour, we followed a simple structure of praise, silent confession, thanksgiving, and intercession for our children, their teachers, and their school.  I also began meeting with a couple of moms for my son’s middle school.  God was gracious to move one here from the Portland area who had previously been in a Moms in Prayer group, though, she did not want to lead.  The other mom was a new friend from church.

Our first middle school Moms in Prayer meeting got off to a rough start.  Both of the other moms were late—one 10 minutes and the other a half hour.  But, because the State Coordinator said it is important to start and end on time, I started our praise time with just the Lord and me.  That day, my specific prayer for my son was that he would raise his hand in math class to ask a question.  He was in a class with older students and felt very intimidated.  When I picked him up after school and asked how his day went, he told me how he had asked a question in that very class.  As I drove home, I realized that my Moms in Prayer group had been praying for him at the very time he was in class.  God showed me right then in a way I will never forget that prayer really does matter—that He hears my mom’s heart with His heart.

What an awesome God I have.  He knew just what I needed.  He gave me a way to draw closer to Him and grow to know Him better as I learned to trust Him through the truth of His word.  He gave me peace as I sent my daughter off into someone else’s hands.  He showed me that He cares about both her and her brother.  And I learned that corporate prayer, joining my voice with the voices of other moms in one accord, is simple yet powerful.

The Moms in Prayer Washington State Coordinator didn’t waste anytime in making me a Contact Person, one available to the ministry for inquiring moms in my area.  After a year of leading a group, I became an Area Coordinator for Walla Walla, then Walla Walla County, and later also for Columbia County.  God not only showed me that I could indeed lead a Moms in Prayer group with His enabling, He also took me out of my comfort zone and used me to spread the word about Moms in Prayer to other moms.  In the summer of 2004, I became a Regional Coordinator over counties across southeastern Washington State.  And, from the fall of 2007 to summer of 2018, I held the position of State Coordinator. Although no longer in "leadership," I am still a group leader.

My daughter and my son are both settled in careers, and our family has grown to include my son’s wife and their son. So, I will always be a mom in touch with God and my children through prayer.  I have learned that my arm does not compare in length and strength to His.  No matter where they are, He is fully with them just as He is fully with me.

Moms in Prayer International is a ministry of prayer and encouragement.  All across this country and in many other countries across the world, moms meet for one hour each week to pray for their kids and their schools and they carry those prayers with them throughout the week to come. 

 

You can find out more at www.MomsInPrayer.org.

He really is the one, true living God in control of all things with a purpose that is for our good.

By the way, my daughter LOVED kindergarten!