One of the most important things I have learned from being a mommy is that mommies need other mommies. More importantly - mommies need other mommies who are also sisters in Christ.
Over the past year I have been praying for God to show me ways that I can "Do More" to share about his glory and love. Would this be a mission trip? Would this be leading a preschool Sunday school class? As God has a tendency to do, he directed me down a path I had never even thought about or much less even knew about!
On a sidenote, I know God must sit up in heaven laughing at me when I think I am in "control" of things.
Through some blogs that I follow and no doubt - God's subtle direction, I came across this AMAZING event called the "dotMOM Conference". At first, as you probably are right now, I was so confused. My thought process went a little something like this -
"Is this a conference about polka dots? I like polka dots but sometimes they are not so flattering on clothes and one of Sophie's lovies has polka dots on it.....but I don't want to go to a conference about it. Why would someone have a conference for them anyways? Or maybe it's an internet thing for Moms that do fancy stuff on the internet. Like the moms that have more then three people who read their blog. Hmm, well I guess that counts me out then. What kind of name is this?!
That is when I went into detective mode (I always wanted to be Nancy Drew, as I am sure I have mentioned before) to research this bad boy and figure out what I was working with. I quickly discovered that the dotMOM conference is not about polka dots (yes, shocking I know) or internet savvy mamas. Instead, it is something so much better and beyond amazing.
The DotMom Conference is about us - mommies! To quote the conference directly -
"Have you ever thought, I wonder if other moms feel....? However you finish that sentence, the answer is yes. The journey of motherhood is exciting, scary, lovely, and challenging. Which is why we've created dotMOM - a weekend that will encourage and refresh you, connect you with other moms, celebrate motherhood, and draw you closer to Christ. dotMom is for moms of all ages, stages, cultures, and backgrounds with kids of all ages."
The event features keynote speakers who are parenting experts and more importantly - mamas! Breakout sessions are taught by experienced leaders and involve a wide range of topics such as: The Working Mom, Infertility/Adoption, Raising Godly Kids, Single Moms, Home School Moms, and more! They also have shopping at vendor booths, free goodies, and giveaways. Best part of all is that this massive undertaking is all done Lifeway Christian.
For me, an opporotunity to worship, share, learn, and grow in Christ with other mommies going through the same things as me, is something I have to take full advantage of. It is always reassuing to know I am not the only one and am not crazy.
As I continued my research, I quickly discovered they had recently held one in Dallas and Birmingham...and wait for it....for the first time ever...this year they would be having one in good 'ole Chattanooga, Tennesseee! I think it was at about this point that I figured out what God was doing. dotMOM sounded beyond amazing! I had to learn more about it and find a way to get further involved so I could spread the publicity and education about this upcoming event to my fellow Chattanooga mommies.
And here I am.
I am super stoked to be serving as an Action Team Leader! I am desperate to spread the word about it so no one misses this wonderful chance to be a part of something so special.
The conference will be held on Friday, September 20 - Saturday, September 21. Tickets are $79 (today, Monday - July 22nd is the deadline for the $69 Early Bird ticket special). The ticket price does include both days. However, we all know our schedules are hectic. You are of course more then welcome to come and go as you please for both days or even just one. However, I strongly encourage you to make time for the whole event if you can!
CLICK HERE to go directly to the Chattanooga dotMOM website and learn even more details about the weekend including a schedule along all the breakout sessions being offered and additional information. To say there is something for everyone is a bit of an understatement! Of course they are also on facebook so check out their page - dotMOM event. If you would like to help out with spreading the word among your friends, church, etc., please let me know and I can pass some goodies your way!
Obviously, I will be there with bells on and would love to have you there with me! If you are interested in purchasing a ticket for yourself or a group of girls or have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a shout at utvol91@yahoo.com . As of now, I am flying solo but it sure would be nice to have some friends there with me. For my girls out town, you are more then welcome to come visit and stay with me or we can make a girls night out of it and get a hotel room. Since the conference is being held at the Convention Center, they are offering discounted hotel rooms at the Marriott.
Being a mama is hard work and sometimes we just need to take a step away from things to refuel for a moment. We need to remember what is really important and sometimes just concentrate on ourselves. We need to have the tools and support to raise our children to become even better then we are today so that they can one day spread their joy and love for Jesus Christ!
Hope to hear from you soon!
"For where two or more are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Matthew 18:20
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