Fall Conference from a Different Perspective

It's the week of Josiah Venture conference, with three hundred and fifty leaders and missionaries here from around Central and Eastern Europe to study movements of God that have changed the world.

Today, the group is out on tour buses all day, traveling to different significant sites from the Moravian Missionary Movement, one of the aspects of movements we're studying and learning from this week.

But this is who I'm with today.

Our son and daughter-in-law are here for the conference as they have just been accepted with Josiah Venture as missionaries to Czech. I wanted them to experience the tour day together, so offered to take Judah for the day. What a joy and privilege for me to be able to be with my little grandson all day!

While I've had three little ones of my own, those days were a long time ago (my kids are 26, 23 and 21!). I'm experiencing the learning curve of being with a ten month old all over again!

Go here, go there. Ten seconds at this, fifteen seconds at that. It's constant motion!

All the missionary moms who stayed at home from fall conference have been on my heart these past few days leading up to conference. But today, as I'm with Judah, they are REALLY on my heart. I'm only with Judah all day today. They are with their children all week, alone.

Would you pray for those mommies right now? That the Lord will have mercy on them, and protect them this week from feeling insignificant, feeling lonely, feeling left out, and feeling overwhelmed. They are single parenting this week, and it doesn't matter if you have one or six children, it's a big job to do that alone.

My prayer for them has been that in the midst of normal or mundane, in the midst of chaos or calm, in the midst of diapers, squabble, school runs or food prep, that they would hear God's still quiet voice saying, "You're my beloved, I'm with you, and you're doing my work right where you are."

Being a mom is such an all consuming task...and SO important! Raising kids (and grandchildren!) in a home where Christ is honored, obeyed and loved, is an absolutely worthy calling.

If you happen to have any moms of young children in your life, be thoughtful of them, patient and merciful. They're probably doing the best job they can. Consider what you could do to lighten their load and be an encouragement to them.

If you're a mom of young ones, take heart! What you're doing for your children is invaluable as you prepare them for their lives: to first of all love Jesus as you do, and for them to know who they are, what they're meant for and that they are loved by God. You're in the midst of teaching them these things, day by day.

I'm sure I have more to say, but I have a baby who needs me right now! Going to take some of my own advice right now and make that investment.