This week we thanked a beautiful lady who has been a mentor in our MUMSnext group for 6 years & was also our MOPS mentor for 12 years. So she has officially been a mentor for 15 years, as 3 of those years she was a mentor for both MOPS & MUMSnext. Unofficially she has been my mentor much longer than that!
When we first moved to Brisbane (nearly 30 years ago) & joined the youth group at the church I still attend, this beautiful lady was one of the leaders. I clearly remember her from the first youth group camp I attended soon after moving to Brisbane. Her gentle, caring manner is still what I love about this beautiful lady. Even when I finished high school we used to attend the youth camps, as young adults, so she still very much had a positive influence on my life.
Fast forward a few years to being married & expecting my first child. I remember meeting this beautiful lady in the shops one day with her grandson (who was living with them at the time). She shared how her & her grandson were praying for myself & the unborn child every night.
When I was the first of my friends to have a young baby, I desperately needed community with other mothers. I was part of Nursing Mothers (as it was then called, now ABA) but needed community for my soul as well. Another woman, with teenage/young adult children at the time invited me to her Bible Study. The leader of this Bible study was the beautiful lady first mentioned.
So naturally when we started our MOPS group, this beautiful lady was the first person I thought of as a mentor. We did have another mentor who was also a MOPS mentor for our group for the 12 years we ran MOPS.
Mentoring is important, having someone who is just a little further down life’s journey than you. Someone who can support & encourage you. I’ve mentioned 2 ladies that have been mentors to me & have supported me as a teenager, young adult & right through my mothering journey so far.
I was also a part of a school prayer group through much of my time as a parent of high schoolers. When I first joined this prayer group, when my son was in grade 7, there was a number of ladies who had children in grade 12. These women were my mentors that year as my son struggled with bullying & settling in to such a big school (after being in a tiny primary school). One of these women was the mother of the school captain at the time & her son ended up supporting my son a little bit.
One day after school my son says “I met the school captain today” & I reply “I had morning tea & prayer at the school captain’s house”! My son had also been paired with a year 11 buddy, who was the perfect match for him. His buddy was a guitar player as was my son & he always had time for my son when he saw him.
Our children need mentors too. Both of my children have been fortunate to have adults at church that take time to listen to & support my children. My daughter has had one lady be her prayer friend a couple of times & then she chose her to be her mentor when she recently did her Confirmation.
Who’s mentoring you? Who’s mentoring your children?