MOPS Africa: September 2022

I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands - Psalm 143:5

Throughout scripture, we are told again and again to remember and tell the works of the Lord. We so quickly forget all of the ways He answers prayer, makes a way before us, and gives us strength to carry out the mission He set before us. We forget all the times He is so good to us, and we quickly succumb back to ungratefulness and feelings of hopelessness as we try to carry the weight of the world on our own shoulders. But, He wants us to regularly write down and share it out loud what He has done, for our own benefit; to remind us and give us back hope and certainty that if He has been with us before, He will surely continue as He has promised. These commands to remember are also to give Him back the glory - It can be easy to take credit for our efforts and overemphasize our own role in our life circumstances.

By sharing here each month, I aim to show the world how big God is and how many incredible things He is doing across this vast continent. There is not a chance all of this could happen through any of our own efforts - an entire region of moms that now comprises over 10% of MOPS International showing up with almost no budget and a whole lot of faith, continuing to see miracles of answer prayer and moms growing closer Jesus. We see growth month over month despite the most difficult economic and cultural roadblocks out there. What an honor it is to get a front seat in cheering on all these incredible leaders and seeing how God is working in the lives of the moms across Africa.

This last month held several big events:

MOMCon Ghana was held in Accra in late August. 234 women attended, representing the 45 MOPS groups from all over the country. What an incredible event it was! There were speakers and empowerment sessions including a training on food preparation - pizza and smoothies - as well as a session on body care - making washing liquids. Congratulations team on a terrific job.

The dream team! MOPS Ghana leadership.

Skills workshop at the conference

MOMCon USA was held in early September with approximately 1,600 moms and leaders. Due to many visa and funding issues, we had no Africa leadership attending this year; nonetheless it was my privilege to represent MOPS Africa in San Diego. There were 20 global leaders attending, and it was great to hear from groups all over the world: Albania to Australia, Brazil to Latvia, and everywhere in between. We had a global breakfast on the final morning of the conference, where several global leaders had the opportunity to share about the different MOPS regions and many US leaders attended.

Main session gathering

Global team - including 20 international leaders

Mandy Dessureault received the Heart of Service award for her commitment to French Africa MOPS

Global breakfast presentation - Destiny sharing about MOPS Africa

One special group was started this month, in the area of Wajir, Kenya. It took MOPS Country Coordinator, Sylvia, 10 hours in car through the bumpy sand of the Chalbi Desert to reach a group of women who are located in a Muslim community near the Somali border. The Christian community here practices in predominantly underground fellowships due to high religious restrictions. Upon returning home, Sylvia said, "the young moms are super excited and grateful for introducing MOPS to them. They saw the hand of God by me just going to them and teaching them what MOPS is all about. They said they really needed it." Thank you Sylvia, for your faithful service to reach these women all over your country. What an opportunity!

There were other groups started this month in Ivory Coast and Kenya due to the amazing efforts of our leaderships there. Thank you for your willingness to serve and multiply this ministry!

In case there is ever doubt about how MOPS Africa is thriving these days, take a look at the gorgeous photos below. These groups are on fire for God and enjoying their time together growing as women! This Is Motherhood: