Several months ago, on one of my blog giveaways, I gave away two Hearts at Home conference registrations.  One of the moms who won the giveaway attended the Colorado conference a week and a half ago.  After meeting her at the conference, I asked her to share her experience with you!  I know you will be encouraged!

My Mom Adventure

My name is Shelly and I am from a tiny town in Texas.  My husband and I have been married for 17 years and we have three kids ages 11, 8, and 5.  I have been a stay-at-home mom with preschoolers for 11 years.  During that time, I have had many adventurous days as a mom, some I didn’t even leave my house!  But this is a mom adventure where my kids stayed home!

This story begins several months ago when Jill had a giveaway on her blog.  The prizes were tickets to the 2011 Hearts at Home conferences.  I love going to ladies’ conferences, but I had never been to one specifically for moms.  So I entered and chose the closest one to my home…Colorado Springs, Colorado…7 ½ hours away.  Thinking what are the odds?

But I won!

I asked a few people to go with me, but for one reason or another they could not.  I thought about contacting Hearts at Home and letting them bless another mom with the gift, but I really wanted to go and my hubby was fine with me going—even though it was the festival weekend in our small town and even though my daughter was riding the princess float in the parade.  I was a little torn, but I got one more hug goodbye, took my Google map and headed for Colorado Springs.  Alone in the car—that is a rarity!  I listened to whatever I wanted!  Or let it be quiet, also a rarity in my house.  Ahhh…this was going to be a good weekend!

I had not really stopped to think about what the weekend might be like.  Alone in a hotel?  Do I bring a project?  A book?  Do I just enjoy uninterrupted sleep?  I will not know a soul at the conference?  Will I sit alone?  I hope I picked the right workshops.  God, do you have a plan for me being here?  When I arrived at Colorado Springs, I needed to find my hotel and supper.  I prayed that God would help me find something to eat because I didn’t have a lot of extra time.  A Chick-fil-a was right next door to my hotel!  My Heavenly Father had me from the beginning!

I will tell you right now I don’t have it all together.  Many factors influence where I am in my life and honestly I was burned out and empty.  I was frustrated as a mom and I came to the conference with some questions of how do I do this?

I could go on and on about how the conference touched me, but here are some highlights.

• Moms can relate at the ball field just because we have the common experience of being moms.  But when it is Christian moms, there is a deeper bond that ties us together.  I visited with several wonderful ladies and I did not feel uncomfortable going by myself.  I love that about the Body of Christ!
•  It was great to laugh at Moms’ Night Out!  We laugh at our house, but not as much as I should.  That does a heart good.
• I loved the theme of Mom rEVOLution and how Jill taught about changing our thinking and revolutionizing our lives, family and sphere of influence with love.
•  There was something from every workshop that I attended for me to take home—a new approach, an idea, an apology I needed to make, an “aha moment” of why my child acts that way—something that energized me to jump back into my life and keep going.
•  A reminder that what we do as moms matters.  In light of eternity, it is important!  I had bought the lie that the enemy had been feeding me that my job was not important.  I didn’t realize how much I had believed it until Julie Barnhill’s keynote speech at the end.  I lost it.  I was a sobbing mess.  And I was alone.  But not for long…One of the Moms I met in a workshop was sitting in front of me.  She turned around and gave me a hug.  That was an answer to prayer!  Another Mom came up beside me and prayed for me.  I’m so grateful for these ladies who reached out to a stranger.

Did God have a plan for me driving all the way to attend a conference by myself?  Absolutely!  It was not by chance!  I left with a smile on my face, refreshed, and full.  Hopefully my family can see a difference.  I know I can.

If you go with girlfriends or alone, if you go to one close to your home or make it a road trip or even hop on an airplane, attending a Hearts at Home Conference is a great Mom adventure.

Thanks Jill and the Hearts at Home staff for the opportunity to attend the conference!  Thank You for being faithful to what God has called you to do.  You have blessed me and my family.

I love Shelly’s story because she had an “I can” attitude instead of an “I can’t” attitude. If you want your own mom adventure, come join us at the North Central Hearts at Home Conference in just a few weeks November 4-5!