God Hears Our Heart Cries

My daughter and I have always been close. We loved critiquing the movies we watched and the books we read, brainstorming life issues and sharing ideas (pre-Pinterest). When she and her husband moved to San Diego in 2001 I was torn. I thought the move was a good idea. As newlyweds they wanted to experience life in another area of the United States. Good for them.
The Bible tells us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” I believe the Spirit heard my heart cry. It was a heart cry I didn’t even know I had. “You miss your daughter. Let me give you 20 daughters, 30 daughters. And grandchildren? Let me give you 10 newborns, 15 newborns a year and dozens of moms and their families to love and nurture.”
When Karen Folkerts and I were asked to come on board as mentors to M2M’s leadership team I had no idea that my response would result in 10+ years of commitment to this ministry. Clearly, God had a plan and He blessed me a thousand fold through M2M. By God’s grace, through the M2M ministry, Salem First Baptist has welcomed over 160 newborns and innumerable unchurched families in the past decade.  Much of M2M’s missional impact can be attributed to the more than one hundred prayer warriors who intercede weekly on its behalf.
M2M is a community of encouragement and support for moms with young children.  The goal is for moms to be confident, well-equipped and skilled stewards of their homes.  Training and resources are provided for those in leadership.  Many have transitioned to leadership roles in other arenas in our church and continue to make a difference.
God unexpectedly drew me into this ministry, and has changed my life because of it.  Now He has a “new thing” He is birthing in me -- I know God holds us (both me and M2M) in the palm of His hand. I am not sure what the future holds, but He is already establishing new hopes and dreams for M2M and I am giddy with anticipation as I wait for Him to reveal His plan.
--Rhonda Guisinger