Last September I went to MOMCON in Chicago, IL. It was a fantastic weekend filled with friendship, inspiration, swag, music, and FUN!

Every year, MOPS holds an annual Leadership conference in the United States. Since this one was so close and the tickets were on sale months before, I took the opportunity to go.

(Tickets for MOMCON 2024 are available now! Click here to check them out!)

MOMCON: The Sights

The Windy City of Chicago did not disappoint. The skyscrapers were gorgeous out the hotel window, and the romance of the city was effervescent.

I grew up about 40 minutes from downtown, and my family would drive to the city often. I remember when Lake Shore Drive went around the Field Museum and Soldier’s Park on the Lake side (anyone remember those days?!). We would drive by the Buckingham Fountain, travel down the isle to the Planetarium, and drive alongside the Willis Tower (originally known as the Sears Tower) just to stick our heads out the window and look up as high as we could see!

MOMCON: The Sounds

Upon entering the Grand Ballroom of the McCormick Place for my first session of MOMCON, I was energized and swept away by the DJ who was getting the place pumped up! The music was familiar to me, but with added bass and roller-rink-type vibe. The place was hoppin’. This immediately drew me into the energy and the liveliness of the moment. We were ready.

This was a room of 5,000 moms ready to engage in worship together, inspiration together, and fellowship together. Moms from all over the US were gathered and ready to share in this moment. It is an incredible feeling to be a part of something this big. These 5,000 women only represent a small portion of the millions of moms across the globe who make up MOPS.

And then there was singing. We sang together with the incredible musicians on the stage. The MC paused to teach us a three-part harmony of “Amen.” What a choir!

CAIN was the featured music guest for Friday’s main session! Watching them live on the stage and singing songs I hear on the radio was fascinating to me. I didn’t realize my conference ticket included a MUSIC CONCERT!! Incredible.

MOMCON: The Vibes

Between videos and speakers, musicians and scripture, the collection of experiences in each Grand Ballroom session was vast and extremely filling. The truths shared caused me to look up and out of myself and my personal story; To look to Jesus and HIS truth.

The truths also caused me to look inward and find a connection to my story in the midst of God’s Eternal Story.

What is God calling me to right now? Love my children, my husband, my church, my neighbors.

How does He view me as a mother? a woman? a child of His? I’m beloved, more than I realize most of the time.

MOMCON: The Speakers

We heard from many folks over the course of two days. Here are some treasures I collected:

Anita Phillips has written a book called, The Garden Within. I’m currently listening to this on Audible, and it is fantastic! She shares how her experiences in the fields of biology and psychology have brought her to a place of wonder at God’s marvelous creation. Our emotions are fearfully and wonderfully made, just as much as our personalities, our organs, and more.

She makes the case in her recent work, that the emotional mind and well-being are not mutually exclusive from spiritual power. Letting emotions through keeps the soil of our hearts fertile. Break down, then break through. Consequently, our emotions create thoughts. Address the heart, then the mind can be well. So much more can be said, but I will leave those comments for another blogpost.

Jessica Honnegger and Liz Bohannon from Noonday Collection shared about building community. In order to leave loneliness behind, these women challenged us to put ourselves out there, reach out, and build community. We must Go First, Keep Showing Up (knowing we may face rejection), and Handle Conflict with humility. Relating with each other with an “I’m not leaving the room on you” kind of security and courage.

Lindy Green Johnson shared in a workshop about Adult Attachment. This session was a powerful eye-opener to how the emotional bonds of our past affect our current relationships. The security and support between a young child and their caregiver creates a foundation for building relationships and exploring the world.

Rebekah and Gabe Lyons spoke to us about resiliency in our marriages. Even though things are hard, we must not give up and we must have bravery in the struggle. Marriage exposes our utter need for sanctification. Growing together in a marriage relationship is a life-long journey, and I’m so grateful to be on this journey with Tim.

The first verse to be shared at the conference was Isaiah 43:19. My husband has been preaching through the book of Isaiah, so this was especially meaningful to my soul. God is surely calling us to Arise out of Darkness. He gave to Isaiah the prophecy of the coming Savior of the World. This prophecy is a call of hope in the midst of terrible darkness. We can cling to the hope of that Savior today, just as Isaiah did long ago.

“See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19

MOMCON: The Eats

We spotted a little eatery across the street from the conference called Haidilao Hot Pot Chicago. Upon entry, we scaled three segments of stairs to get up to the third floor eatery. I personally did not know what a Hot Pot restaurant was, and I was delighted to find out. This place served meats and vegetables in hot boiling soup. It was group eating experience unlike any other I’ve ever had!

The staff was incredibly pleasant, and the cat robot who brought us our food was fun to watch. The evening included noodle tossing and was capped off with a ritual dance of many masks and awesome color!

For our second evening, we chose to order in Gino’s East Pizza! Indeed, this was pizza at it’s very best. We ate together in the hotel lobby, and dined until our tummies could hold no more.

MOMCON with My Gals

Above all the events that transpired over the weekend, my absolute favorite was spending time with my friends! There were six of us all together. Three each in a room with plenty of space to share.

Staying overnight with a friend is something special. It’s a little more than dinner or a night out. It’s a facewash-and-brushing-teeth-in-jammies kinda together. This takes me back to high school and college days of friends in dorms and staying overnight for festivals. I loved those moments, and I miss them sometimes.

Thank you gals for some sweet conversations, shared snacks of all kinds, belly laughs, tears, fears, and hope shared.

These ladies are purposefully growing in their faith and in their passion to serve moms in our community. I want to be a part of this. I’m grateful to be amongst friends; these women, these moms, these dear ladies who serve and love others.

The Parade with My Family

I arrived in Chicago a couple hours ahead of my friends in my van on the first day. I planned to pick up the gals from the train station which was about 20 minutes away from the hotel. The pick up went smoothly, and my aggressive, downtown-city-driving kicked in right when I needed it. Lol. 🙂

Certainly, I would have enjoyed the train ride with them, but I wanted my own wheels for an early exit on the third day to catch a once-in-a-life time opportunity (one of four opportunities to be truthful.)

This opportunity was our local Homestead Parade. My oldest is marching with the band in full uniform. This is one of four Homestead Parade marching experiences. They request any friends or family to carry water bottles for the musicians. I was the water girl last year, and I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to march again.

I wore my “MaMa” hat from MOMCON proudly as I marched alongside my son and his fellow bandmates. It was a grand day, and I’m so glad I came home early to be a part of it.

MOMCON: Conclusion

MOMCON was a blast! Truth be told, I was a bit fearful going into the weekend. I almost cancelled a couple of times, but my Tim encouraged me to stick with it. (He is so good to me!)

I was afraid because we were so busy with games, schedules, and school that I felt almost irresponsible for leaving. I was also afraid because we were going into the city, and that can be quite intimidating.

I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy the trip to it’s fullest because of the distractions of our already too busy life at home. I didn’t want to be wasteful or a discouragement to the gals.

I wasn’t sure what to expect.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

Though I was afraid, the Lord gave me courage and strength to go! He encouraged my heart, refreshed my soul, and filled me up. I’m so grateful I attended MOMCON.

Have you ever gone to MOMCON? Are you part of a Mom community? I’d love to hear about your experiences. Please comment below!

Keep Walking Friend,

Christina

***MOMCON 2024 is Coming to Denver, CO!***

For a couple days in November, MOPS released early discounted tickets for MOMCON Colorado. (They do this early release every year!!). Check out more info about the conference here.