Women celebrating women and bring them into the fold, just as Jesus did.
Why take a day off to rest and reset? Why host a day retreat for the Forerunner moms?
The answer is this: Mothers, from the beginning at conception, carry, breathe, and sustain life for their children. Inside the womb and then outside of it. The mothers at Forerunner have chosen to continue to grow, protect, and nourish their children even when their partner has separated from them. The burden of most of all the aspects of child rearing falls on them. This is their calling and our Forerunner moms shepherd and carry that calling with high integrity. Though with this calling of single parenthood comes sacrifice after sacrifice. These women pour their heart, soul, and energy into mothering. Their dreams, desires, and wants are sacrificed for their children. Forerunner wanted to give them a day for them to be. A day to simply connect with other single mothers carrying the same calling and reconnect with their personhood outside of being a mother. A day to Relax. Relate. Reset.
These were the three words chosen to shape the events for the day on April 2nd. Relax and spend time without your children for a day. No caretaking except for taking care of yourself. Pampering at a spa. Soaking your feet and sitting in a massage chair. Eating a meal prepared for you in a beautiful setting that is peaceful. Sisterhood. Relating to each other while wearing matching pink shirts. Laughing, hugging, relating and belonging. Taking over the spa with all 16 other mothers. Strangers watching and asking who we were. The nail tech giving me her cell phone number because she is a single mom and she wants to be with us and asking if she can join.
Women celebrating women and bringing them into the fold, just as Jesus did. A daily devotional book given to each woman, and read out loud, because relating to the Lord shapes us and is the most important relationship in our lives. Watching the women arrive that evening gorgeous and feeling gorgeous in the heels and make up and dresses. Seeing them pile into vehicles all together feeling beautiful and excited to share a meal together. This is the why behind what we do. They are a tribe. They have a place to belong. Forerunner has created a space for them to be known, to be seen, and to be celebrated.
“Oh Carrie, what a wonderful day! The 3R motto for today really goes a long way, it was such a beautiful and happy day for all of us. Thank you for being the brain behind these memorable moments with the ladies, and God bless all the volunteers for putting smiles on our faces. May God make them happy too. I’m just too happy to go to bed, it’s been many years since I experienced this. God bless all the givers and the support system and the Forerunner coaches too.” - a text from one of the Forerunner moms after the retreat
Thank you for supporting us and helping us create a setting where mothers like this experience the goodness of the Lord. Here’s to going from “it’s been may years” to “it’s everyday”.