A successful parenting journey requires consistency, patience and resolve.  Yet the journey is often filled with frustration, anxiety and, at times, hopelessness even when we are trying to do our best.  Thankfully, there are those moments that can unexpectantly encourage and sustain us in the process!

Recently, we were blessed to see a heartwarming story on social media from friends and OneFamily leaders.  This story is a wonderful example of one of those unexpected moments when parents receive confirmation that diligent heart training is worth so much!

A couple of weeks ago, Brooke and her two boys, along with their aunt and cousin, were shopping to fill their  Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.  The purpose is to fill a shoebox with toys, practical hygiene items and school supplies for children around the world.  You can select a boy or girl child for your shoebox, but you don’t know who will receive it.

As many parents know, shopping trips with children can quickly turn into what the kids want.  They see it, they want it.  So, Brooke was thrilled when the boys were so excited to shop for children other than themselves.  As the boys were joyfully and thoughtfully collecting the items they wanted to add to their shoeboxes, her 10 year old boy suddenly stopped in the middle of the aisle and began to pray.  His prayer was that the toys they were selecting would go to the right children; children that needed and wanted those specific toys.  Seeing this unfold, a woman who witnessed this scene, told Brooke how much joy it brought her, and other patrons in the store, to see this special moment.

This is just one of many examples of what placing moral and practical lessons into the hearts and minds of children can do.  Over time, children begin to elevate virtue and live out what they’ve learned and seen modeled by their parents. They begin to set themselves apart and allow their light to shine to other people.

As parents, we become overwhelmed thinking, “My children’s behavior is embarrassing… Will I ever get through to my kids… Will they ever listen… When will they stop challenging me…”  By God’s grace, it seems at those most overwhelming times, we receive an unexpected blessing that confirms that our consistency, patience and resolve is worth all the parenting challenges we’ve faced.

With OneFamily, our mission is to come alongside moms and dads by equipping them with practical advice and resources that encourages and sustains them throughout their parenting journey.

Do you and your spouse need some parental encouragement or equipping? Do you need to retake a course to rejuvenate your parenting strategy?  We have just posted some new online classes that will kick off in the new year:

  • Toddlerhood Transitions – Two Classes to pick from! Parenting toddlers 18mos to 4 years.

Thursdays, Starting January 12th, 6:45-7:45pm MT (7:45-8:45 CT & 8:45-9:45 ET)
or
Tuesdays, Starting January 17th, 8-9pm MT (7-8 PT & 9-10 CT)

  • Parenting from The Tree of Life – Comprehensive course for parenting children 5 – 12years.

Starting February 1st, 7-8pm MT (6-7 PT, 8-9 CT, 9-10 ET)

Visit: https://onefamilyhwl.org/events/ for more information on these classes!

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Dates & Registration Coming Soon

  • Protecting the Innocence of Childhood – How to convey sexual knowledge to children while protecting their innocence. For parents with children 5 to 13.
  • Parenting the Middle Years – Provides parents with children 7-12 practical ways to prepare for the teen years.
  • Parenting toward Adulthood – For parents with middle school aged kids though late teens, this new course helps parents equip their older children to prepare for the transition to adulthood.

Ongoing Resources

  • Marriage Checkup – SYMBIS+ online assessment and evaluation
  • Personalized Coaching/Mentoring – Sometimes we just need a little personalized attention to get us through those rough patches – Parenting and/or Marriage

Blessings to you and your family,

Shelly & Rich

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A Special Opportunity to Help Families

During this season of giving, would you consider helping OneFamily to Equip, Encourage and Sustain families like yours?  Your donation will allow us to reach more moms and dads with classes, workshops, one-on-one coaching/mentoring, and develop online content to build strong, healthy families & marriages.

  • OneFamily is blessed to have a special donor who is matching one time and recurring gifts! This is a unique opportunity to double the impact of your gift. This general giving will help us to produce more original marriage and parenting content like Parenting Toward Adulthood, offer scholarships to those that can’t afford classes/workshops and expand our reach & impact to families locally and nationally.

https://onefamilyhwl.org/donate-to-onefamily/

  • We also have several sponsorship opportunities if you are interested in supporting one of our 2023 projects:

Special 2023 Sponsorship & Support Opportunities

    • OneFamily Weekly Podcast
    • OneFamily Online Topical Video Segments
    • OneFamily/Unafamilia Spanish Workbook Translation