This month we start registration for Relay Exchange groups for the 2022-23 school year. We love this season of connecting with existing group leaders and coaching new groups as they form! We love the potential for life change and growth that this season represents. In 2007, we started the very first Relay Exchange group with a vision to create a way to engage our girls and demonstrate our daily faith in a way that is intentional, sustainable, and relational. These three words sum up the heart of the program.

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It is extremely like that if you are a mom, it’s been a while since you were “doing nothing.” May especially is a month of go, go, go. With all of the end of year parties and celebrations and ceremonies, we focus a lot on going and on doing. Certainly we should celebrate accomplishments and milestones! But, in the midst of all the going and doing, let’s sit with something this week:

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If you have ever found yourself in the middle of home renovations, you know this mantra: it will be worth it! We are willing to endure all of the dust, the mess, the disruption, the disorganization, the hammering, the destruction because we believe that the value of the final product will meet or exceed the price required to get there. Of course, this applies to all types of life scenarios. For example, taking time to exercise is worth it because we feel better and it’s good for us. Setting an alarm to get up early for time alone with God is worth the missed sleep. We consciously and unconsciously ask this question regularly: is it worth it?

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At Relay Exchange, we are always discussing the importance of connections. While Jesus is the focus of all we do, we are rooted in our desire to foster healthy connectedness: between mothers and their daughters, between mothers as they raise their girls, and between the girls. We start the emphasis on connectedness when a group forms by requiring that every group is led by a team of two moms. We adopted this model for several reasons. First, we were copying Jesus.

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One recurring theme in conversations with Moms of pre-teen and teen girls is, “how do I help my daughter realize her true value, rather than seeking to gain value through [her grades, her sport, her friendships, her looks, her accolades]? This is an important topic, and one that drives a lot of what we do at Relay Exchange, Inc., where our mission is to lead girls to the truth of who they are in Christ.

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Have you ever had a time where you heard a phrase and even though it was entirely out of context, it crystallized an idea for you? This happened to me (Camilla) last week. I was listening to a podcast and the speaker was talking about the apostle Paul. The speaker quoted the Christian pastor and teacher Chuck Swindoll’s use of the terms grace and grit to describe Paul’s ministry and preaching.

I have not been able to shake the phrase since. It’s what I want for myself; it’s what I want for my girls. It’s what all of us at Relay Exchange want for this entire next generation of girls: we want them to be full of grit and grace.

Because they are going to need both. And so do we.

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We have exciting news!

Relay Exchange, Inc. is piloting a new program for high school girls and their moms so that older girls can “go the extra mile!”

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We cannot believe we are almost to December! 2020. This has been a mess of a year for many people on many levels. There are also many reasons to rejoice, as always! However, this is a year when “unprecedented” became an overused adjective and that is rarely a good thing! When it feels like the whole world is in turmoil it can feel overwhelming. We might have a tendency to feel like we need to fix everything. It makes me think of a framed poem my mom had on her wall beside her mirror.

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The phrase “Keep Calm and Carry On” was originally created by the British government in 1939 for use on posters to motivate and inspire the British public. Later it was appropriated and variations used on all sorts of merchandise, e.g. Keep Calm and Use Common Sense, Keep Calm and Make a List. A favorite notepad from a co-worker admonished me to Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake. I had no trouble following that particular instruction.

The phrase is similar to a verse in Exodus 14. If you have not read Exodus 14 lately, it’s a great read. The Israelites have escaped from slavery in Egypt, they are being pursued by the mighty Egyptian army, and they run into the Red Sea. They are at a dead end. And then Moses throws out Exodus 14:14.

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“This is not what this year was supposed to be -- it should be better.”

“This is not what college should be.”

“This is not what the first day of middle school should be.”

“This is not what church should be.”

This is the year of the “should be’s”. We should be through the crisis. We should be [insert your view on how we are handling the pandemic]. Disappointment, cancellations, and changed plans on this scale were not on our radar, so we feel like it “should be” different.

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Any nerds out there who have always loved everything about August because it meant new school supplies? Anyone else run on a school year calendar rather than January to December (despite having been out of school for years)? The start of the new school year is exciting because it represents a new world of possibilities: new classes, new friends, a new schedule and of course, new supplies!

But this fall is not the same. This fall does not feel like something new, it feels like more of the same: more uncertainty, more changes to school routines, and more precautions. Without the newness to rejuvenate us and our families, how can we breathe new life into our routines? How can we stay the course? How can we stand firm?

Together. We can stand firm by standing together.

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Knowing in advance how a situation will play out changes behavior. Here is a simple example: when I make coffee in the evening and set it to automatic brew, it’s easier for me to pry myself out of bed to go get a cup early the next morning. Another example involves preparing for a trip. When we travel, the destination dictates what to pack and how to get there. I realize that I am a bit of an extreme planner, but I have never understood how people pack for surprise trips--do I bring a parka or a bathing suit? Snow boots or flip flops? Heels or running shoes? Both? Knowing the destination changes everything.

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Lately, one of the questions that has dominated the landscape amid all of the health concerns has been, “what can we expect?” What can we expect if we get sick? What should we expect the next few weeks to look like? When can we expect life to return to normal? We all want to know what expectations we should have. The reality is, in this unprecedented pandemic, we can predict, but we cannot know for certain what to expect in these areas.

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We have been encouraging moms (and dads!) to complete a 30 Day Prayer Challenge to pray specifically and intentionally for our children every day for 30 days. It is our hope that this prayer challenge is a reminder of why, for Jesus followers, prayer and parenting are inextricably linked. Daily prayer is life-giving, but to successfully create a habit of daily fervent prayer, it is important to believe it will make a difference. Over a period of 30 days, in addition to suggested prayers for our children, the challenge offers 30 reasons we should make it a priority to pray every day. The following is an excerpt that is especially relevant now.

DAY 17: Because in a crisis, we need to be looking for the chariots of fire that are surely filling the surrounding hillside.

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