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Day or night, 365 days a year, moms come to the MOPS International Web site forums to vent, cry, laugh, celebrate and pray together. These moms post messages and form relationships on the forums @ www.MOPS.org.

Rachel Ryan, Media Manager at MOPS International, moderates the forums and says, "It's incredible watching the moms encourage and support each other through the Internet and build community with moms from all over the globe."

MOPS International provides forums to discuss "MOPS Issues," find "Moms Like Me" and talk about "Mothering Issues." Here are some inspiring stories of a few moms who participate in this vibrant online community.*

Salli Bruxvoort says she came to the MOPS community forums "looking for that feeling I get every other Thursday morning at a MOPS meeting." Soon after, she became a regular contributor. In June 2006, Salli was diagnosed with breast cancer. Moms on the forums supported Salli through her treatment and eventually pointed her to Kris, another forum user who was diagnosed with the same type of breast cancer.

Over the past two years the friendship between Salli and Kris has grown as they've encouraged and supported each other. Salli says, "Last June I was able to fly to be with her for a long weekend. It was truly wonderful. I know we've touched other moms through our story on the MOPS forums." Their friendship began with simple messages on the MOPS forums but has grown into much more. Salli says, "It's like getting to go out for coffee with your best friends whenever you want to, and it doesn't get any better than that!"

Laura Bodine joined the forums looking for other moms with whom to connect. She was a new stay-at-home mom and had moved to an area without a MOPS group. Four and a half years and 1,241 posts later, she's still an active member. Laura continues going to the forums because no matter what her day is like or what time of day it is, she's welcomed just as she is—even if she's still in her pajamas. Laura adds, "Not all of us come from the same background, culture or viewpoint on parenting methods, but we all come together as moms." Laura met one of her closest friends, Steph Gerards, on the forums. After finding out they only lived two hours away, they decided to meet for lunch and eventually introduced their families, who get along great.

Steph Gerards says she's been a part of other forums before and was surprised at how welcoming the MOPS users were. She was excited to find a place to talk with other moms about parenting issues. She asks for advice and never feels like a bad parent if she doesn't use the suggestions. Steph became close friends with some of the other forum moms, and they met for the first time at the 2006 MOPS International Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. At the 2007 Convention in Florida, Steph met Kris and said, "When I saw her face, I cried. I couldn't believe I was able to give her a hug in person and tell her how much she's meant to me. … She's impacted my life in many positive ways as well as the lives of many women on the forums.

Jackie Alvarez is the Editorial Coordinator at MOPS International. She lives in Colorado and enjoys snowboarding, watching movies, seeking out good music and engaging in conversations about faith.

* Note: Privacy is respected on the MOPS forums, and people who are choosing to meet do so through the private message feature of the forum.

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