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Amy & Elsa – MOPS Staff in Action
by Jean Blackmer

A recent survey of the MOPS International staff found that out of 44 staff members, 29 have been involved in MOPS in some way or another. Involvement has included: starting MOPS groups, being discussion leaders and MOPS mentors, having been a MOPPETS helper or having a relative in a MOPS group. There are some fascinating stories within the MOPS International walls, and the following accounts describe the impact that MOPS has had on two of its employees.

Amy Cooper
Amy Cooper is a Ministry Service Representative at MOPS International and was not involved in a group prior to her employment. However after working at MOPS for awhile, she knew she wanted to get involved. So she decided to visit the new MOPS group her church was starting.

Apryl, the Coordinator, is one of Amy’s friends, and she had organized a mini-spa night for the group. While getting a pedicure, Amy sat next to a newly pregnant teenager, who also was visiting for her first time. They chatted while the teen was getting her toenails painted.

“She told me there were 100 other pregnant teen girls in her high school. This got me thinking,” Amy says. “I realized by touching this teenager’s life, I was not only impacting her, but also so many others – her mom, her boyfriend, her child, her friends. Plus I found out there were so many other teen moms in our community who needed help.”

Amy and Apryl decided to start a Teen MOPS group. They organized events to help the teen moms learn some basic life skills, such as how to cook simple meals.

“Starting a Teen MOPS group has helped me to better answer the 30-60 e-mails and phone messages I respond to each day,” Amy says. “I’m in a group experiencing what other leaders experience, such as advertising and getting more MOPPETS workers. But even more importantly, being involved has given me the opportunity to see firsthand how my work here at MOPS impacts so many lives.”

Amy Cooper is married to Bill, and they are raising three girls: Kaitlyn (9), Katrina (9) and Sierra (12). Amy serves as the Creative Activities Leader for the Teen MOPS group at Gateway Christian Church in Aurora, Colorado.

Elsa Fluss
“I was eight months pregnant and not married when a strong-willed friend of mine told me that I would go visit her MOPS group,” Elsa Fluss, Electronic Media Coordinator for MOPS International, explains. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.”

After Elsa had her first baby, Katie, she experienced serious depression. “I kept going to MOPS because it was easier to go than explain to someone on the phone why I wasn’t there. I knew someone would call me and tell me that they missed me.”

Over time she found these women loved her and accepted her. She began serving as the Creative Activities Leader and putting herself in new situations – something she was extremely fearful of doing.

After four years of being out of the workforce, Elsa needed a job, so she applied at MOPS International and was hired. She’s worked in several positions since starting at MOPS, including Ministry Life Administration Assistant and IT Project Coordinator. She’s currently on the communications team and helps find ways to connect to even more moms who need to find a supportive community.

"My experience with MOPS before I started working here gave me confidence I didn’t have before. I learned that as long as I surround myself with people who care about me, failure isn’t so scary."

Elsa Fluss is married to Isaac. They have two girls, Katie (5) and Bekah (3). Her favorite aspect of her job as Electronic Media Coordinator at MOPS International is the encouragement she receives to explore new things.

Jean Blackmer is the Publishing Manager for MOPS International, where she is thrilled to work with others to create books just for moms. She is also the author of Boy-sterous Living: Celebrating Your Loud and Rowdy Life with Sons and lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband and their three boys.