Life & Motherhood in Mexico with Janelle Keller & Jill Smith

Thanks for joining us for another episode of Fit For Motherhood. With us today are two friends of Alyssa's Janelle Keller & Jill Smith.  We talked about how they ended up moving to Mexico and the life transformation they have seen in the children they work with. Jill shared the story of how she adopted her two children. Then they gave updates on what life looks for them now.  Janelle Keller is the Executive Director of Foundation For His Ministry (FFHM). FFHM has children’s homes and outreach ministries in Tijuana, Sinaloa, Baja California, and Oaxaca, Mexico. She is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL, and had her first exposure to FFHM on a trip to the Baja Mission in 2000. On that trip, God got ahold of her heart, and a passion for Mexico was kindled in her. In 2007 Janelle went to serve at the Oaxaca Mission, where she lived for 4 years before coming to work in their US office in San Clemente, CA. These days she looks for any excuse she can find to travel to Mexico and loves being a part of what God is doing there.   Jill Smith is the Director of Mexico Operations for Foundation For His Ministry (FFHM). Originally from Michigan, after graduating from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, she moved to the Chicago area to serve at Willow Creek Community Church. It was then that Jill heard about FFHM for the first time and took her first trip to Mexico. Alongside Janelle, Jill went to serve full-time at the Oaxaca location in 2007. While there, she became a mother, through adoption, to Celina, who is now 12, and Nathan, who is now 9. After completing their adoptions, Jill and the kids relocated to the Baja Mission, where she became the Director. It was there that she met her husband, Tim. They now live in Tijuana, where she oversees all of the mission locations in Mexico.  Alyssa had the privilege of meeting Janelle & Jill in 2009 on her first of many trips to the children’s home in Oaxaca and it has been such a joy to see how they are working to change the lives of children and families in Mexico through Foundation For His Ministry.  Connect with Janelle on IG @janellekeller and on Facebook Connect with Jill on IG @jillvadams and on Facebook Learn more about (FFHM) Foundation For His Ministry on IG @ffjmorg on Facebook and online at www.ffhm.org Follow us on IG @fitformotherhoodpod Join our community at www.fitformotherhoodpodcast.com

Om Podcasten

Hi friends, welcome to the Fit For Motherhood Podcast!!! Thank you for taking time out of your day to listen, we are SO excited to have you with us! We have been friends since early childhood, grew up together and are currently the moms of littles 5 and under. A LITTLE BIT OF INFO ON US Ali lives in central Illinois with her husband, Matt, and their three kids (4, 3 & 1). She is a part time hair stylist and spends the rest of her time at home with her kids. She is an enneagram 9w1. Alyssa lives in Chicago with her husband, Grant, and their two toddlers (3 & 1). She works part time as a pediatric oncology nurse and is also a certified holistic health coach & life coach and the owner of Grounded Roots Coaching. She especially loves working with women during their first year postpartum. She is still trying to figure out her enneagram. WHY ARE WE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE TOPIC OF MOTHERHOOD? • We’re MOMS • We’ve both experienced difficulties in our journeys as moms and have felt alone in dealing with those challenges. • We’re tired of the perfect images that are crafted on social media to which we find ourselves comparing our lives. • For Ali, she has become more self-aware in the last year or so and is tired of being dragged along by life. She has challenged herself to find ways to be more proactive about her mental and physical health because she realizes how much those things affect her ability to parent effectively. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS PODCAST? • Letting moms know that they are not alone in questioning their fitness for parenting • Encouraging other moms to know that we can do the hard things of motherhood, even when we doubt our abilities. • Sharing practical applications and also ideas that can be helpful in keeping ourselves mentally and physically fit for motherhood. We would love to have you with us every week as we talk together through topics that are important to us (and hopefully you!), interview other moms who are walking through all the different issues that come with the different stages of motherhood, and bond together over the things we have in common that truly make us fit for motherhood.