Reflections of a Volunteer

(The following email to the Kids Adelante team is included in The Adelante Express with permission by Thiago, a volunteer from Brazil)

"I wish I had done this a lot sooner (volunteering and teaching). You are all like angels in my life at Mission Adelante. When Megan invited me to join, I had no idea of what would happen to me or if I would be really capable of doing this. But the more I see and live it the more I want to be a part of it and be an influence in our children's lives.

"How nice it is to be able to tell the little ones about the good news of Jesus Christ! It is so humbling to look at a child's eyes and see that they love God and that they are thankful that He sent his only Son to die for our sins. I take Annie and Lorenzo as an example: Only God knows how much they were able to influence me and touch my heart with their eagerness to be a part of that class tonight. They were not the only ones. But I can assuredly tell you that through those kids I was touched by the Holy Spirit. We were the body of Christ at that moment.

"I thank God for allowing me to be here in America (even with all the trials and persecutions that I've been personally experiencing) at this moment and being a part of such a beautiful community. This is probably the biggest email I've written in a long time (that at least has an important meaning to me) so I apologize for making it too lengthy."

*Note: Thiago, from Brazil, just finished his first trimester of volunteering in the Kids Adelante Program with Mission Adelante.

In other news:

• Jarrett taught about the messages of the cross at our Sunday evening worship service. After hearing the message, Sara, who has been a part of our Bible study and worship services for a year, prayed to receive Christ as her savior!
• Elaine is the third member of our community to complete the discipleship course in recent weeks. She and her partner, Kristen Meek, crossed the finish line this week.
• We enjoyed beautiful weather and a great turnout for our trimester-end party on Saturday, with 220 people attending!
• Casey Kapple and a group from Emmanuel Baptist Church conducted activities for the kids during the party on Saturday and during the worship service on Sunday. We're grateful for their help.

Prayer needs:

• The strengthening of marriages within our community
• The continuation of relationships that volunteers have developed with adult English learners and kids during the break between trimesters
• Refreshment and renewal for staff and volunteers during the break
• For Jarrett, Mission Adelante's Director, to have clarity during his prayer and planning retreat tomorrow through Saturday

Current needs:

• Room dividers or cubicle walls
• Portable soccer goals
• Tutors for an after-school program to begin this fall. If you're interested, contact Jarrett!

Important upcoming dates:

• Saturday, May 24 @ 9:00 a.m.: Volunteer Orientation and Training
• June 5: Summer trimester ESL classes and Kids Adelante begin