The Joy of Being a Child

written by Megan McDermott

When I first began volunteering at Mission Adelante, I was struck by how different the kids were in comparison to others I had worked with. I noticed that although on the surface they were children, there was an edge to each of them. For some that edge came from the responsibility of having to help raise their sisters and brothers at a very young age. For some it was because of the loss of family or friends due to violence or prison. For others, it was simply the environment of the inner city that too often forces the kids to grow up too quickly in order to survive. That is why the trip to Great Wolf Lodge with the LIT (Leaders in Training) kids was such a significant time of joy!

After much anticipation, December 18 came too slowly for many of our kids. Complete with three water slides, a huge water park, Jacuzzis, basket ball hoops in the pool, and a lazy river to float down, Great Wolf was a world away from the “norm” that the kids experience each day. It seemed that for the first time in a long while, I saw the carefree nature of the kids return. They were able to play, laugh, and joke together in a way that I have rarely seen. I think they felt free enough to leave their “edge” at the door and be kids again! I pray that God enables us to continue to provide opportunities to let the children know the joy of being a kid and are allowed the freedom to have a child-like faith.

In other news:

• We're praising God for His provision for our ministry. Generous year-end giving met our goal and gave us a great boost going into the new year.
  
• Last week thieves struck again at Mission Adelante. This time our new security doors and alarm system stopped them in their tracks. However, they were able to get into our garage and get away with some tools and building materials.
  
• We saw the greatest turnout of new volunteers yet at our Volunteer Orientation last Saturday morning! This was much in part to the attendance of the whole Bhutanese Outreach Pilot volunteer team.
• We launched the newest form of our discipleship program, Trios, at the Worship Celebration Sunday evening. Dividing our whole community into groups of three provides the opportunity for more deeper, more personal, and more intentional fellowship.

Prayer needs:

• The Bhutanese Outreach Pilot Program launched on Tuesday evening with adult English class registration and kids club registration. Please pray for the Lord's guidance and blessing upon this brand new outreach to the Bhutanese refugees that continue to be placed in KCK.
• Please pray for a strong start to the Trios discipleship strategy. Pray that all our community members would be excited to meet together, as well as consistent.
• Registration for our Hispanic outreach programs is this evening. Please pray for the Lord to allow to come all those whom He's chosen. Also, please pray for the accommodation of all our volunteers into the correct role as we make final preparations to launch the programs next week.

Current needs:

• A family of five that has been faithfully involved in our worship community for over a year is experiencing transportation problems. Their only car has been broken down for almost two weeks and seems to need extensive repairs. If you have a used vehicle that you would be able to donate to their family or if you have mechanical expertise and would consider repairing their car, please contact Jarrett at jarrettm@missionadelante.org.

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, January 18 at 6:30 p.m. at The Mission: Volunteer Team Meeting.
• Thursday, January 21: Spring trimester launch--ESL classes and Kids Adelante.