Written by Megan McDermott
Remember when you were a kid and the freedom of those first few days of summer vacation loomed in front of you? At Mission Adelante, the summer is always an invitation and an exciting opportunity for our community to invest deeply in the children. This past week, a group of about twenty volunteers from Shoal Creek Community Church came to help launch the Bhutanese and Hispanic children's ministries. We were excited to begin our summer with our very first joint VBS with both the Hispanic and Bhutanese children. Between games, Bible study, crafts, and some yummy ice cream, an incredible change began to happen.
Many of the kids attend the same local schools and know each other. However, cultural differences can sometimes make friendship difficult. Both groups of kids are often torn between finding their niche between their native cultures and the American culture. The first night of the camp, amongst eighty-five exuberant children, we noticed that the kids were shy around each other. They didn't know what to make of each other and were hesitant to interact.
As the camp proceeded, though, we noticed that through passionate soccer games, dance parties, and incredible teaching from the Shoal Creek group, the kids began to play and laugh together. The shyness evaporated as the kids began to see that they weren't so different from each other and that maybe, just maybe, this new friend that they had made might be able to understand them in a really deep way.
As the summer goes on and the kids continue to engage in various activities, we are excited to see how God moves. His heart for these children is amplified when they are in a mixed context because, though these kids seem to be so different, they are all children of the Most High God.
In other news:
- Our three summer interns are here! Jill Berghaus, Andrew Pollock, and Rachel Schwagerman are well into their second week and have hit the ground running. The three of them are excited to be living in our neighborhood and immersed in our community.
- The Bhutanese ESL outreach has grown from one class in the winter to three classes this summer. It has been challenging to coordinate, but the Bhutanese people are grateful and undemanding.
- Brennan Nicholas Schoff was born to Jason, Megan, and big brother Declan on Wednesday, June 2. He had a safe delivery and according to dad, "he's phenomenal!"
- Mission Adelante is continuing to explore ways to support indigenous ministry efforts in Q-ba.
Prayer needs:
- The eight preteen Leaders In Training students that completed the program year are going camping at Hillsdale Lake this weekend as a reward. Among a few of their families, volunteers, and staff, 25 people will be on the trip. Please pray for safety throughout the weekend and good fellowship.
- Please pray for God to iron out the remaining logistics for our youth soccer camp next week, and that the camp would run smoothly, attracting new kids from the neighborhood to God.
- Pray for our interns as they get deeply involved in our community this summer. Pray for abundant opportunities for them to connect with people relationally and for learning.
Current needs:
- We have great need of a volunteer computer technician to help us set up computer systems and some wireless networking. It would all amount to about a day's work. Please call Jarrett Meek at 913-909-0627 or e-mail him at jarrettm@missionadelante.org if you can help us!
- Fans to cool our offices (we're trying to save money on electricity!)
- Paper towels for use in our facility
- A window air conditioner, which was requested in the Resource Center
Upcoming dates:
- June 29: Summer break. No Bhutanese outreach programs.
- July 1: Summer break. No Latino outreach programs.
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