Great Wolf Lodge: A Dream Come True!

Written by Megan McDermott

The children of Leaders in Training, our after-school tutoring and character development program, wait anxiously all year for one thing: Great Wolf Lodge! They know that after all of their faithful attendance, scripture memory, dedication to their studies, and hard work, they will earn a coveted trip to the incredible indoor water park. One of my favorite parts of the trip is the moment when the kids see the park for the first time. It's hard to imagine what they are expecting but it's incredible to see their little faces light up with the realization that their hard work paid off.

Oftentimes, their lives are wrought with broken promises and inconsistency. At a young age, they can lose hope that their dreams and efforts will be spent chasing impossible goals. Many children give up before they even start and as I have seen first hand within our community, witnessing the dreams of a child be extinguished is heart wrenching. LIT is a way for the kids to hold onto their dreams and to have the support they need as they work towards them. Great Wolf is a tangible, real goal that they can achieve and it gives them the confidence to keep fighting for their future.

The Great Wolf trip is also a chance for us to go deeper with the kids in their pursuit of the Lord. This year, we focused our teaching and fellowship time on the importance of a quiet time. Many of the kids had never been taught this before and we explored how reading the word, journaling, praying, worshiping, using art, and even just taking a walk are all intimate ways to form a real relationship with the Lord. It was truly a time led by the Holy Spirit as the kids realized how much the Lord desires to walk with them everyday!

The following day at church, one of the student's mom approached me and asked me what I had done to her son at Great Wolf. When I asked why, she told me he had awakened that morning and asked if their whole family could pray together around the kitchen table before they started their day. He desired to have a quiet time with his family! She was unbelievably proud of her son and grateful for the ways that God is pursuing his heart.

I thank all of you for your prayers that were answered in powerful ways as the LIT kids were able to escape into the arms of the Lord last weekend!

In other news:

• The Mission Adelante Christmas parties went great! About 300 people attended the Latino party on Saturday. It was a packed house and Jarrett Meek shared a message about God's interruption into people's daily routines and troubled lives with the birth of Jesus. About 130 people attended the Bhutanese party on Sunday, which created a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. David Stetler shared about God's interest in knowing people of all social classes equally, illustrated by the announcement of His Son's birth to both the lowly shepherds and the affluent wise men.
• We're grateful for the group from Shoal Creek Church that brought desserts to share and entertained the kids with planned activities during the Latino Christmas party on Saturday.
• Latino and Bhutanese kids from Mission Adelante have been practicing special songs and are eager to join a kids choir to sing for the 10:00 and 11:30 services at Westside Family Church this Sunday. If you don't have a place to worship this Sunday, they would love to have you in the audience!
• Thanks to Mill Creek Church and Heartland Community Church, we've received enough winter coats to meet the need of our community for this winter. Thanks to everyone who donated coats or rounded them up and delivered them!
• The twelve flash drives that we requested for our L.I.T. students have also been generously supplied by a donor. We're so thankful for donors through whom God provides for our needs!

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for God's provision of the necessary funding for David Coon to join the Mission Adelante staff as an apprentice.
• Pray for the members of the Latino disciple making team to be courageous and faithful as they put into practice the things they've been trained on during the past six weeks.

Current needs:

• More adults' and children's winter clothing, hats, gloves, and shoes to stock our resource center.
• Paper towels and rolls of 55 gallon trash bags for use in our facility.

Upcoming dates:

• Mission Adelante will be closed Friday December 24 through Saturday, January 1.
• Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, January 15, 9:00-12:30 at Mission Adelante