A Small Gift with a Big Impact

By Lauren Timberlake, Bhutanese ESL Director

Devi is happy to have a pair of reading glasses. The refugee camps in Nepal don’t use the written word very much, but in the U.S., being unable to see clearly has kept her from learning to read. This makes shopping confusing, filling out forms at the doctor’s office very difficult, and passing a U.S. citizenship exam impossible.

A few weeks ago, we placed a request in this newsletter for donations of reading glasses. We quickly received nearly 20 pairs from several sources. Almost all of those have found new homes with English students. When students wear the new glasses, there is an immediate sense of relief. I have already noticed greater letter recognition, increased confidence, and less fatigue by the end of class. There is still a lot of hard work that goes into learning a new language, but being able to see well is a great start. The reading glasses are a small gift with a big impact for these students.

Thank you to those who donated glasses, and to anyone who has met a practical need at Mission Adelante. We believe that the opportunities and challenges in our community are God-sized, and that meeting them requires partnerships among believers. Members from 26 different churches come together to become conversation partners, after-school LIT mentors, Kid’s Camp leaders, employers, and more for members of our community. Even more families and individuals pray over our newsletters, run extra errands to donate a physical need, or share part of their paychecks each month to fund our programs and staff salaries.

It’s important to recognize the beauty of the body of Christ in our city working together in big ways and small ones to show hospitality to our newest residents. May our partnerships please Jesus and allow us to see Him at work around us.

In other news:

• We're so excited to have Emmanuel Baptist Church hosting our third--and final--week of Kid’s Camps this summer.  We kicked off  the week with a BBQ and viewing of the movie “Frozen” with our community, which was a hit!  We are very blessed to have such amazing church partners that engage the kids in our community in such fun activities, while helping us reach out to even more neighborhood kids!
• Both of our Bhutanese Interns have recently had grandparents arrive in the United States from Nepal. It's wonderful to share in their excitement about being reunited! In the coming months many people from our Bhutanese community will be welcoming family members who are resettling here. The resettlement process is a long and arduous journey for refugee families, and we are excited to welcome these families into the community as they make the United States their new home!

Current needs:

• Leaders in Training, our after-school leadership development and tutoring program, is getting excited about technology!  We are currently looking for tablets that are in new or very good condition to be used for learning activities during the 2014-2015 school year. If you have one you would like to donate please contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org or Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org.

Important dates:

• Summer break: July 1-5 No programs.
• Get-acquainted Days: Tuesdays, July 8 & 15 (Bhutanese)/Thursdays, July 10 & 17 (Latino) 6:30-8:30  Have you wondered what all goes on around here on a typical evening of programming?  Here's your opportunity to come and see for yourself!  Come on up to 22 S. 18th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102.