The Joy of Belonging

When refugees come to America, they are country-less. Many do not have passports or citizenship to any nation. Others have fled persecution and danger from their homeland. They do not belong anywhere, and that is a very difficult place to be. Refugees can apply for permanent resident status (a green card) after living here 12 months, but they cannot apply to become citizens for five years. It is not an automatic process.

by Lauren Timberlake, Bhutanese ESL Coordinator

Some of the Bhutanese families in Kansas City have reached that 5-year mark now. I have heard a few proud stories of passing the exam and beaming smiles telling me they are glad to be officially American. Our friend Ram Rai was interviewed by KSHB41 at his naturalization ceremony a few months ago. You can watch the video here.

Ram Rai just after his naturalization ceremony in March.

The citizenship exam is not easy. Applicants must answer many detailed questions about themselves, read and write basic sentences in English, and be prepared to answer any of 100 possible questions about U.S. history and civics. Imagine how hard that would be if you had very little or no education or had never used English before moving here.

The Bhutanese community offers classes to practice these skills every Saturday and Sunday evening. People go both days and study at home during the week. Since January, Mission Adelante English classes have offered citizenship prep as well. Because we have so many volunteer conversation partners, we are uniquely situated to help students practice the reading, writing, and personal information sections of the exam. We incorporate these skills into all levels of classes, so students will be as prepared as possible to pass this incredibly important exam.

Last night, a former English student shared her recent citizenship experience with the Level 1 class. It gave them hope to achieve what often feels like an impossible task.

The joy of belonging--of having a homeland--is contagious. It’s hard to keep a straight face when you watch someone talk about their accomplishment. Citizenship gives refugees great dignity. Please pray for refugees who are working hard to pass their exam, and for the relationships created as students and conversation partners work together towards that goal.

Laxmi celebrated her recent citizenship with us at English class.

Other News

• A few staff members have been working on secret cultural performance (sshhh!) for the Bhutanese trimester party. They are led by two talented teachers: our intern Ram Gurung and volunteer Dani Hammond. Come celebrate with us and see the surprise at the party on August 9th!

Prayer Needs

• Please pray for the adults, kids, and teens that Mission Adelante staff and volunteers have been investing in this summer. Pray that God will bear much fruit from time spent together.

Current Needs

• We were blessed with 5 new tablets to use in our Leaders in Training program!  We have put together an Amazon wishlist of items to outfit our new tablets for use, and included a few more technology needs on it.  Check out the wish list here:  LIT Technology Wish List -  If you have questions contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org or Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelatne.org
• Looking for a fun way to make a big impact in the fall? Want to pour into the future leaders of our community? Our relational and fun after-school tutoring and character development program, Leaders in Training, is currently looking for volunteers.   Contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org if you are interested!
• We are exploring the idea of starting a First Lego League team with our Bhutanese Leaders in Training program.  If you have any experience with the First Lego League program, or starting a team, please contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.

Important Dates

• Bhutanese Summer Party--Saturday, August 9 at 4:00 at Wyandotte County Lake Park, 91st and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, KS 66109.  After entering the park you'll come to a fork in the road; go left and continue to Shelter #6.  Please bring a dish to share and stay for the awards and cultural presentation!
• Latino Summer Party--Sunday, August 10 at 5:00 at Wyandotte County Lake Park, 91st and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, KS 66109.  After entering the park you'll come to a fork in the road; go left and continue to Shelters #8 &10.  Please note, these are different shelters than the large shelter where the party has been held in previous years.  Dress casually and bring a dish to share, lawn chairs and/or a picnic blanket.

Summer of Blessing

Often times near the end of leading an intense internship it is easy to look back and see only the challenges. It’s times like these that I try to do the harder task of looking back and thinking about the good things that have happened and the blessings I have received. This open letter is a reflection of the biggest blessing I have received over the course of leading this internship.

Ram and Prabin,

At the beginning of the summer, I knew that by the end we would have had many adventures together. Some of them would be really fun and exciting, and some of them would be really challenging. Varying from sharing meals and seeing movies together, to struggling through our seemingly never-ending Tuesdays.

What I didn’t know was the deep bond and brotherhood we would have together, the immense sense of pride I would feel for you in the growth of your heart, and the amount of honor I feel to be alongside two amazing young men who are the forerunners of their community.

You have amazed me and the rest of the Mission Adelante community with your passion and commitment. The ways I’ve seen you grow are far beyond what I hoped for and imagined when we dreamed of interns from the Bhutanese community.

I hope and pray that you don’t let the things that you have learned and experienced this summer sit stagnant, but that you keep moving forward towards the goal, running the race without shame or fear. Everything that you have done and learned is of much more importance than any of us understand yet, but I encourage you to keep strong and don’t stop moving. You would not have been accepted to do this internship if it weren’t known that you could strive for the best and accomplish it.

Mission Adelante's vision says, “We believe effective ministry is relational at its core. And, when relationships are interdependent, learning is mutual, serving is reciprocal, and friendship is life-giving.” I believe this to be true and I believe that at the end of the summer I will be able to look back and see all that we learned together; I will be able to see that you served me as much if not more, than I served you; I will see the sincere friendship and deep brotherhood.

I am blessed to be in the presence of such great leaders who are stepping out in front of their community to learn and serve.

With the deepest of brotherly love, and the highest sense of honor,

Drew Hammond

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.
• Looking for a fun way to make a big impact in the fall? Want to pour into the future leaders of our community?   Our relational and fun after-school tutoring and character development program, Leaders in Training, is currently looking for volunteers.  Contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org if you are interested!

Important dates:

• Bhutanese Summer Party--Saturday, August 9 at 4:00 at Wyandotte County Lake Park, 91st and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, KS 66109. After entering the park you'll come to a fork in the road; go left and continue to Shelter #6. Please bring a dish to share and stay for the awards and cultural presentation!
• Latino Summer Party--Sunday, August 10 at 5:00 at Wyandotte County Lake Park, 91st and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, KS 66109. After entering the park you'll come to a fork in the road; go left and continue to Shelters #8 &10. Please note, these are different shelters than the large shelter where the party has been held in previous years. Dress casually and bring a dish to share, lawn chairs and/or a picnic blanket.

What Have the Summer Interns Been Up To?

By Edgar Soriano, Ministry Intern

This has been a great summer! Our second internship for teens from our own neighborhood has been an amazing experience for each of them. They have done so many things that have helped them grow closer to God.  They've gotten the chance to see the other side of ministry and have loved and enjoyed doing it.

The first month of the internship was filled with kids camps, where they played with the kids and helped lead small groups. They've also been focused on discipling other teens from our community by living life and sharing Jesus with them. They organize social activities for the teens like playing soccer, going to a movie, going bowling, and other fun things that help them share life. We are getting close to the end of the internship but the interns are better then ever.   We are so proud of them for the great leaders they're becoming. They have learned and grown so much this year, and we and hope to see all of them back next year.

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.
• Looking for a fun way to make a big impact in the fall? Want to pour into the future leaders of our community?   Our relational and fun after-school tutoring and character development program, Leaders in Training, is currently looking for volunteers.  Contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org if you are interested!
• We are rehabbing the house next door to our building, and are in need of residential appliances in good working order.  Please contact Sarah at sarahw@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate an electric range/oven, dishwasher, washer, or electric dryer.

Important Dates:

• Bhutanese Summer Party--Saturday, August 9 at 4:00 at Wyandotte County Lake Park, 91st and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, KS 66109. After entering the park you'll come to a fork in the road; go left and continue to Shelter #6. Please bring a dish to share and stay for the awards and cultural presentation!
• Latino Summer Party--Sunday, August 10 at 5:00 at Wyandotte County Lake Park, 91st and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, KS 66109. After entering the park you'll come to a fork in the road; go left and continue to Shelters #8 &10. Please note, these are different shelters than the large shelter where the party has been held in previous years. Dress casually and bring a dish to share, lawn chairs and/or a picnic blanket.

Our Resource Center: The Most Bang for your Book

By Sarah Winston, Operations Director

Are you familiar with Eric Carle’s beloved children’s book The Very Hungary Caterpillar?  Through simple text and eye-popping artwork, Carle tells the story of a caterpillar that eats its way through a smorgasbord of goodies, builds a cocoon, takes a nap, and emerges as a beautiful butterfly.  We are excited to announce that our Resource Center is going through a metamorphosis of its own.  Over the past few years your donations have helped meet a variety of diverse needs in the neighborhood, and we thank you for your generosity and support.  Through observing needs in the community and laying the groundwork to open a thrift store in the coming months, we realized it’s time for the Resource Center to narrow its focus to a few very specific needs, and will no longer accept donations of clothing or housewares.  During this summer of transformation, we will shut things down, clean things out, and emerge colorfully as the new, improved Resource Center.  We don’t want to spoil the surprise just yet—we will unveil the new vision for the Resource Center this fall.

One thing we can let you in on now, though, leads us back to our caterpillar friend—BOOKS!   Mission Adelante is launching a literacy program through our Resource Center.

A 20-year study through the University of Nevada found that children with large home libraries attain an average of 2 more years of education than kids without books at home.   Books in the home are as strong of a predictor of academic success as parents’ level of education and income level.  (See links below for further reading).   Do you want to help us get books into the hands of every kid in our community?  Here are some things you can do now, while were still in the “cocoon” phase of the Resource Center transition.

Help us organize the shelves:  The building blocks for a well-organized, easily-accessible system are uniform containers that stack well in our shelves to separate books by grade level.  Here’s a link to the containers we've chosen.  Would you consider purchasing one or two? http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?sku=57528&gclid=CJqKguOJtr8CFVFp7Aod_zAACg

2.   Collect Books:  Gather current and popular children’s titles from your family, friends, community group, or church; sort them by grade level (K-1, 2-3, 4-5 are preferred); and contact Molly at mollym@missionadelante.org  or 913-281-6274 x 5 to schedule a time to drop them off.  It’s that easy!  Please bear in mind that we only have the capacity right now to distribute books for elementary-aged kids, and books with minority characters are a bonus.  We are not able to accept reference books or adult books.

We hope that putting books in our kids’ hands will make them hungry for more.  Feeding their minds with great books will help them realize all of the beautiful, colorful potential God put in them!

For further reading about the effects of book ownership:

http://www.psmag.com/navigation/books-and-culture/books-home-strongly-linked-academic-achievement-82144/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100520213116.htm

In Other News:

• We are excited to say that renovations to the house next door to our building are underway!  Mission Adelante purchased the home completely stripped to the studs, and Christ Community Church is partnering with us to rehab it into a flexible residential space.  More details are coming soon.

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.

• Looking for a fun way to make a big impact in the fall? Want to pour into the future leaders of our community?   Our relational and fun after-school and character development program, Leaders in Training, is currently looking for volunteers.   Contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org if you are interested!

• If many hands make light work, we could use more hands to help with the house rehab--no construction experience necessary!  There will be weekday and weekend opportunities for everything from swinging hammers to sweeping debris.  Please contact Sarah at sarahw@missionadelante.org if you want to join in.

• Additionally, we are in need of residential appliances that are in good working order for the house rehab.  Please contact Sarah at sarahw@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate an electric range/oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, washer, or electric dryer.

Important Dates:

• Get-acquainted Days: Thursdays, July 10 & 17 (Latino)/Tuesday, July 15 (Bhutanese) 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.