Written by Drew Hammond, Bhutanese Logistics Coordinator
At Mission Adelante we believe that ministry is primarily a relational endeavor, that genuine compassion and reconciliation requires relationship, and that disciple-making must be life-on-life.
Nearly eight months ago I received a phone call that required an immediate response. A Bhutanese family, who had been in the USA for less than three months, was being forced to move out of their home into a motel at 78th Street and I-70. The house next door to theirs had burned down, the fire severely damaging their home, and they found themselves relocating to the motel located some distance from the majority of the Bhutanese community in Kansas City, KS. As a representative of Mission Adelante, I responded by taking the family food to last them a few weeks until they could relocate to a permanent residence.
When we arrived at the motel, we met the family and delivered the food. The family began to eat and invited me to join them, per the cultural norm. I tried to refuse, saying, "we brought your family this food since you won't be able to prepare all the food you like while living here. Keep it for yourselves." A young man about my age responded to my refusal by placing a full plate of food onto my lap.
At that moment, I didn't realize that not only was I beginning a relationship with this family, but that that family would later become my family, and the man that served me the plate of food would become my brother. You see, now I have the honor of living with this family and sharing my life, and more importantly, the truth of the love of Jesus with them everyday.
At Mission Adelante we believe that ministry is primarily a relational endeavor, that genuine compassion and reconciliation requires relationship, and that disciple-making must be life-on-life.
Nearly eight months ago I received a phone call that required an immediate response. A Bhutanese family, who had been in the USA for less than three months, was being forced to move out of their home into a motel at 78th Street and I-70. The house next door to theirs had burned down, the fire severely damaging their home, and they found themselves relocating to the motel located some distance from the majority of the Bhutanese community in Kansas City, KS. As a representative of Mission Adelante, I responded by taking the family food to last them a few weeks until they could relocate to a permanent residence.
When we arrived at the motel, we met the family and delivered the food. The family began to eat and invited me to join them, per the cultural norm. I tried to refuse, saying, "we brought your family this food since you won't be able to prepare all the food you like while living here. Keep it for yourselves." A young man about my age responded to my refusal by placing a full plate of food onto my lap.
At that moment, I didn't realize that not only was I beginning a relationship with this family, but that that family would later become my family, and the man that served me the plate of food would become my brother. You see, now I have the honor of living with this family and sharing my life, and more importantly, the truth of the love of Jesus with them everyday.
In other news:
- We're so thankful for the Lord’s continued provision! He has provided so many wonderful new volunteers with the Spring trimester launch!
- Martin, Iris, Jai and Janga were highlights at our recent volunteer training as they shared parts of their immigrant story with our new volunteers.
- The Bhutanese outreach programs launched for this trimester on Tuesday night! We are super excited to watch and see what the Lord will do this trimester in everyone’s hearts as we serve and learn together.
- We were so excited to see our LIT (Leaders in Training) kids back and in action this week!
Prayer needs:
- Pray for one of our Latino leaders to have wisdom in his decision as he considers moving out of Kansas City.
- Praise God for growing our immigrant leadership teams! Please pray that they continue to develop leadership skills and increase ownership of our outreach activities.
Current needs:
- Two women who would be excited about forming discipling/mentoring relationships with Bhutanese teenagers through Bhutanese Teens Club on Tuesday evenings. Please contact Hannah Hume at hannahh@missionadelante.org.
- Volunteers for Mission Adelante’s Bhutanese Transportation Team! Our transportation needs are great for our Tuesday night outreach, and we are looking for more volunteers to join the team as drivers. Must be 25 years of age or older, NO CDL REQUIRED. For more information, please contact Drew Hammond at drewh@missionadelante.org
- A dining table and chairs for a recently-arrived family from Nepal. If you have one available please contact Drew Hammond at drewh@missionadelante.org.
- Small toys and trinkets (valued at about $1 each--ie Target dollar bins, or dollar store) to be added to our Kids Club prize box, which contains reward for excellent behavior during our Tuesday night program for kids ages 5-12. If you can help us out contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
- Bhutanese and Latino kids' programs are in search of a gently used lamination machine to keep our frequently used materials usable for longer. Please contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org.
- Expo dry-erase markers for use in the Bhutanese Kids Programs. Please contact Kristen at Kristenm@missionadelante.org.