written by Kristen Maxwell, Director of Bhutanese Kids Ministries
Jesus was the greatest leader of all time, and most times his leadership was not in front of a crowd, but in service to others. At Mission Adelante, we value developing leaders in the way of Jesus. One way we are doing that is through our Leaders in Training (LIT) after-school leadership development and tutoring program. As a part of LIT, a select group of students are invested in deeply, hear the Gospel proclaimed, and are challenged to put feet on it and live it out in their lives. Recently, we challenged our Bhutanese Leaders in Training group to do just that.
We presented the kids with two needs we saw in our community:
- St.Paul’s Food Pantry, located just down 18th street, where we serve on a monthly basis, was running low on food.
- Mission Adelante set the God sized goal of raising $250,000 for the launch of Adelante Thrift.
How could they as members of our community respond to this need?
The LIT kids decided on doing a food drive for St.Paul’s and a Coin Drive to raise money for Adelante Thrift. They put together fliers and collection containers, and presented their goal to the Bhutanese ESL volunteers and Bhutanese Kids Club volunteers to spread the word about the food drive, and shared with their peers at Kids Club to promote the Coin Drive. Many volunteers complimented the students on their confidence in sharing in front of a group of English speaking adults, when the students aren’t 100% sure of their English skills.
It was amazing to see the results of their service projects. The kids more than met their goals! They had hoped to collect 100 items for St.Paul's and $50 for Adelante Thrift. They were able to collect over 200 items for St.Paul’s and $181 for the launch of Adelante Thrift. At Mission Adelante, we are in the business of developing leaders, and it is exciting to think of a generation of servant leaders serving their community in a mighty way!
IN OTHER NEWS:
- All Bhutanese English students and conversation partners went to Crown center together last week. It was a great way to share some of our city and Christmas culture with our friends. (LT)
- We are excited to be rewarding all of our Leaders in Training with a shopping trip to our Mission Adelante store (set up in our chapel) this week. The kids have earned money throughout the semester by maintaining good grades, displaying good behavior, and staying organized, that they’re excited to spend! Thank you to all of you that brought items to make the store possible.
IMPORTANT DATES:
- Latino Christmas Party: Saturday, December 14. Please join us at Bethany Community Center (1120 Central Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66102). We’ll begin with a pot-luck meal at 3:30, enjoy a Mexican dance performance, celebrate participants’ accomplishments from the trimester, and end with a dance. Everyone is invited! Please invite anyone you know who is interested in learning more about Mission Adelante or possibly volunteering in the future!
- Bhutanese Christmas Party: Saturday, December 14 from 4:00-8:00. Mission Adelante (22 S. 18th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102). Everyone is invited! Please invite anyone you know who is interested in learning more about Mission Adelante or possibly volunteering in the future!
- Office Closed: Thursday, December 25-Thursday, January 1: Mission Adelante office closed. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!