Written by Drew Hammond, Bhutanese Logistics Coordinator
At Mission Adelante, we believe that the opportunities and challenges in our community are God-sized, and that meeting them requires partnerships that begin with relationships and trust and move toward collaboration. One of our most beloved community partnerships is with TOCA FC.
Toca’s philosophy of youth soccer is similar to our vision for developing our community: “to develop players that are masters of the ball individually, who understand the total team concept.” At Mission Adelante, we see that developing leaders to reach their full potential as disciples is how we can begin to develop our neighborhood and community.
Our favorite aspect of our partnership with Toca is how we see the students growing and developing through soccer. In our neighborhood, our students are surrounded by negative influences. Those influences can be things like gangs or drugs, but also include the message our students hear over and over, that their future is limited and their options are few. Toca, on the contrary, gives our students healthy goals and dreams. Instead of being on the streets becoming involved with gang activity, our students can be on the soccer field being coached and discipled by Christian leaders. Instead of dwelling only on their struggles, they can experience great accomplishments with their soccer team.
Not only does Toca excel at developing and discipling these youth, they also excel on the field. The Toca FC U-14 team came in second place in the city-wide tournament they competed in over the weekend! While it can be a frustrating to finish in second place after competing hard through a weekend long tournament, Toca FC is first in our book.
In other news:
- We have open volunteer opportunities for Adelante Thrift! Saturday, January 31st, we need assistance painting the processing area of the store. There are numerous other weekday and weekend opportunities for all skill levels. Check out our Upcoming Events at www.adelantethrift.com to learn more and sign-up.
- Last Tuesday the Bhutanese teens ministry volunteers kicked-off the new trimester by visiting students. Several volunteers and students went to the RG Asian store owned by House church leader Ram Rai to enjoy some Chhapati ( a spicy nepali snack food) together. It was a great time of relationship-building and fellowship among students and volunteers.
- We will take a group of about twenty teens to the annual Winter Jam concert this Sunday. It has been a great time of fellowship and worship in the past and we are excited to worship God together!
Prayer needs:
- Please pray for us as we begin planning for the Summer. It's naturally a season of extra events and programs outside of the normal routine. Pray that we would plan wisely.
Current needs:
- Construction on Adelante Thrift has begun! Are you interested in supporting this project by donating material goods? We are looking for 12” x 12” vinyl composite tiles, 2’ x 4’ ceiling tiles, and fluorescent light fixtures. Please contact Matt Totsch at mattt@missionadelante.org for more information or if you are able to provide for these building needs.
- Bhutanese LIT is in need of 1 more Monday afternoon volunteer. If you are interested in learning more, contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org