When Kids Camp is about more than the kids

Written by Kristen Maxwell, Director of Bhutanese Kids and Youth Ministries

Kids Camp is one of our favorite parts of summer at Mission Adelante.  For three nights in June the Bhutanese and Latino kids ministries come together as one community to play, sing, and learn about Jesus on our soccer field. Kids make new friends, connect with friends they have made before, or reconnect with friends they know from school.  They discover new things about Jesus and who He made them to be.  They love it!  We get to see a beautiful picture of heaven running around on our soccer field.

My favorite part though is seeing students lead; seeing them step outside their comfort zones and serve selflessly.  We had a front row seat to see growth during Kids Camp in both our interns and the wonderful students from Christ Church Anglican who were hosting the camp.  Our interns are receiving a crash course in youth and kids ministry; during Kids Camp that meant leading “potty patrol”, helping with name tags, organizing small groups, and making sure kids got home safely when the night was over. The Christ Church students were Jesus’ hands and feet to our kids for three days.  They colored, sang, gave piggy-back rides, and high-fives galore, they loved and served without complaining. They had a chance to see Jesus in the faces of the kids in our neighborhood, and show Jesus to them.

Our biggest prayer for all of the students is that they would allow themselves to be changed by their leadership experiences; that they would allow the Lord to speak into their lives and imprint on their hearts more and more of what He is calling them to.  Lastly, that they would be developed into the young men and women God has made them to be. Pray with us that the lessons learned in serving this week won’t stay dormant, but will sprout and grow into the fruit the Lord plans to grow in them.

Current Needs:

  • If you are interested in volunteering to do a few handy-man projects around our facilities, please contact Sarah at sarahw@missionadelante.org.  We are especially looking for someone comfortable working on a high ladder to switch out some exterior light fixtures as well as a few other ground-level projects.

Important Dates:

  • Summer Break Week:  June 28 - July 4.   There will be no programs at Mission Adelante during this time, the office will be closed Monday, July 4th.  Have a safe and relaxing holiday weekend!
  • Observation Nights:  July 19 and July 21.  Have you ever wondered what goes on at Mission Adelante during a typical program night?  Come see our ministry in action!   Bhutanese Observation Night, July 19 6:30 - 8:30 pm.  Latino Observation Night, July 21 6:30 - 8:30 pm.
  • Observation Nights: July 26 and July 28.  Observe the Mission Adelante staff and volunteers in action as they show love, share life, and share Jesus with people from other places.  Bhutanese Observation Night, July 26 6:30 - 8:30 pm.  Latino Observation Night, July 28 6:30 - 8:30 pm.