Written by Hannah Hume - a volunteer-mentor for Bhutanese Teens Club
Discovering truth is a beautiful endeavor. It's one thing to be told something is true. We may believe it, or we may not. We will judge the validity of what we have been told on many things, mainly the reliability of the messenger. However, to discover truth for ourselves means that we have to interact with it, and wrestle with its claims. When we do this, we haven't borrowed someone else's ideas but have created and taken ownership of our own convictions. Once we we do this, its nearly impossible for someone to persuade us to think otherwise, because we are certain of what we ourselves have seen, touched, and experienced. This is what I love about discovery Bible studies.
In teens club at Mission Adelante we have been taking the teens through Jesus' life using discovery Bible studies. This method of study doesn't teach the teens what to believe, instead it allows them to discover truth from the Bible for themselves. We go through the story from the Bible together and then ask questions about who God is, and how these stories interact with our own lives, using scripture as the ultimate guide for our discussion. We only discuss what is in the story, and any conclusions we arrive at need to clearly be seen in the story. Having the freedom to discuss, and interact with the scripture is a lot of fun for all of us, and it's amazing to see some of the truths the teens are discovering for themselves.
A few Tuesdays ago we learned the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. As we began to ask questions about who God is, and what we could learn from it, the teens discovered some astonishing truths. After asking questions about and considering the roles the two thieves played in the story of Jesus' death, the teens concluded that the only way to get to get to heaven is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God! They also discovered that even though they have done some bad things, all they would have to do to go to heaven is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. These are truths I could have told them, but it's so much more wonderful to see them discover them for themselves, with the Spirit and scripture as their guide. I am so excited to see what the Lord will continue to allow us to discover together in the upcoming weeks.
Discovering truth is a beautiful endeavor. It's one thing to be told something is true. We may believe it, or we may not. We will judge the validity of what we have been told on many things, mainly the reliability of the messenger. However, to discover truth for ourselves means that we have to interact with it, and wrestle with its claims. When we do this, we haven't borrowed someone else's ideas but have created and taken ownership of our own convictions. Once we we do this, its nearly impossible for someone to persuade us to think otherwise, because we are certain of what we ourselves have seen, touched, and experienced. This is what I love about discovery Bible studies.In teens club at Mission Adelante we have been taking the teens through Jesus' life using discovery Bible studies. This method of study doesn't teach the teens what to believe, instead it allows them to discover truth from the Bible for themselves. We go through the story from the Bible together and then ask questions about who God is, and how these stories interact with our own lives, using scripture as the ultimate guide for our discussion. We only discuss what is in the story, and any conclusions we arrive at need to clearly be seen in the story. Having the freedom to discuss, and interact with the scripture is a lot of fun for all of us, and it's amazing to see some of the truths the teens are discovering for themselves.
In other news:
- Thank you, Heartland Community Church, for sharing five complete Thanksgiving dinners with families in our neighborhood.
- The Mission Adelante staff enjoyed a refreshing holiday weekend. It offered the rare opportunity to unplug from ministry responsibilities for a few days, as well as extra rest for staff that had been under the weather.
Prayer needs:
- Help us pray for God to supply for Mission Adelante through abundant end-of-year giving.
- This weekend, the Latino teens will go on a retreat. Pray that a challenge course will aid in team building, and that an introduction to spiritual gifts will help them begin to learn their roles in the body of Christ.
- Twelve Leaders-In-Training kids are going on an overnight reward trip to Great Wolf Lodge this weekend. Pray for fun and safety for them, and that they would grow deeper in their relationships with the Lord as they discuss forgiveness.
Other needs:
- A Multi-Media Specialist, who will devote two to three hours a week to the use of multi-media to tell the story of Mission Adelante, its programs, and its people in ways that increase ownership and passion and inspire others to get involved. Please contact Jarrett at jarrettm@missionadelante.org
- Male volunteer tutors for our Leaders In Training program on Mondays from 4:00-6:30 for the rest of the school year. Please contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org.
- Kids' and adults' hats, gloves, and scarves to make available through our resource center. Please call Molly at 913-281-6274 x5 to arrange dropping off your donation
Upcoming dates:
- Latino Christmas Party: Saturday, December 10 at 5:00, Bethany Community Center, 12th Street and Central Avenue in Kansas City, KS 66102.
- Bhutanese Christmas Party: Sunday, December 11 at 4:00, Bethany Community Center, 12th Street and Central Avenue in Kansas City, KS 66102.