Future Leaders

The Leaders In Training Boys

At Leaders in Training (LIT) every child has different skills to develop, abilities to grow and dreams to awaken.  Each day is filled with a combination of creative enrichment, academic learning and the development of social skills, preparing them for a future of hope and towards dreams bigger than what they thought they could become.

"The community is very excited about this new program and the potential that it brings the young people. We hope to see more kids learning the right things through the LIT program."  says Ran Poudel (LIT father and community leader).

Kumar Pokrel (LIT father and community leader) says, "I'm very excited about this program and my child is learning a lot.   He is becoming more cooperative and responsible and he is growing in character and learning to respect others more and more."

We believe that LIT is an incredibly significant investment and that the lives of these kids have so much capacity for positive influence with their peers.  We are so excited to see these kids grow, excel and realize their full potential to impact their community, neighborhood and someday the world!

I cannot wait to watch this happen!

Future Leaders!    "I am waiting for that day" - mother of LIT student

Bhutanese and Latino LIT students at Union Station

In other news:

• The Bhutanese and Latino LIT (Leaders in Training) programs took their first joint field trip yesterday to Science City and Zonkers! Having earned the field trip as a reward for their hard work and demonstration of leadership, the students really enjoyed themselves!
• Bhutanese Teens Club is going very well after changing its format at the beginning of this trimester. Our time together now includes a contextualized worship time in Nepali, thanks to our new music volunteer Janga Chhetri, that the students love!
• We celebrated our ministry to Cuba as a congregation this past Sunday at our Latino church service.  Yanelis, the leader of the Raices discipling ministry in Cuba, is in Kansas City for a few weeks. She shared testimony of how God is at work there. It gave us a wonderful opportunity to praise him together, and for our community to see their prayers at work.
• Teens Adelante has formed a Teen Leadership Team of 5 Latino teenagers committed to growing in their leadership and their love for their peers. We’re excited to see the teens begin to shape the direction of youth ministry in KCK.

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for the new Teens Adelante Leadership Team and their spiritual growth and vision for their peers.
• Please pray for a pre-adolescent boy in our community who is falling into destructive behaviors and patterns.  Ask the Lord to supply wisdom and patience to his family.
• Pray daily for meetings, meals, and celebrations taking place among our Latino community that represent discipleship.  Ask God to give teachable moment this very day to us and our disciples.  

Current needs:

• We know you have them!!  Used I-Pods and Cell phones by October 18 for the RAICES ministry in Cuba!  Please contact Jarrett Meek at jarrettm@missionadelante.org
• The weather has changed! We are in need of cold-weather clothing for the whole family to stock our resource center. The resource center is also low on household items such as pots and pans, dishes and cups, small and large appliances, etcetera. Please contact Molly Merrick at mollym@missionadelante.org to set up a time to drop-off your donation. Please help us out by not leaving donations inside or outside our facility. Thanks!

Important dates:

• Tuesdays, October 16 & 23/Thursdays, October 18 & 25:Ever wondered what goes on here on a typical evening of programming?  Come on up on a observation night and find out!  Tuesday evenings are Bhutanese outreach, Thursday evenings are Latino outreach.  Come to 22 S. 18th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102 between 6:30 and 8:30.

• Saturday, November 17, 3-6:30 p.m.: Mission Adelante Staff House Parties
• Jarrett & Kristen Meek, Molly Merrick: 251 N. 15th Street
• Jason & Megan Schoff, Megan McDermott: 410 N. 15th Street
• David & Brooke Coon: 245 N. 17th Street
• David & Holly Stetler, Drew Hammond: 438 N. 17th Street
• Drew & Lauren Timberlake, Kristen Maxwell: 706 N. 17th Street
• Garett & Jenny Dunn, Hannah Hume: 335 N. 15th Street
All homes are in Kansas City, KS 66102.  RSVP is not necessary.

Oversized Postcards by Vistaprint

Partnership for the Benefit of our Kids

Written by Megan McDermott, Latino Children's Ministry Director

Do you remember being asked as a child what you wanted to be when you grew up?  I remember that for me, that question had any number of answers, depending on the day.  Many of us had been told, "You can be anything you want to be!"

We can't assume the same for the kids we serve here in urban Kansas City, Kansas.  They may not approach the question of what they want to be and do with the same invincible sense of possibility that we did.  Many are exposed at a very young age to gangs, peer pressure, abuse, temptation to compromise their purity, and simply trying to fit in among the variety of cultures represented here.  Having become acquainted with many harsh realities of life at such a young age can rob them of their innocent enthusiasm to dream big, or to dream at all.

As we purpose to pour into the young leaders in our community by coming alongside them as they grow in their academic and character strengths, we recognize the absolute importance of the role the local public schools play. We have been working very hard these past four years to establish strong connections with the faculty at our neighborhood schools. We currently have active partnerships with ten different schools.  Kristen Maxwell (Bhutanese Children's Ministry Director) and I 

have been warmly accepted into many of these schools to share about Mission Adelante, the cultural concerns our kids face, and how we can better come alongside the teachers and administrators that fight so hard for the kids we love.

 Two weeks ago,

 Kristen and I

were given a few minutes to share with the Central Middle School faculty the beautiful things that the Lord is doing in some of their students' lives through LIT. 

As we look toward the future, I am excited to see our relationships with public school administrators and faculty grow stronger and deeper. We truly believe that the kids that we serve are the future leaders of our community.  Investing deeply in them now will produce the fruit of future Christian leaders that not only love the Lord but desire to see others come to love Him as well.

In other news:

• We had a great turnout and a great time at our Volunteer Orientation on Saturday morning.  We're so grateful for the Lord's provision of volunteers trimester after trimester.
• The leaders of the Kansas City Bhutanese community gathered together over the weekend to dream about what it would look like to work together on future projects.
• The Latino LIT (Leaders in Training) program launched this school year's program last week, and today is the very first day of Bhutanese LIT! Both groups are excited to begin growing together as a family, as they will by spending three afternoons a week together!
• A BIG thank you to Jarion Srack and her small group from Mill Creek Community Church for providing three months of snacks for Leaders in Training kids!
• If you'll be worshiping at Redeemer Fellowship this Sunday morning, stop by Mission Adelante's table at the LoveKC Fair and say hi!  LoveKC is a website launched by Redeemer Fellowship earlier this year to connect people and organizations to improve our city.

Prayer needs:

• We are engaging with ESL students to help them take on more leadership roles this trimester. Please pray for clear communication and good participation from our immigrant friends!
• Bhutanese Kids Club is taking on a whole new format and a new curriculum!  Please pray for a smooth transition for our mentors and kids.
• Pray for the Lord's guidance as all of our outreach programs get up and running this week for our Fall Trimester. Pray that He receives the glory in everything that we do!

Current needs:

• A folding card table and 4 folding chairs for use by the Bhutanese Leaders in Training.  Contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.orgif you can provide one.
• Inexpensive floor lamps and extension cords to for Bhutanese Teens Club.  Contact Hannah Hume at hannahh@missionadelante.org for additional information.
• Three volunteers to serve at Kids Adelante each Thursday evening through December 6.  Please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org for more information.
• Volunteers for Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons/early evening to mentor our Latino Leaders in Training kids.  Please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org for more information.
• Thirty custom-printed t-shirts for our Leaders in Training to wear on field trips.  With an increased focus on enrichment this year we will be spending many afternoons out in the community!  Matching t-shirts will encourage a sense of unity, and will help us easily identify our kids in public places. Please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org if you or someone you know would like to provide these shirts!

Important dates:

• Fall trimester launch: Latino Programs--Tonight! September 13, 6:30 p.m.