Serving with Passion 💫
by Sydney Bass, Volunteer at Leaders in Training (LIT)
My name is Sydney Bass and I served with Mission Adelante for the first time over the summer in the Kids Adelante groups. Every week, twice a week, I got to interact with kids and share the love of Christ with them during pretty troubling times.
Rewinding a couple of months before I found Mission Adelante, I was studying abroad in Granada, Spain right before Covid-19 hit Europe. There, I had an internship in a Christian elementary school where I taught English. I loved this so much that when I learned I had to return home, I knew I still needed to stay involved with my passions.
I think the biggest thing that hit me during the summer program was during our first couple of weeks. The children were still settling into living in uncertainty and each week Megan would ask them how they were feeling. Each week, the kids became more and more open to trusting in God and relying on God to keep them calm. I think this was my favorite part to watch. They grew into praying and being vulnerable with each of us and with God. This also caused me to reflect on what Christ has done and continues to do for me when I am fearful and unsure of the future.
My favorite part of Mission Adelante is how the staff, volunteers, and children are all present to foster and grow a Christ-driven and protected community. During one of the weeks of June, we talked about the Bible story where Jesus calmed the storm. Megan read it in English to the class and then in Spanish and it just seemed to fit seamlessly into the lives of each child listening.
““Each week, the kids became more and more open to trusting in God and relying on God to keep them calm. I think this was my favorite part to watch.””
There may be personal unrest or distress in our lives but Christ can calm even the biggest storms. Now, I continue my passion with Mission Adelante and am so excited to get further into serving. We had our first day on Wednesday for Leaders in Training (LIT) and I got to see many of the same kiddos that I saw over the summer. It was so great to reconnect with them and check in on how the school year is starting off! I’m also really excited to help the kids this school year develop the skills to be empathetic, intelligent, and gracious leaders in today’s world through the LIT program!
Interested in serving at Mission Adelante? We would love to have you attend one of our observation nights to learn a bit more! - missionadelante.org/observe