Summer 2022
by Carla Flores, Kids Ministry Director
Summer 2022 has been a busy, fun-filled trimester at Mission Adelante! After having been in my new role for an entire year, I can confidently say that summer has been the best trimester so far. There were some truly special moments that I will remember for a lifetime. I’d love to share some of those moments with you:
Arts Camp 2022
This year's Arts Camp was bigger and crazier than ever! We had over 85 kids with us each day for an entire week of creative expression, learning, and tons of laughter. The theme for this year’s camp was Inspire! Ashley Delgado and I spoke about how inspiration can come out of anywhere and shared how much the kids have inspired us. It was amazing to see the students learning about the arts throughout the week and making new friends as they worked together to plan for their presentations.
By the end of the week, everybody was ready to present but not so ready for Arts Camp to end. Arts Camp finished off with marvelous presentations from each class showcasing what they had created or learned throughout the week. Arts Camp couldn’t have been a success without the help of many dedicated volunteers like Iris Hardin and her family, Mike and MaryAnn Bettis, Jacob and Michelle Holland, Nayeli Robles, Steve Graf, and our an awesome group of youth from our community, including our summer interns! A special thank you to Hillcrest Covenant Church and Christ Community for their wonderful generosity and commitment to making this year’s Arts Camp an unforgettable experience for all!
Backpack Week
Each August, we host our backpack week. During this week, each student that comes through our doors receives a backpack filled with supplies to ensure they start the school year off on the right foot. Planning for my first ever Backpack Week was both exciting and tough. God put people in my path that were excited about what we are doing at Mission Adelante and had a desire to help students in our community.
At the beginning of the summer, I knew I had just a few short months to get over 150 backpacks ready for our kids - it was overwhelming and stressful. But God (I love this phrase!), showed me to trust in Him and believe that He would bring the right people to join us in making this happen for our students. And He did just that! Thank you to Denise Quatman and her bible study group, Erica Cordaro and family, Janet and the City Center Church Team, Julie Strohmeier, Steve Fisher, and the Heartland Community Church team. Your kindness and generosity have been a blessing to me and especially to our students!
Ashley Delgado’s Graduation
Ashley Delgado, our apprentice for the past two years, graduated during our summer party! Ashley has been such a blessing to me as I transitioned into my new role. She was patient and we had so much fun learning from one another. At the Summer Party, we had the chance to celebrate Ashley and all she has done at Mission Adelante during her two-year apprenticeship. I had written a quick paragraph to share at the party but in the midst of the chaos, I forgot. I will share it with you now.
Ashley, en el ultimo ano de trabajar juntas he aprendido tanto de ti y espero tu tambien hayas aprendido algo de mi. Trabajando contigo fue más que eso, fue ser amigas, hablar de todo, y pasar risas y tristezas juntas. Se que donde queria que vayas Dios cuidara tu vida y tendra algo super lindo planeado para tu futuro. Te quiero, Ash!
Ashley, in the last year of working together I have learned so much from you and I hope you have also learned something from me. Working with you was more than just work, it was being friends, talking about everything, sharing laughter, and even having sad moments together. I know that wherever you go God will take care of you and He will have something super awesome planned for your future. Love you, Ash!
This summer was a blast! I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the rest of the year. If you want to join in on the fun, we are in need of awesome, dedicated volunteers for Leaders in Training, Kids Adelante, and Adelante Arts Community! If you’re interested please contact me at carlaf@missionadelante.org
Thank you and God bless!