creativity

Egg-cellent Innovation

Written by Kristen Maxwell, Bhutanese Kids Outreach Director

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines

innovation

as "a new idea, device or method."  At Mission Adelante

innovation

 is even one of our core values:

Innovation: 

We believe that urban, multicultural ministry requires fresh ideas and new approaches.  We will promote a culture of innovation that encourages 

creative

 solutions for unique circumstances.

It is only natural that we would encourage the kids we work with to innovate!  This past month the students who are a part of the Bhutanese Leaders in Training program have been studying physics.  We have been learning about how aerodynamics, wind-resistance and weight affect moving objects.  We wrapped up our study by building “egg-ships” designed to help a raw egg survive a drop from a truck boom raised to 30 feet! 

The students were very innovative in their designs, we had everything from parachutes, to cotton ball cushioning, to helium balloons!  Of the 16 eggs dropped, all but 4 survived! 

We pray that teaching kids to think critically and to devise creative solutions in academics will spill over in to the rest of their lives

,

 and they will become better equipped to think creatively about the challenges that come their way as they grow! 

Special thanks to Adam Maxwell and his Time Warner Cable bucket truck for coming out to drop the “egg-ships”

.

In other news:

  • One of the Bhutanese English classes took a field trip to CVS last week. It was a great learning experience and a fun way for conversation partners to connect outside the classroom.
  • Jason Schoff and a group of evangelical pastors from Kansas traveled to Washington, DC last week to join business, agricultural and technology leaders in advocating for immigration reform and they met with six different Congressional leaders.  You can read more here.

Prayer needs:

  • Pray for Alberto, a member of our Latino church, who may need to have knee replacement surgery and is concerned about the implications.
  • As we dream about the upcoming year, we're setting goals and reviewing budgets. Please join us in praying that God would meet our financial needs and make way for breakthrough in KCK and the lives of our friends.

Current needs:

  • Our LIT students earn "Mission Adelante Money" for exemplary behavior and doing extra academic work, which they can spend at a Reward Store once each trimester. We're in need of items to stock that store! Ideas include sports equipment, craft supplies, room decorations, or any small item that would appeal to 8-14 year old students. If you would like to contribute, please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
  • With the recent weather change, we are starting to collect men's,women's and children's winter coats. If you have coats to contribute, please contact Molly Merrick at mollym@missionadelante.org.

Important dates:

  • Observation Days: Tuesday, November 12 (Bhutanese)/Thursdays, November 7 & 14 (Latino) 6:30-8:30  Have you wondered what all goes on around here on a typical evening of programming?  Here's your opportunity to come and see for yourself!
  • Kansas Bhutanese Concert: Saturday, November 16th from 4pm-10pm at Wyandotte High School (2501 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, KS 66102)Everyone is invited to come and celebrate Nepali Culture at this exciting event sponsored by Mission Adelante and coordinated by our dear friend Ram Rai. It will feature comedians, cultural dances, and ethnic food. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the RG Asian Store (101 S 18th St, Kansas City, KS66102). Don’t miss this chance to learn about and celebrate the rich culture of the Bhutanese Refugee community!
  • Fall Break: No Programs Tuesday, November 26-Saturday, November 30.

One God, Many Cultures

Written by Hannah Hume, Bhutanese Outreach Intern

I was visiting one of my Bhutanese friends last week when she asked me to teach her how to pray to Jesus. So we talked a little bit about what prayer is, and then I encouraged her to try it for herself. She was nervous to try praying in English, so I urged her to pray in Nepali. Shocked, she looked at me and asked “Jesus knows Nepali?”  

It’s fun to imagine heaven and the multitude of cultures from all around the Earth that will partake in extravagantly worshiping our Lord.  Revelation 5:9 declares of Jesus, “

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.”  Will we be seated in pews, or on rugs on the floor?  Will we understand the speech in each language we hear?  Will there be electric guitars and drums, or violins, or an organ? Maybe all of the above!

To see the way that other cultures worship can sometimes seem odd or even make us uncomfortable. A few weeks ago, most of the Mission Adelante staff and a number of volunteers attended the Christian Community Development Association Annual Conference. While there, we were blessed to worship Jesus with some Native American brothers and sisters who have a worship style that's very different than we've ever experienced. They wore brightly colored traditional clothing, danced, beat drums and chanted. After the dancing was done, one of the dancers explained that with every step of the dance prayers were being offered to God for the Native American people to come to know Jesus. This seemed odd to me. However, 

this is the most natural way

for the Native American people to pray to and connect with God.

Mission Adelante loves to see people worship the one true God within their own culture, in a way that makes sense to them. We constantly consider how to share the Gospel and and how to show what it means to follow Jesus within the context of their lives and norms--becoming a Christian doesn't require one to become an American first. We're learning as we go--it's for this reason that we continue to made changes to our programs. For example, the Bhutanese Teens used to sing English worship songs while seated in chairs arranged in rows. However, now when we congregate each Tuesday evening, we gather around in a circle, seated on Nepali rugs, and sing “Yeshu Bhajans” or "Jesus songs" in the Nepali language. It's an atmosphere that's just more naturally conducive for Bhutanese people to worship.

Won’t it be a beautiful sight to behold when every tribe, nation and tongue worships Jesus together in heaven? Imagine all the colors, the motion, and the noise! It's going to be beyond our imaginations, and its going to represent the vast creativity and beauty of God. Until then, we want to paint a picture of that heavenly kingdom on Earth each time we tell Bhutanese, Latino, and American girls and boys that “God created you just the way you are, and he wants you to worship Him just the way you are”.

In other news:

  • Two Bhutanese ESL classes are taking field trips to local pharmacies. These field trips strengthen the relationships between students and their American conversation partners, and can really help students take better care of their families health needs.

Prayer needs:

  • Many of our new volunteers are visiting the homes of the students that they work with for the first time. Pray for God’s presence, wisdom, and love to be poured out during these friendly visits.

Current needs:

  • 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!
  • The kids in our Kids Club are growing up and we need some board games to entertain older kids on Tuesday nights.  Contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org for more information, or if you have some games to donate.

Important dates:

  • Tuesday, October 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.