Christmas...

I love Christmas time.  I love getting to take the time and recount the birth of our Savior.  I love hearing the story of how God humbled Himself as a man, and came and lived life as a human.  I get goosebumps thinking about what it would have been like to be a goat staring into the manger that night, witnessing the birth of the King of Kings, Emmanuel, God with us.  

I love getting to share the story of Christmas with our Kids' Club kids.  In our 2 years of loving them, this is the second time we have come to the birth of Christ in our lessons.  We have been able to arrange the lessons so Jesus comes right around Christmas time each year.  We use the Jesus Storybook Bible as our curriculum, and the kids hear all trimester about how God is going to send His Rescuer to bring His people back to Him.  The kids have figured out his name is Jesus. 

The last Tuesday of the winter trimester we watch a video of our story about the birth of Christ. The story tells of how God could have sent His rescuer in so many ways.  He could have made the mountains bow down, seas roar, and trees to clap their hands.  But, He didn't choose that way.  He choose to send Jesus as a baby, a totally human, fully God, baby.  

One our most inquisitive kids asked after watching the video why Jesus needed that lady, Mary.  My young friend seemed to have a hard time imagining a God so humble, who flung the planets into space, was coming to earth as a baby.   As we took a second to chat we related it to the babies we knew in our community, and how if it weren't for their moms they wouldn't be alive.  We had the chance to talk about how to be a man, Jesus had to start out as a baby.

While they are young now, the Kids' Club kids are listening and learning.  They are beginning to understand how lessons from the Bible stories apply to their lives.  My hope for my Kids' Club friends is they grow into young men and young women who love Jesus, and allow Him to guide them through life.

If you have a few seconds watch the video we watch.  It's one of my favorites

Why I Love What I Do....

Soo...if you can't read it, here is what this note says.

(Please forgive my spelling and punctuation, I am copying this from the original)

Thank You note

Dear: Kristian

Merry Christmas.  Thank you for teaching alot about God and I enjoy with you when we do our homework and  I really like when we go to watch movie I hope you enjoy your Christmas.  Have a nice Christmas.

Love, A

So many sweet notes from this little girl.  Her heart is so open, honest and listening to what the Lord is teaching her, and she is only in the 4th grade.  Jesus was on to something when he talked about having the faith of a child and I am so lucky to get to see it in such a real and personal way.   

5 years...

So I realized today that I graduated from college 5 years ago this weekend.  

Yep, 5 years ago.  It got me thinking about what a crazy journey the Lord has led me on over the past 5 years.  

Little known fact: After I graduated I worked as a puppeteer.  Yet, that's right.  A puppeteer.  As a job.  

No, not Sesame Street.  

I hung out with these guys:

These are the Kids on the Block.  They travel to schools and teach kids about differences.  They cover everything from wheel chairs, to Epilepsy to bullying. It didn't last for more than a few months because I got in to grad school to become a teacher. 

So I went to grad school and subbed for about a year.  Then, I graduated again. 

Then I had an amazing first year of teaching in Nashville. 

Wasn't my room cute?  

Then I traveled Europe with two of my best friends.

Then I moved back to Kansas.  

And then I had the worst second year of teaching imaginable.

But, the Lord redeemed that year by introducing me to my beautiful friends.  

I loved being with my friends so much that I quit my teaching job to spend more of my time with them.  I started to raise funds to be able to spend all of my time with them. Over the past year and a half we have had so much fun together, grown, loved and laughed.  

If you would have asked me 5 years ago where I would be now I would have probably said NOT in Kansas City.  Now, I can't imagine being anywhere else.  It is amazing the wonderful things the Lord brings in to your life when you follow his leading.  He might even take you where you said you would never go.  

So these last couple weeks have been crazy busy.  We just wrapped up our 6th trimester, and January marks the 2 year anniversary of the launch of the Bhutanese outreach.  It is crazy to think about the past two years and the work that the Lord has done, and the fun we have gotten to have along the way.  Our friends from Christ Church Anglican hosted our party last night.  They really went above and beyond and served our Nepali friends and our volunteer in a generous and loving way.  

Suzanne, from Christ Church and I went shopping at Sams for all of the food Padam needed to cook a Nepali dinner for over 300 people, we got some strange looks buying all that starch.  

I don't know how to wrap a sari, so a bunch of the women helped me out.....a bunch of them. 

  

Christ Church's youth group hosted the kids portion of our party.  We played games, painted nails and had a great time!

How you serve Daal to over 300 people. 

Thank you to everyone who came out, it was such a wonderful night!

...thanksgiving.....

With it being Thanksgiving and all I wanted to share a few of the things I am thankful for....

• My missional family.  Being a part of a wonderful community that encourages each other, laughs with (and at) each other,  cries together and loves others together.  It is beautiful.  The friends that have become family since I have moved to KCK are priceless, they support me in so many ways.  Being on mission and in community is unique and so incredibly wonderful. 
• My kids.   Wait a second I have kids?  Yes, about 40 of them depending on the day, and if you count some of my teenagers that number jumps to about 60.  Being in the lives of my Kids' Club kids is great.  It has its goods, bads and uglies.  Some of my favorite things have included:
• Washing headlice, I know...really?  Yes, there is something really personal about picking lice out of someone hair.  It gives me a chance to serve families in a tangible way.  I might also say I feel blessed in that I haven't gotten it yet, even though there have been some false alarms.  
• Getting phone calls from kids, they could need help with homework, a ride somewhere, have a question or just be tired (bored) and be looking for something to do or someone to hangout with.  I love that they feel that they can call me and count on me if they need something. 
• Laughing together.  According to one of my kids I laugh like a chipmunk and her friends, and little sister have taken to calling me chipmunk laugh as of recently.  Laughing together is beautiful and shows how much fun we get to have together.
• Deep conversations.  Kids ask the best questions, they challenge your faith and keep you on your toes.  No amount of study or classes could have ever prepared me to answer some of the zingers these kids can come up with.  The Spirit though, is really good at providing words.  \
• Watching them grow.  It is hard to believe that it has been 2 years since we started walking with some of these kids.  They are growing up so incredibly fast.  I pray continually that as they grow they continue to be lights in  their schools and families. 
• My family.  They are pretty cool.  I mean they let me without much question move to a fairly rough neighborhood, and have found many ways to support me. 
• The chance to grow.  I can not begin to put in to words the ways that the Lord has worked in my life over the past year.  He has shown me his faithfulness in so many ways.  He has demonstrated His abundant provision in providing supporters to fun the ministry to the kids, when my faith was small and slow.  He has shown me that letting others in on your struggles isn't a sign of weakness, but a chance to grow.  He has shown me a better way to live life, with me being open to His leading, and honest with myself about what He is calling me to.  

I hope that you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Interns

This past summer we were blessed with some great interns.  They had an amazing impact on our community. 

In college I had the chance to spend several summers interning at Northlake and being developed as a leader.  I am so thankful for that time, and am so excited about the chance to invest in interns myself.  If you know of any college students or young professionals that have a heart for cross cultural ministry encourage them to check out our summer internship.  The application deadline is February 15th!

Internship Interest Form

Just another week...

I don’t know if I have mentioned it lately but, I love what I do.  I am beyond blessed to be in a place where I get to love kids, exerience a different culture, and serve others in the name of the Lord. All in all it is a pretty sweet deal. One of my favorite things is that no two days look the same.  I wanted to take some time and show you what I might get to do during any given week. 

 Mondays….

That is my crazy and somewhat chaotic desk that I share with Lauren at Mission Adelante.  I usually spend some quality time with my desk on Monday afternoons responding to emails, entering attendance data, and making copies.  Depending on the evening I might go and visit a family by myself or with one of the Kids’ Club mentors.

Tuesdays….            

I get to spend all day on Tuesdays at Mission Adelante.  My days are filled with getting stuff ready for Kids’ Club.  I write lessons, make more copies, and get group boxes ready.  We also have staff meeting on Tuesdays where we get together as a whole staff and share what the Lord is doing. 

 Wednesdays…

Wednesday afternoons I spend time with a few of the 4^th grade girls from Kids’ Club.  We do homework, and hang out.  A few weeks ago we carved pumpkins.  I love these girls and am so blessed to get to spend time with them each week.

Thursdays…

Thursday afternoons I get stuff ready for our Bible Study that meets on Saturday mornings.  In the evening our Missional Family gathers for a meal and prayer.  The members of our Missional Family have commited to serving the Bhutanese in an extravagant way.  Many have purcahsed homes in our target neighborhood, or are looking towards making that transition.  I love getting to spend time with them and enjoy getting the chance to catch up with them about what is going on in the community. 






Fridays...

Most Fridays are Sabbath but this past week our friend Chris Hale who sings with a group called Aradhna came and taught us how to worship Jesus in Nepali cultural music.  To hear more about it check out David's article in the Adelante Express.

Saturdays...

On Saturday morning I put on my Children's Minister hat.  I don't have a big room, or fancy projector, or even a classroom. I'm one of very few people there who speaks English as their first language.  I meet with the kids in an upstairs bedroom of a duplex, while the adults study downstairs.   It is beautiful.  Please pray for these gatherings if you think about it.

Sundays...
Sundays look different depending on the week.  Some weeks I gather with a group of ladies from the Gathering Network to learn about leadership, other weeks I go visit partner churches to talk about the work going on at Mission Adelante, and occasionally I just need to take a break. 

David and Holly shared a few weeks ago how the Lord has grown them and used them in their work with the Bhutanese. 

newsletter

Hey friends, I am getting ready to send out my end of the year newsletter.  It will feature some great stories not seen on my blog, and some wonderful pictures.  Let me know if you want one to come to your mailbox! 

partnership

Kids' Club couldn't happen without our partners.  We have 4 main types of partners that make such a huge difference in the lives of these kids: 

Mentors: Mentors give of their time every Tuesday night to come serve the kids of Kids' Club.  They lead the kids, play with them and love on them.  Their words and character show the love of Christ to the little ones they have befriended.  Many mentors are involved outside of Tuesday nights, you can often find them in the neighborhood play soccer, drinking chai or helping with homework.  We are so thankful for our mentors, Kids' Club wouldn't be the same without them!  If you are interested in serving as a mentor please check out http://www.missionadelante.org/volunteer.

Prayer Partners:  We have prayer partners scattered literally all over the world.  These people are in ongoing prayer for the ministry going on and the lives of our little friends.  We are so thankful for our prayer partners and the support that they provide us.  Can you remember us in your prayers?

Church Partners:  We have several church partners in the Kansas City area.  They have invested in Mission Adelante in a significant way.  Some churches have sent staff members, some support the ministry financially, many send volunteers to help on a regular basis.  They are on board with the mission and vision of Mission Adelante and encourage their body to join in it.  Recently Christ Community Church and Heartland Community Church hosted coat drives and our students benefited from them.  Check out some pictures below of our kids decked out in their new coats!  We send a big thank you to Christ Community and Heartland!

Financial Partners: Staff members at Mission Adelante are funded through individuals and churches who support them in the same manner that they support overseas missionaries.  Mission Adelante as a whole also has individuals and churches who support the General Fund which pays for the different program related expenses for both the Bhutanese and Latino ministres and operations exepenses including operations staff.  The general fund also pays the salary of the Executive director of Mission Adelante.  When you set out to raise funds, especially to support you full time it can be a daunting task.  I am so thankful for the people the Lord has sent to support this ministry so far, and the people he is going to send over the next weeks and months.  The end of the year is a big time for us in terms of raising support for the ministry.  Will you join me in praying for the Lord's abundant provision in this?

A few pictures of last week's Kid's Club 

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