Learning as a Ministry Apprentice

Laxmi and Megan

by Laxmi Gurung, Ministry Apprentice

Seven months ago, I got an opportunity to come on staff at Mission Adelante. I was very excited because I love what they do here, and I was also nervous because I thought I couldn’t do enough and I had just finished high school. But after I joined, I felt very welcomed and everyone helped me a lot, so things were easier than I expected. I got to learn from Megan; she helped teach me in every way she could and I'm very thankful for that. And in the middle of everything, I could feel that God was helping me through all of the people in my life.

Now I'm in charge of Refugee Kids Club. We launched our third trimester on January 16th, and our past two trimesters have been awesome with help from great volunteers and the Mission Adelante team. We welcome kids from all around the world and our goal is to help kids to learn about Jesus and make them feel safe, where they can play and make new friends.

Through this journey I have been learning many things such as:

• How to work in teams and to be flexible with each other.

• The importance of kids for our community.

• That we should put God first in everything we do.

I love my job and I'm very thankful to the Lord for who I am today and for giving me this opportunity. I would like to ask everyone to pray with me for my journey in this mission and for our Refugee Kids Club to grow.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1

Gissell, Laxmi, and Yanelis on Christmas Eve

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Do you have a gently-used keyboard that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We need one more keyboard for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate one.

A Touch of Art in the New Year!

Written by Gissell Vazquez, Arts Coordinator

If there is something that brings joy and pleasure to our bodies and souls, it is being able to create beauty through the arts. And when you use the arts to express the love of our God for humanity, I believe there is a positive change in the human heart. You might feel hurt, but the melody of a song can bring you healing. You might be alone, but dance can connect you with your Creator. You might be living in the dark, but the beauty of a painting can open your eyes to see the colors of life.   

Adelante Arts Community is entering its launch stage, and we have everything ready to receive the kids and teens from our community that want to join us in this creative and fun experience. We have a great crew of volunteers that is prepared and excited to start. We have three distinct classes prepared for this trimester. In the music class, we offer keyboard and guitar lessons. The students will learn the most-used chords that will allow them to play a ton of songs as well as have fun playing the twelve-bar blues. The dance class will learn a mixture of different styles and will explore and improve choreographies. And the arts and crafts class will learn painting, drawing, collage and mixed media techniques with the goal of creating an art gallery.        

I would like to give special thanks to the volunteers involved. Having a committed crew to work with since the beginning is such a blessing and honor. I also want to extend an invitation for others to come! If you are passionate about the arts and want to share with a multicultural community, please come and serve alongside us! There are always opportunities for guest artists to participate!  

There is no better way to start the year than getting to explore the artist within you! It might be very cold outside these days, but please don’t let this stop you for being with us! Come and enjoy the warmth of human relationships, the arts you love, and God’s love for everyone!

This Monday, January 22nd at 6:00PM, the doors of Mission Adelante will be open for our community! We invite you to come!

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Do you have a gently-used acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We need one more acoustic guitar for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate a guitar.

Being Grateful in Everything

New Year's Eve

Written by Yanelis Lopez, Ministry Director

I always like to write and share about what I experience in the Latino Church at Mission Adelante. I am deeply proud of this beautiful community that I see growing and strengthening over time. This New Year’s Eve we had a very fun time as a family celebrating the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018. We had a lot of dancing, karaoke, jokes, games, laughter, and delicious food.

The Latino church has been blessed in many ways this past year. We have seen lives healed, relationships restored, and people growing in their love for the Lord as never before. However, at the same time it has been a year of challenges and pain for some of us with many insecurities regarding the future, hard circumstances, broken families, and broken dreams. In the middle of the good and the chaos, it has been astounding to see the desire for celebration, even in the hearts of those who have gone through the hardest moments. Every person in our Latino community is full of gratitude and joy. Walking together truly fills me with hope and reminds me that in each cycle, the most important thing is to enjoy the work of our God in all the good that happens to us, but even more in what seems out of control.

My prayer is that in 2018 my eyes will be open to miracles in the midst of laughter and in the midst of pain. May each person in our community and each volunteer finish 2018 with the same words of the brothers and sisters of our Latino church this year-end: "I want to thank God for all the good and bad that happened in 2017.”

"... give thanks to God in every situation, for this is his will for you in Christ Jesus"
1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

 

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? We are launching Adelante Arts Community this month and we're looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.
• Do you have a gently-used acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We need one more acoustic guitar for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate a guitar.

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New Volunteer Orienation: Saturday, January 13th!

At Mission Adelante, serving is growing!  When we engage in ministry with other cultures, it's not only about what we have to offer, but is also about what those we're serving with have to impart to us.  As we envision a great volunteer culture, our hope is to contribute intentionally and significantly to our volunteers' journey of discipleship.  We emphasize that there is mutuality in relationships, that serving is a two-way street, and that where there is genuine friendship, relationships are life-giving.  It's not about "us serving them", it's about creating a "new we" where all of us learn and grow together.

We invite you to join us on Saturday, January 13th, from 9:00am to 1:00pm for our New Volunteer Orientation.  You will learn about the story and vision of Mission Adelante, the Adelante Volunteer Journey, and specific volunteer opportunities that begin later this month.  Please use the online form below to let us know you are planning to come!

https://missionadelante.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/83/responses/new

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? We are launching Adelante Arts Community this month and we're looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.
• Do you have a gently-used acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We need one more acoustic guitar for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate a guitar.

The Best Gift of All

Written by Paul Kienzle, Director of Latino ESL

At Mission Adelante, we believe that God’s call to love our neighbor is at the heart of all His commands and finds a special expression in the way we extend hospitality, compassion and friendship to people from other places. That is why our end-of-trimester celebration is an important time, especially during this Christmas season, and one of the ways we express the love of God to our ESL students.   

The beautiful thing about our end-of-trimester celebration is that it is not a one man show. It is a team effort. Volunteers and staff work together interdependently in relationship, each using the gifts and talents God has given them so that He might be glorified and that our students would be blessed. I believe this is what I witnessed on that special evening at our ESL Latino Christmas celebration. The theme, “Jesus, the best gift of all,” was woven into the program through its decorations, class presentations, message, and music. Over eighty people attended: students and their families, volunteers and staff!  Chatter and music reverberated throughout the chapel! There was genuine laughter around a plate of food, students and volunteers enjoying each other's presence in ways they never could in class. Life-giving friendship was happening before my very eyes! It was beautiful. And, everybody knows that a party is not a party without food! Well, when students and volunteers started to come, the food started to flow and before long, another table had to be added to hold it all! It showed me that when relationships are interdependent, serving is reciprocal. It was definitely a life-giving team effort all around, from setup to cleanup!

Our Latino ESL Christmas celebration certainly was a joyous occasion, but everything about that festive evening will fade except for one thing, the Gift. It is a Gift that is eternal and life-giving. It will not break nor lose its value. It is priceless and yet it is free. It is a Gift that is ours to receive, at any moment, not just at Christmas. That Gift is Jesus, the best Gift of all!  

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Mission Adelante Staff!

 

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? We are launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and we're looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.
• Do you have a gently-used acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We are in need of two acoustic guitars for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate a guitar.

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More Than Just a Club

Written by Megan McDermott, Director of Latino Kids Ministries

Throughout our lives, one of the greatest blessings we can give and receive is to be in relationship with each other. People are often only in our lives for a season. Some seasons are shorter than we would like and others last decades. However, when those relationships point us back to the Lord, they bless us for our entire lives.

One of the young men in our Leaders in Training program reflected on what he has learned, the relationships he has forged, and his experiences in LIT over the past four years. As he attended our year end trip to Great Wolf Lodge for the last time before he graduates LIT in April, he shared his heart about what he will miss most.

“LIT isn’t just a group or a club. We spend half of our week together learning about God and  about each other in the process. I have learned that when you join LIT, you join a family. I will really miss all the relationships that I formed in LIT. I would have never met many of the people that I did in LIT and I am thankful for that. They are really great people. Everyone grows to understand each other so much that you grow a bond of strong friendship. You learn more about each other than you thought you ever could. I opened myself up to them and they were there with laughter and love.

My favorite part of our trip to Great Wolf Lodge this year was the bonding that occurred. Many of the younger kids had to stay with an adult while the middle schoolers were given the freedom to be on their own. Even though the older kids didn’t have to, they chose to spend time with the younger kids so that no one was left out.

I learned a lot about the Bible during my time in LIT. I used to think that the Bible didn’t relate to my life at all. I thought it was just a bunch of scriptures but as I started to read it, I found that it always seemed to relate to something going on in my life. As you read the Bible more, it starts to actually impact you! I also learned something important about God during my time here: No matter what happens in your life, God will never abandon you. He is our protector in life and death.”

We are so thankful for the way the Lord reaches into the hearts of the kids and transforms their hearts. God is moving in the children and youth of Kansas CIty, Kansas. We feel so privileged to love, serve, and share life with our incredible community! If you are interested in serving the kiddos of KCK, please email Meganm@missionadelante.org

Fun at Great Wolf Lodge!

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? We are launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and we're looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.
• Do you have a gently-used acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We are in need of two acoustic guitars for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate a guitar.

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An Update on Refugee Kids Club

End of Trimester Party

Written by Laxmi Gurung, Ministry Apprentice

We launched Refugee Kids Club in the summer of 2017. The purpose of this program is to help kids learn about Jesus and to provide them a safe place to play. Refugee Kids Club has been a great place for kids to make friends and have fun. We welcome any kids that want to come and get involved with us. Right now we have kids from four different countries: Burma, Nepal, Mexico, and the United States. It is wonderful to see kids coming together from different backgrounds and having fun with each other.

We also have amazing volunteers that are believers. They are committed to coming every week, so they are always there to help the kids. We have gotten to know each other better and that is what keeps this program going. So far the journey of Refugee Kids Club has been great and seeing God at work in this program is a blessing.

We ended our second trimester on December 5th. We had a party and celebrated together with English Club as most of the kids’ parents are learning English in that program. It was great to see the kids present their verses and sing the song that they have been learning in Refugee Kids Club in front of their parents.

I believe that a program like Refugee Kids Club in our community is very helpful because our community is incredibly diverse, and I believe that starting something small through kids can help bring us together by starting friendships. I also believe that investing in children is important because they are the future of our community.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.  Proverbs 22:6

 

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Adelante Thrift is in need of new of toys for parents to purchase as Christmas gifts for their children at a lower cost. Donations are accepted at Adelante Thrift: Monday - Saturday 10 am - 6 pm. 3720 State Ave Kansas City, Kansas 66102
• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? We are launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and we're looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.
• Do you have a gently-used acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We are in need of three acoustic guitars for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate a guitar.

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The Value of Friendship

Written by Gissell Vazquez, Discipleship and Worship Coordinator

The end of the year always brings the opportunity to reflect on the good things that God has given us over the past year. Especially during the season of Thanksgiving, many things come to my mind. One that I want to highlight is friendship, and I really want to stop to celebrate this because, what is life without friends, and how can we do ministry if we don’t have someone to rely on?

Because of a friendship, I decided to move to Kansas City. This year I’ve met new people who I can call friends. I also work in a place where we believe that effective ministry is relational at its core and friendship is a life-giving experience.

During this year at Mission Adelante, I have had the privilege of interacting with the different programs, and I can say that I’ve seen how relationships grow here no matter where you come from. We have many examples of how that happens. By being a volunteer myself in ESL, every Thursday night I enjoy the interactions between American and Latin American people and the extension of relationships beyond the program. I enjoy visiting people at their houses and coming together to worship at church. I enjoy using music to build friendships at kids programs. And I’m also grateful for being part of a multicultural staff where I’ve found that diversity is a plus that adds beauty to relationships.

Mission Adelante stays strong and achieves its goals because it is founded on solid ground, and one of its foundations is the value of interdependent relationships expressed in a community of friends who face everyday challenges as one team.

 

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Adelante Thrift is in need of new of toys for parents to purchase as Christmas gifts for their children at a lower cost. Donations are accepted at Adelante Thrift Monday - Saturday 10 am - 6 pm. 3720 State Ave Kansas City, Kansas 66102
• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? Mission Adelante is launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and is looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.
• Do you have a gently-used keyboard or acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We are in need of a keyboard and three acoustic guitars for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate an instrument.

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Invest in Immigrant Leaders Making Disciples!

We are praying the Lord would provide $60,000 this year-end to support our "Community Leaders". www.missionadelante.org/give

by Jarrett Meek, Founder/Pastor/Executive Director

When we set out to start Mission Adelante, I didn't fully appreciate the potential for immigrants and refugees to play a critical role in transforming a community and a ministry.  Now, I'm continually amazed and inspired to by leaders from all places and the impact they are having in our neighborhood.  From entrepreneurs to ministry leaders, our community is full of courageous people who are cutting new pathways through the thick brush of cultural and language barriers to realize their dreams and be a part of transforming individual lives and the entire community.

Yanelis López, Gissell Vázquez, and Laxmi Gurung are three of these leaders.  As new arrivals to the U.S. each of them has had to overcome challenges and forge a trail through what sometimes seems like an overgrown jungle.  Their perseverance, faith, and vision inspire me and all those who are close to them.  Mission Adelante is blessed to have them as part of our staff!

As we approach the end of 2017, I'm looking back at the impact our immigrant staff members have made over the last year and anticipating what the Lord will do through them in 2018.  Laxmi, as an apprentice, is learning ministry with us and has launched our new Refugee Kids Club, which is already including kids from Nepal, Burma, and Latin America.  Gissell has integrated worship into nearly every corner of Mission Adelante, from our staff meetings to our Kids ministry and beyond.  She has transformed our Latino worship team and is preparing a new program called Adelante Arts Community that will develop and disciple young through music and the arts.  And Yanelis has made tremendous contributions on the senior leadership level, walking our team through transitions, creating healthy dynamics on our staff ministry team, and accepting an increasing level of leadership responsibility in our organization.  The impact of these leaders is only just beginning as they continue to adjust to life in the U.S.  As people, they are cherished, and as leaders they have the ability to take our ministry to new places.

This year-end, we are praying the Lord would provide $60,000 to help support the 2018 salary and benefits of Yanelis, Laxmi, and Gissell, through what we call our Community Leader Fund.  As you pray about your own giving this year-end, I invite you to consider making a special contribution to our Community Leader Fund.  If you already give monthly, maybe the Lord will lead you to make an additional year-end gift.  If you give annually or occasionally, we encourage you to jump in again with us.  Or maybe your are looking for new ways to make an impact with your resources.  Investing in Yanelis, Laxmi and Gissell is at the heart of our mission as they are all involved on the front lines of disciple-making with people from all places.  I have every confidence that supporting their work through Mission Adelante will produce Kingdom fruit in ways that will glorify Jesus! 

Giving online is easy at www.missionadelante.org/give.

You can give online at: www.missionadelante.org/give

Do You Believe In Miracles?

Written by Bethany Hiskey, LIT volunteer

It has been a joy to volunteer the past few years in Leaders in Training, and it has been a privilege this year to join the teaching team for our character time each week. This year, we have been talking about the miracles of Jesus.

In our time so far, we have seen His power over the sea, storms, hunger, and disease. Sometimes, in our day to day life, it is easy to lose hope and wonder. Studying the miracles with the kids has helped give fresh perspective on familiar stories and a deeper understanding of what persistence really means.

It has been so special to marvel with the kids, not only over the extraordinary events, but the Person behind them. To learn how He is not limited by how our world works. Instead, He has power over our circumstances and power to free us from sin.

Each of the kids was able to share things they are hoping for -from small things to big. How wonderful to be able to talk with them how, even when we doubt and are afraid, He is always with us. Even when we feel different or unworthy, as the lepers or the Canaanite woman did, He loves us and will reach out for us. We CAN have hope, because with our God, all things are possible.

                                                               Fun at LIT this year!

OTHER NEWS:

• You’re invited to the Mission Adelante Thanksgiving Open House THIS SATURDAY, November 11th from 2:30-6:30pm. Stop by and enjoy a relaxed afternoon at the Meeks’ home meeting members of the Mission Adelante staff and community, celebrating culture, and giving thanks for God’s faithfulness.  

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? Mission Adelante is launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and is looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.
• Do you have a gently-used keyboard or acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We are in need of a keyboard and three acoustic guitars for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate an instrument.
• Help us finish 2017 strong! Volunteer with your family, small group, or business at Adelante Thrift. For more information or to sign up, go to www.adelantethrift.com/volunteer/ .

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Looking Forward to 2018

Ministry Staff Retreat 2017

Written by Yanelis Lopez, Ministry Director

Each year-end at Mission Adelante we have a time to process the current year and dream and plan for the coming year. Last weekend our Ministry Community Staff had time to evaluate and celebrate 2017 and work hard towards 2018.

I enjoy many things in my work, and being surrounded by friends who dream and work hard everyday to better serve the community is one of them. The three representative cultures of our staff greatly enrich the team: U.S., Nepal, and Cuba. We have been able to experience the challenges of diversity but, at the same time, the power of God to use our differences to teach us more about Himself and push us to grow in love from the deepest places of our hearts.

Next year we will be starting our Art and Music program, and we will continue improving our Kids, Teens, and ESL programs for all the cultures that live in KCK. And we long to see new groups of disciples from different cultures born. I invite you to please join in prayer with us and be a part of what God is doing through Mission Adelante. The miracles we see and enjoy are not possible without your support in prayer and in many other ways.

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Help us finish 2017 strong! Volunteer with your family, small group, or business at Adelante Thrift. For more information or to sign up, go to www.adelantethrift.com/volunteer/ .
• Do you have a gently-used keyboard or acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We are in need of two keyboards and three acoustic guitars for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate an instrument.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? Mission Adelante is launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and is looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.
• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.

OTHER NEWS:

• You’re invited to the Mission Adelante Thanksgiving Open House November 11th from 2:30-6:30pm. Stop by and enjoy a relaxed afternoon at the Meeks’ home meeting members of the Mission Adelante staff and community, celebrating culture, and giving thanks for God’s faithfulness.  

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Life-Giving Relationships

Written by Paul Kienzle, Director of Latino ESL

Near and dear to the heart of Mission Adelante is relationship. It is built into everything that we do. We believe that a healthy relationship promotes interdependence, mutual learning, reciprocal serving, and life-giving friendship.    

Every first and third Sunday evening of the month, those in the Adelante community gather together at the Mission for worship in song, prayer, hearing from God’s Word, and growing in friendship with one another around a tasty dessert and great conversation! There is interdependence as we share each other’s burdens, mutual learning as we study God’s word, reciprocal serving as we work together to make the evening a blessing to all, and life-giving  friendships as we realize we are not all that different from one another.  

One unique quality that deepens the spiritual dimension within the Adelante community is every second and fourth Sunday the members of this larger church body divide and meet in three different homes. The intimacy of a home environment lends itself well to warm fellowship around a tasty meal, deepening life-giving friendship, and open discussion about the word of God. These gatherings welcome neighbors, co-workers, ESL students, volunteers, and others to visit at any time.  
At its core, Mission Adelante is a worshipping community. This spiritual dimension is a key building block of who Mission Adelante is. The joy that we share is not from ourselves but from Christ who loved us enough to give His life so that we might have LIFE and have it abundantly. We love to come together on Sunday to celebrate this gift and encourage each other with strength for the day and great hope for tomorrow. If this is something that interests you, come and check us out! Give us a call or come and see us. Every first and third Sunday of the month we meet at the Mission starting at 6:00PM, and every second and fourth Sunday we meet in homes starting at 5:30PM.

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Help us finish 2017 strong! Volunteer with your family, small group, or business at Adelante Thrift. For more information or to sign up, go to www.adelantethrift.com/volunteer/ .
• Do you have a gently-used keyboard or acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We are in need of two keyboards and three acoustic guitars for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate an instrument.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? Mission Adelante is launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and is looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.

OTHER NEWS:

• You’re invited to the Mission Adelante Thanksgiving Open House November 11th from 2:30-6:30pm. Stop by and enjoy a relaxed afternoon at the Meeks’ home meeting members of the Mission Adelante staff and community, celebrating culture, and giving thanks for God’s faithfulness.  

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Will Adelante Thrift Be Profitable in 2017?

Customers lined up outside on March 14, 2015, waiting for the doors to open on our first day at Adelante Thrift.

Written by Jarrett Meek, Founder/Pastor/Executive Director

Last year at this time I was worried. The dream of Adelante Thrift was on the ropes after two years of preparation and a year and a half in business. How much longer could we make it? There were amazing things happening at the store, but we were still losing a lot of money. As I made phone calls to raise more cash for the endeavor, I had to answer the brutal question: "How long do we support a business-as-mission endeavor that is losing money?" I remember processing that question out loud on the phone, "I won't be coming back to ask for more money again. If we haven't seen significant improvement by this time next year, we'll be making some hard decisions." That was 2016.  

What is perseverance? What does faith look like when the results you're longing for can't yet be seen? I have a favorite line from the movie Pearl Harbor, spoken by Alec Baldwin as Lt. Col Doolittle. "Victory belongs to those who believe in it the longest." This quote eloquently expresses the interaction between faith and perseverance. The journey of Adelante Thrift has developed both faith and perseverance in me in ways that I couldn't have predicted and wouldn't have signed up for if I had known they were part of the deal. And yet, looking back, I wouldn't trade those lessons for anything. I'm a different person, a more mature leader, a more faithful follow of Jesus. And, here we are, entering the fourth quarter of 2017, with a real shot at a profitable year. God is so faithful!

As we press into the final quarter of the year, I'm so thankful for the many volunteers who've served, the individuals, businesses, and churches who've given merchandise and money, the customers who've shopped, and the staff from all places who've created a unique environment at the store that exudes the love of Christ. Will Adelante Thrift be profitable in 2017? Will the store start to realize it's potential in terms of financial impact on the community in 2018? I invite you to be part of answering these questions! Is it time to donate more stuff? Does your small group, your family, or your business want to come down and serve? Your treasures can transform a community. I invite you to help Adelante Thrift finish 2017 strong and celebrate our first profitable year!

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Help us finish 2017 strong! Volunteer with your family, small group, or business at Adelante Thrift. For more information or to sign up, go to www.adelantethrift.com/volunteer/ .
• Do you have a gently-used keyboard or acoustic guitar that you're not using? Adelante Arts Community needs it! We are in need of two keyboards and three acoustic guitars for our new program. Please email Gissell Vazquez at gissellv@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate an instrument.
• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? Mission Adelante is launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and is looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.

OTHER NEWS:

• You’re invited to the Mission Adelante Thanksgiving Open House November 11th from 2:30-6:30pm. Stop by and enjoy a relaxed afternoon at the Meeks’ home meeting members of the Mission Adelante staff and community, celebrating culture, and giving thanks for God’s faithfulness.  

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Reflections from CCDA: The Importance of Unity

Written by Laxmi Gurung, Ministry Apprentice 

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

I went to the CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) conference in Los Angeles last year, and it was a great experience for me. Last week, I had the opportunity to go to the conference again, this time in Detroit. I saw people from all types of backgrounds come together and worship the Lord. I felt very blessed to be there! During our downtime, we had the opportunity to gather with the Hope Center community and share each other's observations from the conference. I appreciate that we shared our thoughts and supported each other, and I have learned a lot from those times.

How I felt during the conference this year was very strong and hard for me explain to anyone. As I mentioned, people from diverse backgrounds were there, but when I think about it, this is not a common thing for many communities that we live in today. I have experienced many churches separate from each other and refuse to talk with one another over a small disagreement or misunderstanding. I don’t think this sets a good example for non-Christian people.

My family members are not Christians, and for them it is hard to believe. If they see Christians separating and not having good relationships between each other, how can they believe in Jesus? We are making it harder for them to believe. Being the only believer in my family has been very difficult for me. It always scares me to think of my family not accepting the Lord. I can't even tell them about Jesus because they have been seeing bad examples of Christianity.

I believe that following Jesus is about coming together, helping each other, being there for one another, and having Jesus in the center of everything. It is not about separating from one another. If we believe in Jesus, we should be helping non-believers know Him and teaching them what the Bible is about. It is very important for them to know God.

Please pray for unity in the Christian community and for non-believers to come to know Jesus.

Mission Adelante Staff at the CCDA conference

 

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? Mission Adelante is launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and is looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.

OTHER NEWS:

• You’re invited to the Mission Adelante Thanksgiving Open House November 11th from 2:30-6:30pm. Stop by and enjoy a relaxed afternoon at the Meeks’ home meeting members of the Mission Adelante staff and community, celebrating culture, and giving thanks for God’s faithfulness.  

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Developing People and Sharing Life at Adelante Thrift

Co-Written by Elena Chan, Director of Community Development and Shannon Schafer, Operations Director

One of our core values at Adelante Thrift is developing people. We believe that developing individuals to reach their potential in the workplace is a critical part of community transformation. We also believe that sharing life with people on a personal level is a major part of that development. I would like to introduce you to two of the strong women leading Adelante Thrift: Elsa and Marleny. Both women have stepped up to the challenge of becoming assistant managers at Adelante Thrift and have propelled the store forward.

Elsa has worked for Adelante Thrift for almost two years. She came to us with previous retail sales and thrift experience, and we hired her as a Lead Sales Associate. It quickly became evident that Elsa is a natural leader and has a talent for merchandising, and she was promoted to Processing Supervisor. Elsa continued to shine in her leadership skills and in her ability to envision and execute improved ways to process and display our products. This past July, we promoted her to Assistant Manager, and in this new role, Elsa has made a huge impact at Adelante Thrift, and she works diligently to further develop her leadership and professional abilities.

Besides being intentional about her professional development, we deeply care about Elsa’s personal aspirations. Earlier this year, we discovered her desire to become an American citizen. With support from Mission Adelante, she was able to take the necessary steps to apply for naturalization and prepare for the civics test. On September 15th, after about a six-month process, we celebrated with Elsa as she became a U.S. citizen!

Marleny has worked for Adelante Thrift for about a year and a half. Prior to working with us, she had diverse work experience, including a recent supervisory position in the foodservice industry. We hired Marleny as a Lead Sales Associate to supervise our cashiers and oversee the clothing departments. She flourished in this position and was promoted to Sales Supervisor.  She gradually took on and excelled in greater responsibilities, including staff scheduling, payroll preparation, and the coordination of pickups and deliveries. This past July, Marleny was promoted to Assistant Manager, where she continues to grow in her leadership abilities, accepting new challenges and working closely with the management team. Marleny is a great asset to Adelante Thrift with her ability to gracefully handle customer concerns and provide mature guidance to the cashiers.  

We recently had the opportunity to share life with Marleny on a more personal level. She is expecting a baby girl this month, and some staff decided to throw a baby shower for her. On September 16th, together with her friends and family, we surprised Marleny with a baby shower! We had a great time of delicious food and fun activities as we showered Marleny’s family with love and support.

We are so thankful to be a part of the lives of these strong leaders in both their personal and professional lives. And we are grateful for their passion and commitment to the store’s mission and for their leadership.

CURRENT NEEDS:

• Are you interested in combining your love of the arts and disciple-making? Mission Adelante is launching Adelante Arts Community in January 2018 and is looking for volunteers to help! Visit www.missionadelante.org/arts for more information.

OTHER NEWS:

• You’re invited to the Mission Adelante Thanksgiving Open House November 11th from 2:30-6:30pm. Stop by and enjoy a relaxed afternoon at the Meeks’ home meeting members of the Mission Adelante staff and community, celebrating culture, and giving thanks for God’s faithfulness.  

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Serving In Community With A Common Passion

Art Camp Summer 2017

Written by Gissell Vazquez, Latino Discipleship and Music Coordinator

As we grow in life, we begin discovering our passions. Passions, in the right way, help us enjoy life and bring our spirit a sense of wellness that gives us strength to live. If I asked you what your passion is, how would you answer? Maybe sports or dancing? Reading? Fishing? My passion is music. Since I was little, when I heard music playing I just couldn’t stop singing, and it has always had a deep impact on me. I thank God for my hometown church in Cuba and many good friends who taught me and helped me to develop my musical skills. As random as things are in life, I ended up studying accounting in college. But, while it’s something that I value, I gotta say, I like the numbers in music more than in a balance sheet!

During my last five years in Cuba, my academic formation allowed me to run the finances for our Raices ministry. But my heart was in our music program “Musicians Changing Lives”. My passion was being poured out into what brings meaning and light to my world: making disciples of Jesus and helping people to develop their artistic gifts.

Now it's been a year since I moved to the United States. In this new stage of association with Mission Adelante, I am thankful for their continued support of Raices in Cuba. I also thank God, that in my role of Discipleship and Worship Coordinator, I have the opportunity to dream and create a program here where anyone interested in learning arts can participate.

Our newest project at Mission Adelante is Adelante Arts Community, and it will be launched in January 2018. Adelante Arts Community is a project for kids, teens, and adults that will provide creative and interactive opportunities for people from different parts of the world to come together to develop skills in music, dance, and other arts. If you are interested in volunteering, we invite you to serve and share life with people from all over the world. You can learn more about Adelante Arts Community at www.missionadelante.org/arts. Thank you to those who already participate! We value your work!

The Beauty of Differences

Written by Yanelis Lopez, Ministry Community Director

Last week we restarted programs at Mission Adelante. As always, I find a mixture of feelings inside me. On one hand, as a staff member, I have the possibility to serve others through everything we have to offer. But on the other hand, in my interaction with everyone in the Latino and refugee community, I can understand and experience the same feelings of living in a foreign country and what it means to face the challenges of everyday life, which has proven to be just as difficult, regardless of the culture from which we came.

When I first started working at Mission Adelante, most of my focus was on the Latino community to which I belong and love; however, this past summer, we started new programs, English Club and Refugees Kids Club, for the entire refugee community of KC, where we have been able to make friends from Burma, Thailand, Nepal, the U.S., and other places. Our interaction has been a life lesson for me; I have learned to love and appreciate at a deeper level the diverse cultures that live in our community.

I have understood that God wants us to learn to celebrate what makes us different from each other: thoughts, food, the way we dress, talk, interact, the jokes we make, what impresses us and what doesn’t, our priorities ... It is not just about accepting and respecting others and what makes us different, but about getting to the point where we yearn to celebrate it. Now when I share and live life with my friends from other cultures, I can only focus on the most important thing: we were all created by the same sovereign God, and each one of us has the capacity to reflect His image in a unique and powerful way.

Collaborating to Develop KC Emerging Leaders

Written by Jarrett Meek, Founder/Pastor/Executive Director

The Hope Center, Freedom Fire, and Mission Adelante have teamed up to develop emerging leaders for urban ministry!  The collaborative project, called "KC Emerging Leaders," creates a cohort learning environment in addition to the ongoing mentoring and practical training that each young leader experiences in their respective ministry contexts.  The program exposes our apprentices to experienced leaders from other ministries while giving them meaningful peer interactions with each other.

Our opening retreat, which took place at Shalom Retreat Center near La Cygne, Kansas, served to introduce the apprentices to one another, build a sense of community, and initiate discussions on leadership.  The executive directors from each ministry and a few staff were present to lead worship, teach seminars, and guide simulation activities for the apprentices.  It was exciting to observe as the apprentices from each ministry interacted with one another and learned from great leaders like Marvin Daniels, Bruce McGregor, Yanelis López, and Gissell Vázquez.  

Over the year, we will participate together in five joint training events for our KC Emerging Leaders.  The next one on the docket is the Christian Community Development Association's national conference.  When vision and values align and relationships of trust exist between organizations and leaders, it's powerful see the Kingdom impact.  The opportunities and challenges that face our urban communities are God-sized, and it takes partnerships that begin with relationships and trust and move toward collaboration to meet them!

current needs:

• Our Leaders In Training program is in need of volunteers for the fall trimester beginning September 20th. For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.

Perspectives on Success

Written by Elena Chan, Director of Community Development

How is success measured for a social enterprise like Adelante Thrift? Is it the growing dollars of revenue we generate?  Is it the growing number of people we serve?

Adelante Thrift has been on a challenging mission for the past two and a half years to become a catalyst of change by generating revenue in an economically challenged community and, at the same time, by bringing long-term community transformation. Success is often evaluated in light of revenue, minimizing the importance of community impact. But this outlook doesn’t capture the whole mission of Adelante Thrift. It is liberating to understand that the store’s mission is not purely to generate revenue, but also to transform the community. One can hardly be prioritized above the other. After all, without revenue, long-term community transformation is not possible, and without community impact, profits are meaningless.

What makes Adelante Thrift’s mission for the community possible? Apart from sales performance, the store is successful in its mission when it’s nicely organized and clean. When staff, many of whom are just entering the workforce, acquire and develop job skills. When volunteers come and sacrifice their time for others. When customers find a good deal and a comfortable place to shop. When donors give generously. When partnerships with neighboring businesses and government deepen. This perspective of success renews our vision and allows us to recognize the transformation that has already begun in our community.

Adelante Thrift is a neighborhood thrift store that builds partnerships to provide quality products, promotes employee development and entrepreneurism, and uses its proceeds to support community development through Mission Adelante.  

CURRENT NEEDS

• Our kids ministry programs are looking for people to purchase and deliver new board games for our Tuesday & Thursday programs. If you are interested, please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org.

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Loving our Neighbor

Written by Paul Kienzle, Latino ESL Director

Mission Adelante at its core is intentional in obeying the call of God to love our neighbor because we believe it is at the heart of all His commands.  It is a love that expresses itself by extending hospitality, compassion and friendship to people from other places.

My wife and I have the privilege of living in a multicultural neighborhood.  When I walk in the nearby park and see people from other places enjoying their families, playing soccer, or pushing a stroller, I feel a sense of gratitude that we get to experience being part of a multi-ethnic landscape.  Living in this kind of neighborhood heightens our awareness of those around us, deepens our desire to compassionately understand our differences and challenges us to change deeply embedded misconceptions that hinder us in our journey and in God’s call to love people from different places.

Recently, I heard a heart breaking story of a white, American woman, who on occasion, shared kindnesses and pleasantries with her next door neighbor who was of a different ethnicity. It was a pleasant friendship, a friendship built on actions but very few words, as neither knew the other's language! One day, the neighbor stopped by to say hi.  After inviting her neighbor in and exchanging the customary smiles and hugs, the neighbor did something that took this woman totally by surprise.  With her customary warm smile, her neighbor gently touched and pointed admirably to the woman’s white skin and in her broken english said, “good, good.”   Then, she pointed to her own skin color and said with indifferent matter-of-factness, “no good, no good.”  Floored, the white American woman looked at her neighbor with a warm and compassionate smile, admirably touched and pointed to her skin, saying, “you, beautiful, good, good.”  What this woman would have given to have been able to speak into her beautiful neighbor, the words of God’s unconditional love for people from different  places.

Many of us never get to experience the joys and the challenges of being a part of such a colorful tapestry, and yet, obeying God’s call to love our neighbor, at its core, is not exclusively about color or ethnicity.  It is about loving the people God has placed around us.  For my wife and I, it is the ethnic diversity of urban KCK.  For you, it may be the same or it may be somewhere else.  It may be a neighborhood primarily comprised of one ethnicity or it may be one with many ethnicities.  Jesus said that loving God was the greatest commandment but He also said there was one like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 23:37-39)

Current Needs:

• Our LIT, Kids Adelante, and Refugee Kids Club programs are in need of volunteers for the fall trimester beginning September 12th. For more information or if you are interested in volunteering, please visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/kids.
• Our kids ministry programs are looking for people to purchase and deliver new board games for our Tuesday & Thursday programs. If you are interested, please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org.

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