Refugees

New Beginnings in 2024

New Beginnings in 2024: Mission Adelante's Journey into Refugee Resettlement

by Kristen Maxwell, Refugee Resettlement Director

The new year is here, and we are celebrating new things and goals.  As many of you have heard by now, Mission Adelante has been on an adventure, getting ready to do a new thing in 2024.  We are welcoming refugees as a resettlement agency affiliate of World Relief!

I rejoined the staff team in August and was immediately thrown into my new role with a meeting with KSOR (Kansas State Office of Refugees). Throughout the meeting, I felt like a student learning a new language. As a former teacher, I thought educators spoke with a lot of jargon and acronyms; it turns out they have nothing on the field of refugee resettlement.  I spent the whole meeting writing down what I didn’t understand and about an hour afterward looking it all up!  

Here is an example the top is unexplained, and the bottom is better explained:

You can see how and why we use acronyms and understand that our whole staff is learning this new language together.  

We did indeed accept our first batch of assurances on December 18th, meaning we could receive information about our first families traveling in the next few weeks.  When they arrive, we will support them through the R&P (Reception and Placement) Program.  We are very excited about this new journey and would love for you to pray with us.  Also, If you want a new way to serve in 2024, jump on board with us. We promise we will teach you this new language, too!

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?
JOIN US FOR VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION - JANUARY 13TH

Join our team of volunteers for the spring trimester and be part of "loving people from all places." Attend our volunteer orientation on January 13th, 2024 and find your place serving kids, youth, or adults in the immigrant community in KCK

For more information about volunteer opportunities visit https://www.missionadelante.org/orientation

Be part of our programs!

 We are so excited for everything that is happening in our programs and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us next trimester?

How can you help?

  • Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.

  • Volunteer – Come to our volunteer Orientation. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

  • Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.

Welcoming Refugees

Welcoming Refugees to a Brighter Future in Kansas City

by Kristen Maxwell, Refugee Resettlement Director


I never thought I would be back writing articles for the Adelante Express, but it is wonderful to share with you today. Since I left Mission Adelante in 2017, I have stayed connected with the refugee and immigrant communities, working with Catholic Charities for about a year and then with the KCK School District for four years as an ESL Teacher. When Jarrett called me with the opportunity to join the work of Mission Adelante again in a new capacity, it didn't take long for me to say yes. I am excited to partner with World Relief as we welcome new Americans to Kansas City. 

A photo from my first trimester with Mission Adelante, March 2010!

The world is facing one of the most significant displacement crises in history. Over 117 million people have been forcibly displaced due to conflict, persecution, and other catastrophes. And with the current conflict in the Middle East, I imagine that number will keep growing. Among the displaced are nearly 29 million people formally identified as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees. The scale of this crisis is mind-boggling. It would be about the equivalent of 20 people leaving everything behind each minute to escape war, persecution, or terror.

A person identified as a refugee has fled their home and country because of "a well-founded fear of persecution due to his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." The United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention set this criteria. The US has a rich history of resettling refugees, as far back as 1948, when the first law explicitly addressing refugee admissions was implemented due to individuals fleeing the aftermath of World War 2.

But sadly, only a fraction of the 29 million people identified as refugees will have the opportunity to rebuild their lives through resettlement. In 2020, less than 1% of the world's recognized refugees were resettled, leaving many languishing in protracted displacement, vulnerable to exploitation and despair. Refugee resettlement is a lifeline for those who have no other options. It's a chance for children to receive an education, for families to access healthcare, and for individuals to regain their dignity and self-sufficiency.

We are excited to expand resettlement in Kansas City and extend a welcome to refugees.  We will join the organizations already doing great work with refugee resettlement in Kansas City, including our long-time partner, Catholic Charities. And on the Missouri side, Della Lamb and Jewish Vocational Services.  

The overarching umbrella of Refugee Resettlement could include many programs as it grows, but we are starting with the Reception and Placement program(R&P). R&P offers newly arrived refugees a structured 90-day period of support as they adapt to life in the United States. This program provides essential services such as securing safe and furnished housing, initial financial assistance for basic needs, access to medical care and vaccinations, cultural orientation, assistance with documentation like Social Security numbers, job placement services, enrollment in English language classes, and connections to community resources. The goal of the R&P program is to empower refugees to rebuild their lives, become self-sufficient, and integrate successfully into their new environment, all within a challenging but crucial 90-day window.

When looking at it through that lens, that is a lot to accomplish in 90 days. I can't imagine arriving in a foreign culture and being expected to work a job by the end of my first 90 days there.  

We have been approved to assist in the resettlement of 75 refugees starting from January to October 2024. 

This is a big undertaking, and we are going to need help in 4 main ways:

  • Pray: We believe that prayer is a significant part of the work that we will be doing. Pray for the families that will be coming, pray for the volunteers that will serve, and pray for the resources that will be needed.

  • Share: Help us to spread the word of the work the Lord is doing. Do you have a church or small group we could share with? Could you share our posts on Social Media? Could you tell a friend? Please help us share about refugee resettlement in Kansas City. 

  • Connect: Welcoming refugees requires a lot of resources: financial, material, and human connections. We are looking for connections in the areas of rental housing, apartment furnishings, and employers who may be interested in hiring clients. If you or someone you know can help in these areas, we would love to hear from you. 

  • Serve:  We will have one-time, ongoing, individual, and group opportunities to serve available.  

If this is something that you are interested in, we invite you to join us.

We will host two events in November to orient potential partners and volunteers to this incredible opportunity. The first event, Tuesday, November 7th, at 9:30 AM, will be geared toward church and community partners. 

The second event, which will take place on Saturday, November 11th at 9:30 AM, will invite people interested in knowing more about what volunteering will look like to come and learn.  

Also, please share this information with your friends, family, and neighbors who may be interested in joining in the work of welcome. 

Click here to RSVP for either of the informational gatherings! 

If you cannot make either of the events and would like additional information, please contact me at KristenM@missionadelante.org

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?
MISSION ADELANTE OBSERVATION NIGHTS ARE HERE: NOVEMBER 6TH -9TH

Take a glimpse of what is going on at Mission Adelante and what we are doing in our different programs. This is a great opportunity to have the full experience of a Mission Adelante volunteer.

For more information visit: www.missionadelante.org/observe

Be part of our programs!

 We are so excited for everything that is happening in our programs and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us next trimester?

How can you help?

  • Pray for our program participants would create an impact in our community and grow with their walk with the Lord.

  • Volunteer – Come to our volunteer Orientation. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

  • Donate to join us in building a multicultural community of disciples making disciples.

New Refugee Ministry Pilots at Mission Adelante

Our new English Club for people from all places launched on May 30!

Our new English Club for people from all places launched on May 30!

by Jarrett Meek, Founder/Pastor/Executive Director

The end of one season often signals the beginning of another.  As Mission Adelante celebrated the winding down of seven beautiful years of ministry specifically with the Bhutanese, new doors were beginning to open for a broader ministry with refugees from all places in our neighborhood.  A meeting with Catholic Charities underlined the ongoing need for complementary refugee services that go beyond the initial three-month resettlement window.  Relationships with key people from several refugee communities including Bhutanese, Chin, Karen, Karenni, Iraqi, and Syrian, confirmed once again the deep desire our new neighbors have for friendship and their need for assistance with practical matters related to integrating in their new context.  An ESL class that we taught for adults, in partnership with refugee and immigrant students at Schlagle High School, highlighted the potential and passion that exists in youth from all places.  In so many ways it seems the Lord is leading us to press into our role and identity as a ministry with immigrants and refugees from ALL PLACES!

This summer we will be pressing further into our purpose to "love people from all places" by experimenting with two new initiatives that are open to all refugees and immigrants; an English Club for adults and a Refugee Kids Club.  These two initiatives launched on Tuesday night with several exciting highlights!

Our English Club Pilot, led by Lena Chan, is an informal, activity-based ESL program.  Participants practice their English and build friendships as they enjoy cooking, playing games, talking about health-related issues, and address practical issues that may arise in their everyday lives.  It is a combination of fun, relationships, and English-learning in a social environment, rather than an academic one.  Our initial group of 15 English Club students came from countries including Thailand, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.

English Club participants practice English as they enjoy a game of Jenga.

English Club participants practice English as they enjoy a game of Jenga.

Our Refugee Kids Club Pilot is led by Laxmi Gurung, a refugee from Nepal and Mission Adelante's newest Staff Apprentice.  It is so beautiful to see the fruit of many years of different people investing in Laxmi's life being reproduced now in her own desire to invest in the lives of others.  In fact, the volunteer team Laxmi leads includes four other youth from Nepal who once participated in our Bhutanese Kids Club, among others. It is a truly multicultural team in which the fruits of long-term disciple-making are being harvested in the multiplication of leaders who are now sharing Christ with others.  

Laxmi Gurung with her amazing team of volunteers for Refugee Kids Club

Laxmi Gurung with her amazing team of volunteers for Refugee Kids Club

It is an exciting new season at Mission Adelante with exciting challenges and big opportunities!  Please pray with us as we take these next steps in exploring ministry with refugees from all places in our neighborhood!