New Birth in the Mission Adelante Community

Five LIT Kids Born Again!
Long-term investing in the lives of our "Leaders-In-Training" kids has born spiritual fruit! Iris, Nayeli, Helen, Edgar, and Felipe all received Christ on Wednesday during our mentoring time. Because of more than a year (in some cases more than two years) of learning the Bible through the Kids Adelante's Outreach Bible Study, the message of the gospel was not hard for them to grasp or receive.

I have seen significant changes in the attitude and character of these kids over the last several months. Being with them three afternoons and one evening each week since September has given us the opportunity to see them at their best and worst, and has allowed us to speak truth into their lives in every situation. They have become more and more open and have learned to trust that we are truly for them. Now, as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, they are new creations in Christ. It will be exciting to see how the Holy Spirit will continue His work in them!

In Other News: Welcome Baby Ham!!!

• Morgan and Felipe Ham welcomed their son Camilo Sage Ham into the world two weeks ahead of schedule (Monday, February 16). He is a handsome boy weighing 7 1/2 pounds.
  
• Volunteers Dawn North and Marla Hansen will be helping cover Morgan's responsibilities while she is on maternity leave (about 8 weeks). Praise God for meeting this need in such a timely way!
• We're now recruiting for our summer internship! Please contact jarrettm@missionadelante.org if you know of anyone who might be interested.
  

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for our "Leaders in Training" kids. A couple of them have not done well in school recently and we are working hard to help them make a turn around.
• Please continue to pray for the kids in our neighborhood. Pray for their safety in light of the recent violence. Pray that they would learn to trust God to comfort and protect them. Pray especially that God would capture the hearts of the young boys before they start down tragic paths.
• Pray that God would grant us continued momentum in our discipling program.

Resource Center Needs

• We have found that baby items such as diapers and wipes go faster than we can stock them. We always need these items!
  
• Food staples for what we call "Canasta Basica" or basic basket also go fast. One "Canasta Basica" contains: 2 bags of rice, 3 bags of beans, 1 box of Maizena, one bag of sugar, one bottle of cooking oil, 2 bags of pasta, 1 bag of flour. We love it when friends can bring a complete "Canasta Basica" already assembled!
  

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Kids At Risk

Kids At Risk

This week has been a hard one in the Mission Adelante community. With a gang-related shooting taking place in front of M.E. Pearson Elementary school, the school that most of our kids attend, we are all extra aware of the dangers and challenges facing our youth. When I was young I remember that news traveled fast among students whenever there was going to be a fight after school. Sometimes the faculty would know about it by the end of the day. Other times they would find out only when they saw the group of curious students gathering in the designated place to watch the event. As we’ve talked with the “Leaders In Training” kids this week about the shooting we have learned a lot about what they experience everyday. Their knowledge of the gang scene and lingo is telling; they are exposed to it on a daily basis. Just as we used to hear the chatter about after-school fights, news travels through the middle school halls of in our neighborhood about rumored or real gang activity.

It was re-confirmed to me this week that kids are recruited for gangs during their years in elementary school; often in fifth grade, but sometimes even as early as second. So, there is the battle ground for Kids Adelante. Can we capture these kids while they’re young, teach them to love God, and give them a sense of belonging that will compete with what a gang might offer? I pray we can! For those of you who serve in Kids Adelante or LIT, whether with younger kids or older, you are a key link in their lives. The things they learn from you, the affirmation and love they receive from you is a big part of what it takes to immunize them against the tragic choices that they might have made. You are standing in the gap for them! You are making a difference! Thank you for serving! Thank you for giving! And, please pray for our kids this week.

Thank You,
Jarrett Meek

Please Respond to Keep Receiving the Adelante Express!
Please Subscribe to the Adelante Express! We are trying to improve our systems and want to send this weekly update only to people who are truly interested in receiving it. Email morganh@missionadelante.org with the word "subscribe" in the subject.

Giving More Than Just a Hand

Please let us know!

As a part of upgrading our delivery system for the Adelante Express we want to be sure we are sending it only to recipients who are interested in receiving it. If you would like to continue receiving the Adelante Express please respond to morganh@missionadelante.org with “subscribe” in the subject line. After February we will no longer send the “Adelante Express” to people who have not specifically asked to receive it.

Giving More Than Just a Hand

Every Saturday morning, we open the door of our resource center to meet the needs of area Hispanics. Our shelves are filled with adult and children’s clothes, kitchenware, toys, small appliances and, sometimes, beds. Of course, the most sought after items are the “canasta basica”, or basic food basket, and baby items such as diapers and formula. No matter what a person lacks, we make every effort to meet the physical needs. In and of itself, this shows love and compassion, but we don’t stop there.

As each family leaves with their selections, we stop to pray for them by name. Mission Adelante strives to set our work apart from the common social justice agency. Helping meet physical needs is only the first part. We want to befriend our neighbors in need and share the gospel with them. Relationships always require more than a simple handout, but they also bear greater fruit. Our hope is that prayer begins to cultivate friendship and trust. As a result, the door to share our lives is opened.

When you make donations to the resource center, you are helping to do more than just meet needs—you are helping build relational bridges. To view a list of the most sought-after items, click here and scroll down to the "Resource Center" section.

In other news:

• Fifteen individuals have begun the 13-part discipleship program during the past two weeks. One of them, Edgar, age 14, received Christ on Sunday evening after completing the first lesson on the topic of salvation!
• Among the group of people who are leading a partner through the discipleship study are five Hispanics who completed the study themselves for the first time last year! This represents significant fruit for our ministry according to our Mission Statement, "Serving Hispanics to Christ and mobilizing them to serve."
• We're grateful for a new water heater in our facility which was installed by volunteer Chris Lang! Thanks, Chris!

Prayer needs:

• Pray for the continuation of momentum as discipleship pairs get further into the series of studies, and for Edgar as he begins his new journey of faith.
• Pray for strength for the 11 preteen L.I.T. participants to prevail over the negative current of their social environment and influence their peers positively.
• As we anticipate hosting a group of interns for the second time this summer, please pray for God to lead the right candidates to us.

Current needs:

• Diapers to stock the Resource Center: all sizes; any quantity. (Thanks to the Thursday evening volunteers who brought some last week, but they always go fast!)
• A volunteer to fill in as Administrative Assistant at least one afternoon a week during March and April while Morgan is on maternity leave. If you're available and interested, please contact Jarrett at jarrettm@missionadelante.org or 913-909-0627.

Effective Compassion Means Spending Yourself

Surrounded by a sea of human needs and buffeted by endless waves of challenging situations that arise in an urban context, I often find myself returning to the question, “what makes compassion effective?” It is easy to see how some have arrived at institutional compassion as a means of efficiently addressing the multitudes. However, while efficient systems are clearly important for any organization, Mission Adelante believes that ministry is primarily a relational endeavor, and that genuine compassion requires relationship. Marvin Olasky, chief editor of World Magazine and author of the book Renewing American Compassion writes, “Effective compassion recognizes that one size does not fit all—only a personalized, face-to-face approach tailored to the individual (or sometimes the family) offers any hope for turning lives around.” This kind of compassion is not clean and easy. It requires long-term involvement. It is harder to measure than simply asking “how many people were served?” Relational compassion requires people who will get their hands dirty in the messy lives of broken people. However, despite its personal costs, relational compassion is the best way to transmit the message of the gospel; the message of God who lived among us as a man and died for our sins.

As Mission Adelante serves immigrants in our community we have taken Olasky’s words to heart. Volunteers in our ESL program work with one or two adult students. Several of our ESL classes meet in homes in the community, providing an environment of hospitality and friendship. Birthdays are celebrated. Kids are taken out for ice cream. Volunteers and students take field trips together doing things like bowling or going to the Nelson Art Gallery. And when financial help is provided it always happens through a relational process.

I realize that the swelling waves of human needs will not subside until Christ returns. So, while it is tempting to abandon effectiveness for efficiency, Mission Adelante will always remember that “relationship” is one of the most important ingredients in the kind of compassion that changes lives for eternity. Please pray with us for volunteers and staff who are willing to spend themselves on behalf of the broken and vulnerable.

In other news:

• We're grateful for Valerie Kalny, who has served as Mission Adelante's volunteer bookkeeper from the very beginning! The Mission has benefited greatly by her dedication to this role and her accuracy in her work, which have been especially evident during the last few weeks as she has worked on year-end tasks. Thank you, Valerie!
• We had a strong launch for our spring trimester last Thursday! Five levels of adult English classes got up and running in the neighborhood and 63 excited, energetic kids ages 5 through 12 filled the building for Kids Adelante!
• Seven pairs/groups of three began the discipleship study together last Sunday evening. The study includes 13 lessons on the basics of following Christ.

Prayer needs:

• Join us in praying that the initial enthusiasm for the discipleship study will be maintained during the next few months while the pairs work to complete it, and that those people who missed the first week will be able to get started this Sunday.
• Pray for Molly Merrick and Megan McDermott's continued fundraising. Molly joined the Mission Adelante staff at 10 hours/week at the beginning of January and Megan is planning to join full-time in June.
• Pray for God's provision for the families in our community that are suffering financially because of lack of work in the winter season and in this economic climate.

Current needs:

• A volunteer to fill in as Administrative Assistant at least one afternoon a week during March and April while Morgan is on maternity leave. If you're available and interested, please contact Jarrett at jarrettm@missionadelante.org or 913-909-0627.
• Individuals to organize food drives at their churches to stock our Resource Center. If this is something you could do, please contact Jason at jasons@missionadelante.org or 913-281-6274.
• Diapers to stock the Resource Center: all sizes; any quantity

3...2...1...Liftoff!

I have watched a few space shuttle launches in my life and am always amazed to imagine all of the YEARS of preparation that go into those few moments. Thousands of details and millions (billions?) of dollars are spent on equipment, training, supplies, and so much more. And it all comes together at one focal moment as the countdown reaches zero.

It’s really a ridiculous comparison, but three times each year Mission Adelante has its own version of a launch night as we begin a new trimester. Volunteers recruited and trained, a million photocopies of curriculum made, English students recruited, called, oriented, evaluated, and reminded, meetings completed, and emails sent out.

And it all comes together at 6:30 on a Thursday night: English classes in 5 different sites in our neighborhood, 50-60 kids converging on our facility, volunteers meeting new students, and a million details to coordinate. As chaotic as launch night can be, there is always a great sense of excitement and anticipation in the air as our ministry witnesses God's faithfulness in drawing so many people to a place where they can see Him more clearly through acts of compassion and His word spoken.

Tonight is that night, and we are less than 5 hours from lift-off as I write this reflection. Please pray with us tonight for students to arrive, for volunteers to make great connections with kids and adults alike, and for all the other details to come together.

In other news:

• Twenty-six new adults registered last Thursday for our spring trimester of English classes.
• More than 50 individuals from the Christ Community Church youth group came to Mission Adelante on Saturday. They brought enough staple food items to distribute among about 12 families and did some work around our facility. Thanks to all those involved!
• Our second semester of L.I.T. (Leaders In Training) began yesterday. L.I.T. is a three-afternoon-a-week intensive tutoring and character development program for 13 kids who show potential to become leaders among their peers. Three new volunteers have come on board to tutor the group weekly. Please pray that each of the 13 kids would be able to continue coming and complete the school year in spite of other activities that threaten to pull them away.

Prayer needs:

• Isabel, the woman we requested prayer for last week, remains in the hospital without a diagnosis. Please continue to pray for a diagnosis to be made in order for her to receive proper treatment and recover.
• Five English classes and five sub-groups of Kids Adelante will launch our spring trimester this Thursday evening. We're grateful for the many volunteers who will serve in various ways, including new volunteers from at least 4 churches not previously represented! Please pray for momentum for a strong start!
• Our discipleship pairs will begin the 13-part study on the basics of following Christ this Sunday evening. Please pray for wisdom for all the disciplers, especially those in the position for the first time, and for all involved to make a strong commitment to finishing the study.

Other needs:

• A volunteer to fill in as Administrative Assistant at least one afternoon a week during March and April while Morgan is on maternity leave. If you're available and interested, please contact Jarrett at jarrettm@missionadelante.org or 913-909-0627.
• Individuals to organize food drives at their churches to stock our Resource Center. If this is something you could do, please contact Jason at jasons@missionadelante.org or 913-281-6274.

Upcoming dates:

• Thursday, January 22: Launch of spring trimester ESL and Kids Adelante programs.

A Place Where the Church Serves Together

Mission Adelante would not be what it is if we didn’t have the enthusiastic support and participation of so many volunteers and churches. This past Saturday we held our first of three volunteer orientation seminars for 2009. As is always the case at these training events, as well as at our volunteer meetings, I looked around the room to see volunteers from a wide range of churches. Some of these included Leawood Presbyterian Church, Heartland Community Church, Christ Community Church, Blue Valley Baptist Church, and Jacob’s Well. A quick look at our volunteer database yields an interesting statistic:ongoing volunteers from 15 area churches participate in Mission Adelante’s ministry.

One of the fruits of this hodge-podge of participation and partnership from different places is that it gets people from various churches and denominations in the city serving together around a common Kingdom purpose. In this world of denominational divisions and territorialism, this seems like a work of God. In John 17 Jesus prayed that his disciples would be “one” so that the world would know that the Father had sent him. Our unity as believers is a sign to the world of the validity of Jesus’ claim to be the son of God! As we look around us here at what God is doing through Mission Adelante, we see that Jesus’ prayer is being answered in our little corner of the world; the incoming Latin American mission field in our own city is witnessing not only a display of practical compassion, but also a display of Christian unity. Thank you to all of you who have committed yourselves to serving together. Your service and participation are bearing the kind of fruit that is pleasing to our Lord!

In other news:

• Registration for the spring trimester of English classes and Kids Adelante is tonight.
• We continue to work on the improvement of our facility. If you or a group from your church is interested in spending a work day at our building, please contact Jarrett at 913-909-0627 or jarrettm@missionadelante.org.
• We're thankful for two tall bookshelves that were donated by Shoal Creek Community Church for our Leaders In Training library.

Prayer needs:

• Isabel, the matriarch of a large family belonging to our faith community, is in the hospital but her illness hasn't been diagnosed. Please pray for a diagnosis to be made in order for her to receive proper treatment and recover.
• Please pray for an eager new group of adult English students and kids to engage in English classes and Kids Adelante this trimester.
• This Sunday we will match those who attend our Bible studies and worship services into discipleship pairs. During the upcoming months, the pairs will work their way through a 13-part study on the basics of following Christ. Please pray for participants to be committed to completing the study as an important step in their spiritual growth.

Current needs:

• Beds, all sizes
• Diapers: all sizes
• Baby wipes
• Baby formula, to stock the resource center

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, January 19: LIT resumes
• Monday, January 19, 6:30-8:30 at the facility: All-Volunteer Team Meeting
• Thursday, January 22, 6:30: Spring trimester English classes and Kids Adelante begin

Signs of Life

Mission Adelante began with a vision to be both a “mission” and a “church”. On the mission side of our ministry we offer things like English classes, tutoring, and tangible resources, and bible studies and events for kids. On the church side of things we started with a small group of volunteers, hoping to share our faith and grow relationally and organically, adding the necessary components of a genuine worshipping community according to God’s timing. Multiplying home-based Bible studies, one-on-one discipling relationships and periodic worship celebrations formed the essence of our church-planting strategy. Without a doubt the church-plant side of our ministry has proven to be the most difficult and often painful part of the endeavor. To be sure, God has been faithful, and fruit has been evident every step of the way. Each trimester we look back and we see small steps of growth: a new conversion, a new ministry team launched, a children’s ministry started, a new family involved. Yet the volatility of immigrants’ lives and the painful unpredictability of their commitment has accelerated my (Jarrett) hair loss by years (at least that’s the explanation I give myself).

God has proven to us in this process that the glory will be His! Time after time when we least expect it He brings families back who we thought were lost or connects families that we had given up on. God will work in His timing and in His way. Our job is to trust and be diligent. The first Sunday night of 2009 was a celebration of this very kind of fruit. The room was filled with excitement as we had a record turn-out for our worship service: 37 adults and as many kids. In that group were Pedro and Sara, there for the third week in a row after having been missing-in-action for months. Mario and Veronica and their kids have the same story; three weeks in a row of attendance after a long absence. Mayra, a single mom, who has come very consistently since she began attending, invited her neighbors for the first time. These are precious small victories that cause us to celebrate, praise God, and forget prior discouragements.

We are still a small community, but God is causing us to grow little by little, both in number and in faith. As this year begins we are praying that God will strengthen our young ministry teams, under-gird our efforts at disciple-making, and use us to draw more immigrants into a relationship with Jesus. Please pray with us for these objectives.

In other news:

• Our community celebrated Christmas Eve together for the first time with an evening worship service. About 20 adults including some new faces enjoyed the fellowship.
• Molly Merrick joined Mission Adelante's staff this week as a Ministry Aide, working 10 hours per week.

Prayer needs:

• Pray that our current three-part worship service series on becoming disciples will help more members of our faith community follow the pattern set by Jesus' first disciples.
• Pray that our emphasis on individual discipleship will build momentum among participants and bear fruit.

Current needs:

• Diapers: all sizes
• Baby wipes
• Baby formula, to stock the resource center
• 2 tall bookshelves, for the Leaders In Training library

Important upcoming dates:

• Saturday, January 10: 9:00-12:00 New Volunteer Orientation & Training
• Monday, January 19: 6:30-8:15 All Volunteer Team Meeting
• Thursday, January 22: 6:30 Spring English classes and Kids Adelante begin

Leaders In Training Retreat Highlights

When we started our Leaders in Training program at the beginning of September for a group of 13 kids from our neighborhood we hoped they would all make it through the first semester, but it seemed unlikely. The commitment was significant, requiring three afternoons totaling eight hours per week. The content is challenging academic tutoring and character development; a tough sell when the alternatives are watching TV or playing with friends. Yet last weekend we celebrated the completion of the semester with all 13 kids! Everyone met the challenge, some overcoming significant obstacles to stay in the program.

Our celebration retreat, a night at Great Wolf Lodge, illustrated the principle that hard work and diligence bring about great rewards. Surprisingly, it was the first time for many of the kids to stay overnight in a hotel. Great food, loving volunteers, and a warm welcome by a choir singing Christmas carols in the lobby were all aspects of their experience that added to the excitement of playing for hours in the water park. The most notable aspects of the retreat were relational. The five adult volunteers observed that kids who began as acquaintances had become a community, caring for each other and having fun together. Throughout the course of the weekend we set aside three times for worship and sharing. During these times we gave each kid a turn on the hot-seat as the rest of the group, volunteers and kids alike, showered each one verbally with compliments, appreciation and encouragement. It was beautiful to see kids shine (and cry) with joy as their peers and role-models affirmed their worth.

With half of our pilot LIT year now complete, we can already see great fruit in these kids’ lives. And it's not hard to imagine what great things God will do with them in the future!

In other news:

• Praise God! He has met our year-end giving goal of $25,000 through contributions from 42 generous donors!
• Praise God for providing a well-working vehicle for the single mother-of-three that desperately needs it!
• Six neighborhood families with limited finances were adopted by local Christian families and small groups, who shopped and generously supplied Christmas gifts that otherwise wouldn't have been under the tree this year.
• We'll celebrate Christmas Eve together as a community of faith for the first time this year in our facility.

Prayer needs:

• Pray for the Hispanic members of our community that are suffering being apart from their immediate family during the holiday season.

Current needs:

• Food items for the resource center, including rice, cooking oil, sugar, dry beans, dry pasta, and baby formula.
• Beds--any size

Upcoming dates:

• Thursday, January 22: ESL classes and Kids Adelante resume

Celebrating Christmas the Mission Adelante Way

Last Saturday evening the Mission Adelante Christmas Party, which had around 250 in attendance, ended our 10th trimester (and 3rd full year) of ministry with a bang! For those of you who have a hard time getting your arms around how Mission Adelante works, the Christmas Party (or any of our trimester-end parties for that matter) is perhaps the best panoramic view of our entire ministry. Besides the fellowship and a wonderful meal (Chinese food--go figure!), we use the opportunity to recognize stand-out kids from our Leaders in Training and Kids Adelante programs with awards that include “Perfect Attendance”, “Bible Memory”, “Enthusiasm”, “Leadership”, and “Servant Heart”. The adult ESL students also have their moment to shine as they graduate from one level of our program to the next and receive their certificates. Volunteers who have served for one or two full years also receive an award and special recognition. With family and friends of students and volunteers present it is a perfect opportunity to share a message from scripture and encourage newcomers to join our Bible studies and sign up for the next trimester of English classes.

This year two volunteer groups from local churches helped with different aspects of the party. Sari Higgins’ small group from Christ Community Church created a festive environment by providing all the decorations and doing the set up for the party. Casey Kapple and a group of youth from Emmanuel Baptist Church handled over 100 kids in the gymnasium during the adult portion of the program. I can’t imagine doing this party without that kind of help! A big thank you to all who pitched in!

In the end the event was a blessing for everyone involved and an exciting glimpse of what God is doing among Hispanic immigrants in Kansas City, KS.

Prayer needs:

• Praise God with us for the funds He has already provided through year-end contributions. We have now received $18,415, given by 37 donors! Continue to pray with us for God to meet our goal of $25,000.

Current needs:

• A used minivan or car (for a single mother of three in a desperate situation)
• Food items for the resource center, including rice, cooking oil, sugar, dry beans, dry pasta, and baby formula.

Meeting the Cold with Warmth

Today a snowy, windy cold front moved into Kansas City. Thanks to the generosity of local churches and volunteers, Mission Adelante played a role in helping Hispanics prepare for this cold season. Last Thursday night, we set out a table of more than 50 kids' hats, gloves, and scarves to benefit the families who take English classes or participate in Kids Adelante. We were filled with joy as we watched each family take what they needed. What a great way to meet an immediate need and to hopefully draw these folks closer to God, the Provider. We told the families that coats would be available on Saturday.

Two days later, 18 families came through our resource center and received coats for the family members needing one. Some left with clothes and food as well. It was incredible! Their smiles said it all! We have never had such a response to the items we can offer. Without the help of those who partner with us through coat drives, food drop-offs, or personal donations, we would not be able to meet these needs. God’s timing and provision is always perfect and so was the timing of generous givers. Today, the wind and snow is much more bearable for a group of Hispanics.

If you can help us prepare to meet future needs, please partner with us by donating some basic food items including rice, cooking oil, sugar, dry beans, dry pasta, and baby formula.

In other news:

• The Trimester-end/Christmas Party is this Saturday, December 13, at 5:30. Please join us at the Bethany Community Center, located at 12th Street and Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. Everyone is invited! Please also invite anyone you know who is interested in learning more about Mission Adelante or possibly volunteering in the future!

Prayer needs:

• Praise God with us for the funds He has already provided through the givers who have made year-end contributions. We have already received $13,500! Continue to pray with us for God to allow our goal of $25,000 to be met.
• Thanks for praying for the two pre-teen girls we mentioned two weeks ago who are enduring difficult home situations. There has been progress for one of them, as Jarrett and another volunteer were able to meet with the girl's mother to discuss the situation. Please continue to pray for God to create peaceful and nurturing environments in these two young womens' homes.
• Please pray for those individuals in whom we've invested during this trimester of classes and those we'll meet this Saturday at the party to accept our invitation to the Worship Celebrations.

Current needs:

• A used minivan or car (for a single mother of three in a desperate situation)
• Food items for the resource center, including rice, cooking oil, sugar, dry beans, dry pasta, and baby formula.

Year-End Giving Opportunities with Mission Adelante

Many of you may know that special contributions around year-end have made up a significant portion of our annual budget each year since we began. If you’re wondering whether your gift is needed or not, it is; and maybe more so than in years past. Though I know that God will provide for our needs as a ministry, those needs have grown as our ministry has begun to mature. We’re no longer a start-up ministry operating out of the director’s home! I also know that this provision doesn’t happen without personal sacrifice and generosity by those who support us. So, please pray for Mission Adelante’s financial needs and contribute however you are able.

General Fund Needs for 2009 ($108,000—to be covered by year-end and monthly contributions shown below) Our general fund covers everything from compensation for Jarrett Meek (Executive Director) and Morgan Ham (Executive Assistant) to strategic programs like ESL, Kids Adelante, Leaders In Training, Community-Building Events and Disciple-Making, as well as office supplies, equipment, utilities and other expenses.

• Year-End Giving Goal: $25,000. We are praying that God would launch us into 2009 by providing a significant portion of our funding in year-end gifts. To meet this goal we know that God will need to move and many people will need to answer His call by giving sacrificially.
• Monthly Contributions: $6916/mo. Whether your monthly amount is big or small, those of you who contribute to our ministry on a recurring or monthly basis are the backbone of our financial support. We are SO thankful for you and we need you! Of the $6916 we need each month to run our ministry, we currently have about $5217 in monthly commitments. That means we are about $1700 short each month. Some of you who currently give may be in a situation to increase your monthly amount. But, we are especially asking God to bring 15 new donors on board this year who give in the $25-$200/month range.

Staff Support Needs: Mission Adelante uses a missionary model of fundraising to cover expenses for Ministry Staff. Each Ministry Staff member must raise support funds to cover the amount of his/her salary, payroll taxes, benefits, and a small percentage of the overall ministry budget. Year-end giving provides an important boost to Ministry Staff support accounts that makes up the difference when monthly support commitments are low. Please consider making a year-end contribution to support our staff funding needs. You can include a note to designate your contribution in the following ways:

• To support the ministry of Jason and Megan Schoff (Jason is our ESL Director)
• To support the ministry of Molly Merrick (Molly is raising funds to begin as a Ministry Aide)
• To support the ministry of Megan McDermott (Megan is raising funds to begin as our Director of Kids Adelante)

Again, thank you for your support! I look forward to this next ministry year and to keeping you informed about how God is working among Hispanic immigrants in Kansas City.

In His Grace,

Jarrett Meek

In other news:

• Thanks to Christ Community Church in Leawood, First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, KS, and a local Girl Scout chapter, our Resource Center is completely stocked with winter coats and accessories. We're so glad to be able to make them available to people who need them!
• Mission Adelante staff and volunteers enjoyed a break for Thanksgiving last week, and we're anticipating resuming ESL classes and Kids Adelante this Thursday, December 4.

Prayer needs:

• Mayra is a member of our faith community. Her teenage son broke his foot in a motorcycle accident last week and will need surgery this week. Please pray for his quick recovery and for God's provision for the cost of the surgery.
• Mission Adelante's Board of Directors will meet this Sunday to approve 2009 goals and budget. Please pray for their decisions to be made with wisdom for the sake of God's glory.
• El Equipo de Crecimiento Espiritual (The Spiritual Growth Team), made up of Anglos and Hispanics from our faith community, are preparing to kick off another round of discipleship beginning in the new year. Please pray for high enthusiasm and momentum among participants.

Current needs:

• A hot water heater for the Mission Adelante facility
• Baby formula to make available in the Resource Center (please check the expiration date on the containers.)

Important upcoming dates:

• Saturday, December 13 @ 5:30: Trimester-end/Christmas Party at Bethany Community Center (12th Street & Central Avenue, KCK). Everyone is invited! Please invite anyone you know who is interested in learning more about Mission Adelante or possibly volunteering in the future!
• Saturday, January 10: New Volunteer Orientation & Training at The Mission

A Mother's Sacrifice

Four years ago, Graciela and her six kids boarded a plane in Argentina bound for the United States. She sought the best possible education for her children. She left behind a fifteen-year career as a pediatrician. From what she has shared, Graciela had spent her whole career working in a hospital. It was the environment she felt most comfortable and thrived in. However, she wanted more for her six kids than what was available to them in their home country.

When they arrived with their visas and lawful residence in the United States, the kids enrolled in elementary, middle and high school. Graciela got right to work to provide for them and found herself in a totally different environment than she was used to. She knew no English, didn't have the credentials to practice medicine, and was living in a foreign land. All of her years studying and practicing medicine were seemingly worthless. After four years of working in factories and doing part time Spanish tutoring, Graciela came to Mission Adelante.

In the last six months, we have encouraged Graciela in her effort to learn English and attempted to help her return to the vocation she is passionate about: medicine. However, fear and discouragement filled her thoughts. Many doctors here in the US had told her she would not be able to pass the boards, others said she was too old to master English (at age 50), and her own heart doubted herself. Our goal was not only to teach Graciela English, but also to help her believe again. Thanks to one of our ministry partners, Graciela has been offered an opportunity to begin working in a clinic next month. No she won’t be a doctor (just yet!) but she is elated to be “home again” in a clinic where she hopes to begin as a Medical Assistant. In the mean time, her kids are doing well in school making the most of the opportunities before them, thanks to their mom’s sacrifice.

In other news:

• There will be no events this Thursday, November 27, in observation of Thanksgiving. ESL classes and Kids Adelante will resume next Thursday, December 4.
• We celebrated Seth Sears' completion of his 3-year apprenticeship with Mission Adelante on Saturday night.
• After a year of absence from our Bible study community, an honest conversation helped persuade Gaby to return to fellowship with us.
• Leticia helped lead a Bible study group on Sunday night by leading prayer and part of the lesson.

Prayer needs:

• Please join us in praying that God would launch us into 2009 by providing a significant portion of our funding in year-end gifts. Last year, God provided $27,000 in year-end gifts. Our goal for this year is $25,000. Please help us pray that many people will answer God's call for sacrificial giving.
• Two young women in the Leaders In Training program are struggling with difficult situations at home. Please pray for God to transform their homes into peaceful and nurturing environments.

Current needs:

• An electric stove
• A washing machine
• Plain white copy paper

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, December 1: All-Volunteer Team Meeting. 6:30 @ the Mission
• Saturday, December 13: Trimester-end/Christmas Party. 5:30 @ Bethany Community Center

Thank You Video from the Meek Family

Enjoy this home video of Meek Family highlights from 2008 as a "Thank You" for your support for Mission Adelante.


Thank You from the Meek Family-2008 from Jarrett on Vimeo.

Losing Our Lives

Last night I struggled with the increasing tide of immigrant families facing economic and other crises. How do you remain standing in a tsunami of human needs? I don't have the answers, but I am thankful that God has put us here to befriend, to serve, and to encourage desperate people with the hope that their Creator loves them. 1 Thessalonians 1:8 has encouraged me. "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."

These feelings have been growing over the past week as a handful of fresh crises and challenges have arrived on Mission Adelante's doorstep. However, two visitors to the Bible study we have in our home each Sunday night brought it all to the surface. Catalina, a recently widowed immigrant, and her friend Isabel, whose husband is in prison, showed up at our Bible study with a set of life circumstances that would have caused even the strongest person to buckle. Between tears and contagious laughter they shared their stories with our group and we talked about what it means to care for one another in Christian community. As we went around the room and shared prayer requests, Isabel gave thanks for Catalina's friendship and the generous act of taking her in after her husband was arrested. Without English, having arrived in the U.S. only a few months before, her husband in prison, and with the responsibility of caring for two children, Isabel is hard pressed to find work in this flagging economy and this foreign land. And Catalina, having lost her husband just four months ago, is now faced with the reality of having to provide for herself and her youngest son who is sixteen years old. They talked about making tamales, Mexican hot chocolate called "atole", and cleaning houses to make ends meet. Hope and desperation mixed as I saw an older Catalina giving motherly hope to the vulnerable Isabel, and a youthful Isabel giving comfort to a mourning widow.

For me personally, I am challenged by what to do when surrounded by these circumstances. My hoarding heart wants to guard what is mine. And yet, the Spirit of God pushes me to act sacrificially. "How much is enough?" I ask myself. "What can I consider my own?" "Is this not a black hole of needs that can never be met?" Then I remember that Jesus said, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 16:25.

Lord, help us to give our lives away in service to you. Help us to consider others more important that ourselves. Help us to be willing to lose our lives and all we consider ours to find abundant life in you!

Jarrett Meek

In other news:

• Alberto, Hispanic co-leader of the Schoff's small group, led the study himself for the first time on Sunday evening while Jason was at the Mission with the children's ministry. He is continuing to show potential for a role of greater leadership in our community of faith!
• The Sunday evening children's ministry is developing, with three rotating point-people and most community members routinely volunteering to help.

Prayer needs:

• Wisdom to reallocate Seth Sears' responsibilities to staff members and volunteers. Seth's apprenticeship ended last week so he and Andrea can focus full-time on fundraising for their family's upcoming ministry in Costa Rica.
• God's financial provision for the Meek and Schoff families, who are fundraising for 2009, Molly Merrick and Megan McDermott, who are fundraising to come on staff, and the Sears family, who is fundraising for their new role with Christ for the City.

Current needs:

• an electric stove
• a washing machine

Call the office at (913) 281-6274 of you can provide one of these items.

If you come to the Mission routinely, you may have noticed the gray Rubbermaid bin in the front foyer to collect food donations. It will remain there permanently, so feel free to drop off your donation of non-perishable items whenever you come to the neighborhood!

Upcoming dates:

• Thursday, November 27: Fall break (Thanksgiving.) No ESL classes or Kids Adelante.
• Monday, December 1: All-Volunteer Team Meeting. 6:30 @ the Mission
• Saturday, December 13: Trimester-end/Christmas Party. 5:30 @ Bethany Community Center
  

A New Video for Mission Adelante

In this week's edition of The Adelante Express we invite you to watch our new video and catch a glimpse of the vision, heart and strategy behind our ministry to Hispanic immigrants. We also invite you to consider the call to get involved by Praying, Serving, or Giving.

Thank you for your support!




Mission Adelante Video from Jarrett on Vimeo.

A big thank you to Andy Michael and Heartland's HEMI division for producing this exciting tool!

An Immigrant's Vulnerability

Imagine being faced with this choice—leave your daughter back home in Honduras and find work in the United States so you can send money home for tuition for her to become a teacher and have a future and opportunity. Or, stay home and know your daughter and participate in her childhood and upbringing, but sacrifice any real chance for her to gain the education necessary to break the cycle of poverty and despair.

That was the choice that Noelia, an English student in our program on Thursday nights, faced. About five years ago, she made the decision to leave her daughter and come here looking for work. Two years ago, she married a Mexican man to whom a friend introduced her. Due to abuse in the relationship, Noelia left her home and lived in a friend’s basement for several months this summer.

Through her relationship with her conversation partner in our English program, we were made aware of Noelia’s situation and needs. Jason Schoff and Seth Sears were able to meet with her, pray with her and provide donated goods for her to use in her new home.

We’re thankful that God has provided us an opportunity to care and provide for Noelia. Her situation is a stark reminder to us of the vulnerability that many immigrants here in the area face. However, it’s this very vulnerability that God uses to reach people’s hearts and turn them to him.

Please pray with us for Noelia and her family, that God would continue to provide for and protect them. Pray also that he would continue to reveal his love and grace to her that she might come to know and worship him.

In other news:

• Thirty-five adults and 36 kids attended the Worship Celebration at the Mission Sunday evening. Five Hispanic adults played supporting roles, including serving communion.
• Elaine, a member of our community, invited an acquaintance to the Worship Celebration, and he brought his family.
• Adiella was born to volunteers Jacob and Michelle Holland last Tuesday, October 7. The delivery went well and Michelle and Adiella are both doing fine.

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for Hispanic co-leaders in both Bible study groups to embrace their roles and grow in leadership.
• Please pray for the continuing development of the Sunday evening children's ministry, which corresponds to Worship Celebrations and Bible studies. A strategy is in place, but further development is necessary.

Current needs:

• Salma, a 12 year old Leaders In Training student, needs a winter coat. Her family also needs a washing machine.
• Help us stock the Resource Center with winter apparel including coats, hats, scarves, and gloves, especially women's and children's items.

Upcoming dates:

• November 1: Christmas family adoption begins. If you, your family, or your small group, etc., is interested in buying gifts for a needy family in our neighborhood this Christmas, e-mail Seth at seths@missionadelante.org!
• Monday, December 1 @ 6:30: All Volunteer Team Meeting @ The Mission.
• Saturday, December 13: Trimester-end Party

Friendship Contributes to Language Learners' Success

How do you make learning English enjoyable for adults? We combine English with friendship. Mission Adelante's English classes are unique because we emphasize relationships. We believe that students are most successful when they have a friend and fluent English speaker teaching them. Although a staff member or veteran volunteer teaches the class, we alone are limited in our impact. Each of our weekly volunteers play a key role in connecting with students, helping them meet a real need, and giving us a platform for sharing about Christ. This is great in theory but seeing it work is very rewarding.

Monday night, volunteer Irene and her student, Yolanda, came to study together during open tutoring. Yolanda shared how she tells all of her coworkers about Irene. “My coworkers know you by name! I tell them how much you are helping me and how they, too, should come study English with Mission Adelante.” What a sweet story! Irene, like many others, has helped us build trust with our students. This opens the door to pray with students, invite them to our church activities, and share personally about Christ’s love. Thanks, Irene, and all who serve with English Adelante!

In other news:

• We're six weeks in to the first year of Leaders In Training. We've been pleased with the twelve students' consistent attendance and growth in attitude and character!
• Many thanks to Jenny Evans of Redemption Church for providing a complete meal for Leaders In Training students and volunteers each Wednesday afternoon.
• The fence is going up and grass is sprouting in the soccer field we're building on the Mission's property.

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for good attendance at the worship celebration this Sunday. Alberto, an emerging leader in our community of faith, will lead communion for the first time.
• Please pray for Michelle Holland, Kids Adelante and LIT volunteer, as she delivers her & Jacob's first baby this week, and recovers from the delivery.

Current needs:

We know that work opportunities for those in our community become more scarce during the winter. The Resource Center is dedicated to providing necessities for families in need. However, the shelves in our Resource Center for food items are becoming bare.

If you come to the Mission or the neighborhood routinely, we'd like to encourage you to pick up a couple of the following items the next time you're at the grocery store, bring them up with you, and drop them off!

• bagged beans, black or pinto
• rice
• vegetable oil
• sugar
• cereal

Important upcoming dates:

• November 1: Christmas family adoption begins. If you, your family, or your small group, etc., is interested in buying gifts for a needy family in our neighborhood this Christmas, e-mail Seth at seths@missionadelante.org!
• Monday, December 1 @ 6:30: All Volunteer Team Meeting @ The Mission.
• Saturday, December 13: Trimester-end Party

The Intersection of Two Worlds

Mission Adelante is not only a ministry to Hispanic immigrants; it is also a ministry for people who have a heart for cross-cultural ministry. From our inception, we have realized that there are many, many people in suburban churches in America who feel some sense of calling to invest in people from other cultures. Some have lived oversees. Others have been on short-term mission trips. Many feel a sense of unease about wrapping themselves in affluence without ever rubbing shoulders with people experiencing the brokenness of poverty or struggling to survive here in a foreign land. Mission Adelante stands as a bridge between these two worlds which are geographically so close but whose intersection with one another is so very limited.

Bethany Croasmun is a volunteer who recently joined the Mission Adelante team. Growing up in urban Chicago, Bethany learned to speak Spanish in school and with friends and has had a lot of cross-cultural experience for a woman her age. Mission trips to Ecuador, followed by a year of Bible college there were some of the building blocks of her desire to serve in a cross-cultural context. As a part of her International Relations program at Georgetown University, Bethany studied abroad in Mexico City. And, following her study abroad experience, was beginning a short-term stint working as a missionary there when a serious illness struck and she had to return home.

With a passion for Hispanic culture and ministry, Bethany doubted she would find an outlet for her calling here in Kansas City. But, in her words, “God took something that could have been really traumatic in my life and turned in into an opportunity to grow in cross-cultural ministry in a different context.” For Bethany, like most of us, it was surprising to find a mission field in her own backyard. For many of us who have lived in another country and been welcomed with open arms it is easy to imagine how lonely and isolating the experience would have been without the support and hospitality of people in our host country. Unfortunately, that is the experience of many immigrants in the U.S. However, when Christians show godly compassion and hospitality to “outsiders” in our country they are surprised and moved by it. Bethany notes, “The combination of physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs really puts people in a place where they are open to hearing about God’s love.”

It has been exciting to see how God has used Mission Adelante to connect people like Bethany to a cross-cultural ministry opportunity right here in our own city. Currently more than 70 ongoing volunteers serve on a regular basis at Mission Adelante in addition to many more who come as part of occasional work projects. Even with such a strong team of volunteers, the opportunity and need is much larger than we can address. As the Mission Adelante board and leadership look forward over the next five years, we anticipate the need for more staff and more volunteers to continue to meet the needs in our current neighborhood as well as other areas of the city where Hispanic immigrants make up a significant portion of the population. Please pray with us as we continue to make the effort to mobilize people who are called to serve in cross-cultural ministry to this mission field right here at home.

In other news:

• The Board of Overseers met Sunday and approved the Five-Year Plan, which details the development of Mission Adelante's ministry through 2013. Please pray for board and staff members to have wisdom to discern the initial steps to implement during 2009.
• The Resource Center Team including one Hispanic opened the Center on Saturday morning. A very thankful family received food and clothing items.
• Spanish classes to help equip volunteers have ramped up again this fall, with ten students.
• We're grateful for Karen Harvey and her team from Christ Community Church that provides a complete meal for Leaders In Training students and volunteers each Monday.

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for Seth Sears' family, as they're grieving the loss of Seth's grandfather this week. Also, keep Jason Schoff and his family in your prayers, as Jason's grandfather is in his last days.

Current needs:

To restock our resource center:

• baby items, especially diapers and wipes
• non-perishable food item
• winter clothes

To find a complete list of requested items to stock the Resource Center, click http://www.missionadelante.org/docs/ResourceCenterOngoingNeedsList.doc.

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, December 1 @ 6:30: All Volunteer Team Meeting
• Saturday, December 13: Trimester-End Party

Apples in the Desert

When Mission Adelante launched three years ago, our hope was that one day we would see Latino immigrants who had received Christ through our ministry beginning to discover the blessing of serving others and doing ministry alongside us. This, in fact, is precisely what Jesus did this with His disciples. He called them to follow. He taught and modeled the Christian life. He demonstrated ministry and delegated responsibilities. He supervised and gave feedback. The ministry of Jesus, as much as it was to the multitudes, was even more focused on twelve “disciples” who he was equipping and mobilizing to one day bring to fruition the first phase of his plan to redeem people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Today, half way around the world, and in every corner of the earth, we are still carrying out this same mission.

This evangelizing-establishing-equipping-mobilizing process does not take place over night! It requires a long-term commitment and investment in the lives of people who are learning to seek God for the first time. For nearly a year the core team of staff and volunteers involved in our first Bible study poured themselves into one couple who had received Christ and many others who we were meeting through our English classes. In year two, many more began to join our group and grow in Christ. Now, at the close of year three, we are seeing many of these fledgling believers begin to find their wings in serving. For the first time we have two Latino couples co-leading Bible studies in homes. A young Hispanic woman leads our “service team” with several other Latino members who maintain our new facility. Another Hispanic woman coordinates hospitality for our worship services. And, as our small congregation continues to grow, members from our own community have begun to take responsibility for developing a children’s ministry on Sunday nights. God is producing fruit.

The spiritual process of planting, watering, and harvesting is not without its heartaches. It seems that each victory is hard-fought in our context. The volatility of immigrants’ lives, the cultural obstacles to overcome, and the raw brokenness that comes from sin make for some pretty discouraging days. And so, I find myself writing this brief update, not only to fill you in on God’s work, but also to encourage myself to reflect on the ways God has produced fruit from some very dry and weary soil. Please pray with us for the immigrants in our community who are beginning to serve. Pray that they would serve with joyful hearts. Pray that they would become more and more consistent and diligent in their service. Pray that their faith and commitment to Christ will grow through their work for Him.

In other news:

• Thirty-five English Language Learners, 49 kids, and 33 American volunteers made for a great first night of our fall trimester last Thursday!
• Twenty-five adults attended small groups in neighborhood homes on Sunday evening and began studying Paul's letter to the Philippians.
• Marty Siler of Epic Landscaping volunteered his time to level the soccer field that is being built on the Mission's property and prepare it for seeding.

Prayer needs:

• Jose, who we told you returned to Mexico last week to care for his ill son, arrived there and called with an update: His son has come out of a coma and is no longer mortally ill, but faces several more months in the hospital. Please continue praying for his recovery.
• Please petition God to stabilize the financial situation of one of our community families.
• Pray for Rogelio, the 11-year-old son of a family in our community. He is displaying a lot of rebellion and becoming quite a challenge to his parents.
• Jacob and Michelle Holland, volunteers and faith-community members, are expecting the arrival of their baby girl this week. Please pray for a safe and pleasant delivery.

Current needs:

To restock our resource center for the new trimester:

• baby items (diapers, wipes, etc.)
  
• non-perishable food items

To find a complete list of requested items to stock the Resource Center, click http://www.missionadelante.org/docs/ResourceCenterOngoingNeedsList.doc.