Summer Interns from our Neighborhood!!

Our Summer Internship opening retreat began in Lawrence

by Jarrett Meek, Founder, Executive Pastor

Jesus, having seen the crowds of people in the towns around Jerusalem had compassion on them.  "The are like sheep without a shepherd," he said.  Where are the shepherds?  Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he would send out workers into his harvest field."  And then Jesus sends his twelve disciples out to preach the good news.  The disciples became the harvest workers.  This was Jesus' plan!

When I look throughout our urban Kansas City neighborhood I see deep and desperate needs all around, but I also see great potential.  I see sheep without a shepherd, but at the same time I see young leaders emerging.  Our prayer at Mission Adelante has been that God would raise up workers for His harvest from within our neighborhood.  And its happening!  

This weekend we launched our first ever summer internship for emerging leaders from our own neighborhood; 

Helen Venegas, Edgar Soriano, Iris Venegas, and Odalis Delgado.  

These are amazing young people who have been involved in Mission Adelante now for many years, most of them having started with us as kids when Kids Adelante still met in our basement.  Over the years the Lord has worked in their lives in powerful ways and has begun something that we are confident He will continue on until the day of Christ Jesus.  These neighborhood all-stars are learning to follow Jesus, they're making an impact, blazing new trails, loving their peers, and becoming leaders in our ministry.

This summer they will become key-carrying members of our staff, walking closely with mentors, doing ministry together, receiving training workshops and being challenged to seek the Lord in their own personal lives in new and deeper ways.  They are ready to be sent out, just like the disciples were sent out; not yet fully trained, but bravely depending on Jesus for every step in their own growth, knowing that He will use them in ways they never imagined and that the experience will shape their own lives.

The opening retreat for the internship began in Lawrence with a tour of KU's campus, where Iris will be attending in the Fall.  And then we moved to The Barn Bed and Breakfast Inn were we dove into games and activities that deepened our relationships and set a course for pursuing Christ together through the summer.  As I look forward to the next 8 weeks I am expectant and excited about what the Lord will do in their lives and through them.  And I continue to "pray that the Lord would raise us workers for His harvest" from within our neighborhood.  Please pray with us this summer!

In other news

  • This trimester we have a new volunteer position available at Bhutanese Teens Club.Tenteenagerswill serve as captains this trimester. These captains will have leadership roles and help teach or organize games. We are excited to see these students develop their leadership abilityas they learn to follow Yeshu (Jesus) this summer!
  • Four Latino teens confirmed their participation as summer interns this past week.  They will be challenged in new ways over the next two months, but they are ready and eager.
  • Yanelis, the Raices director in Cuba, arrived on Saturday and will help lead our summer interns in discipleship seminars.  We are excited to have her here this summer.
  • A Memorial Day get-together at the Meeks’ home turned into a beautiful multicultural party.  A spontaneous dance party erupted on the patio--and on the picnic table! There was football, volleyball, and croquet in the yard, s'mores in the firepit, and all kinds of meat on the open grill.  It was a slice of heaven!

Prayer needs

  • Please pray for our senators and representatives looking to reform immigration laws.  Pray for them to be wise, courageous, and God-honoring in their decisionmaking.
  • Please pray for English students and conversation partners to enjoy each other and develop authentic relationships as they spend time together this summer. 

Current Needs

  • We need several 4x8 foot ivory-colored cloth tablecloths to be used for events at the building. If you are able to provide these, please contact Jenny Dunn at jennyd@missionadelante.org.
  • We still need a few more board books for our Mommy & Me ESL and early literacy class in June. Please contact laurent@missionadelante.org for book titles.

 Important Dates

  • Latino Summer Program Launch: Tonight

Hearing First Hand

Written by Jason Schoff, Latino Outreach Director

This past week we hosted more than 25 new volunteers for our summer trimester orientation, and as always, we invited immigrants to come participate and share their story.  Janga led a song in Nepali, Narbu shared his testimony, and Julia* told her story.  Staff and volunteers alike were greatly impressed by the richness of our friends' participation and challenged by their boldness to share about their lives with strangers. 

During our Latino training time, Julia shared the difficulties she faces as a teen and described her family.  One of the things Julia shared was that she and several of her brothers and sisters were not born here but were brought here by her parents.  To share this publicly is huge because she was declaring that she is undocumented.  No one saw her this way, though.  This is the beauty of serving with Mission Adelante--opportunities to see people for who they really are, image-bearers of God.   

Some are refugees, some are undocumented, some are children, some are elderly, but all are eager to be loved, accepted, and valued.  Our volunteers come and get to experience this alongside our staff, which brings us pure joy.  Please pray for us this summer as we seek to do this well. To find out more about who undocumented immigrants are and how they affect our culture and economy, go to www.missionadelante.org/stranger.

 *Julia's true name was omitted.

 In other news:
  • We were so excited to celebrate the graduation of one of our teens, Iris, this week from Sumner Academy.  She has been part of the Mission Adelante family for six years and it has been such a privilege to walk with her!
 Prayer needs:
  • We are currently recruiting business mentors for our the Business Coaching ministry that is one of our Community Development Initiatives. Please pray with us that God will call forth individuals who are willing to share their expertise and disciple immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs.
  • We are in the final stages of planning for our summer trimester. Please pray that God will draw students, cultivate cross-cultural friendships, and reveal His love through our programs this summer!
  • We invited eight Latino teens to be part of our internship this summer.  Pray for an important meeting this Saturday with these teens and their parents to solidify final details.  
 Current needs 
  • We need ten vinyl, felt or flannel-backed tablecloths that are at-least 52”x 90” or 60”x84” in size for small group seating at summer kids camps.  Used is OK.  If you are able to provide these, please contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
  • One of this year's high school graduates will be the first from our community to go on to college! As she heads to KU this fall, we would love to bless her with a new laptop or Chrome book to set her up for success.  We are looking for a person or small group to purchase the computer.  Please contact Megan McDermott (meganm@missionadelante.org) if you would like to help.  (Please no cash donations)
  • We need several 4x8 foot ivory colored cloth tablecloths to be used for events at the building. If you are able to provide these, please contact Jenny Dunn at jennyd@missionadelante.org. 
 Important dates 
  • Summer Bhutanese programs launch: May 28.
  • Summer Latino programs lauch: May 30.
 

Raising up Leaders One Song at a Time

Written by Megan McDermott, Latino Children's Ministry Director

Have you ever met someone that after knowing them for only five minutes, reminded you of the absolute joy found in Christ?  When Janoy first came to Mission Adelante, he brought an infectious energy and a passion for Christ that has continued to inspire everyone around him.  He is a man that does everything with 100% of his heart and this became even more obvious as he began to emerge as a potential leader in our house church.

One of his greatest gifts is leading others in worshiping the Lord with his voice. When a church has a worship leader that loves to praise the Lord whole-heartedly, it allows the church body to pursue the Lord in a really intimate way. One of the greatest desires at the heart of Mission Adelante is that we are

dedicated to reproducing and equipping Indigenous leaders for ministry.

   Therefore, it seemed only natural to encourage and empower Janoy to step into leading the Latino worship team. 

The majority of the worship team is composed of teenagers that are hungry to learn and play music.  However, because they are still learning how to play the instruments and they struggle with self-confidence, they often experience a great deal of frustration when trying to learn a new song.  It has been so incredible to watch as Janoy,

one Indigenous leader, reaches out to help raise up other Indigenous leaders!

  Wouldn’t it be incredible if one day the teens themselves were mentoring the future worship leaders of our community, teaching what they learned from Janoy?

It is a blessing to walk alongside my brother, Janoy, as the Lord encourages and challenges him to lead others.  His passion for Christ is cultivating the melody of the song that the Lord desires to love His children with.

In other news:

  •  
  • We have been busy planning for our summer ESL classes. Bhutanese students will learn useful English words for gardening, food packaging, and road signs. We will even have a workshop for moms and their preschoolers. It’s going to be a great summer!
  •  
  • Cindy Green from Senator Jerry Moran’s office came to visit our ministry last week and learn about how we are serving and connecting with immigrants and refugees in our community.
  •  
  • Director of Community Development, Kristen Allen, attended the Christian Community Health Fellowship’s annual conference in Atlanta last weekend to continue networking and developing our vision for a community-based medical clinic for immigrants and refugees.

Prayer needs:

  •  
  • We are visiting 8 Latino teens this week with the hope they will move forward in applying for our summer internship.  Pray for these teens to catch a vision for how God wants’ to use them.
  •  
  • Please pray for emerging partnerships in our neighborhood with refugee groups from Burma.
  •  
  • Please pray for ongoing renewal and rest, deepening passion, and relational unity for our staff and missional community as we serve in a sometimes difficult urban context.

Current needs:

  •  
  • A set or two of 5-7 baby board books for our “mommy & me” Bhutanese ESL workshop. Please contact Lauren at laurent@missionadelante.org if you can help purchase one or more books.
  • Volunteers to join the Transportation Team for the Bhutanese Outreach. There are positions available on Tuesday evenings for the summer, as well as Tuesday - Thursday evenings in the month of June. For more information, contact Drew Hammond at drewh@missionadelante.org.

Important dates:

  • Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, May 18, 9:00-12:30 All volunteers should attend this training once at the beginning of serving with Mission Adelante. It's also a great way for someone to become familiar with Mission Adelante's ministry. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about what we do, and about our volunteer opportunities, please plan to attend/encourage him or her to attend this informative training. 
  • All Volunteer Huddle & Dessert: Monday, May 20, 6:30 p.m. We encourage everyone that will be volunteering with us during our summer trimester to attend so we can prepare for a great launch. 
  • Summer trimester programs launch: Week of May 27

Dignity and Freedom

Written by Drew Hammond, Bhutanese Logistics Coordinator

 The Apostle Paul’s passion for the freedom of all people from sin and death that we see as we read Romans is perhaps the most powerful of all his writings. His letter to the Romans is written to both the Jew and the Gentile: people of extremely different first century cultures, but both crushed by the burden of sin. Similarly, in twenty-first century Kansas City, Kansas, we find ourselves weaving between Eastern-Nepali culture and Western-American culture, which are probably as culturally different as they could be.

 Much of what Paul writes to the Romans is unpacking what it means that Jesus came to save both the Jew and the Gentile, bearing the burden of sin and redeeming them through his death and resurrection. In Romans 1:16 Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Paul teaches us that the Gospel is for all people of all cultures.

 At Mission Adelante, we long to see people of every culture living in freedom from sin and death while maintaining cultural identity and dignity. We strive to proclaim the truth of Jesus to our brothers and sisters from other cultures in ways that affirm their culture and ultimately their heart. That can be as simple as sharing meals with our immigrant friends in their homes and enjoying the food they offer us. It can also be more complex, like discipling indigenous leaders to lead house churches in their first language, and helping them incorporate elements from their native culture in ways that proclaim Jesus as Lord. Our goal is to live our lives in the freedom Jesus offers alongside our friends from other tribes, tongues, and nations, so they can join us in experiencing His grace every day.

In other news:

  • Our Missional Community met Monday evening to welcome the Meek family back.  We meet each month for fellowship because we strongly believe in the importance of relationships. It was a fun time for the children and adults from our multicultural community to share a meal, play soccer, and catch up with each other.
  • Last week we welcomed Kristen Allen onto our staff officially to lead our Community Development Initiatives.  This weekend she is attending the Christian Community Health Fellowship conference in Atlanta to get heavy dose of vision and encouragement as we continue doing surveys in our community and building our team for this initiative.
  • The Adelante Thrift board is considering locations within our target area for our thrift store.  We are dreaming of a “business as missions” venture that will create jobs for people in our neighborhood and provide a sustainable source of income for some of our other ministries.
  • We are preparing to do our first ever summer internship for Latino youth from our own neighborhood!
  • Yanelis Lopez, the leader of RAICES, our partner ministry in Cuba, will be joining us for the summer to help lead our summer internship and learn along with our staff.
  • A dozen English class volunteers met last weekend to discuss building authentic relationships with our Bhutanese friends and their families. We were encouraged and went home with several practical ways to engage more deeply with them.

Prayer needs:

  • In order to pull off our weekly programming it takes an army of volunteers! These programs are very important because they serve as the initial jumping-off point for many of the relationships that develop in our community. Please join us in praying that the Lord would provide the volunteers needed to make this Summer’s trimester programming successful.
  • Please pray for the final part of the selection process for our summer internship.  We are praying that God will bring forward the right group of Latino youth for the pilot year of our program!


Current needs:

  • Sets of 5-7 toddler-friendly board books (baby animals, counting, body parts, etc) for a Mommy & Me English workshop this summer. If you are able to provide one or more books, please contact Lauren at laurent@missionadelante.org.
  • The Bhutanese outreach needs women college-age or older to volunteer at the Bhutanese Teens Club on Tuesday nights this Summer from 6pm-8:30pm. Volunteers would get the opportunity to show Bhutanese Teen girls the love of Jesus as they interact with them during the Teens Club program (youth group) through games, music, telling bible stories, praying, etc. If interested please contact Hannah Hume at hannahh@missionadelante.org.
  • We are looking for four Bhutanese Kids Club volunteers who would be interested in spending 10 weeks investing in small group of kids!  We need assistant leaders for the 4 year-olds, 2nd graders, 3rd graders and 4th-6th grade boys (would need to be a male volunteer).  If you are interested in serving, or would like more information contact Kristen Maxwell at Kristenm@missionadelante.org.
  • The resource center is in need of boys and girls and toddler clothing  Please help us out by not leaving donations outside of the Resource Center, or inside or outside of our facility!  The weather can make a mess out of them and render the donation useless!  Please contact Molly at mollym@missionadelante.org to arrange a time to drop-off your donation.


Important dates:

  • Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, May 18, 9:00-12:30 All volunteers should attend this training once at the beginning of serving with Mission Adelante. It's also a great way for someone to become familiar with Mission Adelante's ministry. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about what we do, and about our volunteer opportunities, please plan to attend/encourage him or her to attend this informative training. 
  • All Volunteer Huddle & Dessert: Monday, May 20, 6:30 p.m. We encourage everyone that will be volunteering with us during our summer trimester to attend so we can prepare for a great launch. 
  • Summer trimester programs launch: Week of May 27

Introducing Kristen Allen: Director of Community Development!

by Jarrett Meek, Founder, Executive Director/Pastor

I’m pleased to introduce you to Mission Adelante’s newest staff member!  For nearly a year and a half we have been dreaming, praying and planning for the launch of our new “Community Development Initiatives”, a new ministry division that will address some of the broader needs of our community including health-care, jobs and job skills training, and small business coaching for immigrants and refugees.  Because we believe that ministry begins with a called leader, many of our prayers have been for God to provide just the right person to lead this new effort.  We’ve prayed for someone who is an experienced organizational leader, someone who has passion for and cultural competence in working with immigrants and refugees, a person who is excited about living in our neighborhood, a leader whose competence and character will inspire the health-care professionals and business people who will be our partners, someone whose love for God and neighbor are deep and proven, and a person who is able to build strong and effective partnerships within our community to accomplish community development goals in a collaborative way.  Those qualifications seem like a tall order, but we believe God has provided just the right person!

So, with great enthusiasm, I present to you Kristen Allen, our new Director of Community Development!  Kristen, her husband Josh, and their three year old daughter, Samorn, moved to our KCK neighborhood in December, and have spent the last several months getting personally involved in the Mission Adelante family and helping to lay the foundations for some of the new initiatives we hope to launch in the coming months.  Although Kristen is a recent addition to our neighborhood, her experience working with refugees in our area and her knowledge of the unique needs of our community are extensive. Having worked as the Director of Refugee and Migrant Services at Catholic Charities in KCK from January 2008 to May 2012, Kristen’s leadership in developing programs, leading staff, and her cultural competence are well-proven.  During her tenure at Catholic Charities, Mission Adelante staff had frequent interactions with Kristen and experienced her collaborative spirit first hand as we coordinated services together for our Bhutanese friends.  Kristen brings with her many significant relationships with community leaders within other refugee groups in KCK, including the Chin, Karen and Karenni groups, opening up possibilities for Mission Adelante to serve new ethnic communities in our area.  The Mission Adelante community and the larger community of KCK is very blessed to have her as a part of the team!

In other news:

  • Welcome, Jude Elden Stetler!  Jude was born to David & Holly and siblings Anna and Isaac on Friday, April 26.  Everyone is doing well!
  • Jarrett & Kristen Meek and family were greeted by a lively welcome party at the airport upon their arrival back to Kansas City on Monday evening.  They say they were ready to conclude their four-month sabbatical to Costa Rica and come back to Mission Adelante.  We're very happy to have them back!
  • We've known Iris, now a high-school senior, for around six years while she participated in Kids Adelante, Leaders In Training, and Teens Adelante.  Megan McDermott dedicated many hours last fall and this spring walking Iris through college admission and scholarship applications.  Iris has decided to attend K.U. and aspires to become a doctor.  We're enormously proud of her!

Current needs:

  • Sets of 5-7 toddler-friendly board books (baby animals, counting, body parts, etc) for a Mommy & Me English workshop this summer. If you are able to provide one or more books, please contact Lauren at laurent@missionadelante.org.

Important Dates:

  • Bhutanese ESL Volunteer Snacks and Training: Saturday, May 4, 2:00,at Lauren Timberlake’s house. Please consider joining us for fun, prayer and some cultural training as we keep learning how to love the Bhutanese well. Please contact Jenny Dunn at jennyd@missionadelante.org for more details.
  • Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, May 18, 9:00-12:30All volunteers should attend this training once at the beginning of serving with Mission Adelante.  It's also a great way for someone to become familiar with Mission Adelante's ministry.  If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about what we do, and about our volunteer opportunities, please plan to attend/encourage him or her to attend this informative training.
  • All Volunteer Huddle & Dessert: Monday, May 20, 6:30 p.m.  We encourage everyone that will be volunteering with us during our summer trimester to attend so we can prepare for a great launch.
  • Summer trimester programs launch: Week of May 27

A New Ministry Beginning at Mission Adelante!

by Jarrett Meek, Founder, Executive Director

Marking Milestones

There are important milestones in the life of every person, organization, and ministry; moments that mark movement forward, new growth, or the beginning of a new season.  These moments do a lot to define our lives and our development.  For Mission Adelante I can look back over our eight years and see many of these moments, but three events rise to the top of our list of milestones.  The launch of the ministry, and specifically the beginning of our first "house church", the acquisition of our building, and the launch of our Bhutanese ministries.  The initial launch of our ministry qualifies as a major milestone for obvious reasons, but the beginning of our first "house church" in that same season specifically represented the spiritual first-fruits of our ministry and evidence that what we began could really work. What was a dream had become a reality as we saw the first immigrant family receive Christ and join our fellowship.  The acquisition of a building was another major milestone in that it was truly a game changer.  Heartland Community Church provided the funding for the purchase and remodel in a amazing show of support that vaulted us years forward in our development.  And the launch of our Bhutanese ministries represented the proving of our ministry vision/model with a cultural group other than Latinos, something that has caused us to grow dramatically and open our eyes even wider to what the Lord may want to do with us in the future.  And now, I'm excited to share with you that Mission Adelante is at the beginning of what I believe will be another major milestone in our ministry's development: the launch of a new ministry division called "Community Development Initiatives."

Community Development: Individual and Community Transformation

While much of what we've done up to this point could be considered community development, we are now poised to build on the relational network and the emphasis on individual transformation that we've worked so hard to establish and begin addressing some of the larger issues and needs we have seen in our community.  Being very passionate about our identity and vision as a disciple-making mission, we are intent on holding on to this core calling even as we begin engaging in broader community development initiatives.  We believe that community transformation can spring forth from individual transformation, and that those who at one time were recipients of care and service can become owners and stakeholders in initiatives that improve our entire neighborhood.  Our community development ministry will involve emerging leaders from our neighborhood in developing new initiatives that make a community-wide impact in areas such as entrepreneurialism, job-skills training, and health care that is accessible to people who come from other places.

The Impact of Business: Empowerment, Jobs, Economic Sustainability

At the nexus of business and ministry there is a powerful synergy that moves beyond charity and betterment to development.  Equipping people with marketplace skills and entrepreneurial tools, and helping them start small businesses is empowering, promotes community ownership, improves the financial outlook for their families, and contributes to the economy of our entire community.  In a conversation with Pastor Rick Behrens he shared his perspective on the impact of immigrant entrepreneurs on our neighborhood; "Twenty years ago an economic study was done on the Central Avenue area in KCK, and based on that study they predicted that by the year 2000 our area would be a ghost town.  But, they didn't know who was coming and what God had in mind."  Today immigrant-owned businesses are fueling an amazing comeback in our area.  A study done by the

Hamilton Project

states, "Today's immigrants possess a strong entrepreneurial spirit.  In fact, immigrants are 30% more likely to form new businesses than U.S.-born citizens."  Imagine the impact training, coaching, and start-up capital could have on immigrant entrepreneurs and on the economic development of our community!

The Need for Accessible Health Care

For those of us who were born in the U.S., navigating our health-care system can be an intimidating and confusing experience.  Now, imagine trying to make your way through this gauntlet of paperwork, long sterile halls, and sky-high bills as a new refugee coming directly from a camp in Nepal with very little English.  A 2013 study done by the

Population Health Institute

ranks Wyandotte County 99th out of 102 counties in Kansas for health outcomes (mortality and morbidity), while neighboring Johnson County is ranked #1.  In addition to other factors, our community is clearly under-served in terms of health-care.  Our immigrant friends often hesitate to visit the doctor because cultural and language barriers create a sense of fear and distrust that are very difficult to overcome.  High health-care costs and lack of insurance make preventative or primary care seem like an un-affordable luxury, and the emergency room often becomes the first stop for patients who could have prevented a crisis by seeing the doctor sooner.  As we explore ways to address some of the most glaring needs in our community, making health-care accessible both culturally and financially to immigrants has emerged as one of our highest priorities.

What's Happening Now?

Over the past several months Mission Adelante has begun preparations to launch three new initiatives:

  • Adelante Thrift: We have formed a board of directors and are working on a launch plan for a neighborhood thrift store that will provide jobs and job-skills training, and will serve as an incubator for small immigrant-owned businesses.  Income generated by Adelante Thrift will provide another source of sustainable funding for other Mission Adelante ministries.
  • Micro-lending/Small business start-up ministry: Last fall we piloted our first business as ministry project as we helped the RG Asian store (ethnic groceries) start-up in our neighborhood.  This summer, as we form our team for this new ministry program, we will be hosting Rudy Carrasco from Partners Worldwide for a training seminar on business as ministry.  Stay tuned for more details!
  • Medical Clinic: A team of people from our neighborhood has been hard at work doing surveys and focus groups within the Mission Adelante community to assess the real health-care needs of the people we serve.  We are hoping to finish these surveys in the next couple of months.

Funding Needs

One of the biggest challenges and most important aspects of our plan to launch these new initiatives will be to raise the funds necessary to move forward.  During the second half of 2013 we will praying earnestly and  making a significant effort to both increase funding for our General Ministry Fund, as well as secure funding for our new Community Development Initiatives.  We will be approaching current donors to suggest an increase in giving for those who are able, and inviting new people to partner with us financially as well.  Though our "campaign" has not yet begun, if you would like to begin contributing or increase your giving you may do so online by visiting

www.missionadelante.org/give

.

The Faces of Immigration

Written by Lauren Timberlake

Photos by Molly Merrick

We have recently shared several posts inviting readers to investigate what the Bible says about immigrants and to examine attitudes in the light of those truths. That is hard work, and we thank God so many are taking the time to engage in something that we really care about at Mission Adelante. Today, we’d like to focus on one of the reasons why we care so much. Immigration is not just theology or politics to us-- it is individuals and families, grandmothers and little boys, friends and even co-laborers with us in our efforts towards sharing the message of Jesus. Here are some photos of the immigrants in our community, taken at last week’s trimester-end celebrations. As you scroll, please pray for these people and the community they represent, for their families and their futures, for health and stability, for life and hope.

Ratna, Julie, and Ran walk into the Bhutanese Family Fun Celebration together.

Beth loves on kids as they wait in line for food at the Latino End of Trimester Party.

The youngest group from Kids Adelante lines up together after receiving awards.

Brenda and Tika enjoy creating temporary henna “tattoos” together at the mehndi station.

The program awards are finished, and Krishna and Janelle help get the Nepali dance party started.

Michael earned the pinnacle award for learning all the verses and not missing a day of Kids Adelante this term.

Kids Club friends Sarah, Kabita and Pramoda spend time together as they wait for dinner.

In other news:

  • Informational meetings were held on Sunday afternoon for students who are interested in beginning the application process for the Leaders in Training Program for the 2013-2014 school year.  Many students attended and have begun the application process!
  • More than 90 evangelical leaders from Kansas City gathered on Tuesday to hear from Noel Castellanos, CEO of Christian Community Development Association, about our call to confront injustice for the benefit of our neighbors, specifically, in this case, injustice in the form of out-dated immigration policy. See Fox 4's news coverage of the event.
  • We're always grateful for donations to our Resource Center.  Please help us out by not leaving donations outside of the Resource Center, or inside or outside of our facility!  The weather can make a mess out of them!  Please contact Molly at mollym@missionadelante.org to arrange a time to drop-off your donation.

Prayer needs:

  • As we reflect on the past trimester and consider the feedback we've received, pray for God to lead us to continue to shape our programs to best serve the needs of immigrants, and to most clearly demonstrate to them the love of Christ.
  • Jarrett & Kristen Meek and family's sabbatical is about to conclude, and although we find ourselves increasingly eager to welcome them back to Kansas City this Monday, we know it will be a taxing transition for them.  Please pray for the Lord to supply extra energy and patience for them in the coming weeks.

Important dates:

  • Bhutanese ESL Volunteer Snacks and Training: Saturday, May 4, 2:00,at Lauren Timberlake’s house. Please consider joining us for fun, prayer and some cultural training as we keep learning how to love the Bhutanese well. Please contact Jenny Dunn at jennyd@missionadelante.org for more details.
  • Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, May 18, 9:00-12:30All volunteers should attend this training once at the beginning of serving with Mission Adelante.  It's also a great way for someone to become familiar with Mission Adelante's ministry.  If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about what we do, and about our volunteer opportunities, please plan to attend/encourage him or her to attend this informative training.
  • All Volunteer Huddle & Dessert: Monday, May 20, 6:30 p.m.  We encourage everyone that will be volunteering with us during our summer trimester to attend so we can prepare for a great launch.
  • Summer trimester programs launch: Week of May 27

"Crying For...": A poem for Christians about our hearts toward people from other places

"Crying For...", by Jarrett Meek

Rain falls like tears from heaven, crying for the pain of millions whom God loves and are created in His image.

Living to t

he South, cycles of poverty perpetuate, the stench of government corruption poisons progress, violence devastates viability, work and wages wither.

On mission trips we say, “wow, they are so happy in their simple life.” But, in believing so we minimize their strife.

We choose to view their suffering as a blessing while knowing inside that we could never live like that. We somehow see ourselves as different, and this blinds us to their plight and stops us short of action.

They’re now our neighbors, trying to escape what we could never bear. They’ve left children and wives, they’ve risked their lives to make a future for them and to leave despair.

We’re angry. We say “go back”. We look at them with disdain and demonstrate the compassion we lack. “What’s ours is ours” we feel justified in declaring, “we’re blessed by God and we don’t like sharing.”

“Wait in line”, “follow the rules”, “learn our language” we shout, not realizing or caring that our laws have shut them out. If you’re a doctor, welcome in or if your family member is a citizen. If not you can try your luck, win the lottery or you’re simply stuck.

“It’s economics”, we say as our hoarding hearts betray the fact that we were not sincere when in their land we shed a tear for the blessings that destroy and the poverty they enjoy.

Politics and Christianity now mixed make it hard to draw the line between secular and divine. Complexities build a web of confusion in our minds. How does Christian thought and action address the situation and distress?

“Obey the law”, some say, is the rule that wins the day. Not to slight this right command, but what about us who were born in this land? Does not the Lord this law decree, that love our neighbor is priority? What’s OUR response to our neighbor’s pain? How about mercy, not disdain!

Of course they’re sinners, as are we, we need the truth to set us free. The greatest commandment cannot be ignored, and without the gospel we can’t be restored. It’s the mission field you see, coming here to you and me.

Let us not in blindness miss the hypocrisy of all of this, to visit them in their land and say “Jesus loves” on one day, and then the next when they move in on our block to say “go home!” and bolt the lock.

The rain again is falling down, God crying for us Christians now. Not for suffering or for pain, but for missing the point, an ugly stain. Let us repent and turn around, God change our hearts renew us now, give us compassion and hearts of grace. Help us not to turn our face from you or those who need to taste the news of Christ his saving love and skies that clear from clouds above.

First Times with Friends

Written by Hannah Hume, Bhutanese Teens Coordinator

My Freshman year of college I lived in India for 5 months. It was a great experience, and one where I got to try a lot of things for the first time. I had my first motorcycle ride there, I ate lots of new foods, took bucket baths, and learned how to barter in the marketplace.

Similarly, many of our Latino and Bhutanese friends get to try lots of things for the first time when they move to America. Some of them are really fun, and some of them are not as fun. Whether it’s using a soda fountain for the first time and marveling at the world of modern convenience, seeing snow for the first time and sledding in it, or doing something less fun like learning how to read utility bills, immigrants get to have lots of firsts.

On Sunday, the Bhutanese outreach got to be a part of an exciting first-time event with our friends: bowling! Mission Adelante ends each trimester with a big party for the community. This trimester some of our staff got creative with the party planning, and we held our party at nearby St. John’s Catholic Club and bowling alley! For most of our Bhutanese friends, this was their first time ever bowling, and they loved it!

Inversely, the American volunteers got to experience some things for the first time, too. There was henna for the ladies to paint their hands, and Nepali Carrom board games for kids and adults to play. And of course we finished the night off with a lot of dancing to Hindi music!  It was a great time to celebrate the end of another trimester of learning English, making new friends, deepening old friendships, and growing in our knowledge of God together!

In other news:

  • Forty-nine Bhutanese ESL students were honored at our party last Sunday night for their consistent attendance this trimester. We are so proud of the way they continue to press into language study!
  • We celebrated our Latino program graduates, both kids and adults, at a party this past Saturday at Bethany Community Center in KCK.  It was a huge success! All of the main courses for dinner were prepared by participants and their families and our Leaders In Training students led activities for all the kids during the adult portion of the program.

Prayer needs:

  • Pray for compassionate and family-friendly immigration reform.
  • Sunday afternoon we will have meetings for students and parents interested in participating in the Leaders In Training program during the 2013-2014 school year.  Pray that the Lord would bring the right kids and guide everyone through the application process.
  • Pray for the Meek family as they're preparing for their return from sabbatical to the States on April 29! (Keep reading below this post for Jarrett's recent "Sabbatical Reflections from Costa Rica!")

Current needs:

  • We're always grateful for donations to our Resource Center. Please help us out by not leaving donations outside of the Resource Center, or inside or outside of our facility! The weather can make a mess out of them! Please contact Molly at mollym@missionadelante.org to arrange a time to drop-off your donation.
  • A Bhutanese family is in need of a car seat for their 18-month-old daughter. If you could provide one, please contact Drew at drewh@missionadelante.org.

Important dates:

  • Saturday, May 4, 2:00: Bhutanese ESL Volunteer Snacks and Training,at Lauren Timberlake’s house. Please consider joining us for fun, prayer and some cultural training as we keep learning how to love the Bhutanese well. Please contact Jenny Dunn at jennyd@missionadelante.org for more details.

Sabbatical Reflections from Costa Rica

by Jarrett Meek, Founder, Executive Director/Pastor

A sabbatical is a strange and wonderful thing; a phenomenon that defies the laws of productivity and normal 

adult experience.  The last time I can remember being free from responsibility for four solid months was before I entered kindergarten, which I naturally don't remember.  Even as a kid, the long summers of swimming, romping in the woods behind our house, and playing baseball always came to an abrupt end after just three months, and were replaced by the rigors of school and the constant pressure of much-dreaded homework.  And then, as an adult, there never really had been a break from responsibility.  Even during a rare two-week vacation there was always the knowledge that my work was waiting at home to punish me for leaving it unattended for so long.  And then suddenly (or not so suddenly if I think about all the preparation that was required), I was extracted from the battlefield of urban ministry in Kansas City on a snowy New Year's Eve morning.  When we landed that evening, I found myself surrounded by the sights, smells and sounds of Costa Rica with fireworks lighting up every corner of the warm night sky in what seemed like an extravagant city-wide, "welcome to sabbatical" party; a celebratory beginning of four months free of responsibility and separated from ministry by 2500 miles.  The lessons learned and the experiences lived during this time are in some ways very profound and in others quite mundane.  If you had four months to read, I would share it all with you.  But, for now you'll have to settle for a few highlights!

Routines, Rhythms, and Habits

I learned that a sabbatical is not a vacation.  On vacation, every routine is thrown out the window along with a whole lot of money.  Well, a family can't live like that for four months!  Besides realizing that the high prices of most products in Costa Rica would mean we would be watching every Colón (1/5 of a penny),  we also discovered fairly quickly that if we were going to thrive here during this time we would need to establish some rhythms and routines.  The opportunity to do this without factoring in work meant that daily exercise with the kids, homeschooling (yes, I was in charge of homeschooling during sabbatical), family devotional times, regular time playing basketball and baseball with Charlie, and frequent dates with Kristen would be easily established.  What a rich family time!

My own personal study time was also factored into the daily rhythm; about 2 hours/day of reading, writing, prayer, and Bible study.  This time was not pressured in any way, but at first was simply my time, doing whatever I felt like. It later became a little more focused as I found my rhythm.  One of the things I read in the first month was a classic Latin American novel called "Cién Años de Soledad."  As I reached back to try to remember all of the things I've enjoyed doing in the past, but haven't had time to do, I was struck by the importance of having habits that keep me from having to spend the mental energy making every decision each day about what to focus on.  I discovered that where there are habits and routines established around some of the most important things in our lives we are able to execute them much more consistently because we're not starting from scratch each day trying to make a new plan.  I reflected a lot on the inconsistency of my own spiritual disciplines over the last several years, and a personal goal for this sabbatical became to gently re-establish habits and rhythms around some of the things that are hard to maintain or restart during the busyness of life and ministry on the battlefield.

Primacy of Relationships

In the abundance of family time, devotional time, reading, and the relaxed schedule, the Lord brought me back many times to one important word: relationships.  Where have I put ministry productivity above loving others?  Where have I put ministry function above loving my teammates?  Where have I put results over relationships?  I don't want to be that kind of leader.  I don't want to be that kind of person.  I've seen it before; strong and gifted leaders whose competence replaces character and whose talent becomes a substitute for healthy relationships.  Surely results in ministry are enhanced by rich and thriving relationships over the long-haul.  Surely relationships are the essence of real godly ministry.  I pray the Lord will allow me to grow in this area and give me the eyes to see how I need to change and where I need to pursue reconciliation with people I've hurt along the way.

Being vs. Doing

The tension between "doing and being" is often talked about in ministry circles.  I don't know how this happened, but I think I've always misunderstood what was meant by the "being" side of this equation.  I guess I thought it meant inactivity, rest, just existing, the OPPOSITE of doing; kind of like the difference between work and rest.  Somehow during this sabbatical God changed my understanding of what the "being" side of this balance looks like and gave me a new excitement for it.  First, I discovered that it really isn't a balance at all.  Second, although the work vs. rest rhythm is very important, "BEING" in this sense should not be equated with rest as though it were the opposite of doing.  I spent a lot of time plumbing the depths of my own heart and character and reflecting on who I AM and who I want to BE.  I tried to put some of those thoughts in writing in the form of personal values and found that many of them ended up identifying character qualities that I long to see God form in me.  BEING, I discovered, has to do with what kind of person I AM.  And instead of creating tension with doing, the who I am, is the fountain out of which the doing flows.  "Every good tree produces good fruit..." (Mt. 7:17).  So on sabbatical I had time to reflect on who I am and who I want to be... my own growth and what God is doing in me.  Here is one example:

Lover of Mercy:  I want to always see the potential in the people around me, even those who fail many times.  I want to be quick to show mercy even when I have been personally wronged.  I want to avoid taking harsh and critical views of others, opting instead to be a person who defends the dignity of those whom others judge harshly.

Run While You Can!

Running has been an important part of my life since I was young.  I'll spare you the details of my glory days, but the point is that during this sabbatical I have renewed my love for running.  When we arrived here I have to confess that I was in the worst physical condition of my life.  My joints hurt, I had been dealing with a tight hamstring for nearly a year, I had a mild case of sciatica and a growing belly, and I really hadn't run much since a case of IT band syndrome had foiled my first attempt at training for a marathon back in the summer of 2011.  I felt like I was on a downward spiral in terms of exercise capacity and I was kind of depressed about it.  Well, here I've had ample time to rebuild little by little.  Somewhere along the way it dawned on me that there would come a day when I would not be ABLE to run anymore.  I would not be able to sprint.  I would not be able to run 2 miles.  "I need to enjoy this while I can", I thought.   And so I have!  And as we near the end of this four month half-time break, I am in better running condition that I have been in the last ten years.  I'm 32 years old again!  Just for fun, I've been running a slower version of the dreaded "quarter" workout we used to do in high school track and cross country; 16 x 400m sprints.   And now that I'm back in the exercise groove, my motivation to continue when we return is very strong.

Impact on Mission Adelante

It was never really in doubt, but that doesn't mean it was not significant.  The Lord has blessed Mission Adelante with some really gifted leaders who have been able to guide the ship and take new ground during my absence. And it is now clear that He has built a ministry that is not dependent on the personality of its founder.  All of the responsibilities of running the ministry were passed on to capable staff who led through highlights and challenges, without ever having to hit the emergency button and call me back in.  Not only did Mission Adelante survive, but its impact increased, and its leaders were challenged to grow in ways that would never have happened if I had been there.  And we will now have the opportunity to press into the lessons learned from this "disappearing leader" experiment as we look forward to how God will use this time in our future as a ministry.

With a couple of weeks left in this out-of-responsibility experience, my mind and heart are shifting back home, and I'm excited to reengage with the community and mission that God has given us.  There are exciting things on the horizon for Mission Adelante; things I am eager to share with you soon.  So, I invite you to pray for me in this transition, and for my family, and for the Mission Adelante community as we continue to live our God's calling to serve, share life and share Jesus with people from other places .  Thank you for your friendship and partnership!

Living Life-on-Life

Written by Jenny Dunn, Bhutanese ESL Coordinator

Hannah Hume with two Bhutanese teen girls

Hannah Hume with two Bhutanese teen girls

One of our core values at Mission Adelante is to make disciples and leaders that are capable of reproducing the work of Jesus.

This past year, our staff read and discussed the book

The Master Plan of Evangelism

by Robert E. Coleman. This book does an incredible job of bringing to life the way that Jesus made disciples as we look through the Gospels.

One of His strategies was association.  Coleman says that Jesus made a habit of "

being with them"

. Jesus taught these men his way by drawing them close to himself. It seems to be too simple as we consider the instruction in all the curriculum and books that tell us how to disciple.  Jesus was his own school and curriculum!   We at Mission Adelante are not opposed to such things as tools, but we find it very refreshing to see that anyone can make disciples simply by intentionally being with people and capturing teachable moments.

Our staff has grown so much in this area since we studied this book together.  For example, a couple months ago, my husband and I had a painting day at our house. We had been painting for a little while when Hannah Hume, the Bhutanese Teens Coordinator called.  She told me that she was coming over and bringing some Bhutanese teens along. I knew this was going to be interesting because most of the Bhutanese have never painted before.  When they arrived we assigned them to priming the basement stairway.  While they worked, I was painting the door to the basement, so I got to overhear their conversation.  I got to hear how Hannah teaches them about following Jesus in small and ordinary things, like how Jesus asks us to treat others with respect and that means not priming your sister’s hair.

This is just one example of how our friends learn about Jesus’ heart by spending time with Jesus-followers. The staff and volunteers at Mission Adelante pray that many will know Jesus and love Him through their association with us.

In other news:

  •  
  • Cody Lorance and his family from Trinity International Baptist Mission in the Chicago area came to visit Mission Adelante to see the ministry and share some training and experiences.  It was a wonderful time of learning, friendship and fellowship with them.
  • Marlen, Gissel, and Lorenzo have been Leaders In Training during the past few school years, and will be our first graduates of the tutoring program! As the three are completing eighth-grade this year, they've reached the upper limit of the LIT program. We are excited to celebrate their accomplishment at the party on Saturday!
  • Welcome to the Mission Adelante Community, Elsa Louise Holland! Latino ESL Level 1 Coordinator Jacob Holland and wife Michelle welcomed Elsa early Tuesday morning. Mother and baby are very well and big sisters Adie and Keziah couldn't be more excited!

Prayer needs:

  •  
  • Pray for the parties this weekend that conclude our spring trimester!  Pray for moments of sweet fun and fellowship for our community members and volunteers.
  •  
  • Please continue to pray for a neighborhood family who is mourning the death of their 14 year old son, killed in a drive-by shooting nearly two weeks ago.
  • Pray for God’s favor over two Latinos in our community who are applying for U.S. residency.

Current needs:

  • Dance party lights that we could borrow for the Bhutanese Spring Party this Sunday. Contact Jenny Dunn for more information: jennyd@missionadelante.org.
  • The Bhutanese Spring party on April 14th is a bowling party and we need new socks in kid, teen, and adult sizes by Saturday, April 13th. Contact Jenny Dunn for more information: jennyd@missionadelante.org.
  • Our Resource Center is low on gently-used kitchen items. Please contact Molly Merrick at mollym@missionadelante.org to set up a time to drop-off your donation.  Please help us out by not leaving donations inside or outside our facility.  Thanks!

Important dates:

Please note: The dates of the Latino and Bhutanese Spring Parties are reversed on the "2013 Key Dates" magnets. The dates listed here are correct.

  • Saturday, April 13, 5:00-8:00: Latino Spring Party, at Bethany Community Center. Please come and help us celebrate the accomplishments of our ESL, Teens, Kids Adelante, and L.I.T. students this trimester and honor volunteers with sustained service. Bethany Community Center is located on Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas (66102) between 11th and 12th Streets, behind the fire station.
  • Sunday, April 14, 5:00-8:00: Bhutanese Spring Party, at St. John's Catholic Club and Community Center, 720 N. 4th Street, Kansas City, KS 66101.  Please come and help us celebrate the accomplishments of our ESL, Teens Club, Kids Club, and L.I.T. students this trimester and honor volunteers with sustained service.
  • Saturday, May 4, 2:00: Bhutanese ESL Volunteer Snacks and Training,at Lauren Timberlake’s house. Please consider joining us for fun, prayer and some cultural training as we keep learning how to love the Bhutanese well. Please contact Jenny Dunn at jennyd@missionadelante.org for more details.

Celebrating New Life

Written by David Stetler, Bhutanese Outreach Director

 When the disciples realized that the very-much dead and buried Jesus had risen from the dead, they recognized that life as they knew it had just changed forever.  Jesus was alive again and new life was beginning to emerge.  Through the power of the Resurrection God broke into the narrative of human history, into our lives of brokenness, and He had started something NEW!

 This year has been filled with new life at Mission Adelante.  We have seen the living God come into the middle of pain, sorrow and life's many challenges and offer transformation.  The message of love and forgiveness flows out of the message of the Resurrection, and God says to us “This is the time” when all things began to be made new - beauty instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning, and joy instead of despair.  When we leave it all behind to follow Jesus, we are promised new life in Him. With a divine sigh of relief, the God who created all things releases us from the past, and we step into new life with Him forever. What a promise!

 At Mission Adelante, sharing Jesus with people from other places is our passion because we believe that He can and He is making all things new.  We see His truth and love give hope, joy and new life.  Whether it's teaching English or investing in the lives of kids, sharing a meal with a family or tutoring a student, walking with a teenager through life or leading someone through the teachings of Jesus - we find Him making all things new. As we share life with these friends, in the joys and sorrows, we see His transforming love at work changing it all into beauty and gladness. He is truly making all things new.

 In Other News:

  • One of our church partners, Christ Community EFC, is hosting a conference this weekend called CG2013: Pursuing the Common Good of Our City.  Jason Schoff will have the opportunity to share during a break-out session about a biblical perspective on the immigrant living in our communities and Mission Adelante's ministry efforts.  Find out more about the conference by clicking here.
  • Last Tuesday the Bhutanese Teenagers celebrated a Nepali cultural festival called “holi” at teens club. During this festival people throw brightly-colored chalk powder at one another and celebrate good conquering evil. So, Mission Adelante decided to get in on the action and throw some chalk ourselves, while celebrating Jesus, the ultimate good, conquering the evils of death, sickness, and sin in our own lives. It was a fun evening of worshiping Jesus together in a traditional Nepali way.
  • The Latino Leaders in Training students have eagerly taken on running the children’s activities during our Spring trimester party, a week from Saturday.  We are so blessed to see our young leaders growing right before our eyes!
Prayer needs:
  • The pick-up route for the Bhutanese LIT students yesterday intersected with two locations where people were fatally shot over the weekend.  One victim was a 14 year-old boy who was in class with some of our 8th graders.  Pray for the Lord’s peace and protection to overwhelm our neighborhood, especially kids trying to make sense of senseless violence.
  • Please pray that the current trimester of outreach programs would conclude well next week, and pray that the Lord would provide fresh vision and clarity as we begin to plan for the upcoming summer trimester. We want our plans to be his plans, and his vision to be ours.
  • Pray for our Spring parties on April 13 and 14, that our students will feel really blessed by being honoring for their effort and achievement this trimester.
  • On April 21st we will have our informational meeting for next year’s Leaders in Training program.  At this meeting families will hear the vision of LIT and pick up an application packet.  Pray that the Lord would bring the right kids to be a part of next year’s program.
Current needs:
  • Pony beads with large holes (to thread on yarn) for Kids Club crafts.  Contact Kristen Maxwell for more information: kristenm@missionadelante.org.
  • Dance party lights that we could borrow for the Bhutanese Spring Party. Contact Jenny Dunn for more information: jennyd@missionadelante.org.
  • The Bhutanese Spring party on April 14th is a bowling party and we need new socks in kid, teen, and adult sizes by Thursday April 11th. Contact Jenny Dunn for more information: jennyd@missionadelante.org
Important dates:
Please note: The dates of the Latino and Bhutanese Spring Parties are reversed on the "2013 Key Dates" magnets. The dates listed here are correct.
  • Saturday, April 13, 5:00-8:00: Latino Spring Party, at Bethany Community Center.  Please come and help us celebrate the accomplishments of our ESL, Teens, Kids Adelante, and L.I.T. students this trimester and honor volunteers with sustained service. Bethany Community Center is located on Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas (66102) between 11th and 12th Streets, behind the fire station.
  • Sunday, April 14, 5:00-8:00: Bhutanese Spring Party, at St. John's Catholic Club and Community Center, 720 N. 4th Street, Kansas City, KS 66101.  Please come and help us celebrate the accomplishments of our ESL, Teens Club, Kids Club, and L.I.T. students this trimester and honor volunteers with sustained service.
  • Saturday, May 4, 2:00: Bhutanese ESL Volunteer Snacks and Training, at Lauren Timberlake’s house. Please contact Jenny Dunn at jennyd@missionadelante.org for more details.

I Was a Stranger...

Written by Jason Schoff, Latino Outreach Director


When you go about daily life in the city, you will almost certainly run across people from all reaches of the world.  Every day, more and more immigrants move to our cities seeking new opportunities and we see them in our grocery stores, restaurants, and public spaces like our parks.  Do you ever wonder what life is like for these residents of our city?  The cities we know and love are quite often not easy for foreigners to adjust to.  You can never really understand this reality until you have put yourself in their shoes.  While this might be impossible, Mission Adelante attempts to help staff and volunteers become more and more empathetic as they befriend and build relationships with our immigrant neighbors.


Have you wondered where the idea of "putting yourself in someone else's shoes" originated?  I would put my bet on God's Word.  "I was a stranger and you invited me in" are the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:35.  These words communicate such a strong sense of both hospitality and concern for the stranger and there is no question that foreigners would have to be included in the category of "strangers."  What if God had commented more on this topic with relation to the foreigner?  He actually does, throughout the Bible!  We have been asking our staff and volunteers to join us on a 40 day challenge to read scriptures related to this topic and God has strengthened our resolve to help our immigrant neighbors and friends.  

Knowing God's word better will always help us to make informed and God-honoring decisions.  I would assert that we want to see God honored in the decisions our government makes, including decisions pertaining to our immigrant friends.  What will happen with immigration?  Should the laws be changed?  How should they be different?  The Bible has a lot to say on this!  I want to challenge you to join us in reading through scripture and answering these questions as a kingdom citizen.  You may find the answers will lead you to act on behalf of what God desires.  May God bless you for pursuing Him and his ways.

Join the 40 day challenge here.  
In other news:
  • Although our regular programs were suspended last week for Spring Break, many of our volunteers used the opportunity to get together with immigrants they've gotten to know through serving. Way to go, volunteers!
Prayer needs:
  • Pray for a strong finish to the school year for our current Leaders In Training and that the Lord will bring the right students and families to the informational meetings for next year's LIT on Sunday April 21st.
  • This summer, for the first time, we will be selecting immigrant teens to serve as interns. Pray for our staff as we finalize our summer intern selection.
Important dates:
Please note: The dates of the Latino and Bhutanese Spring Parties are reversed on the "2013 Key Dates" magnets. The dates listed here are correct.
  • Saturday, April 13, 5:00-8:00: Latino Spring Party, at Bethany Community Center.  Please come and help us celebrate the accomplishments of our ESL, Teens, Kids Adelante, and L.I.T. students this trimester and honor volunteers with sustained service. Bethany Community Center is located on Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas (66102) between 11th and 12th Streets, behind the fire station.
  • Sunday, April 14, 5:00-8:00: Bhutanese Spring Party, at St. John's Catholic Club and Community Center, 720 N. 4th Street, Kansas City, KS 66101.  Please come and help us celebrate the accomplishments of our ESL, Teens Club, Kids Club, and L.I.T. students this trimester and honor volunteers with sustained service.
  • Saturday, May 4: Bhutanese ESL Volunteer Snacks and Training, at Lauren Timberlake’s house. Please contact Jenny Dunn at jennyd@missionadelante.org for more details.

Transformational Love

Written by Lauren Timberlake, Bhutanese ESL Director

While many of our ESL students come to class ready to learn and form friendships with their conversation partners, some do not. When Huka began attending ESL, she was quiet--so quiet she did not even repeat words we were trying to teach in class or say her own name. She avoided eye contact and did not smile. She faithfully came to class, though, and we prayed she would respond over time.

Lois Osborn began volunteering three months after Huka arrived. She wasn’t sitting with Huka in class, but Lois decided to pursue her anyway. Lois said, “I was encouraged to befriend a student outside of class. Huka is quiet and reserved, and I thought she needed a friend.” Lois and another volunteer decided to take Huka’s family and another immigrant family to the zoo over spring break last year.

Lois connected with Huka’s entire family that day. She told Huka’s children they could call her Grandma Lois, and she took note of each family member’s birthday. She has made it an effort to celebrate each of them this year with a cake, dinner or even a small party. Lois has made time in her schedule for tea and food before or after English class, and even brought them to the Christmas Eve service at her church.

“I feel a special love for that whole family,” Lois said. “Huka thinks of me as her mother. She lost her mother when she was young and hasn’t seen anyone from her own family in decades. She has adopted me as much as I have adopted her.”

A year later, Huka is full of life. She jokes with other students and volunteers on Tuesday nights, smiles easily, actively cleans and cares for her home, and is ready to pass Level 1 English. Some of that is due to good medical and mental health care she has received here, but I believe a significant part of her growth is in response to God’s love that Lois has so faithfully represented to her.

Mission Adelante believes that God calls Jesus-followers to demonstrate special hospitality for immigrants like Huka, going out of our way to show them compassion. Simple acts of kindness do much good here. We pray that God sends us more volunteers like Lois to show His love to others in our community, and that they will respond with open hearts to Him.

Huka and Lois have become close friends through experiences inside and outside of the ESL classroom at Mission Adelante.

In other news:

  • The Latino teens and volunteers surprised one of our young ladies with a party on Saturday, which was her 18th birthday.  What a blessing for her to be surrounded in love!
  • The ladies from Level 3 Bhutanese English class got together for a tea party at a conversation partner’s home last weekend. It was a great way to connect outside of class and have fun together.
  • A faithful, long-term volunteer and church member donated a well-running car to Mission Adelante, which we provided to a newly-arrived Bhutanese refugee in need of transportation.

Prayer needs:

  • Please pray for a member of our Latino church whose family’s visa to immigrate was denied this week.  They plan to appeal and we ask for God’s mercy over their request.
  • Please pray for maturity for the growing leaders of our house churches.

Current needs:

  • Our kids room serves more than 150 kids and teens each week.  We would love to receive two Foosball tables to further equip the room.  If you can provide one, please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.

Upcoming dates:

  • Final Observation Day: Thursday, March 14 (Latino) 6:30-8:30  Have you wondered what all goes on around here on a typical evening of programming?  Here's your opportunity to come and see for yourself!  Come to 22 S. 18th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102.
  • Training by Amy Williams, Gang Intervention Specialist: Saturday, March 16, 9:00-12:00 at Mission Adelante. Register here!
  • Spring Break: Monday, March 18-Saturday, March 23.  None of our regular programs will meet.  The Mission Adelante office will be closed Wednesday, March 20-Saturday, March 23.
  • Bhutanese ESL Volunteer Dinner: rescheduled for May 4 at Lauren Timberlake's house. Please contact Jenny Dunn for more details at jennyd@missionadelante.org.

Reaching Out to the Fatherless Generation

Written by Megan McDermott, Latino Children's Ministry Director

 A valuable training opportunity is coming up on Saturday, March 16 at Mission Adelante.  Gang Intervention Specialist Amy Williams is coming from the Chicago area to present a workshop called, Feeding Father-Hunger: Understanding And Ministering To The Fatherless Generation.  We hope you will consider joining us as we learn from Amy that morning, but first, allow me to explain why this topic is so relevant to ministry today.
Walking side by side with the children, teens, and families of our community, I have found myself in the privileged position of being trusted enough to be shown glimpses of the wounds that afflict many of our friends.  By far, the most profound and tender wound is the ache of a life lived without a father-figure.  I had never understood the severity of this struggle or how the Lord might want to work in our community in light of it until the CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) Annual Conference last September.  During the conference, five Mission Adelante staff members and two of the teens on the trip with us attended a workshop that plumbed the depth of the wound and its implications.  It was the Feeding Father-Hunger workshop, and this was the written description that persuaded us to attend:
"Oftentimes both kids and adults are unaware of the lifelong effects that an absent father has in the life of a child.  The emotional response of the fatherless can be linked to poverty, high-school dropout rates, crime, drug use, and teenage pregnancy.  The fatherless live a lifestyle living with a father they don’t see, while filling the empty space with painful outburst and pseudo-comfort realities.  We hope to provide you insights for helping youth to discover their identity, pinpoint side effects that are gripping them from growth, and discover practical mentoring approaches to free their souls and not block their blessings."

 Each of us found the workshop deeply meaningful because Amy Williams didn't just provide statistics, she appealed to our hearts and suggested practical ways for us to minister to those that struggle with the absence of a father.  Above all, Amy reminded us that regardless of whether we had grown up with a father figure or not, our Heavenly Father desires to fill the ache for approval in us.  One of the teens that attended had this to say: " I really loved  Amy's workshop because it showed me that I have pain and problems with my Dad," and the other reflected, "Amy's presentation helped me to notice that I still have some pain about my dad that I have to work on. She also opened my eyes to see that others around me are in a similar position."

We are very excited that Amy is coming to Kansas City to present the same workshop at Mission Adelante on Saturday, March 16 from 9 AM-12 PM!  Please consider joining us for this amazing  training opportunity!  We think it will strengthen our ability to understand and minister to people affected by fatherlessness.  While there is not a fee to attend, free-will donations will be accepted to help offset Amy's travel expenses.  Child care will not be provided.  Register by clicking here!

In other news:

  • Twenty Bhutanese Kids Outreach volunteers gathered a week ago Saturday to enjoy food and fellowship and to learn about how to better serve our friends!  Thank you to everyone who came out!
  • All of the snow during the past couple of weeks gave several staff members the opportunity to take some of the Bhutanese children and teens sledding for their first time! It was fun to be with them for their first time experiencing this American Winter activity!
Prayer needs:
  • Pray for restored momentum for our outreach programs.  The recent snow days can take away from our immigrant neighbors’ rhythm of participating in activities.
  • Pray for continued vision and guidance for our disciple-making and church planting efforts.  Pray that the Lord would guide us and that He would break through.
Current needs:
  • Our Resource Center is requesting bags of sugar, dry beans, rice, flour, and pasta to include in Canastas Basicas, or bags containing staple, non-perishable food items that we make available to families that need them. To learn more about the Canastas Basicas, click here. To provide any of the food staples, contact Molly at mollym@missionadelante.org.
Upcoming dates:
  • Observation Days: Tuesday, March 12 (Bhutanese)/Thursdays, March 7 & 14 (Latino) 6:30-8:30  Have you wondered what all goes on around here on a typical evening of programming?  Here's your opportunity to come and see for yourself!  Come to 22 S. 18th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102.
  • Bring-A-Friend Fund-Raiser for Bhutanese Teens Coordinator Hannah Hume: Saturday, March 9 Email Hannah Hume at hannahh@missionadelante.org for more information.
  • Training by Amy Williams, Gang Intervention Specialist: Saturday, March 16, 9:00-12:00 at Mission Adelante. Register here!
  • Spring Break: Monday, March 18-Saturday, March 23.  None of our regular programs will meet.  The Mission Adelante office will be closed Wednesday, March 20-Saturday, March 23.
  • Bhutanese ESL Volunteer Dinner: rescheduled for May 4 at Lauren Timberlake's house. Please contact Jenny Dunn for more details at jennyd@missionadelante.org.

A Direct Line to the Father

Written by Jenny Dunn, Bhutanese ESL Coordinator

 At the beginning of the year, I was pretty overwhelmed with the season the my husband Garett and I were entering into.  The weekends are among the best times for us to connect with our Bhutanese friends relationally, and it seemed that we would be spending most of them either out of town or working on our house as we try to get it in order for the new baby that will be coming, God-willing, in August.  As I began praying about the dilemma, God showed me that this was to be a season of praying for them with expectancy.  At first, I thought it would be one of those things that you commit to at the beginning of the year and then forget all about, but God has not let that happen.  He has driven me into His Word, brought song lyrics into my mind that express my heart, and instructed me.

During that time, Garett and I were studying Matthew 6 along with other Mission Adelante Bhutanese outreach staff and volunteers.  Two nuggets have stuck with me as I've continued to mull over them: First, He is our Father, as we see in Matthew 6 and throughout the New Testament, and second, He is head over the universe and deserves to be honored among all peoples, as Job 38 shows us. Oh, how I long for our immigrant friends to know Him! “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10) Yes, yes, yes! Jon Foreman’s song, Your Love is Strong, emphasizes for me the power of The Lord's Prayer. It finds words for the ache of my heart, not only for the salvation of our friends, but for all peoples.

As I have been talking with God more and praying more for our friends, He has instructed me about ministry.  For about six years, Garett and I have been friends with Indian Hindus that we got to know in college.  In spite of the experience that gave us relating with culturally similar people, we have continued to learn a ton since being here in KCK with the Bhutanese. One of those things is that we need to err on the side of speaking about Jesus, rather than waiting for our friends bring Him up.  Since becoming convicted of that, we have been able to use a situation to tell one of our good Bhutanese friends about Jesus' character.  God is good.  We thought that we would spend this season semi-absent from our ministry/friends and therefore praying as an alternate activity, but He has shown us that, rather, prayer is the critical work of ministry, and that which will transform the time we spend with our friends and make our conversations intentional.

We pray that prayer becomes even more central to our approach to ministry as God truly is the One who changes hearts and guides us to speak or not to speak.

 In other news:

  • Gang intervention specialist Amy Williams will be coming from Chicago to train Mission Adelante volunteers on Saturday, March 16 on understanding and ministering to the fatherless generation.  We are eager to gain insight from her experience and wisdom!


 Current needs:

  • Snacks for the preschoolers at Kids Club, such as Goldfish, animal crackers, cereal, or pretzels.  If you are able to supply any, please contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
  • The Bhutanese and Latino LIT programs would love a generous friend to purchase healthy after-school snacks packaged in single servings for the kids.  We would be blessed to receive 2 months worth of snacks.  Please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org.
  • Do you have experience as an early elementary school teacher or a reading interventionist, or know someone who does?  The Bhutanese LIT program could use a few extra tutors to come on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday afternoons to work individually with students who are struggling with reading.  Contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
  • Five twin beds, two dressers, two kitchen tables, and a living room chair have been requested by families through our Resource Center. If you can donate any of these items, please contact Molly Merrick at mollym@missionadelante.org.

Upcoming dates:
  • Bhutanese Kids Ministry Volunteer Dinner: Saturday, February 23 at 6:30
  • Bhutanese ESL Volunteer Dinner: March 2 at Lauren Timberlake's house. Please contact Jenny Dunn for more details at jennyd@missionadelante.org
  • Observation Days: Tuesdays, March 5 & 12 (Bhutanese)/Thursdays, March 7 & 14 (Latino) 6:30-8:30  Have you wondered what all goes on around here on a typical evening of programming?  Here's your opportunity to come and see for yourself!
  • Bring-A-Friend Fund-Raiser for Bhutanese Teens Coordinator Hannah Hume: Saturday, March 9 Email Hannah Hume at hannahh@missionadelante.org for more information.
  • Training by Amy Williams, Gang Intervention Specialist: Saturday, March 16, 9:00-12:00 at Mission Adelante.