Carla Flores was nervous to stand in front of a suburban evangelical congregation and share her experience as the child of undocumented immigrants.
Some people leave a mark on our lives that we don’t fully understand until years later. They walk alongside us through difficult seasons, speak words we carry long after the conversation ends, and help shape the people we become. For me, one of those people was Misha Lewis. Misha passed away during COVID, but I still think about her every day. I wish she were still here. I would love to hear her laugh again or have one more conversation. But when I think of Misha, I feel more than the sadness of missing her. I feel an overwhelming gratitude that God placed her in my life and allowed her to shape my story.
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Richmond, Virginia, to attend this year’s CCDA Conference. The theme was “Behold,” which focused on Isaiah 43:19:
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
This scripture was meaningful to me because it reminded me that God is always at work, even when I cannot see it. As I continue growing in my role as Youth Ministry Manager at Mission Adelante, I am reminded that God is doing something new in me, in our youth, and in our community. Ministry comes with challenges, uncertainties, and seasons when it may feel like progress is slow, but this verse encourages me to trust God’s plan and remain faithful to the work He has called me to do.
In my day-to-day at Mission Adelante, I have the privilege of meeting people from all places and experiencing life with the special people I have grown to love who allow me into their circle. I have attended birthday parties and other events and shared meals at their homes. Throughout the years, I have listened to people talk about their home countries with such pride, longing, and nostalgia, and I have heard so many stories of their loyalty to the US that I have lost count.
When you walk down Central Avenue in Kansas City, KS, one thing stands out; there are a lot of immigrant-owned businesses. Bakeries, taquerías, ethnic grocery stores, ice cream shops, and small clothing stores owned by immigrant entrepreneurs occupy spaces that were vacant and boarded up 20 years ago. In our neighborhood, as is true in cities across the nation, immigrants are revitalizing urban neighborhoods, one new business at a time.
A few days ago, I celebrated two years since I arrived in this beautiful country as a refugee. During this time, I have shared with you some of my fears, challenges, and what it has meant to begin a new life far from my home country. A few days ago, I also celebrated my first year at Mission Adelante. And as I look back, there is something I want to say from the bottom of my heart: more than everything I have been able to give, I feel that I have received so much more.
