Life

To a New Beginning

To a New Beginning

By Erick Flores, Ministry Apprentice

I’m just at a loss for words on how my start at Mission Adelante has gone. I needed a new job as I was trying my best to leave a toxic and unhappy work environment. My older sister, Carla, showed me an open position at Mission Adelante, and suddenly the Lord blessed me with an open door to a whole new world of possibilities. Patrique reached out to me with a job offer and I happily accepted it. I prepared myself for weeks as I was entering a new journey in life.

I joined halfway into the second trimester of programs, which meant I was unable to get an easy start. Luckily, I was able to jump right in where I was needed and did a decent job! With an amazing staff welcoming me into Mission Adelante, I felt like I was home. We also had an amazing Summer Intern group and I built the best relationships with every single one of them. On top of that, Arts Camp started my second week of work, and it went amazing! Mikya did a great job teaching me how to be a leader; she’ll be handing off her throne to me as I will lead Arts Camp next year. Mikya did a great job passing on her responsibilities. I feel very prepared with no stress at all! Patrique also gave me an overview of Youth Club. I have started to get more and more comfortable leading some weeks and have grown my relationships with so many youth!  

Spending the summer with the interns definitely gave me brain rot! But in all honesty, I couldn’t have gotten through the summer without the interns. They just made every day fun and they would always come in with a smile on their faces, ready to spend the day learning! Even on a tough day, they just knew how to make me laugh and get me in a better mood. Joining them on their internship activities, I was able to learn more about the value of the internship, learn more about the city, and give back to the community by doing community service. I just loved seeing in the little time I had with them how they matured over the summer and were becoming young adults. I have very high hopes for their future! 

It makes me very happy that I was able to conclude this summer with end-of-trimester parties and retreats! At Arts Community, we had a dance party! At Youth Club, we played Olympic games and had a Lake House Retreat last weekend! At Kids Adelante, we ended with a water slide party! The Interns had a weekend away from KC to clear their minds before they entered the school year. And to top it all off, we threw a big summer party! It was definitely a very successful summer and I look forward to the third trimester when all our programs resume again! I’m going to end this article with a passage in the bible I looked up to as I was entering Mission Adelante, Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans”. I trusted the Lord to take me wherever he desires and He found the perfect home for me. 

Be part of our programs!

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

How can you help?

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

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

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

Life is so unpredictable

Life is so unpredictable

By Innocent Jean Marie, Children / Youth Ministry Apprentice


When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a drummer because everyone in the church would tell me how good I was. I held onto that dream for a long time because that was the only thing I was good at then. I knew how to farm- grow each type of food on my grandpa's farm, but I always dreaded those days, and I did not want to be a farmer. My grandpa always worked long hours in the sun daily, which was not my dream. I went to school, but I would always be sent home because my grandpa sometimes couldn't pay my school fees. Even though I would go to school, I would always dread finishing it because, after school, I would have to help Grandpa on the farm. When I would go to school, I always got there pretty late and got punished by the teacher even though school was about 30 minutes away from where I lived.

School life was challenging. If you were late after the bell rang, you would have to get whooped and pick up trash around the school. I was a good kid, so I was in charge of my classroom, which meant if the teacher left, I had to discipline the kids until they got back. I grew up with my half-sister and grandparents for half my life; I knew my mom, but not that well. I used to call my grandparents "mom and dad," and I still do. I've never called my mom "mom." I call her "dada," which means sister in Swahili. I sometimes try to call her mom, but it's just weird, and the word doesn't come out of my mouth- it's just awkward. 

I loved to watch movies growing up. I used to listen to my grandparents and do everything they told me, but I always broke the rules when it came to films. Back then, I wasn't allowed to leave the house. But I loved going to the neighbors, they had a small screen that required a CD to watch a movie, so I was always at their house window trying to sneak a peek through the blinds. Sometimes, they would ask me to fetch water for them so that I could watch a movie inside. For me, it was worth it. I would always go to fetch the water so excited even though it was 2-3 miles away, but I didn't mind the walk as long as I could watch my movie after.

If you forget everything I just said, I want you to remember that life has many unexpected things. God is going to come through. He has done it for me and will for you, too. You have to believe it. I went through a lot as a kid living in a refugee camp, worrying about when my next meal would be, that's what made me who I am today. God has always been working. 

Our pain has a purpose. Hard times are often even more challenging when they feel pointless. But according to Paul in Romans 5: 3-5, the struggles we face have a significant purpose:

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love”

Be part of our programs!

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

How can you help?

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

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

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

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with The Runner’s Edge! Join them on their runs as a portion of their race registration fees will benefit Mission Adelante's impactful initiatives.

Discover their next race: Ward Parkway Four on the 4th!
For more details and to register, visit: https://wardparkwayfouronthefourth.com