Volunteers

From Volunteers to Friends

From Volunteers to Friends

by Jill McDonald- Burger , Refugee ESL volunteer


My husband and I have volunteered with the Refugee ESL program at Mission Adelante for a couple of years now.  We began this journey in support of our daughter, Veronica Garcia, who was following her passions and accepted her dream job as ESL Education Director here.  What began as our passion to support her, became our own passion to connect and share life with new friends from many places.  These new friends are very near and dear to our heart!  Our desire to be a local support system to these new friends has blessed us more than we could ever imagine.  We have often welcomed them in our home, shared meals, helped with car problems, and prayed for each other continually. 

We have watched the students grow in knowledge, confidence, and strength.  We have laughed together so many times, I tear up just thinking about the joy they have brought to my life!  We have also hugged and cried together for a variety of reasons. It is good to have a shoulder to lean on and some words of encouragement when the challenges of life get heavy.

The skills we have acquired by loving people from all places, learning to listen to their stories, and understand their culture, have already been an asset to us in connecting with other people and making new friends. Understanding and respecting our differences is what makes us unique and interesting. This experience will bless us and others for years to come.  Thank you, Mission Adelante, for giving us a place to discover these joyful and wonderful connections!

Help Our Refugee Families

Your impact is huge for our refugee families! Currently, we are in need of:

  • Toys that are clean and in good shape for kids under the age of 3

  • Hygiene kits

  • Vacuums

You can also volunteer to help with administrative tasks like creating client files and notebooks and other resources.

For more information on how to be a part of this effort, contact our Reception and Placement Director, Amy Herman, at randpdirector@missionadelante.org.

Be part of our programs!

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

How can you help?

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

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

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

Two Amazing Brother and Volunteers - The Pollock Brothers

Two Amazing Brother and Volunteers - The Pollock Brothers

by Carla Flores, Kids Ministry Director

All siblings are different from each other, and they share similarities too. Personally, I get the blessing to be the oldest sister to my two younger brothers. Each of us is very different from one another - I enjoy spending time outside, hiking, and enjoying nature. My middle brother, Diego, enjoys video games and watching anime. My youngest brother, Erick, enjoys playing soccer and the violin during his free time. But we also have many similarities like we all have the same sense of humor, love our mom’s mole, and enjoy watching action movies. 

During my time here at Mission Adelante, I have met many families with siblings just like mine that have different personalities but might share a few similar interests. A pair of brothers that always come to mind are the Pollock brothers. Andrew and Michael Pollock have been a part of the Mission Adelante family for as long as I can remember. In fact, when I think about Mission Adelante, I think about them. These brothers just like any other siblings have distinct personalities, interests, and hobbies. But they share one big similarity that impacts everyone who walks through our building: they love our community and are eager to serve and share life with people from all places. 

Andrew Pollock has been a part of Mission Adelante since 2009. He has volunteered in many of our programs and has supported Mission Adelante through many projects. Currently, Andrew serves in Adelante Arts Community and has been leading Arts and Crafts class. If you know Andrew, you know he is creative and God has blessed him with amazing artistic abilities. This year, he has been a big help with our hallway expansion project and is often seen in our building fixing or adding new things like shelves. His daughters are part of our programs and you can tell they share dad’s trait of having a servant’s heart. Thank you Andrew for all you do for our community! 

Michael Pollock has been a part of Mission Adelante since 2010. He has served in a multitude of our kids and youth programs and he is a natural leader. Michael is someone you can always count on to help with any task! Currently, he serves in Youth Club and Leaders in Training. He is a blessing to me personally since I have known and been mentored by Michael since I was 15 years old. My favorite thing about Michael is how genuine and authentic he is with his faith. He taught me what it means to be a true follower of Jesus and he inspires me to continue pressing into those questions and doubts. Thank you Michael for always being someone I can count on and loving our community so well! 

These brothers are different and similar just like any other siblings. Their gifts and talents are a blessing to our building and everyone who walks through our doors. From the bottom of my heart, thank you both for your generosity, kindness, and friendship. I pray you and your families are blessed greatly and know that as much as you love our community, our community loves you too! 

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION

Join our team of volunteers for the summer trimester and be part of "loving people from all places." Attend our volunteer orientation on May 20th and find your place serving kids, youth, or adults in the immigrant community in KCK

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

Be part of our programs!

 We are so excited to start this year and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us this trimester?

How can you help?

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

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

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

The Impact of Volunteers

The Impact of Volunteers 

by Patrique Harris, Youth Ministry Director

(Back row, from left to right: Alexis, Luis P and Luis M; front row, from left to right: Patrique, Elodia and Kaytlynn)

I can’t believe I am nearing the two-year mark of joining Mission Adelante’s team! Whatever expectations I had of leading Mission Adelante’s Youth Ministry have been completely transcended. In my role, I have been able to walk alongside many teenagers in the Kansas City, Kansas neighborhood. I have seen participants get taller, build new friendships, celebrate milestone birthdays, and grow in confidence, leadership, and their faith. But behind the scenes is a passionate group of individuals who commit significant time and resources to share in this ministry with me. Their partnership has made this experience just that much more special! 

At Mission Adelante, our goal is to make disciples by serving, sharing life, and sharing Jesus with people from all places, and our current cohort of Youth Ministry volunteers, Michael, Jessie, Elodia, Luis P, Alexis, Kaytlynn, Luis M and Grace, are truly living this out. On Wednesday evenings our building is bustling with excited participants, eager to spend time with our beloved volunteers. To be honest, at times it is difficult to distinguish volunteers from participants. You’ll often find volunteers fully engaged in hot competition, cracking jokes, and using the newest slang! During our lesson time, volunteers help participants break down biblical occurrences, challenging participants to implement teachings in their own life. It’s incredible how relatable our participants find our volunteers. Despite the age gap, volunteers find common ground by spending time listening and learning about the experiences of teens and also sharing experiences from their own lives and childhood. The relationship is 100% reciprocal! 

(From left to right: Lucy, Alana, Anisha and Patrique)

(From left to right: Anisha, Alexis, Kaytlynn, Jessie and Grace)

What’s more, the friendship and mentorship of veteran volunteers has moved the next generation to also serve, share life, and share Jesus. You can catch Lucy leading Bible lessons at Kids Adelante on Thursday evenings, Anisha preparing for Arts Community classes on Monday evenings, and Alana helping to ideate fun activities for Adelante Youth Club on Wednesday evenings. I am confident that the example of our volunteers will continue to drive more and more young leaders to emerge from our neighborhood!

Be part of our programs!

 We are so excited to start this year and we are grateful for all our volunteers who make everything possible. Would you consider partnering with us this trimester?

How can you help?

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

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

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