The Gift of Friendship Across Cultures

The Gift of Friendship Across Cultures

by Laina Willoughby, Volunteer at Refugee Youth Club

Four years ago when I first googled “volunteer opportunities with refugees in Kansas City” I didn’t know I was about to discover one of the best ways anyone can spend Tuesday evenings in our city. Over my time here, I’ve gotten to watch the growth of a program. But it’s been more than that. I’ve been inspired by watching how the leaders around me invest in their own community.

People like Phul Maya, Laxmi, and Ranjana willingly, graciously, and humbly taken on responsibilities within their Nepali community. They have (probably unknowingly) challenged me to search out opportunities to help those around me to flourish. My fellow volunteers in the Refugee Youth Club have shown me the value of inserting oneself into the lives of teens. We strive to be a stable loving influence that models and speaks of the power of the Gospel.

My favorite thing though, has been watching the young women of the Refugee Youth Club grow in the wisdom and stature of God and of man (Luke 2:52). They juggle their teenage years with one foot in Nepali culture, and another in KCK High Schools. As each of them have learned how to dance in and out of two worlds, I have been impressed by their grace and stamina. 

Through my time serving first with Refugee Kids Club, and then with Refugee Youth Club I received the gift of friendship across cultures and ages.

Thank you for your investment in our community, Laina!

Invest in Immigrant Leaders Making Disciples!

We are praying the Lord would provide $60,000 this year-end to support our "Community Leaders". www.missionadelante.org/give

by Jarrett Meek, Founder/Pastor/Executive Director

When we set out to start Mission Adelante, I didn't fully appreciate the potential for immigrants and refugees to play a critical role in transforming a community and a ministry.  Now, I'm continually amazed and inspired to by leaders from all places and the impact they are having in our neighborhood.  From entrepreneurs to ministry leaders, our community is full of courageous people who are cutting new pathways through the thick brush of cultural and language barriers to realize their dreams and be a part of transforming individual lives and the entire community.

Yanelis López, Gissell Vázquez, and Laxmi Gurung are three of these leaders.  As new arrivals to the U.S. each of them has had to overcome challenges and forge a trail through what sometimes seems like an overgrown jungle.  Their perseverance, faith, and vision inspire me and all those who are close to them.  Mission Adelante is blessed to have them as part of our staff!

As we approach the end of 2017, I'm looking back at the impact our immigrant staff members have made over the last year and anticipating what the Lord will do through them in 2018.  Laxmi, as an apprentice, is learning ministry with us and has launched our new Refugee Kids Club, which is already including kids from Nepal, Burma, and Latin America.  Gissell has integrated worship into nearly every corner of Mission Adelante, from our staff meetings to our Kids ministry and beyond.  She has transformed our Latino worship team and is preparing a new program called Adelante Arts Community that will develop and disciple young through music and the arts.  And Yanelis has made tremendous contributions on the senior leadership level, walking our team through transitions, creating healthy dynamics on our staff ministry team, and accepting an increasing level of leadership responsibility in our organization.  The impact of these leaders is only just beginning as they continue to adjust to life in the U.S.  As people, they are cherished, and as leaders they have the ability to take our ministry to new places.

This year-end, we are praying the Lord would provide $60,000 to help support the 2018 salary and benefits of Yanelis, Laxmi, and Gissell, through what we call our Community Leader Fund.  As you pray about your own giving this year-end, I invite you to consider making a special contribution to our Community Leader Fund.  If you already give monthly, maybe the Lord will lead you to make an additional year-end gift.  If you give annually or occasionally, we encourage you to jump in again with us.  Or maybe your are looking for new ways to make an impact with your resources.  Investing in Yanelis, Laxmi and Gissell is at the heart of our mission as they are all involved on the front lines of disciple-making with people from all places.  I have every confidence that supporting their work through Mission Adelante will produce Kingdom fruit in ways that will glorify Jesus! 

Giving online is easy at www.missionadelante.org/give.

You can give online at: www.missionadelante.org/give

Making Disciples "On the Run" With Our Summer Interns

by Jarrett Meek, Founder, Executive Pastor/Director

One of my favorite things about the summer internship at Mission Adelante is our exercise time in the

mornings.  Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays we all meet up at the Wyandotte High School track at 7:45 a.m. for 15 minutes of stretching and 30 minutes of running (or walking for those who prefer it).  Since making disciples is as much about transmitting life as it is about transmitting information, I have found that it's critical to find ways to include those I'm investing in in my everyday activities.  Jesus didn't call his disciples to come to his classes, he called them to follow him as he lived life on mission with His Father.  This following included participation in extraordinary spiritual events , but it also included the most mundane daily routines like eating and fishing together.

So far our four summer interns are enjoying our exercise time together.  Not only are we reaping the benefits of exercise, but were also modeling self-discipline and a healthy lifestyle; and we're spending relational time together which becomes the context for spiritual lessons.  Surprisingly, our exercise time has become contagious!  In the first week we've been joined by other staff members, kids, and adults from our community.  Is this the beginning of Adelante Running Club?!

Discipleship is a life-on-life endeavor.   As we walk with our interns this summer, this life-on-life discipleship is exactly what we have in mind as we include them in every aspect of our lives.  This kind of investing is simple, but it's not easy.  It requires letting others into our personal lives, our personal time, and our personal space in ways that we're not accustomed to in our private and independent culture.  Please pray for our interns and staff as we are stretched this summer to do life in community and grow together in Christ.

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

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

Living Life-on-Life

Written by Jenny Dunn, Bhutanese ESL Coordinator

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.

The Road to Life-On-Life Discipleship

Written by Drew Hammond, Bhutanese Logistics Coordinator

At Mission Adelante we believe that ministry is primarily a relational endeavor, that genuine compassion and reconciliation requires relationship, and that disciple-making must be life-on-life.

Nearly eight months ago I received a phone call that required an immediate response. A Bhutanese family, who had been in the USA for less than three months, was being forced to move out of their home into a motel at 78th Street and I-70. The house next door to theirs had burned down, the fire severely damaging their home, and they found themselves relocating to the motel located some distance from the majority of the Bhutanese community in Kansas City, KS. As a representative of Mission Adelante, I responded by taking the family food to last them a few weeks until they could relocate to a permanent residence.

When we arrived at the motel, we met the family and delivered the food. The family began to eat and invited me to join them, per the cultural norm.  I tried to refuse, saying, "we brought your family this food since you won't be able to prepare all the food you like while living here.  Keep it for yourselves." A young man about my age responded to my refusal by placing a full plate of food onto my lap.

At that moment, I didn't realize that not only was I beginning a relationship with this family, but that that family would later become my family, and the man that served me the plate of food would become my brother.  You see, now I have the honor of living with this family and sharing my life, and more importantly, the truth of the love of Jesus with them everyday.

In other news:

• We're so thankful for the Lord’s continued provision!  He has provided so many wonderful new volunteers with the Spring trimester launch!
• Martin, Iris, Jai and Janga were highlights at our recent volunteer training as they shared parts of their immigrant story with our new volunteers.
• The Bhutanese outreach programs launched for this trimester on Tuesday night! We are super excited to watch and see what the Lord will do this trimester in everyone’s hearts as we serve and learn together.
• We were so excited to see our LIT (Leaders in Training) kids back and in action this week!

Prayer needs:

• Pray for one of our Latino leaders to have wisdom in his decision as he considers moving out of Kansas City.
• Praise God for growing our immigrant leadership teams! Please pray that they continue to develop leadership skills and increase ownership of our outreach activities.

Current needs:

• Two women who would be excited about forming discipling/mentoring relationships with Bhutanese teenagers through Bhutanese Teens Club on Tuesday evenings. Please contact Hannah Hume at hannahh@missionadelante.org.
• Volunteers for Mission Adelante’s Bhutanese Transportation Team! Our transportation needs are great for our Tuesday night outreach, and we are looking for more volunteers to join the team as drivers. Must be 25 years of age or older, NO CDL REQUIRED. For more information, please contact Drew Hammond at drewh@missionadelante.org
• A dining table and chairs for a recently-arrived family from Nepal. If you have one available please contact Drew Hammond at drewh@missionadelante.org.
• Small toys and trinkets (valued at about $1 each--ie Target dollar bins, or dollar store) to be added to our Kids Club prize box, which contains reward for excellent behavior during our Tuesday night program for kids ages 5-12.  If you can help us out contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
• Bhutanese and Latino kids' programs are in search of a gently used lamination machine to keep our frequently used materials usable for longer. Please contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org.
• Expo dry-erase markers for use in the Bhutanese Kids Programs.  Please contact Kristen at Kristenm@missionadelante.org.

The Story After the Story

Written by Jason Schoff, Latino Outreach Director

In the days leading up to our Christmas Eve service, I visited several community families in their homes to talk with them about their Christmas plans and to make sure they knew the details for our service.  I found out that one young Latino couple and another single man didn't have any plans for Christmas Eve following our service.  This seemed tragic, especially given that Latinos stay up past midnight on Christmas Eve celebrating with family and friends. What could I do?  I was leaving early the next morning to join my family.  I love to be involved in God's plan but sometimes He reminds me that I am not the main solution, others are.  

Cynthia was the solution.  God used Cynthia and her love for people and hospitality to make the night complete.  When she found out these three friends would be going home without a party to attend, she extended an invitation.  Maybe there was no room in the inn for Jesus nor was there room at other parties for Martin, Sindi and Michael, but Cynthia allowed these fellow believers that opportunity to join her family for tamales, posole, and other traditional Mexican foods.  Cynthia is one of the bright spots in our ministry because she understands the importance of relationships to our discipleship efforts.  It will be exciting to see her take other steps to lead in the year ahead.  

Our Christmas Eve service was a wonderful end to our 2012 ministry season, but so much of what makes us excited happens outside of the big events when perhaps only God is watching.

In other news:

• The Mission Adelante staff enjoyed a restful and refreshing break spent with family and friends! Thank you for your prayers to that end.  Most of us returned to the office reinvigorated (there's some illness about), and we're looking forward to diving into a new trimester.

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for our new volunteers as they come for orientation this Saturday. Pray that they would feel welcomed and encouraged by the opportunity to serve with us!

• Please pray for the Bhutanese Leadership team meeting on Sunday.  Pray for ownership, direction, and vision for this team.

• We would love prayers for all of our outreach activities as they ramp back up over the next week, that the Lord would guide us to be His hands and feet to the community that we love and serve. Pray particularly on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for smooth, stress free, and Spirit-filled days as our outreach programs launch for the spring trimester.

Other needs:

• Volunteers to serve once per week for the duration of the spring trimester, beginning next week (the week of January 14) and concluding the week of April 8:
• Two men and 1 woman who would be excited about forming discipling/mentoring relationships with Bhutanese teenagers through Bhutanese Teens Club on Tuesday evenings. Please contact Hannah Hume at hannahh@missionadelante.org.
• Volunteers who love kids and love Jesus to mentor Bhutanese kids ages 5-12 on Tuesday evenings. Specifically, two more men are needed. Please contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
• Volunteers to mentor Latino kids through either Leaders In Training on Monday or Tuesday afternoons, or Kids Adelante outreach Bible study on Thursday evenings. Please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org.
• Volunteers to help organize our Resource Center on Wednesday afternoons between 1 and 3 pm. The Resource Center provides food, clothing, and household items to immigrants in need of these items. Please contact Molly Merrick at mollym@missionadelante.org if you're available at that time.

• A dining table and chairs. If you have one available please contact Drew Hammond at drewh@missionadelante.org.
• Two twin beds, 1 queen bed, a sofa, and a kitchen table and chairs to seat 6 or 7 have been requested through our Resource Center. The Resource Center also needs inventory including new and gently used kitchen items, bedding, towels, and medium stuffed animals. 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.           

• Small toys and trinkets (valued at about $1 each--ie Target dollar bins, or dollar store) to be added to our Kids Club prize box, which contains reward for excellent behavior during our Tuesday night program for kids ages 5-12.  If you can help us out contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.

• The Bhutanese and Latino LIT programs need a small group (or groups) to purchase pre-packaged, healthy, after-school snacks for the kids.  We would be blessed to receive a couple months (@ 3 days/week) worth of snacks.  Please contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org.

• Fifteen to twenty 8 GB flash drives for the Latino LIT students to use, preferably with a ring or another way to attach them to lanyards. Please contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org.

• Bhutanese and Latino kids' programs are in search of a gently used lamination machine to keep our frequently used materials usable for longer. Please contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org.

Important dates:

• Volunteer Orientation & Training--Saturday, January 12 @ 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.  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, January 14 @ 6:30 p.m.  We encourage everyone that will be volunteering with us during our spring trimester to attend so we can prepare for a great launch.
• Spring trimester programs launch--Week of January 14

The Difference a Dude Can Make

Written by Kristen Maxwell, Bhutanese Children's Ministry Director

I was recently visiting some of our neighborhood KCK elementary schools, meeting teachers in preparation for the launch of the Bhutanese Leader in Training program.  As I talked with one of the teachers, we got on the topic of an LIT kid who had been in her class a few years earlier.  She talked about what an amazing transformation she had seen in the life of this boy since then. 

For the purpose of this story we will call this young man John.  John was new to the country.  His family was in crisis mode, trying to figure out which way was up.  His father was working all the time, leaving his mother to take care of him and his four siblings.  John started to make friends in the apartment complex where he lived.  These friends were considerably older than him and had visible ties to gang activity.  We were worried about John.

John’s attitude at school, home and Kids Club became increasingly negative.  He wanted to be like his older friends, his friends that were in the gang.  Around this time Drew Hammond and Tyler McCommons became the mentors for John’s Kids Club group which included 4th to 6th grade boys.  Drew and Tyler started investing in John.  They started spending time with him outside of Kids Club, hanging out at his house, and taking him places; becoming like big brothers to John and a few of his other Bhutanese friends.

John began to walk with new confidence, a confidence found in the knowledge that Tyler and Drew believed in him and expected great things from him.  Hanging out with his old “friends” didn’t seem so cool anymore.  I am certain that the Lord used Tyler and Drew to change the direction of John’s life.  John is now a bright spot in our Tuesday night program, focused on becoming a leader in our LIT program, and helping the younger Kids Club kids.  

There are countless young men in our community that could benefit from a relationship like the one Drew and Tyler have with John.  If you are a male, would you consider being a mentor to some of our boys?  Would you consider doing life with them, showing them how to walk in the way of Jesus, and how to be a man of God?  A couple of hours a week could make a world of difference in the life of a young man.  If you would like more information about getting involved please contact Megan McDermott (meganm@missionadelante.org) or Kristen Maxwell (kristenm@missionadelante.org).

In other news:

• A few Latino teens from our community that are interested in pursuing college attended their first "Latinos of Tomorrow" meeting. The mission of Latinos of Tomorrow is to provide leadership learning opportunities in education advancement, career development and civic involvement.  We look forward to encouraging our teens to learn the skills they need to apply for college admission.
• A big "Thank You" to Cathy Claudell, Bhutanese Nursery volunteer, for outfitting our nursery with fun and engaging toys!  The nursery is used on Tuesday nights by the children and grandchildren of many of our English class participants who would not be able to attend if it were not available.

Prayer needs:

• Our Bhutanese Leaders in Training will finish their first full week today!  Praise God with us for a full, successful, and fun first week!
• Thank God with us for our faithful transportation volunteers. They serve our community in such an important way. The Bhutanese ESL, kids and teens programs wouldn’t happen without them!

Other needs:

• Team Kid Character Challenge: Lifeway: Leader Guide and Enhanced CD for grades 1-6: http://www.lifeway.com/Product/teamkid-character-challenge-leader-guide-enhanced-cd-P005124727  Please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or 816-210-2187 if you can provide this curriculum.
  • Team Kid Character Challenge: Activity Book for 4-6 grade: 15 copies
  http://www.lifeway.com/Product/teamkid-character-challenge-activity-book-for-grades-4-6-P005124729  Please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or 816-210-2187 if you can provide some of these activity books.
• Small groups to sponsor a reward activity/enrichment fields trips for 15 kids and adults ($9 per kid for Zonkers and $6 per kid for Science City.) Please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or 816-210-2187 if you're interested.
• Two male mentors for the Bhutanese Leaders in Training Program on Wednesday Afternoons.  Contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org for more information.
• A card table and 4 folding chairs to be used by our Bhutanese Leaders in Training Program.  Please contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org if you can provide this.

Important dates:

• Staff Open Houses--Saturday, November 17, 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. Come to our neighborhood and spend the afternoon with us!