love

Mutual Love and Care

Mutual Love and Care

by Carla Flores, Kids Ministry Director


Hi friends! It has been quite a while since I last wrote an article to share with you. This year has been filled with blessings and so many new experiences! I got married and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Sofia. She is such a healthy and calm baby! 

I had always heard that it takes a village to take care of a child. I love being part of a child’s village. It is what I do at Mission Adelante, supporting parents and their children in their academic and developmental growth. I believe I am good at helping others however, it is not easy for me to accept or even ask for help. This past year, God pushed me and slightly forced me to begin learning to ask for and accept help. I quickly learned to delegate in our kids’ programs, passing on responsibilities to our amazing volunteers and interns. I learned so much during my time delegating and enjoyed watching beautiful relationships grow with the volunteers and kids. 

Then, during my maternity leave, I got to see the other side of that and I truly got to experience having a village/community support me and my family. Families from our community, texted, called, provided meals, shared tips, and so much more. I felt loved and cared for and it was beautiful to experience the other side.

Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and fulfill the law of Christ.”

God wants us to not only help and love others but also accept love and help. It is reciprocal caring and sharing life that makes our life better and glorifies God. 

Thank you to all of those who have reached out, shown love to, and cared for my family during the past few months. I am thankful for you and all you have done for us. 

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?
MISSION ADELANTE OBSERVATION NIGHTS ARE HERE: NOVEMBER 6TH -9TH

Take a glimpse of what is going on at Mission Adelante and what we are doing in our different programs. This is a great opportunity to have the full experience of a Mission Adelante volunteer.

For more information visit: www.missionadelante.org/observe

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.

Embracing Love and Service Together

Embracing Love and Service Together

by Yanelis Lopez, Associate Director

Whenever I have the opportunity to write an article, I love sharing about what's happening in our church, and the main reason is how proud I feel to belong to a flourishing community that is so focused on pursuing the great commandment, "To love God and those around us"... there is nothing more important than this!

In a world often marked by self-interest and individual pursuits, with everyone focused on their own needs and their family's situation, our church group stands out for its commitment to service. Our church has truly embodied the essence of a serving heart!

With the arrival of summer, several weeks ago, Shannon Hernandez (Operations Director) asked for help from everyone in the community to beautify the garden of Mission Adelante. Our community immediately wanted to participate, and despite a week of hard work, they were there to support. These times always bring so much more than just a day of work; it's an opportunity to converse, celebrate, laugh, and enjoy each other's company.

Thank you, friends, you are an example of love and service to me!

Siempre que tengo la oportunidad de escribir un articulo me encanta compartir sobre lo que esta pasando en nuestra iglesia, y la razon fundamental es lo orgullosa que me siento de pertenecer a una comunidad que florece y esta tan enfocada en perseguir el gran mandamiento “Amar a Dios y a quienes nos rodean”... no hay nada mas importante que esto! 

En un mundo a menudo marcado por el interés propio y las actividades individuales, todos enfocados en sus propias necesidades y la situación de su familia; nuestro grupo de la iglesia se destaca por su compromiso con el servicio. Nuestra iglesia verdaderamente ha encarnado la esencia de un corazón de servicio. 

Con la llegada del verano, hace varias semanas Shannon Hernandez (Director de Operaciones) nos pidió a todos en la comunidad ayuda para embellecer el jardín de Mission Adelante. Nuestra comunidad enseguida quiso participar, a pesar de una semana trabajando fuerte, allí estuvieron para apoyar. Estos tiempos siempre aportan mucho mas que un día de trabajo, es una oportunidad para conversar, celebrar, reir y disfrutar de la compañia uno con los otros.

Gracias amigos, ustedes son un ejemplo de amor y servicio para mi!

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?
MISSION ADELANTE OBSERVATION NIGHTS ARE HERE
JULY 10 -13

Are you interested in taking the next step to volunteer?

Take a glimpse of what is going on at Mission Adelante and what we are doing in our different programs.

This is a great opportunity to have the full experience of a Mission Adelante volunteer.

For more information visit: www.missionadelante.org/observe

Be part of our programs!

 We are so excited to start this summer trimester 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 Observation Nights. For more information visit: http://www.missionadelante.org/serve

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

Loving People from All Places

by Jarrett Meek, Founder, Pastor/Executive Director

Anyone who's spent much time in a foreign country understands how challenging it can be to navigate the  language, culture, systems and relationships in a place that's not your home.  That was certainly our experience when we were in Costa Rica for language school in 2002 and 2003.  But, out of nowhere, we were surprised by the friendship of a Costa Rican family who took us under their wing and walked with us in the ups and downs of adjusting to a new culture and context.  This experience became foundational for us in understanding how God wants us to embrace and befriend people from other places.

Members of Mission Adelante celebrate together at the

National Christian Foundation's Passion Awards

For Israel, the experience of living as foreigners in Egypt marked their identity as a people.  The Egyptian experience was a mixture of blessings and sorrows for God's people. Joseph's slavery, imprisonment and rise to power as Pharaoh's right-hand man is one of the most amazing immigrant success stories in history.  The escape from famine and the subsequent slavery of the Israelites in Egypt gave God's chosen nation a unique lens through which to view God's call to love the foreigners who would one day live in their midst.

"When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.  You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."  Leviticus 19:33-34

One phrase from these verses jumps off the page as familiar and powerful; "You shall love him as yourself".  This is one of the only places where this "Great Commandment", "love your neighbor as yourself", is applied so directly to a specific group of people.   And if you recall, when Jesus was asked, "who's my neighbor?", he told the story of the Good Samaritan, making the foreigner and outsider to the Jews the hero of the story, the neighbor, and the intended recipient of loving actions by God's people.  Jesus emphasizes that the commandment to love God and neighbor is at the very heart of all His commands.  This mandate finds a special expression in the way we show hospitality, compassion, and friendship to people from other places.

Whether you're from

Bhutan, 

Burma, 

Cuba,

Guatemala,

Honduras, 

Mexico, Nepal, the United States, or any other place, Mission Adelante takes seriously this Great Commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves.  This love for neighbor is practical.  It invites, 

befriends,

listens, learns,

embraces,

 shares, serves, celebrates, and grieves.  It creates a new community and redefines the "we".  It makes outsiders insiders and tells heroic stories about Samaritans.  Though we still have a long way to go, our heart's desire is that the phrase, "Loving people from all places" would be what most defines the Mission Adelante community.

In other news:

  • Staff and immigrant leaders returned on Sunday energized by the Christian Community Development Association conference where our immigrant leaders had already begun dreaming of new ways to impact our community.
  • We have two new additions to our Latino house church this week as we have welcomed two new babies! Please pray for good health and rest for the families.

Prayer needs:

  • Please pray for a family in the Bhutanese community who just had their first child! Pray for sound sleep and community support for this new family.
  • Pray for the registration tomorrow evening for our Latino ESL program where we hope to see a strong retention of past students and a healthy group of new students.
  • School can be a struggle for many of our Bhutanese High School students who don’t have strong English, making learning difficult, and the temptation to drop out strong. Pray for our school district to have the resources and knowledge to teach ESL students well, and pray for our students to have endurance and a strong work ethic in their studies.

Other needs:

  • Want to hang out with some fun kids and share Jesús in a meaningful way? We are looking for 3 or 4 volunteers for our Outreach Bible Study on Thursdays from 6:30-9:00.  Please contact Megan if you are interested at meganm@missionadelante.org.
  • Our Bhutanese Kids Outreach is looking for a few new friends!  We are in need of 5 mentors to walk with kids at part of our Outreach Bible Study on Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:00pm.  If you are interested in learning more please contact Kristen at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
  • If you are out and about and notice swimsuits on clearance, would you think about picking some up for kids at Mission Adelante?  We go swimming many times a year, even in the winter, and sometimes we find out on the way to the pool that some of our friends don’t have swimsuits that fit.  We specifically need suits that fit Elementary and Middle School boys, and one-piece suits that fit later Elementary and Middle School girls.  If you have questions, or would like to help, contact Kristen Maxwell at Kristenm@missionadelante.org

Important dates:

  • Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, September 21, 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, September 23, 6:30 p.m. We encourage everyone that will be volunteering with us during our fall trimester to attend so we can prepare for a great launch. 
  • Fall trimester programs launch: Week of September 23