summer

A Summer To Remember

A Summer To Remember 

by Patrique Harris, Youth Ministry Director

Sold-out stadiums and concert venues across the United States for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour will certainly cement Summer 2023 as one for the history books. Yet, I posit that there was something even more special brewing in Wyandotte County this summer. Being the Youth Ministry Director at Mission Adelante, I am probably biased, but I witnessed something extraordinary in my neighborhood. I saw God establish a group of seven outstanding teenagers who used their gifts together to impact the lives of many in the Mission Adelante community!

At the end of May, shortly after wrapping up their school year, Lucy, Alana, Julissa, Adiella, Vanessa, Anisha, and Camilo joined the Mission Adelante staff as summer interns. Each of these teens has their natural specialties. Lucy is a thorough planner and musical by nature; Alana is practical and can command a team; Julissa brings humor and encouragement to teammates; Adiella is a mediator and enjoys being of service; Vanessa is creative and detail-oriented; Anisha is great at engaging others, especially children; Camilo is a dreamer and brings great enthusiasm. I liken the group to a machine, each intern being a distinct gear. Though different, all the gears ground together in a melodic rhythm to motor our ministry this summer.

One thing that caught my attention this summer is how other young people gravitated toward these interns. I almost always saw them with an entourage following them around. As such, I would impress upon our interns that they are true “influencers,” similar to Jesus. Their platform may not be quantifiable by five thousand mouths fed, overflowing stadiums with thousands of concertgoers, or millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok. Nonetheless, their very being still has sway and power! I believe God has entrusted our young people and these young leaders with Kingdom purpose. That said, it is unfortunate that many question their worthiness daily. Many youngsters are made to feel ineffectual, sometimes even by family, friends, educators, and other prominent people in their lives. So today, I encourage you to celebrate the gifts of our young people. Give them opportunities to use those gifts and assure them that though they may be young, they are mighty. Or, as we would say in Jamaica, “yuh likkle but yuh tallawah.”

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?
JOIN US TO VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION
SEPTEMBER 9TH

Join our team of volunteers for the summer trimester and be part of "loving people from all places." Attend our volunteer orientation on September 9th 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/serve

Be part of our programs!

 We are so excited to start our fall 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.

We were on TV...

A Summer of Citizenship at Mission Adelante! 

by Veronica Garcia, ESL Manager


It’s been an exciting summer for the citizenship class here at Mission Adelante this summer.
Since the spring trimester didn’t bring as many new students as I hoped, I needed to make sure I got the word out sooner about the citizenship class this summer. I took flyers to immigration offices, stores, and posted flyers in different places on facebook, but none of the posts really took off…until one did!

I was just posting in groups as I routinely do before the beginning of each trimester and I decided to try it out in a local latina women’s group on facebook. When I logged on a few hours later after I had posted it, I was so surprised to see people interacting with the post and asking for more information. I had probably messaged 10 people that night. And the calls/texts began the flow in…people were saying they saw my post on facebook.

About a week before the citizenship launch, a LOT of people began calling Gissell. We were like, “This is really all from the facebook post?” Well…Another person interested in the class had called her and said they saw the information on TV. What?? Apparently Univision had picked it up and displayed the flyer on the local news. That was crazy!

(screenshot from Univision on facebook)

I began stressing from not having enough students to what if we have too many? We only have spots for 24 students in our beginner class. With the amount of calls Gissell and I were receiving, I was worried we would have to turn people away. Well, launch night came on May 30… and to my surprise and ease we had 16 new students register for the class! The following week we had 5 more come, so that’s a whopping 21 new registrations for our citizenship class. God is good. We had 20 in the beginners class and 8 returning students in our intermediate class. One of our returning students, Nancy, had recently passed her exam and interview about a month ago. I am so thankful for the volunteers that poured into her and helped her achieve citizenship. I’ve been feeling super happy and excited about what we are accomplishing in our citizenship program. 

Please pray for the citizenship program at Mission Adelante, that we can continue to receive more students and that we can effectively help these people apply and receive United States citizenship. It’s been so much fun learning about immigration law and helping people from different walks of life working towards the goal of American citizenship. I’m praying that the fall trimester will bring more students and volunteers so the program can continue to grow! 

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES?

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION

Join our team of volunteers for the fall trimester and be part of "loving people from all places." Attend our volunteer orientation on Saturday, September 9th 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 our fall programs 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.

Summertime at Mission Adelante

Summertime at Mission Adelante

by Patrique Harris, Youth Ministry Director

From left to right: Lucy, Anisha, Camilo, Vanessa, Adiella, Julissa and Alana

Summertime at Mission Adelante is a blast! It is the time of year when we invite a special group of budding young leaders from our neighborhood to join our staff as summer interns. The internship is an intensive discipleship and leadership development experience that aims to help young people become passionate followers of Jesus and leaders in our community. This year, Lucy, Anisha, Camilo, Vanessa, Adiella, Julissa, and Alana have committed their summer to serving alongside us at Mission Adelante. Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to! 

An essential part of the internship is developing close relationships within the group early. What better way to do that than to spend a weekend away together! So, earlier this month, we traveled to Manhattan, Kansas for a weekend of fun and fellowship. Together we worshiped, laughed, played, exercised, made meals, explored the city, tried new sports, shared dreams, and even washed each others’ feet! I am always blown away by how quickly connections can build, regardless of age, gender, background, and even culture. God’s power is demonstrated in the way these interns moved from being acquaintances to friends in just one weekend!

Once we returned from a refreshing weekend away, it was time for the interns to get their hands dirty! The interns have taken on significant leadership responsibilities in Arts Community, Adelante Youth Club, and Kids Adelante under the tutelage of myself; Carla Flores, our Children’s Ministry Director; and Mikya Wright, a former summer intern herself and our new Ministry Apprentice! They are hanging out with kids, teaching Bible lessons, teaching creative classes, and even leading worship!

We have also spent time visiting and serving with other impactful ministries and nonprofits in our neighborhood. We literally got our hands dirty at the New Roots for Refugees’ Juniper Gardens Training Farm. New Roots for Refugees is a collaborative program between Catholic Charities and CultivateKC that provides farm training and market opportunities for refugee families that have settled in our neighborhood. Giving the Basics was also an eye-opening exposure trip for us. Giving the Basics distributes a host of hygiene necessities, often not covered by government assistance programs. We visited the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank (KC Fed) and toured the Money Museum with Daniel Nguyen, a volunteer in Mission Adelante’s Citizenship class. Daniel shared details about the history of U.S. currency and the importance of the KC Fed in managing the money supply of Kansas, Missouri and neighboring states. We learned a ton about upcycling at ScrapsKC, an organization that is focused on reducing waste in Kansas City with creative reuse while also supporting teachers and the unhoused community. We also paid a visit to our sister organization, Adelante Thrift. Adelante Thrift is located in our neighborhood on 38th St and State Ave and sells gently used clothing, furniture and more. Sales proceeds from the store cover around 25% of our expenses at Mission Adelante.  

This cohort of interns has already added a ton of value to our ministry. Please keep them in your prayers and feel free to send a note to their email (interns@missionadelante.org) with words of encouragement! If you feel moved to financially support our internship program and leadership development more broadly at Mission Adelante, consider giving to our summer fundraising campaign, Infinity 2023. Our goal is to raise $60k for the Community Leader Fund by August 6. Check this link for details www.missionadelante.org/infinity2023

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.

SUMMER 2023

SUMMER 2023

by Carla Flores, Kids Ministry Director

The year is flying by and I can't believe it is already time to start thinking about Arts Camp 2023 and backpack week!
Last year, Ashley Delgado, our past apprentice, and I were blessed to host over 90 kids for an entire week during Arts Camp 2022. Volunteers from all over the metro area came together to help this awesome event come together. Amazing churches like Christ Community Downtown and Hillcrest Covenant supported us with supplies, volunteers, and food for our students to have breakfast and lunch.

This May, we will have Mikya Wright join us as a new apprentice and begin planning for this year’s camp! Together, we are hoping to reach our goal of hosting 100 kids from our community this summer. 

Every year as the school year is set to begin, we have the opportunity to provide backpacks filled with school supplies for our students. This helps them begin the new school year off on the right foot. Bible study groups, local churches, and generous people from all places gather to put these backpacks together for our kids. Our kids join us for the last week of summer program and are able to pick out an awesome backpack that same week! 

There are a few ways you can join in on this summer’s fun: 

  1. Join us for Arts Camp 2023! Anyone age 13 and up can join us as volunteers and help either lead/co-lead an arts class, set up classrooms, and prepare meals. Fill out this form if you're interested: https://missionadelante.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/126/responses/new 

  2. Help us prepare backpacks for this summer’s event! This is a great opportunity for a group to come together and support our community. We are in need of girls’ elementary backpacks, here’s a link to get started: http://www.missionadelante.org/serviceprojects/backpacks

  3. Join us in prayer! The summer is our busiest, most fun time at Mission Adelante. Youth from our community fill our building with life and vibrancy.
    Pray for our students to enjoy their time with us, grow in their faith and leadership skills, and make lifetime long friends. Pray for our leaders to be filled with energy to teach and guide our students, to stay healthy during such a busy time, and for God to continue working through them.

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.

What Have the Summer Interns Been Up To?

By Edgar Soriano, Ministry Intern

This has been a great summer! Our second internship for teens from our own neighborhood has been an amazing experience for each of them. They have done so many things that have helped them grow closer to God. 

They've gotten the chance to see the other side of ministry and have loved and enjoyed doing it.

The first month of the internship was filled with kids camps, where they played with the kids and helped lead small groups.

They've also been focused on discipling other teens from our community by living life and sharing Jesus with them. They organize social activities for the teens like playing soccer, going to a movie, going bowling, and other fun things that help them share life. We are getting close to the end of the internship but the interns are better then ever.  

We are so proud of them for the great leaders they're becoming.

They have learned and grown so much this year, and we and hope to see all of them back next year.

Current Needs:

  • Leaders in Training, our after-school leadership development and tutoring program, is getting excited about technology!  We are currently looking for tablets that are in new, or very good condition to be used for learning activities during the 2014-2015 school year. If you have one you would like to donate please contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org or Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org.
  • Looking for a fun way to make a big impact in the fall? Want to pour into the future leaders of our community?   Our relational and fun after-school tutoring and character development program, Leaders in Training, is currently looking for volunteers.  Contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org if you are interested!
  • We are rehabbing the house next door to our building, and are in need of residential appliances in good working order.  Please contact Sarah at sarahw@missionadelante.org if you would like to donate an electric range/oven, dishwasher, washer, or electric dryer.

Important Dates:

  • Bhutanese Summer Party--Saturday, August 9 at 4:00 at Wyandotte County Lake Park, 91st and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, KS 66109. After entering the park you'll come to a fork in the road; go left and continue to Shelter #6. Please bring a dish to share and stay for the awards and cultural presentation!
  • Latino Summer Party--Sunday, August 10 at 5:00 at Wyandotte County Lake Park, 91st and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, KS 66109. After entering the park you'll come to a fork in the road; go left and continue to Shelters #8 &10. Please note, these are different shelters than the large shelter where the party has been held in previous years. Dress casually and bring a dish to share, lawn chairs and/or a picnic blanket.

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

Upside Down Kingdom

Written by Lauren Timberlake, Bhutanese ESL Director

Mon Maya Rai prayed a lot for my healing

 this summer and has blessed me so much.

God’s kingdom is truly upside down. Last year, our family spent lots of time, energy and money to move to the Mission Adelante neighborhood and serve Bhutanese refugees. We finally settled down in March, and I was looking forward to diving into relationships with our neighbors. As I prayed about where to start and how best to serve, a mentor encouraged me to wait at God’s doorstep (Proverbs 8:34-35). Positioning myself near to His heart would ultimately be the best way to serve others.

So I did. And I was led to take small steps. 

A few neighbor kids started spending time with us after school, and we made plans for summer fun with them. I was excited to take them swimming and to the park, and to go on walks with some of my ESL students. Summer was going to be a season of diving deeper into life here, and I was ready.

The first weekend after school got out, I broke my foot (just walking barefoot in my house!). I knew it would slow me down, but I prayed God would heal me quickly, so I could still take the kids swimming and such. A few days later at a routine eye exam, my doctor discovered that my retina was detached. I would need emergency surgery--the kind that comes with a significant recovery period.

I was down for the count. And really frustrated. How was I going to take care of my three kids--let alone serve others--if I couldn’t walk, drive or even see straight? But God still had plans for my summer. I was surprised by all the ways I saw His concern for me through those I thought I was supposed to be taking care of.

My missional family (those of us living in the neighborhood to serve the Bhutanese), co-workers, volunteers and even my ESL students blessed me again and again. They brought meals, prayed for me and with me, walked my baby girl, and sat with me while I was homebound. Our Bhutanese house-church members and several ESL students prayed for my healing. Even now, they commonly ask me how my eye is doing. Their concern was real, and God listened to their prayers. It's been about a month since my foot finished healing, and my eye is doing better than anyone expected--I am so grateful.

How humbling. And how beautiful. We come to God ready to give what we think we have, and then he turns it around and lets us receive His love and grace afresh. His kingdom doesn’t work the way we think it should--it’s so much better than that. The relationships that form from serving at Mission Adelante really do result in sharing life with each other and growing His kingdom--

His way

, not ours. And positioning ourselves at His doorstep is always a good way to begin.

In other news:

  • The majority of Mission Adelante staff and a number of staff spouses, members of the missional family, and neighborhood teens attended the Christian Community Development Association's Annual Conference in Minneapolis last week. It was four days jam-packed with encouragement and equipping to do justice and love mercy, along with exhortation to never forget that walking humbly with our God is that which enables us to do the work that we do.
  • We're so very pleased that Yanelis, the leader of the Raices discipling ministry in Cuba, has arrived in Kansas City for about three weeks of getting to know the "family" and training. It is a long-awaited visit, involving mountains of paperwork, and we're enormously thankful that the Lord brought her in His timing.

Prayer needs:

  • Please pray for each member of our staff to persist in the habit of quieting ourselves before God on a regular basis to receive life from Him.
  • Pray for the Lord's hand to be over Yanelis during her visit, that she would learn and be encouraged and equipped in every way that He has for her.

Important dates:

  • Tuesday, October 9 & Thursday, October 11: Bring-A-Friend Nights Volunteers, who do you know that might be interested in getting a first-hand look at what it's like to volunteer at Mission Adelante?  Next Tuesday and Thursday evenings are the perfect opportunity for you to invite someone to come along, meet your immigrant friends and Mission Adelante staff, and get the flavor of the way we serve to demonstrate the love of Christ.
  • Saturday, November 17, 3-6:30 p.m.: Mission Adelante Staff House Parties

Oversized Postcards

by

Vistaprint

  • Jarrett & Kristen Meek, Molly Merrick: 251 N. 15th Street
  • Jason & Megan Schoff, Megan McDermott: 410 N. 15th Street
  • David & Brooke Coon: 245 N. 17th Street
  • David & Holly Stetler, Drew Hammond: 438 N. 17th Street
  • Drew & Lauren Timberlake, Kristen Maxwell: 706 N. 17th Street
  • Garett & Jenny Dunn, Hannah Hume: 335 N. 15th Street

All homes are in Kansas City, KS 66102.  RSVP not necessary.