by Erika Guedez, Community Resource Manager
Have you ever prayed and struggled to find the right words when talking to God? Have you ever felt disconnected from the source? Or maybe you feel like you repeat the same words over and over every single day?
That’s exactly how I had been feeling lately.
Yes, I prayed every morning. I would surrender my day to God, ask Him to protect my family, and to guide us safely wherever we went. During the day, I would pray again and give thanks. At night, before sleeping, I would finish my day with another prayer.
by Erick Flores, Ministry Apprentice
It’s that time again, our Summer Interns have arrived! I am so excited to introduce you all to this year’s Summer Interns. In previous years, we’ve had smaller groups, but this year we’ve expanded to seven interns! That might not seem like a lot, but for us, it’s huge!
Our interns this summer are Elian, Julissa, Blake, Anjali, Unisha, Katalina, and Ramiro!
by Erika Guedez, Community Resource Manager
Have you ever prayed and struggled to find the right words when talking to God? Have you ever felt disconnected from the source? Or maybe you feel like you repeat the same words over and over every single day?
That’s exactly how I had been feeling lately.
Yes, I prayed every morning. I would surrender my day to God, ask Him to protect my family, and to guide us safely wherever we went. During the day, I would pray again and give thanks. At night, before sleeping, I would finish my day with another prayer.
by Patrique Harris, Ministry Community Director
Recently, our GYVOAT (Greatest Youth Volunteer Of All Time), Michael, hosted a small study hall for our Youth Club teens. We shared some Pollo Ranchero from a spot down the street, Pollos El Junior, and hit the books. Even Michael benefited from the study time. Sure, he helped tutor math, but he also had his atlas in tow to brush up on Caribbean geography for the dailyGloble game (try it!). Honestly, I benefited from the community study time too because it gave me the perfect inspiration for this article.
If you’re a friend of mine, you know I love a good check-in question. Listening is one of the best ways we can love and support the people around us, and sometimes all it takes is asking a simple but meaningful question. While the teens snacked and worked through homework, I asked a few of them two simple questions: What’s bringing you joy? And what’s been hard lately?
by Kristina Flores, Children’s Ministry Manager
As a kid, I always wanted to learn how to play an instrument. I learned the flute, the piano, and barely half of “Hot Cross Buns” on the recorder. In school, we had to play the recorder in music class, and I was terrible at it. I dreaded those classes. To this day, I don’t know why it was so hard for me, especially since I could already play the piano and the flute. I never earned a ribbon, and “Hot Cross Buns” still haunts me.
By Carla Garcia, Partner Engagement Director
There’s something about thrifting that has always felt like home to me.
Some of my earliest memories are of going to Minnesota Ave Thrift with my mom. The only local thrift store we knew, where we could find what we needed and sometimes what we didn’t even know we were looking for. I remember walking the aisles, not really knowing what I’d find, but always leaving with something that felt like a treasure.
by Elaine Reimers, Adult Ministry Director
II have always loved music. Since the days when I was wearing diapers and before I can even remember, music has had the power to move me. I grew up with parents and an extended family who had a wide range of musical tastes, so I was exposed to nearly every genre. I remember listening to mostly country and doo-wop R&B with my mom as she would pat her leg to the beat. When I was with my dad, I recall listening to mostly R&B and pop music. My Aunt Karen would fly down the road, flicking the ashes of her Marlboro Red out the window with my cousin Melissa and me in the back seat, blaring music by artists including Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Queen. I have fond memories of listening to "Eye of the Tiger" over the years with my Uncle Rick while we watched the "Rocky" movies. My Vietnam Veteran stepdad would even break out his classical music/symphony vinyls at times. My friends and I listened to hip-hop, rap, and alternative music, and even dabbled in heavy metal and goth music for a short time. My mother tells me, as she giggles and reminisces, that whenever Hank William Jr.´s Born to Boogie would come on the radio, I couldn't stand still and I´d boogie all over the room. She says ¨that song just turned on your boogie!¨ and that I would come close to boogieing right out of my diaper. Can you imagine?!
by Erika Guedez, Community Resource Manager
Aaaah!.. Spring…. Wonderful, Radiant, Achooohh! Allergic Spring!
One of the new things I have learned during my year and a half in the United States is to experience life in stages, with its well-defined seasons and shifting weather patterns. Broadly speaking, where I come from, there are only two periods: the dry period (drought), which lasts approximately from December to April, and is characterized by a lack of rainfall and high temperatures; and the rainy period (heavy rains), which extends approximately from May to November, and during which precipitation is constant. A transitional period serves as a bridge between these two climatic phases. Due to its geography, Venezuela maintains a tropical climate year-round; consequently, the only things that really change in one's wardrobe are whether or not one carries an umbrella and wears rain boots.
by Patrique Harris, Ministry Director
Over the years, I’ve shared a lot about leadership development at Mission Adelante. I’ve seen so many kids, teens, and young adults thrive through our leadership development programs and pipeline. What I haven’t shared as much is how pivotal Mission Adelante has been in my own growth as a ministry leader.
As many of you know, I joined the Mission Adelante team in 2021, nearly five years ago, as Youth Ministry Director. With a somewhat unconventional background for the role, I had a lot to learn. Still, I was met with an incredible amount of support, from encouraging teammates, committed volunteers, wise supervisors, and, of course, God’s grace. With this, I felt a deep and divine confidence in my calling. I felt free to dream, build, and lead youth programming that has really flourished.
by Kristina Flores, Children’s Ministry Manager
I’m sure most of you have prayed about something and then waited… and waited… and nothing seemed to change? Maybe you prayed for a situation to work out, for an answer to a problem, or even just for your day to go smoothly. And instead of a miracle, you got… the exact same situation you started with. I think sometimes we treat prayer a little bit like a customer service request. We submit the request and then expect a quick response time. Preferably same-day delivery. But prayer isn’t Amazon Prime for life problems.
by Erick Flores, Ministry Apprentice
Migrating to a new country without knowing any English, adjusting to a completely different environment and culture — that is a huge change that can easily discourage someone. But it can definitely surprise you how comfortable and confident you can become in the United States in just one year. Today, I will be talking about Elian Heredia and the huge impact he has made at Mission Adelante.
by Elaine Reimers, Adult Ministry Director
It has been a busy last few months in the Adult Ministry department at Mission Adelante. For those of you who are a bit newer to Mission Adelante, the Adult Ministry department consists of three weekly programs and church on Sunday evenings. The three programs are Latino ESL on Thursdays, Citizenship on Tuesdays, and Refugee ESL on Mondays. Between the three weekly programs, we have 58 amazing and dedicated volunteers and 102 determined students! Thank you, God, for all of them, because it is an honor and a pleasure to serve alongside our beloved volunteers in a place where our immigrant community has the opportunity to learn what they need to know to improve their lives educationally, mentally, and spiritually.
By Carla Garcia, Partner Engagement Director
In Mexico, you don’t just say “thank you.”
You invite someone to your table.
You make space. You warm tortillas. You stir the pot a little longer. You serve the best portion to your guest before serving yourself. In my culture, sharing a meal is one of the most sacred ways we express gratitude. It says: I’m thankful for you.
Some of my most meaningful memories are around a table: laughter echoing off kitchen walls, hands passing plates, stories flowing as freely as the salsa. Food isn’t just food in Mexico. It carries history. It carries sacrifice. It carries love. Recipes are not simply instructions, they are inheritance.
by Erika Guedez, Community Resource Manager
It all starts on a Tuesday at 6:00am.
I wake up and organize my day with my husband. I prepare lunch, get my daughter ready, and take her to daycare. Then I head to work. Tuesdays are the longest days for me. I arrive at Mission Adelante at 8:30am, update information, answer emails, messages, and calls, and prepare the attendance list to organize the citizenship class groups.
I know, I admit it: sometimes I'm a little intense about making sure none of the students miss class. For me, every day counts, especially because Tuesdays also exist thanks to people with hearts willing to serve. Volunteers, men and women who, like the students, come from demanding jobs, family responsibilities, and long days. However, they decide to give their time because they believe in this purpose.
by Patrique Harris, Ministry Director
Growing up in Jamaica, I have always been fascinated with the history of the Caribbean and Jamaica in particular. From the Indigenous peoples who first inhabited the land, to Europeans who arrived, killed, and colonized, and the brutal transatlantic slave trade that fueled sugar plantations, and fattened the purses of imperial “powers”, our past is marked by immense pain, violence, and exploitation. Yet, the story of our people is not defined by cruelty alone. It is also a story of vision, resolve, defiance, and authenticity.
by Kristina Flores, Children’s Ministry Manager
There is a word in the English language that makes absolutely no sense to me. Ineffable: too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.
How can a word be used to describe something that cannot be described??? That feels illegal! Please tell me I’m not alone in thinking that makes zero sense. I need everyone to understand the severity of how much this word has caused me to lose my marbles. I can’t remember where or how I first heard it (definitely something I’ll be asking God one day), but I do remember the confusion hitting me immediately. I couldn’t keep this dumb word to myself, so naturally, I asked everyone if they were aware of this nonsense. People laughed. But I was serious. I needed answers. Who created this word? Why would they do such a thing? Were they okay? No one has answers. And so, for years, I’ve been stuck carrying the burden of this word.
by Elaine Reimers, Adult Ministry Director
I am in my third year of this blessed (pun intended!) ministry journey that began, truthfully, from desperation. In November of 2023, after six years of being cooped up in a corporate sales office and feeling disconnected from my family and community, I decided to leave my job (and, unfortunately, some really great friends I acquired over those years) in search of a more meaningful job. Never in my life did I imagine I would end up in ministry, and even if I had dreamed about a ministry job, I highly doubt I would have picked adult ministry! I have carried in my womb, birthed, and reared four children, so of course I would want to do children’s ministry, right?! Negative! Although I genuinely love children and definitely recognize the importance and value of children’s ministry, I am not the one! My hat goes off to people like (excuse me while I name drop!) Megan Fountain (McDermott), Patrique Harris, Carla García, Erick Flores, Kristina Flores-Muñoz (she´s my daughter-in-law!), and every single one of our Mission Adelante Children’s and Youth Ministry volunteers! Thank you for doing what you do so that people like me don’t have to!
by Erick Flores, Ministry Apprentice
I have now completed my 20th year of life. I often think back and reminisce about the past, and Mission Adelante is always present in my memories. Mission Adelante has made a huge impact on my life—it changed me for the better. Mission Adelante is a home to me.
Many people don’t often realize the huge impact volunteers make on our participants. They’re not just volunteers; they’re friends. I was once a participant myself when I was younger. I attended our former Youth Club, Latino Teens Adelante. My older sister, Carla, and her now-husband (then boyfriend), Daniel, tried to get me involved in teens for a long time. They were apprentices at the time. It wasn’t until I got in trouble at school that my mom forced me to go to teens. Little did I know, it would be the best reward I ever received for getting in trouble.
By Carla Garcia, Partner Engagement Director
As we step into 2026, we do so in a time that feels increasingly divided. It has become normal to close ourselves off, to stay within what feels familiar, and to hesitate when it comes to welcoming others. In the midst of this, Mission Adelante has been a place that lives differently, a community committed to radical welcome, even when it would be easier not to.
Mission Adelante has been that place for me. A community that welcomed me before I had a role, before I knew how I could serve, before I had words for what I was carrying. I was met with presence, patience, and care. And in that, I caught a glimpse of what Scripture means when it says, “You are no longer strangers and foreigners, but members of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19). Belonging came first. Everything else came later.
by Erika Guedez, Community Resource Manager
In the early years of school, from ages 6 to 12, our education focused on human values. I don’t know if you remember, but basically we were taught to identify the ethical and moral principles that guide a person’s behavior, helping us distinguish between right and wrong in order to live in society. These included respect, honesty, responsibility, solidarity, freedom, justice, tolerance, empathy, kindness, love, and so on. I remember studying the context of each one, but I didn’t realize how important they were at my young age. The truth is that values are universal, although their importance and prioritization can vary depending on the individual, culture, and context. As a child, I used to analyze terms and delve deeper into feelings. For example, we’re taught that love is a human value, but do you love? We’re taught that life is a value, but do you live? Do you understand what I mean? It’s like the difference between hearing and listening: Hearing is a physiological and passive act of perceiving sounds, whereas listening is a voluntary and active act that requires concentration and interpretation.
by Kristina Flores, Children’s Ministry Manager
This weekend was my very first Great Wolf Lodge trip, and it was such a blast! For those who may not know, our Leaders in Training students go every year to celebrate all their hard work. It’s a sweet tradition, and this year I had the honor of leading it.
I’ll be honest: I was nervous. I prayed constantly, and the anticipation was the hardest part. But God showed up for me in such a real way and filled me with peace. Once the students arrived, all that nervousness melted away and I felt excited all over again.
