Written by Jarrett Meek and Megan McDermottMission Adelante would not be the same without the amazing volunteers who have locked arms with us and answered the call to reach out to a mission field in their own backyard. Because we hold relationships as a core value in our ministry, ongoing, consistent involvement by volunteers is critical to our mission. A couple of statistics will give you a picture of the integral role volunteers play at Mission Adelante. This trimester 113 volunteers are serving in ongoing roles that range from bookkeeper to math tutor to ESL conversation partner. This is a huge increase over last year's average, which was right around 70. And, their relational impact is made greater by the fact that they are serving an average of 3.5 trimesters each, which is just over a year!
Brad says, "My ultimate hope is that at some point in their life, when they most need it, they're going to reach back and dig down to something they learned at Kids Adelante. And that's going to affect their lives."
Brad works with the oldest kids of the Outreach Bible study with ages ranging from 10-12. This can often times be the most challenging age group because the kids are constantly testing their limits and boundaries. The kids in this group often encounter the harsh reality of life a bit more than the younger ones, because they are old enough to understand what's going on around them. This is why Brad's consistent commitment to the Outreach Bible Study has made such an incredible impact. The kids trust a volunteer more when they see his level of commitment to them. This commitment might be in consistent attendance, supporting the kids when they need advice, teaching about the grace of God, and even conveying the hard truth about sin. Brad Gregory has done all this and much more.
Each Thursday night, Brad dons his fishing cap to transform into, "Uncle Don," the friendly guide who shares a skit with the kids about God's great love for them. Brad has also given much of his free time to work on the Mission Adelante building, he attends the Monday night Spanish class, and he will be joining us for our first ever missions training trip to Costa Rica this May. On top of all this, Brad's great attitude and kind words are an encouragement to everyone on the Mission Adelante team. We are very blessed to have a volunteer like Brad Gregory!
- Our first Adelante Missions Institute Seminar went really well last Saturday with 28 people in attendance. One person reflected that guest speaker Kirk Ogden "guided us through an experience, rather than giving a presentation."
- A healthy baby girl named Emily was born to a family in our worship community on Sunday afternoon. Please pray for continued good health for her, and a quick recovery for her mom.
- Mission Adelante staff enjoyed visiting Emmanuel Baptist Church on Sunday morning. The congregation donated stamps and paper goods for us. We're so thankful for EBC's partnership and generosity!
Prayer needs:
- Pray for Teens Adelante volunteers to have favor with the teens as they begin to spend more intentional time together building trusting relationships.
- Following a sermon on marriage and divorce last Sunday, please pray for our worship community to rally around one another in support of our marriages.
- Pray for a strong finish to the year for our Leaders In Training, some of whom are presently enticed by outside activities and considering leaving the program early.
Current needs:
- A furniture dolly for moving our offices upstairs.
- Brown paper bags for resource distribution in the Resource Center
Upcoming dates:
- Monday, March 15 - Thursday March 18: Spring break. No regularly scheduled Hispanic or Bhutanese ministry programs, with the exception of Spanish Class on Monday evening, which will meet at it's normal time.