Living Out Our Values

Written by Lauren Timberlake, Bhutanese ESL Director


Nearly 30 Bhutanese volunteers and their families met together a couple of weeks ago to celebrate the community God is putting together to serve our neighborhood. It was exciting to see the passion and variety represented in the body of Christ, listen to stories, and just enjoy deepening friendships. As I listened to what God was doing in the lives of our volunteers, several of Mission Adelante’s core values were represented. Here is just a sample of what God is doing among the Bhutanese at this time:

Love for foreigners. I don’t know why I am still surprised when I hear volunteers talk about how much they love our Bhutanese friends. The Holy Spirit has obviously planted a fondness for them in so many of our hearts. One of our ESL volunteers moved last week from Olathe into our neighborhood in order to spend more time with her Bhutanese friends. Another told me at the party, “I almost feel guilty about how much fun I have as a volunteer. I just love it!” This love is a God-given love, sacrificial and live-giving. Without it, our ministry would be powerless.

Service and Relationships. God is using cross-cultural relationships to bless both Bhutanese and Americans. When a crisis happened in the family of one of our volunteers, her Bhutanese “mother” here cared so much that she fasted and prayed. That kind of relationship comes from hours of practical service and time spent together. Pabitra (the Bhutanese “mom”) was able to see beyond her own neediness and serve her friend with love. That’s the kind of dignity and relationship that God grows through this ministry. It is such a blessing to watch.

Partnership. The MOPS group (Mothers of Preschoolers) from Hillcrest Covenant Church created flower pot kits as Mother’s Day gifts for Bhutanese moms. Our friends loved the pots and look forward to growing something beautiful in their homes, and it gave the MOPS moms and their little ones a practical way to show love to immigrants in our city.

These are just a few ways that God is using the Mission Adelante family to bless our community here in Kansas City, Kansas. Please pray that these values of love, service, relationship and partnership continue to grow and bear fruit in the lives of Bhutanese refugees, Latino immigrants, our volunteers, and church partners. To read more about our values as an organization, look on our website.


In other news:

• We're excited about the way that the summer trimester is shaping up, and about the great volunteer teams that are in place for all of our programs! God is faithful, every new trimester, to supply the volunteers that we need for our ministry programs to be effective!
• We're eager for the arrival of our summer interns, Lindsey Bokach and Blake Johns, who will move to our neighborhood this Saturday to join our one-year interns, Drew Hammond and Hannah Hume.

Prayer needs:

• We have an urgent need for a CDL licensed driver to pick up our Bhutanese friends for weekly programs beginning this Tuesday, and for a volunteer (preferably male) that knows sign language to help a deaf Bhutanese man in ESL classes on Tuesdays throughout the summer. Will you help us pray for God to supply these two specific people?
• Pray for the safety of our friends, Joe & Judy LeMaster and Drew Timberlake, who are presently on a ministry trip to Nepal.
• Pray for God to work in difficult domestic situations being experienced by a few of the LIT students' families, and for His will to be done as to whether those students are able to go on the canoe trip next weekend, which they earned as a reward for their participation in LIT.

Current needs:

• Bhutanese outreach volunteers for the summer trimester--Tuesday evenings May 29 through August 7.  Please call David at  913-281-6274 x6 or e-mail him at davids@missionadelante.org if you're interested in any of these roles.
• A CDL licensed driver to pick up our Bhutanese friends from around Kansas City, Kansas each Tuesday between 5:30 and 6:30 in our 22 passenger mini-bus.
• A male Kids Club volunteers to work with 5th or 6th graders
• A worship leader for Teens Club
• A volunteer familiar with sign language and deaf culture to work with deaf Bhutanese ESL students.
• Kids summer clothing to stock our Resource Center, and three sofas, which have been requested through our Resource Center.  Please contact Molly at 913-281-6274 x5.
• A ceiling-mounted projector in a protective cage for use in our kids' room.

Important dates:

• Summer trimester program launches--Week of May 28
• Saturday, June 30 @ 9:00 a.m. Adelante Missions Institute Seminar.  We're pleased to announce that Noel Castellanos, CEO of Christian Community Development Association, will visit Kansas City at the end of June.  Mark your calendar!

Reaching Out To Jesus

Written by Drew Hammond

About two weeks ago, a small team of staff and volunteers from Mission Adelante’s Bhutanese outreach returned from a trip to Nepal and India. Since then, people have been asking me what my “one big takeaway” is. It is very difficult to pin down the single most valuable thing the Lord taught me over the course of our journey, but the following is definitely near the top of the list.

One of the experiences I will always remember is our visit to a house church in a colony of ex-lepers in Nepal. This is a group of people that has been cast out from society because they happened to contract one of today’s least understood diseases. I was asked to share something with this group of people. In the back of the taxi on the way there, I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I could teach this group of people. After twenty minutes in the car, I still hadn’t come up with anything, even after thinking all morning. Finally I gave up. How could I relate to a people that had been rejected from society? There was nothing that I could find within myself to relate to them. As a last ditch effort, I started flipping through the New Testament to try to find something that could work. Then it hit me: I was my way to visit a group of people who had also found refuge in the arms of Jesus.  The Bible is where I should have started!

As I scoured through narratives about Jesus, the Lord led me to Matthew 14: Jesus walking on water. I felt a sense of comfort as I  realized how well I was able to relate to Peter’s experience. Jesus calls Peter to step out of the boat, onto the water. The water which was new territory for Peter, a surface upon which all of his prior experience told him was impossible to walk.  As Peter stepped out of the boat towards Jesus, he became afraid and cried out “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30). Then Jesus reached out His hand and said “You of little faith, why do you doubt?” (verse 31), and the two climbed back into the boat together.  I shared of the similar experience I had had when I began working with the Bhutanese, facing the options of either reaching out to Jesus or sinking into the depths of fear. I told them that I don’t hear Jesus’ words in verse 31 in a harsh and correcting tone, but in a loving and protective one.  A tone that says, “Don’t you know who I am?  You have nothing to fear in me!”

The Lord definitely changed my heart in that moment, and over the course of our journey. It became even more clear to me that I belong to the Lord, and that I have nothing else to fear.


In other news:

• We're grateful for a generous donation of over 100 children's books in excellent condition for our children's library from Scott Bunte in memory of his mother, Joanne Paulsen Bunte.
• We're looking forward to the What If The Church? Serve Day at Mission Adelante on June 9. The main projects will be remodeling a couple of rooms in our facility and beginning work on a house next door that we recently acquired. Register to volunteer here!
• Our Latino and Bhutanese Missionary Teams have gathered the last three Monday evenings for grilling and fellowship followed by worship around a fire pit. One of the things we love most about doing ministry together is the rich community that is cultivated!

Prayer needs:

• Help us pray for a smooth on-ramp to our summer trimester. Ask God to put all the pieces in place, including each individual volunteer and immigrant participant in each of our programs, so that our love for Christ would be demonstrated by serving immigrants.
• Continue to pray for an immigrant family in crisis. Pray for healing and peace, especially for the kids as they get used to a new family dynamic.
• Pray for endurance and clear guidance for Executive Director Jarrett Meek as he leads the way into new initiatives, while keeping up with his many ongoing responsibilities. Also, pray for our Board of Directors as they plan for these new initiatives, which will allow us to have a broader impact in our community.
• Pray for the Lord to bless the fundraising efforts of our staff and interns.

Current needs:

• Bhutanese outreach volunteers for the summer trimester--Tuesday evenings May 29 through August 7.  Please e-mail morganh@missionadelante.org if you're interested in any of these roles.
• Five Kids Club volunteers
• A worship leader for Teens Club
• A driver with a CDL
• Individuals familiar with sign language and deaf culture to work with several deaf Bhutanese ESL students

• It's time to stock our resource center with baby's and kid's summer clothing.  Please contact Molly at 913-281-6274x5 if you can donate any.
• Several 4-8 person tents for the upcoming L.I.T. canoe trip, and tarps large enough to put under the tents. Please contact Megan at 913-281-6274x2.
• Fifteen reusable water bottles for Teens Adelante.  Please contact Brooke at 913-281-6274x8.
• A  ceiling-mounted projector in a protective cage.  Contact Kristen at 913-281-6274 x9
• Large Rubbermade storage bins with lids, and disposable cups.   Contact Kristen at 913-281-6274 x9

Important dates:

• Volunteer Orientation & Training--Saturday, May 19 @ 9:00 a.m.  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, May 21 @ 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 program launches--Week of May 28
• Saturday, June 30 @ 9:00 a.m. Adelante Missions Institute Seminar.  We're pleased to announce that Noel Castellanos, CEO of Christian Community Development Association, will visit Kansas City at the end of June.  Mark your calendar!

Boys' Night Out

Written by volunteer Brad Gregory


As a long-time volunteer at Kid's Adelante, I have truly come to love my Thursday nights with the kids. I savor my time with them, but my hectic schedule keeps me from getting anywhere near enough time with them outside of the Thursday night programming.  But, thanks to the generosity of a Mission Adelante supporter, I had the opportunity last weekend to take three of our young men LIT students to the Sporting KC game at Livestrong Park.  We started the evening with some great pizza at D' Bronx in Mission followed by a highly-competitive round of putt putt mini golf at Mission Bowl. It only took a short while with these young guys to remind me of two things that I had forgotten:
1) How to laugh - these boys know how to have fun. They were more entertained by hitting the ball into the water than into the cup!
2) Young men can EAT!!  They always want something else to eat!!!


Sporting KC played a great game, and we especially enjoyed the fantastic seats we had. We were having such a good time that the boys wanted to be sure I didn't return them home any sooner than the time I had told their parents, so we even squeezed in a late-night McDonalds' run.

As I drove home after dropping them off, I asked myself why I don't do that kind of thing more often. I loved every minute of it and this reminded me of how impacted and blessed I am by sharing life with the families and kids in the Mission Adelante community.


In other news:

• David Stetler, Kristen Maxwell, and Drew Hammond, the Bhutanese Outreach staff that returned  last week from a trip to Nepal and India, are occupied with processing through all that they saw and experienced, and are formulating personal and ministry applications.
• Kristen Maxwell, Director of Bhutanese Kids programs, held an informational meeting last Sunday to announce to the Bhutanese community the launch of Leaders In Training for Bhutanese students this fall.  The parents of potential participants caught the vision for the tutoring and character development program, and their sons and daughters were invited to apply.

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for Blake and Lindsey, our summer interns who will arrive on May 26, as well as Drew and Hannah, both in the middle of a one-year internship.  Pray for their fundraising efforts, and for God to prepare them for the fast pace and intensity of the summer!
• Pray for Megan McDermott, Kids Adelante Director, as she is in the season of discerning which students to invite to participate in Leaders In Training next year.
• Help us ask the Lord to supply the volunteers we need for our summer trimester, which begins the week of May 28.

Current needs:

• Bhutanese outreach volunteers for the summer trimester--Tuesday evenings May 29 through August 7.  Please e-mail morganh@missionadelante.org if you're interested in any of these roles.
• Five Kids Club volunteers
• A worship leader for Teens Club
• A driver with a CDL
• Individuals familiar with sign language and deaf culture to work with several deaf Bhutanese ESL students

• A couch has been requested through the resource center.  It's also time to stock our resource center with baby's and kid's summer clothing.  Please contact Molly at 913-281-6274x5 if you can donate any of this.
• Several 4-8 person tents for the upcoming L.I.T. canoe trip, and tarps large enough to put under the tents. Please contact Megan at 913-281-6274x2.
• Fifteen reusable water bottles for Teens Adelante.  Please contact Brooke at 913-281-6274x8.

Important dates:

• Volunteer Orientation & Training--Saturday, May 19 @ 9:00 a.m.  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, May 21 @ 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 program launches--Week of May 28
• Saturday, June 30 @ 9:00 a.m. Adelante Missions Institute Seminar.  We're pleased to announce that Noel Castellanos, CEO of Christian Community Development Association, will visit Kansas City at the end of June.  Mark your calendar!

Parents' Night Out

Written by Megan McDermott


I often stand in awe of parents!  They sacrifice their time, money, food, sleep, and even their own desires to provide the best for their children.  Since our house church began this past November, we have been looking for ways to connect in a more relational way with the families. We wanted to serve them in a way that would not only bless, but also encourage them. 


Since ministry is primarily a relational endeavor for us, those of us in leadership of the house church asked ourselves, "What is something that every parent would want and appreciate, and that we could give them by virtue of the fact that we have relationships with them?"  How about a break?

Last Sunday, a few of us from our house church linked arms to give the hard-working parents among us a much needed night off.  Some of them used the opportunity to reconnect with their spouse over a quiet dinner.  One mom excitedly expressed to me, "We actually got to start AND FINISH the same conversation!"  Another family decided to have a girls night out and the grandma, mother, and granddaughter enjoyed some rare quality time together.  Each family, without tiny hands and voices distracting them, got to rest and relax in a way that meant something to them.


Meanwhile, all the kids and teens gathered at the Mission for about three hours to eat pizza, watch a movie, play some pretty intense four-square, and enjoy some rich relational time. It was one of the most fun nights I can remember having with them because we simply got to play together!  



I know that the parent's night out was meant to bless our families, but it blessed us as well.  These amazing children that we are privileged enough to to walk with on an everyday basis, bless us with their laughter, joy, and love for the Lord.  




In other news:

• Jarrett Meek was impressed and encouraged at the beginning of his house church gathering last Sunday to find out that many of the immigrants arrived having studied the Bible passage for the lesson in advance and having memorized a Bible verse.
• We're continually encouraged by our partnerships with the people in ministry at local churches, and by the evidence that these partnerships are win-win.  This week, some of the leadership from Christ Community Church sought advice from Jarrett Meek and Jason Schoff about a particular matter, which Jarrett and Jason considered an honor and a highlight of their week!

Prayer needs:

• Praise God!  An interview at the U.S. embassy has been scheduled for Yanelis on May 9!  Yanelis is the leader of Raices, the ministry we work with in Cuba, and we want her to join us in Kansas City for leadership training during our summer trimester.  Now, join us in praying that her visa will be approved, and that it will be issued very rapidly!
• Pray for strength in the marriages in our immigrant community.  A particular immigrant family is currently separated and struggling.  Please pray for them to become more and more open to God working in their lives, and for God to purify and sculpt their hearts to reflect His character.
• Pray for another family struggling through a difficulty.  Pray that they'll find the resources and support that they need, and that they'll have a particular awareness of God's presence and love.
• Our summer trimester of programs is approaching.  Please pray with us for God to draw each individual volunteer and participant that he wants to compose the classes.
• Praise God for the new things (understanding, vision, passion and energy, approaches to challenges, etc.) that have been/will be borne of a trip to Nepal and India that the Stetlers, Kristen Maxwell, Drew Hammond, Rachel Yeargin, and Lori Gossenauer have just returned from.  Pray for their re-entry into our time zone, neighborhood, and ministry lifestyle.

Current needs:

• A couch has been requested through the resource center.  It's also time to stock our resource center with baby's and kid's summer clothing.  Please contact Molly at 913-281-6274x5 if you can donate any of this.
• Several 4-8 person tents for the upcoming L.I.T. canoe trip, and tarps large enough to put under the tents. Please contact Megan at 913-281-6274x2.
• Fifteen reusable water bottles for Teens Adelante.  Please contact Brooke at 913-281-6274x8.

Important dates:

• Volunteer Orientation & Training--Saturday, May 19 @ 9:00 a.m.  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, May 21 @ 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 program launches--Week of May 28
• Saturday, June 30 @ 9:00 a.m. Adelante Missions Institute Seminar.  We're pleased to announce that Noel Castellanos, CEO of Christian Community Development Association, will visit Kansas City at the end of June.  Mark your calendar!

Mission Accomplished

written by Jason Schoff

"Serving Immigrants to Christ and Mobilizing them to Serve." This phrase launched Mission Adelante on a trajectory nearly seven years ago. It gave our staff, volunteers, and immigrant friends a framework for why Mission Adelante exists. It continues to serve us as a clear mission statement that propels us in ministry, and this past month I saw a first hand glimpse of our mission coming to fruition.

Our morning English class for Latino immigrants is made up of just six students who did not know one another before the class. This hasn't seemed to matter, since every week our students bond more and become closer friends with one another. To my delight, Carmen*, one of the women in the class, has also begun to attend one of the three Latino house churches. Carmen has begun to embrace Christ and learn what is looks like to know and follow him.

One day in class, Laura*, another of the students, shared a prayer request and financial need: her husband needed an surgical procedure and they would have to come up with a few thousand dollars for it. Laura seemed discouraged by the obstacle, but Carmen quickly spoke up. 


 "Have you called the radio to see if you could ask them to collect donations for you? I would be willing to ask my coworkers for donations to help you." Wow! Carmen was serving! She wanted to help Laura in her desperate situation. Carmen was fulfilling our mission statement, first by being one of the immigrants Mission Adelante served and now by serving as a vessel for God's compassionate help. I praise God for showing us a mission accomplished in one immigrant's life!

*Carmen and Laura's name have been substituted to honor their privacy

In other news:

• Both the Latino and Bhutanese Spring parties were outstanding!  They're a great way to honor kids and English students, and for the whole Mission Adelante Community to be together in one place celebrating.  We want to give a big thanks to the group of adults and teens from Christ Community Church and the Bhutanese outreach volunteers for all their help pulling off the Bhutanese party, and to the volunteers from New City Church of KC, MO and Mill Creek Community Church for all their help pulling off the Latino party.
• A big thanks to the five volunteers from Heartland Community Church's Millennial Group that spent Saturday doing a lot of work around our facilities.
• The Teens Adelante teens had a great time at Shoal Creek Community Church last weekend when they joined the Shoal Creek youth group for an overnight lock-in.

Prayer needs:

• Pray for our two incoming summer interns, Blake and Lindsey.  Pray that God will prepare them for the weeks they'll spend with us, and that He'll bless their fundraising efforts and provide the necessary funds.
• Pray for God's continued blessing and protection of our team that's presently traveling in India and Nepal, including the Stetler family, Kristen Maxwell, and Drew Timberlake, as well as a few volunteers.  They plan to return May 3.
• We've applied for a visa in order for Yanelis, the leader of Raices the ministry we work with in Cuba, to come to Kansas City for training.  We'd love to have her with us during the summer trimester, so please pray that her interview with the U.S. embassy in Cuba would be scheduled very soon.

Current needs:

• A couch has been requested through the resource center.  Please contact Molly at 913-281-6274x5 if you have one to donate.
• Teens Adelante is hoping for summer swimming lessons for 10-15 teenagers.  Please contact Brooke (brookec@missionadelante.org) if you can teach swimming lessons to full-grown teens or can help us find a good instructor.
• A ceiling-mounted projector and protective cage
• Large storage bins with lids (Rubbermaid-type)

Important dates:

• Saturday, June 30 @ 9:00 a.m. Adelante Missions Institute Seminar.  We're pleased to announce that Noel Castellanos, CEO of Christian Community Development Association, will visit Kansas City at the end of June.  Mark your calendar!