Calling All Volunteers!

Throughout the history of the church, movements of people from one city to another or from one country to another have been used by God to spread the gospel to nearly every corner of the earth. Early in the history of the church, as recorded in the book of Acts, a great persecution against believers ocurred in Jerusalem following the stoning of Stephen. The result was that the believers were scattered to other regions...along with the message of Christ. Sometimes the gospel has spread through persecution, other times because the church has sent missionaries, and in other situations whole groups of believers have migrated from one country to another. Today, in many ways, the Latin American mission field is coming to us! For those who have a passion to share life with the poor and minister cross-culturally, the opportunity is ripe to do it in your own city.

Mission Adelante invites you to consider serving as a volunteer in our ministry. Whether your passion is kids, adults, or meeting physical needs, we have a place for you to connect. You are invited to come to our Volunteer Orientation and Training Seminar on Saturday, May 24th at 9:00 a.m. to learn more about how you can be involved in cross-cultural missions in our own city. Please respond to Morgan Ham to RSVP or get more information. Or, visit our website to check out our volunteer opportunities.

In other news:

• Twenty volunteers from Christ Community Church spent six hours working on our facility on Saturday. We're grateful for their help!
• Jason Schoff preached his first message to the Mission Adelante community at the worship celebration on Sunday evening. He spoke on the topic of fasting.
• Molly Merrick is the second individual to jump on board for the summer internship. She and Megan McDermott will live here in the neighborhood and work with us from May 31 to August 10. Please pray for God's provision of necessary funds, as Molly is sending her fundraising letters this week.

Prayer needs:

• Please intercede for M & V, who have been a part of the Mission Adelante community for a year and a half. Crisis in their marriage is causing them to isolate themselves from the community, as well as causing them great personal distress.

Current needs:

• Room dividers or cubicle walls
• Portable soccer goals
• Tutors for an after-school program to begin this fall. If you're interested, contact Jarrett

Important upcoming dates:

• Saturday, May 24 @ 9:00 a.m.: Volunteer Orientation & Training

If you're interested in volunteering with us in the future, or if you're a current volunteer who's never had the opportunity to come to the Orientation & Training, please plan to attend! You'll get an overview of the various ministries of Mission Adelante, as well as information specific to the area that is of most interest to you.

• June 5: Summer ESL classes and Kids Adelante begin

Reflections of a Volunteer

(The following email to the Kids Adelante team is included in The Adelante Express with permission by Thiago, a volunteer from Brazil)

"I wish I had done this a lot sooner (volunteering and teaching). You are all like angels in my life at Mission Adelante. When Megan invited me to join, I had no idea of what would happen to me or if I would be really capable of doing this. But the more I see and live it the more I want to be a part of it and be an influence in our children's lives.

"How nice it is to be able to tell the little ones about the good news of Jesus Christ! It is so humbling to look at a child's eyes and see that they love God and that they are thankful that He sent his only Son to die for our sins. I take Annie and Lorenzo as an example: Only God knows how much they were able to influence me and touch my heart with their eagerness to be a part of that class tonight. They were not the only ones. But I can assuredly tell you that through those kids I was touched by the Holy Spirit. We were the body of Christ at that moment.

"I thank God for allowing me to be here in America (even with all the trials and persecutions that I've been personally experiencing) at this moment and being a part of such a beautiful community. This is probably the biggest email I've written in a long time (that at least has an important meaning to me) so I apologize for making it too lengthy."

*Note: Thiago, from Brazil, just finished his first trimester of volunteering in the Kids Adelante Program with Mission Adelante.

In other news:

• Jarrett taught about the messages of the cross at our Sunday evening worship service. After hearing the message, Sara, who has been a part of our Bible study and worship services for a year, prayed to receive Christ as her savior!
• Elaine is the third member of our community to complete the discipleship course in recent weeks. She and her partner, Kristen Meek, crossed the finish line this week.
• We enjoyed beautiful weather and a great turnout for our trimester-end party on Saturday, with 220 people attending!
• Casey Kapple and a group from Emmanuel Baptist Church conducted activities for the kids during the party on Saturday and during the worship service on Sunday. We're grateful for their help.

Prayer needs:

• The strengthening of marriages within our community
• The continuation of relationships that volunteers have developed with adult English learners and kids during the break between trimesters
• Refreshment and renewal for staff and volunteers during the break
• For Jarrett, Mission Adelante's Director, to have clarity during his prayer and planning retreat tomorrow through Saturday

Current needs:

• Room dividers or cubicle walls
• Portable soccer goals
• Tutors for an after-school program to begin this fall. If you're interested, contact Jarrett!

Important upcoming dates:

• Saturday, May 24 @ 9:00 a.m.: Volunteer Orientation and Training
• June 5: Summer trimester ESL classes and Kids Adelante begin

Party with Mission Adelante This Saturday!

It's time to party! Mission Adelante's Spring trimester is coming to a close and this weekend we'll celebrate with a big bash at Bethany Community Center. Please join us! We'll grill burgers and dogs, and serve them with the Latin American side dishes that our students and participants will bring to share. There will be games and activities for the kids as well as an awards ceremony.


This trimester we will honor a record number of kids for memorizing eight or more Bible verses during the trimester! We will also give awards to a record number of kids for perfect attendance at Kids Adelante. This trimester we have averaged about 30 kids each week.


On the adult side, several level-one students will receive a full refund of their $30 tuition for attending at least 75% of the class sessions during the trimester, and 2 students will graduate from our five-level program.


If you are interested in volunteering with Mission Adelante please join us at the party this Saturday and check it out!


Time: 2:00-5:00 roughly

Place: Bethany Community Center (1120 Central Avenue; Kansas City, KS 66102)

Bring: a dessert or side dish

In other news:

• Thirty-three kids and 10 adults enjoyed an outing to the Kansas City Wizards soccer game last Wednesday. Jeff Foster of the Wizards obtained donated tickets for the group to use.
• Last week we mentioned Sara, one of our Bible study members who was concerned for financial trouble that her neighbor, Blanca, and her family were experiencing. On Saturday Seth and another volunteer delivered a full-size and two twin beds and sheets to Blanca's family, which was getting situated in a house they just moved in to and moved a sofa there from their previous residence. Blanca and two of her kids attended the worship celebration on Sunday.
• The topic of giving was addressed in our community for the first time on Sunday evening. Jarrett used Biblical examples of benevolence to teach about the importance of caring for one another's needs. Those in attendance had the opportunity to place an offering in an envelope and leave the envelope near the exit. There was a great response to the teaching, and the funds will be used to directly meet the needs of the community.
• Casey Kapple and a group from Emmanuel Baptist Church will conduct activities for the kids during the party this Saturday.

Prayer needs:

• Good weather for the party this Saturday, and a good turnout of students, their friends and families, and volunteers.

Current needs:

• Room dividers or cubicle walls
• A portable MP3 player for Kids Adelante
• Portable soccer goals
• Tutors for an after-school program to begin this fall. If you're interested, contact Jarrett!

Important upcoming dates:

• This Saturday, April 19; 2:00 p.m.: Trimester-end party at Bethany Community Center
• May 24; 9:00 a.m.: Volunteer Orientation and Training
• June 5: Summer trimester begins: ESL classes and Kids Adelante
  

Giving Out Of Scarcity

When food was scarce in the Roman Empire, the new believers in the community of Antioch took up a collection and sent a special gift to the church in Jerusalem. It was a beautiful picture of believers in Christ caring for one another. What makes this story from Acts chapter 11 especially powerful is that the famine was severe in all of the Roman Empire, including Antioch. Yet the believers there gave out of their limited resources to help their brothers in another place.


This passage impacts the Mission Adelante community in a timely way. Those immigrants who have received Christ and are now growing with us through our Bible studies do not have much in the way of financial resources. And yet, we are beginning to explore ways to encourage them to give from their limited resources to help others. In response to this passage in Acts, one of our Sunday night Bible study groups decided to surprise the other two groups by dropping in last Sunday night with desserts to share. The surprise visits, the delicious homemade treats, and the brief time of prayer was well received by each of the other groups, and was a fun way to put into practice what the believers in Antioch demonstrated regarding giving.


In an exciting application of their own, Ricardo and Sara, both members of our Bible Studies, shared with us about financial crises their co-worker and neighbor were having. Their intent was to see if there were ways Mission Adelante could help their friends! We are excited that our immigrant participants are beginning to recognize and respond to needs around them. Please pray for us as we lead them into learning to participate with us in meeting those needs and demonstrating the love of Christ.

In other news:

• The older boys who received corrective attention in Kids Adelante two weeks ago returned last Thursday with entirely different behavior. They listened attentively, participated with sincerity, and treated all the other kids with respect. Furthermore, the girl about whom they had said the demeaning things returned. Thank you for petitioning the Lord with us to transform the boys' attitudes and behavior! We praise Him for working in their lives.

Prayer needs:

• We praise God that Fredy found work remodeling homes.

We're going to have worship celebrations on the upcoming seven Sunday evenings. These are the most consecutive worship services that we've had, resembling routine church gatherings. We have a number of goals in mind for the upcoming weeks, including connecting new people to Mission Adelante, developing a sense of ownership and community among all attenders, and teaching about and practicing topics that are key to operating as a community of faith. Please pray for consistent attendance at the celebrations and for the Lord's leadership toward meeting our goals.

Current needs:

• A portable MP3 player for Kids Adelante
• Portable soccer goals
• Tutors for an after-school program to begin this fall. If you're interested, contact Jarrett!

Important upcoming dates:

• Trimester-end Party: Saturday, April 19, 2:00 p.m. at Bethany Community Center 1120 Central Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66102

Raul sings, "The Star Spangled Banner"

Last Friday afternoon volunteer Todd Jones, Jason and Megan Schoff and the Meek family watched as Raul Contreras sang the Star Spangled Banner for the first time as an American citizen, along with some 90 other new citizens. Raul's "swearing in" ceremony at the Federal Courthouse in KCK was the culmination of a long process that we were privileged to play a part in through teaching him English and helping him prepare for the citizenship exam.


Rocio, Raul's American born wife, along with their kids Edgar, Raul Jr., and Ulises were all on hand as well. Their sense of pride in their father's accomplishment was noticeable as we all congratulated him for his hard work.



In other news:

• A group from a Springfield church traveled to KCK Saturday to host a Kids Adelante event in the park. The kids enjoyed playing soccer and carnival games while Kids Adelante leaders enjoyed getting to know other volunteers that seek cross-cultural opportunities to serve.
• A group of 15 volunteers from k10 Church continued working on the demolition phase of the building remodel on Saturday.
• We're grateful for an anonymous donor who funded the purchase of a ping-pong table for use by Kids Adelante.

Prayer needs:

• English level 1 student Fredy is seeking employment.
• Some of the kids attending Kids Adelante have required discipline related to their interaction with other kids in recent weeks. Please pray that the discipline will produce character growth and respectful interaction among the children.
• Please pray for God to provide the funds to support our summer interns

Current needs:

• A portable MP3 player to use with the Kids Adelante sound system
• Portable soccer goals
• Tutors for an after-school program to begin in the fall. Please contact Jarrett if you're interested.

Important upcoming dates:

• Volunteer Team Meeting: This Monday, April 7, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at Mission Adelante *We are committed to ending the meeting in time to allow those who attend to view the NCAA championship basketball game.
• Trimester-end Party: Saturday, April 19, 2:00 p.m. at Bethany Community Center

Discipline Shapes Character in Kids Adelante

Disciplining other people's children is not at the top of my list of fun things to do. However, in Kids Adelante and in life discipline is a very valuable tool to shape character. God tells us that He disciplines us as His sons because He loves us.

Last Thursday we had a challenging situation arise in Kids Adelante. Two of the older boys went a long way to undermine the environment of encouragement and security we are trying to foster, by saying some very demeaning things to one of girls.

The boys were taken aside and received some firm correction. As we spoke with them I was aware that not only were we protecting the sanctity of the Kids Adelante environment, but we were also protecting a young girl's dignity. Additionally, we were providing the kind of discipline that those boys have likely never experienced in their home; the kind of discipline where strong words of correction and truth are followed by affirmation and forgiveness. I am convinced that God will use even these difficult situations to shape the character of the kids we're working with. Please pray with us specifically for these boys and the girl they offended.