“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen…?”

A couple of months ago, we shared a new volunteer opportunity with readers: Mission Adelante’s Resource Center. This ministry is an outreach program that provides resources for immigrant families by securing donations of new and lightly used items through a network of individuals and churches. The purpose of this ministry is to demonstrate the love of Christ through relationship and giving to meet specific physical and material needs of immigrants.

Originally this ministry began functioning out of Seth & Andrea Sears' basement after they collected donated clothing and some furniture for families in need. However, fast-forward a couple of years and we’ve grown to fill a garage on the Mission Adelante property with donated goods that are being shared with immigrants on a weekly basis. In addition, several volunteers from three area churches have joined the effort this summer. Linda Witz and Andrea Foxworthy have helped Molly Merrick and I to organize, stock and distribute clothing, furniture, food and baby items. A men’s small group led by Bill Gasaway is volunteering on a regular basis to round up donations and deliver them to us.

Further momentum has developed as two churches have joined us in the effort. Heartland k10 recently held a donation drive that blessed our community with more than 500 food and baby items. And Christ Community Church of Leawood is currently conducting a school supply drive on behalf of the families and children in our Kids Adelante program.

We are continually amazed at the generous, willing hearts of people from area churches who are willing to give in the Lord’s name. Isaiah chapter 58 says that we demonstrate true fasting, true devotion, to the Lord when we help those in need.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” Isaiah 58:6-7

Thank you for joining us in this “true fasting” before the Lord, which we simply cannot accomplish on our own. If you are interested in volunteering with Mission Adelante’s Resource Center, please email Seth Sears at seths@missionadelante.org, or call at 913.568.9280. If you are interested in donating to the Center, please click http://www.missionadelante.org/opportunity.html and look under the “Resource Center” section to find a list of needed items.

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, August 4, 6:30 p.m. @ The Mission: Volunteer Team Meeting. Please come help us prepare for the end-of-trimester party.
• Sunday, August 10 @ Bethany Community Center: Trimester-End Party. Set-up will begin at 4:30. The party will begin at 6:00.

This week's news

• A group of 16 youth from Emmanuel Baptist Church is here Sunday through Wednesday this week, assisting us in various ways. They hosted a movie showing in the Meeks' backyard on Sunday night, projecting "Enchanted" on a big screen. About 35 people attended, including two new neighborhood families. They're leading a V.B.S. Monday through Wednesday evening in a local park and doing work projects at the Mission, too. We're grateful for all their help!
• Molly Merrick, one of our summer interns, has accepted the Ministry Aide position on staff with Mission Adelante, which will begin in August, at the conclusion of her internship. We're thrilled that "Hot Ta-Molly" is going to remain here working with us! Please ask God to provide through people's response to her upcoming fundraising.

Prayer requests:

• Jose & Trisha and their three kids live near the Meeks. Kristen Meek has been getting to know Trisha around the neighborhood for about a year, and Jose has been a student in our ESL program since January. They've been resistant to becoming associated with a church, but have begun to show interest in Mission Adelante worship services and Bible studies! Please pray for continued interest, and for them to have the courage to come and investigate our worship and fellowship opportunities.
• Members of the new "Servant Community" are already bearing fruit as they engage in their roles and begin putting their hands to the plow! Please pray for their sustained commitment and initiative, and an experiential understanding of each person's place in Christ's body.
• We studied Paul & Silas' imprisonment and resultant ability to share the gospel with the jailer and his family in Acts 16: 16-34 in our home Bible studies on Sunday night. Please pray for Jose, Guadalupe, Hugo, and Leticia to have increased faith and persevere in the face of difficult circumstances for God's ultimate glory.

Current needs:

• Children's books: English and Spanish
• Bookshelves

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, August 4, 6:30 p.m. at the Mission: New date for Volunteer Team Meeting
• Sunday, August 10, at the Bethany Community Center: Trimester-end party and graduation 4:30--set up begins; 6:00 party begins

Investing in Young Leaders: Volunteers Needed!

Kids Adelante began nearly three years ago with one volunteer and five little girls in our basement. It has obviously grown a lot since then. This trimester we are averaging just over 40 kids and 11 volunteers each Thursday night. The Thursday night “Outreach Bible Study” program has drawn in kids ages 4-12 and has exposed them to the message of the Bible in a variety of ways. However, once a week is not enough to overcome the challenges these kids face from peers and life as they approach middle school. A couple of weeks ago the principal from M.E. Pearson elementary school met with our staff for a “lunch and learn” session and shocked us all with the news that fifth graders in his school are routinely recruited by middle school gang members! Our time is short.

Plans are currently underway to launch a “Leaders-In-Training” program to mentor and tutor the kids in Kids Adelante who have demonstrated leadership characteristics. Our hope is that investing heavily in these kids will help them become positive leaders among their peers as they make their way through the minefield that lies ahead. We want to inspire a vision and hope for their lives that supersede the messages they receive from the urban culture in which they live. Currently our plan is to involve up to 10 students in a three-day-a-week after-school program that will include recreation and tutoring in math and language arts, as well as mentoring in character development.

**Here’s where YOU come in! If you have a passion for investing cross-culturally in kids, there are some pretty exciting and easy ways to connect! We still need volunteer tutors for Wednesday afternoons as well as teams to provide light afternoon meals for the kids each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The meals could be a perfect project for small groups to share! If God is moving you in this direction, please call or email jarrettm@missionadelante.org to find out how you can be involved. The launch is scheduled for mid-September!

In other news:

• The upcoming Volunteer Team Meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, August 4, which is one week later than it was previously scheduled. This means we will have less than a week to prepare for the summer “graduation” party. Please mark your calendars now for the team meeting on August 4th at 6:30 pm and the Summer “graduation” party on SUNDAY, August 10th in the late afternoon!
• Eight Hispanic and six American volunteers met together on Sunday afternoon and formed the new "Servant Community." They showed excitement for the vision and eagerness to participate. They'll have monthly meetings from now on to maintain momentum.
• Fifteen volunteers came to Mission Adelante to serve during Heartland Community Church's "YES! Day" last Saturday. Despite heavy rain most of the day, they worked outside for half the day and maintained good attitudes!

Prayer needs:

• Pray for the group of 20 youth from Emmanuel Baptist Church as they prepare to come next week to lead V.B.S. in the neighborhood and do work projects around the facility.
• Continue to pray for the kids with whom Megan McDermott has been pursuing friendships. The kids have come to Kids Adelante with friends in the past, and want to come back, but the parents have stopped allowing them to come, and have also started resisting Megan's effort to spend time with them. Please pray for Megan and Mission Adelante to find favor with the parents.
• The father of some siblings that participate in Kids Adelante is in prison. Please pray for the family to depend on God and to find comfort and peace in spite of their difficult situation.

Current needs:

In order to stock our resource center and provide for families in need, we're requesting:

• grocery store gift cards
• household supplies including laundry detergent, dish soap, and cleaning supplies.

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, August 4, 6:30 p.m. at the Mission: New date for Volunteer Team Meeting
• Sunday, August 10, late afternoon at the Bethany Community Center: Trimester-end party and graduation

Community of Servants

It has not been easy to mobilize immigrants to serve, but God has brought enough fruit to keep us from giving up. The volatility of peoples' lives and their everyday challenges make it difficult for them to be consistent with anything. However, we know that being a follower of Christ is not just about saying you believe and attending a church. It also includes laying down your life for others. Jesus told us that finding your life means losing it and that being his disciple means following him in carrying your own cross. That is why our mission includes the idea of mobilizing immigrants to serve, beyond serving them.

This Sunday we will hold the first monthly meeting of “Comunidad de Siervos” or “Community of Servants” before our worship service. Of the immigrants who have received Christ through Mission Adelante, there is a small core that has demonstrated a sense of ownership and commitment to the ministry and a growing faith in Christ. We have invited and challenged this group to step up and become “servant leaders” in our community. Some of them have already begun serving, and others have had good intentions, but we are praying that God would call them all to a new level of obedience and faith. Please pray with us for God to deepen their love for him and give them a passion to serve others in his name!

In other news:

• The upcoming Volunteer Team Meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, August 4, which is one week later than it was previously scheduled. This means we will have less than a week to prepare for the summer “graduation” party. Please mark your calendars now for the team meeting on August 4th at 6:30 pm and the Summer “graduation” party on SUNDAY, August 10th in the late afternoon!
• Two leaders and 7 middle-school age kids from the First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, Kansas arrived this morning, and will be here until Friday afternoon. They'll be doing work projects each morning and spending the afternoons with neighborhood kids.
• A group of 15 people from Heartland Community Church, including their LTP summer interns, will be here all day Saturday for YES! Day. They are part of a larger group that has collected pledges to raise funds for the 2009 Leadership Training Program at Heartland and will serve together at various locations.

Prayer needs:

• Guadalupe and Alberto, two immigrants who have demonstrated commitment to our community of faith, have agreed to take on leadership roles in the new "Community of Servants." Ask the Lord to foster their commitment to this new opportunity, that they would be recognized and accepted by the rest of the community as leaders, and that they will become role-models that encourage others to serve with them.
• Megan McDermott has been pursuing friendships with kids in a particular family. The kids have come to Kids Adelante with friends in the past, and want to come back, but the parents have stopped allowing them to come, and have also started resisting Megan's effort to spend time with them. Please pray for Megan and Mission Adelante to find favor with the parents.
• Megan McDermott and Molly Merrick are working on reconnecting with the kids that became acquainted with Kids Adelante for the first time at the outreach soccer event a couple weeks ago. Please pray that the outreach left a lasting impression on them and that Megan and Molly would find them enthusiastic to become involved.

Current needs:

In order to stock our resource center and provide for families in need, we're requesting:

• baby formula
• school supplies and backpacks; please contact Seth Sears at (913) 568-9280 for specific school supply lists.

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, August 4, 6:30 p.m. at the Mission: New date for Volunteer Team Meeting
• Sunday, August 10, late afternoon at the Bethany Community Center: Trimester-end party and graduation

Soccer and Salvation

Soccer is, of course, the favorite pass-time of most Latino kids. When you mix a soccer clinic led by a former professional player with willing volunteers, a free ball for every kid, a pick up game for the whole family, and a clear presentation of the gospel, you get a winning combination! Last Saturday about 50 kids and many adults converged on Kennsington park for Mission Adelante’s 2nd Annual Soccer Clinic. The event was a joint effort between Mission Adelante, Victory Soccer Camp Sports Ministry, Cabot Westside Health Center, and a group of volunteers from Overland Trail Elementary School.

The highlight of the event came when eight-year old Andrea Flores expressed her desire to receive Christ as her savior after the gospel presentation. Andrea has been involved in Kids Adelante now for more than a year. Slowly but surely God has used the scriptures and His love shown by various volunteers to draw Andrea to Himself. Because of her ongoing involvement in Kids Adelante I have no doubt that she understood quite clearly the step of faith she was taking, and that God will see to it that she receives the continuing encouragement and nurture that she needs to grow in Christ. Please praise God with us for what He has done in Andrea’s life and pray for her faith to grow deep roots!

In other news:

• The upcoming Volunteer Team Meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, August 4, which is one week later than it was previously scheduled.
  
• This is the second trimester that English tutoring has been available on Monday evenings for the adults in our ESL classes. There was little interest during the spring, but we've seen the number of those who come growing during the past few weeks. We're grateful for key volunteer Beth Brown's dedication!
  
• Thiago, a multi-trimester volunteer with Kids Adelante, is coming to KCK each Wednesday evening this summer to play soccer with 7 - 11 year old neighborhood boys and be a Christian male role model for them.
  
• Jarrett had a meeting with a group of potential Leaders In Training volunteers. A team of at least 5 people is in place to launch the program in September, which will provide tutoring, mentoring, and character development to a select group of kids that have been involved in Kids Adelante.
  
• An 11 year old girl in the purity Bible study that intern Megan McDermott is leading shared with the group some personal struggles. We praise God that the girls consider the Bible study a safe place, and that they have developed trust in one another.

Prayer needs:

• Pray for us as we challenge believers in our community to rise to a higher level of commitment. We hope that many of these conversations will take place this week.
  
• We're thankful that ESL level 1 attendance has remained remarkably high 4 weeks into the trimester. Pray for Adult English students and Kids Adelante participants not to lose momentum during break week this week, but that all of them would be back next week.
  
• Praise God for the provision of 2 gas grills and a weed eater!
  
• Ask God for protection and endurance for the Heartland Community Church LTP (summer internship) group, which includes the 3 interns based at Mission Adelante. Many are facing spiritual warfare.

Important upcoming dates:

• July 3: No ESL classes or Kids Adelante (trimester break)
• August 4: New date for Volunteer Team Meeting