Missional Community

Mission + Community = "Missional Community"

"Mission" and "Community" go together like peanut butter and chocolate. From my years leading small groups I know that building "community" can all to often stagnate into an inwardly focused endeavor. However, when the combination of growing deeper in relationship and pursuing God together in worship and study meet up with pouring ourselves out for the lost and brokenhearted we stumble onto something that is as satisfying as it can be messy.

At the center of Mission Adelante's various teams and programs is a "missional community", a group of people who are united both by a love for one another and God, and a common mission to "Serve Hispanic Immigrants to Christ and Mobilize them to Serve". Many of us have re-located to the Mission Adelante neighborhood. Others have been part of our core team since the beginning. And all are committed both to serving and growing together. Last Sunday morning as we ate breakfast together in our home, read scripture, prayed and played together, I felt a great sense of joy in what God had created; not a large group (13 adults to be exact), but a unified and highly potent group. Acts 2:42-47 came to mind and I had to praise God for part of the Mission Adelante experience that makes the burdens of urban, cross-cultural ministry feel a lot lighter.


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In Other News

• Summer Internship: We are now accepting applications for our summer internship. For more information visit our website at www.missionadelante.org/recruiting.
  
• Nineteen participants continue in our discipling series. Please pray that God will solidify their commitment to pursuing Him over the next several weeks.
• Ten families received a "Canasta Basica" last week through our Resource Center. The canasta basica contains basic food staples such as rice, beans, sugar and cooking oil.
• Our Level 1 English classes are experiencing the highest consistency in attendance that we've seen yet with about 90% of students present each week through week 5 of the trimester.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for participants in our discipling program to gain a greater passion and commitment to Christ.
• Please pray for our siervos ministry team to regain momentum.
• Please pray for Jarrett's trip to Utah this weekend to investigate a partnership opportunity with Alpine church in Ogden.
• Please pray for the LIT kids who received Christ last week to continue their growth in Him.

Current Needs

• Food staples for what we call "Canasta Basica" or basic basket also go fast. One "Canasta Basica" contains: 2 bags of rice, 3 bags of beans, 1 box of Maizena, one bag of sugar, one bottle of cooking oil, 2 bags of pasta, 1 bag of flour. We love it when friends can bring a complete "Canasta Basica" already assembled!
  

New Birth in the Mission Adelante Community

Five LIT Kids Born Again!
Long-term investing in the lives of our "Leaders-In-Training" kids has born spiritual fruit! Iris, Nayeli, Helen, Edgar, and Felipe all received Christ on Wednesday during our mentoring time. Because of more than a year (in some cases more than two years) of learning the Bible through the Kids Adelante's Outreach Bible Study, the message of the gospel was not hard for them to grasp or receive.

I have seen significant changes in the attitude and character of these kids over the last several months. Being with them three afternoons and one evening each week since September has given us the opportunity to see them at their best and worst, and has allowed us to speak truth into their lives in every situation. They have become more and more open and have learned to trust that we are truly for them. Now, as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, they are new creations in Christ. It will be exciting to see how the Holy Spirit will continue His work in them!

In Other News: Welcome Baby Ham!!!

• Morgan and Felipe Ham welcomed their son Camilo Sage Ham into the world two weeks ahead of schedule (Monday, February 16). He is a handsome boy weighing 7 1/2 pounds.
  
• Volunteers Dawn North and Marla Hansen will be helping cover Morgan's responsibilities while she is on maternity leave (about 8 weeks). Praise God for meeting this need in such a timely way!
• We're now recruiting for our summer internship! Please contact jarrettm@missionadelante.org if you know of anyone who might be interested.
  

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for our "Leaders in Training" kids. A couple of them have not done well in school recently and we are working hard to help them make a turn around.
• Please continue to pray for the kids in our neighborhood. Pray for their safety in light of the recent violence. Pray that they would learn to trust God to comfort and protect them. Pray especially that God would capture the hearts of the young boys before they start down tragic paths.
• Pray that God would grant us continued momentum in our discipling program.

Resource Center Needs

• We have found that baby items such as diapers and wipes go faster than we can stock them. We always need these items!
  
• Food staples for what we call "Canasta Basica" or basic basket also go fast. One "Canasta Basica" contains: 2 bags of rice, 3 bags of beans, 1 box of Maizena, one bag of sugar, one bottle of cooking oil, 2 bags of pasta, 1 bag of flour. We love it when friends can bring a complete "Canasta Basica" already assembled!
  

Please Respond to Keep Receiving the Adelante Express!
Please Subscribe to the Adelante Express! We are trying to improve our systems and want to send this weekly update only to people who are truly interested in receiving it. Email morganh@missionadelante.org with the word "subscribe" in the subject. Thank you to those who have already done so!

Kids At Risk

Kids At Risk

This week has been a hard one in the Mission Adelante community. With a gang-related shooting taking place in front of M.E. Pearson Elementary school, the school that most of our kids attend, we are all extra aware of the dangers and challenges facing our youth. When I was young I remember that news traveled fast among students whenever there was going to be a fight after school. Sometimes the faculty would know about it by the end of the day. Other times they would find out only when they saw the group of curious students gathering in the designated place to watch the event. As we’ve talked with the “Leaders In Training” kids this week about the shooting we have learned a lot about what they experience everyday. Their knowledge of the gang scene and lingo is telling; they are exposed to it on a daily basis. Just as we used to hear the chatter about after-school fights, news travels through the middle school halls of in our neighborhood about rumored or real gang activity.

It was re-confirmed to me this week that kids are recruited for gangs during their years in elementary school; often in fifth grade, but sometimes even as early as second. So, there is the battle ground for Kids Adelante. Can we capture these kids while they’re young, teach them to love God, and give them a sense of belonging that will compete with what a gang might offer? I pray we can! For those of you who serve in Kids Adelante or LIT, whether with younger kids or older, you are a key link in their lives. The things they learn from you, the affirmation and love they receive from you is a big part of what it takes to immunize them against the tragic choices that they might have made. You are standing in the gap for them! You are making a difference! Thank you for serving! Thank you for giving! And, please pray for our kids this week.

Thank You,
Jarrett Meek

Please Respond to Keep Receiving the Adelante Express!
Please Subscribe to the Adelante Express! We are trying to improve our systems and want to send this weekly update only to people who are truly interested in receiving it. Email morganh@missionadelante.org with the word "subscribe" in the subject.

Giving More Than Just a Hand

Please let us know!

As a part of upgrading our delivery system for the Adelante Express we want to be sure we are sending it only to recipients who are interested in receiving it. If you would like to continue receiving the Adelante Express please respond to morganh@missionadelante.org with “subscribe” in the subject line. After February we will no longer send the “Adelante Express” to people who have not specifically asked to receive it.

Giving More Than Just a Hand

Every Saturday morning, we open the door of our resource center to meet the needs of area Hispanics. Our shelves are filled with adult and children’s clothes, kitchenware, toys, small appliances and, sometimes, beds. Of course, the most sought after items are the “canasta basica”, or basic food basket, and baby items such as diapers and formula. No matter what a person lacks, we make every effort to meet the physical needs. In and of itself, this shows love and compassion, but we don’t stop there.

As each family leaves with their selections, we stop to pray for them by name. Mission Adelante strives to set our work apart from the common social justice agency. Helping meet physical needs is only the first part. We want to befriend our neighbors in need and share the gospel with them. Relationships always require more than a simple handout, but they also bear greater fruit. Our hope is that prayer begins to cultivate friendship and trust. As a result, the door to share our lives is opened.

When you make donations to the resource center, you are helping to do more than just meet needs—you are helping build relational bridges. To view a list of the most sought-after items, click here and scroll down to the "Resource Center" section.

In other news:

• Fifteen individuals have begun the 13-part discipleship program during the past two weeks. One of them, Edgar, age 14, received Christ on Sunday evening after completing the first lesson on the topic of salvation!
• Among the group of people who are leading a partner through the discipleship study are five Hispanics who completed the study themselves for the first time last year! This represents significant fruit for our ministry according to our Mission Statement, "Serving Hispanics to Christ and mobilizing them to serve."
• We're grateful for a new water heater in our facility which was installed by volunteer Chris Lang! Thanks, Chris!

Prayer needs:

• Pray for the continuation of momentum as discipleship pairs get further into the series of studies, and for Edgar as he begins his new journey of faith.
• Pray for strength for the 11 preteen L.I.T. participants to prevail over the negative current of their social environment and influence their peers positively.
• As we anticipate hosting a group of interns for the second time this summer, please pray for God to lead the right candidates to us.

Current needs:

• Diapers to stock the Resource Center: all sizes; any quantity. (Thanks to the Thursday evening volunteers who brought some last week, but they always go fast!)
• A volunteer to fill in as Administrative Assistant at least one afternoon a week during March and April while Morgan is on maternity leave. If you're available and interested, please contact Jarrett at jarrettm@missionadelante.org or 913-909-0627.