Tuesday, April 21, 2009

A Celebration and a Farewell

The Mission Adelante community celebrated the conclusion of the spring trimester at our Spring Party on Saturday evening. Adult English students, Kids Adelante and L.I.T. participants, volunteers, and members of our faith community, as well as family and friends gathered at a local community center. We enjoyed a pot-luck meal together, recognized the accomplishments of adult and youth participants in our programs, and celebrated with the Sears' family the beginning of their new phase of ministry.

Trimester parties, which occur three times a year at the conclusion of each trimester, are always enjoyable because they're the occasion for the gathering of everyone associated with the Mission. They provide the chance to catch up with friends we may not have seen in a while, and to meet new ones. We were blessed this time by a group of volunteers from Christ Community Church who handled many of the logistics. They took care of setting-up and decorating the facility, provided and grilled the burgers and hot dogs, and cleaned-up afterwards. Many thanks to all those who lended a hand!


The highlight of the evening was the time we spent honoring Seth and Andrea Sears and family for their almost four years of dedication and service in the Mission Adelante community. We enjoyed a slide show of pictures and video, and the memories it triggered. We listened with pride as Seth explained, in Spanish, the work they'll be doing in Costa Rica during at least the next three years. And we asked the Lord's guidance and blessing on the adventure upon which they're about to embark.

In Other News:

  • James "Rambo" McClure and a group of Anglos and Hispanics are tirelessly working on insulating our building this week before the very warm weather arrives at the end of the week. James earned his nickname by army-crawling on his elbows through the attic crawl spaces! We're grateful for his expertise, leadership, and dedication to the improvement of the facility!
  • This Saturday, April 25, Molly Merrick and Megan McDermott will be holding a dinner and silent auction to raise funds for their staff roles with Mission Adelante. Everyone is invited! Click here to download Megan's invitation. Or... Click here to download Molly's invitation.
  • Buy Royal’s tickets to the May 16th game or the June 30th game and support Mission Adelante! When you purchase through the "buy tickets" link below, a portion of the proceeds will go to help us hire Megan McDermott as our Kids Adelante Director!!

  • Jarrett & Kristin Meek will be on a much-deserved vacation April 24-29. Jarrett will return to the office Monday, May 4.

Prayer needs:

  • The Sears family departure to Costa Rica is tomorrow, April 22. Please pray for final preparation, safe travel, and initial acclimation in Costa Rica.

Current Needs:

  • Summer clothes, all ages and styles, to stock our resource center by the arrival of warm weather.
  • Diapers, sizes 4,5, and 6.
  • Although not a necessity, we always appreciate toys to give out to the kids who come to the resource center with their parents.

Upcoming Dates:

  • April 20-May 31: break between trimesters
  • May 23: New volunteer orientation and training
  • June 1: All volunteer team meeting

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