The Role of Prayer in Language Learning

Prayer plays a crucial role in our adult English classes. How, you may wonder? Have you ever tried to learn another language? It is a humbling experience as you bumble through strange phrases and create faux-pas simply by transposing letters in words. We let our ESL students know right out of the gate that prayer will be a part of our class. “How can we pray for you?” is a question that no student is prepared to answer the first class session. But we remind students weekly that God is interested in helping them learn English and can give them confidence and help them remember vocabulary. This becomes an ongoing request, but students soon begin to also share their personal situations and specific needs for prayer.

Developing deep relationships lies at the heart of Mission Adelante. Every time a student shares a prayer need, we become better able to understand them and deepen our friendship with them. The habit of praying together creates a unique bond. It allows us to support Hispanics in dark times, encourage them in dreary seasons, and celebrate with them God’s faithfulness. When our students see God at work in answering their prayers and they view volunteers and staff as caring friends, they move closer to seeking God with all their heart.

Last year Maria began coming to English classes. Her level was very low. She aspired to take the US citizenship test, though, which is conducted entirely in English and sought extra tutoring to prepare for it. After the first session she remarked, “we haven’t prayed together.” Maria came to believe in the importance of prayer and her need for God’s intervention. We spend many days working with her and praying together. Although she has yet to attend a bible study or worship celebration, we still connect with her and her husband, José. And she passed her test two weeks ago and gives thanks to God! This is just one example of how learning English and seeking God go hand in hand with Mission Adelante. Please pray for students to draw closer to the Lord as we pray together.

In other news:

• Megan McDermott is continuing a Bible study on the topic of purity for the second summer with a group of pre-teen and early teen girls, which they kicked-off with a slumber party last Friday night. Karlie Mann, Kids Adelante volunteer, is also leading a group of girls in a special weekly Bible study over the course of the summer. We are so excited about these kids' enthusiasm to use their free time this summer to learn about the Lord!
• We continue to enjoy watching the transformation of our facility as we near the completion of sheetrocking and look forward to all our new walls being taped and mudded during the next few weeks.

Prayer needs:

• Two families in our faith community are presently suffering geographical separation from the husband/father. Please pray for God to strengthen their faith in his goodness and sovereignty.
• Pray for God to protect from harm the family of an English student that is threatened by domestic violence.
• As Jarrett and Megan plan for the second year of Leaders In Training, our intensive tutoring and character development program, please pray that God will grant them discernment in selecting the individual kids that will be invited to participate.
• Pray for our staff members to get the much-needed rest and recharge during our Mid-trimester Break tomorrow through Saturday.

Current needs:

• We're already collecting school supplies to distribute to about 60 community kids in August. It would be most helpful for backpacks to come already stocked with all the supplies an elementary school student will need. Those items are listed below. Could you organize a "Backpack Drive" for your church or group?

BACKPACK
500 sheets wide lined notebook paper
5 wide lined spiral notebooks
4 glue sticks (keep in package)
1 - 8 oz. bottle Elmer's glue (no blue glue)
1 small zippered bag for pencils
1 pkg. erasable pens (blue or black)
5 pocket folders
1 box colored pencils
1 ruler
2 "Sharpie" markers
2 pkgs. 3 x 5 index cards
1 red felt tip pen
1 pkg. #2 pencils
2 boxes crayons (24)
1 pair small scissors

• Box fans or oscillating fans for use in our facility and for distribution through our resource center.
• A widow air conditioner

Important upcoming dates:

• July 1-4: Midterm break. The Mission Adelante office will be closed and there will be no activities on Thursday. **There will be English tutoring this evening.**

Welcome Aboard, Megan!

I learned a ministry principle years ago from very wise people: "Invest in what God is doing." Often times we simply see a need and try to direct resources to meet it. But, this principle suggests that there should be more to it than that. We should look for areas of need, but also places where there are signs of fruit or God's handy work.

Over the past two years Kids Adelante has met both of those criteria. Immigrant kids in KCK certainly have needs on every level. At the same time, God has been moving in our Kids Adelante program and bearing fruit. Attendance at our outreach Bible study has increased from an average of around 20 kids to nearly 60 without a staff person directly responsible for it. Volunteers have taught, mentored, and loved on kids. Kids have received Christ, been baptized, earned awards for improvement at school, and experienced genuine community. Of all ministry areas within our ministry, Kids Adelante has seen the most significant growth over this two year period.

So, following the principle above we're excited to announce that we've hired Megan McDermott, a long-time volunteer and former Spanish teacher in the Blue Valley district, to oversee Kids Adelante. We learned a lot about Megan last year through her summer internship with us and are excited about her love for kids, her leadership and organizational ability, her love for Christ, and her strong Spanish language skills. She is a great addition to our staff and to our neighborhood! Welcome aboard Megan! You may contact Megan at meganm@missionadelante.org.

In other news:

• Becky Masters, our sole summer intern this year, has arrived! She moved to the neighborhood today and will spend the upcoming weeks working primarily with the English program, teaching ESL classes and doing relational contact work. Please pray that she will quickly and effectively connect with people in our community.
• A group of 16 high school youth, interns, and leaders from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Overland Park are here for several days this week. They kicked off a four-evening VBS with an outdoor movie in our new soccer field on Sunday evening. They're spending the days working on projects in our building.
• We had record attendance at the Kids Adelante outreach Bible study last Thursday night: 62 kids! WOW!

Prayer needs:

• Please pray that Tacho and Mari will understand the gospel clearly despite confusion caused by conversations they've had with Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.
• A family that we've known for several years but that has repeatedly come and gone in our community has been back in Bible study and Worship for several weeks in a row. They requested prayer for God to supply the strength they need to persevere through difficult circumstances.
• Please ask that new kids that have been attracted by the VBS programs last week and this week would become consistent attendees of Kids Adelante.

Current needs:

• We're already collecting school supplies to distribute to about 60 community kids in August. It would be most helpful for backpacks to come already stocked with all the supplies an elementary school student will need. Those items are listed below. Could you organize a "Backpack Drive" for your church or group?

BACKPACK
500 sheets wide lined notebook paper
5 wide lined spiral notebooks
4 glue sticks (keep in package)
1 - 8 oz. bottle Elmer's glue (no blue glue)
1 small zippered bag for pencils
1 pkg. erasable pens (blue or black)
5 pocket folders
1 box colored pencils
1 ruler
2 "Sharpie Markers"
2 pkgs. 3 x 5 index cards
1 red felt tip pen
1 pkg. #2 pencils
2 boxes crayons (24)
1 pair small scissors

• Box fans or oscillating fans for use in our facility and for distribution through our resource center.

Important upcoming dates:

• June 29: Spanish class cancelled.
• July 1-4: Midterm break. The Mission Adelante office will be closed and there will be no activities on Thursday. **Monday morning English class and Tuesday evening English tutoring will continue uninterrupted.**

A Beautiful Day in the Ozarks

Heavy rains and lightning storms don't make for comfortable camping and canoeing, but they sure do provide the context for God to build character and a sense of community for those along for the ride. Last weekend seven volunteers, 10 kids, and three Latino parents braved the elements and participated in the first annual float trip for our Leaders-in-Training program. Most of the kids and adults who were on the trip had never been camping before, not to mention canoeing.

Our group went to the Northfork River in southern Missouri for the Friday through Sunday event. The parents who attended with their children found the experience not only personally exhilarating, but also a unique opportunity to invest and bond with their children. The numbers worked out so that each kid was paired with an adult for the canoeing, which lasted all day Saturday. Conversations about life, Jesus and anything fun abounded in the canoes, the campsites, and the cars. Relationships went deeper than before between kids and adults.

With novice canoe-ers, there were plenty of tips and splashes and near disasters (in the best sense of the word). The challenges we faced together as a group in this unfamiliar territory made for a fitting end to our pilot year of Leaders-In-Training, a program where character development is emphasized as critical to becoming an effective leader. On Sunday morning at about 2:30 a.m. the storm hit and didn't let up until about 6:30. Our beleaguered group finally came alive about 7:30 and reluctantly emerged from their tents to the tackle the inevitable and unenviable task of tearing down a wet campsite in the rain; all part of God's character-building plan for our group. It was a beautiful day in the Ozarks!

In other news:

• We're excited to announce that Megan McDermott has joined our staff as the full-time director of Kids Adelante!  A generous donor is matching a portion of contributions made to support her ministry through the first 12 months at a ratio of 3:2. 
• Two individuals attended the Worship Celebration for the first time on Sunday evening. Also, six discipleship participants received certificates for completing the 13-study discipleship course about the basics of the Christian Faith.
• A group of 12 young adults from Shoal Creek Community Church are spending three days with us this week. They're doing work projects around our facility during the mornings and hosting a VBS for neighborhood kids in a local park in the evenings. About 40 kids went last evening and enjoyed the activities including songs, a skit, and a story.
• Buy Royal’s tickets to 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 support Megan McDermott's staff role as our Kids Adelante Director!

Prayer needs:

• Pray for evening VBS being held this week and next to attract new kids from the neighborhood and to reinforce our relationships with kids that already come to Thursday evening outreach Bible studies.
• Staff members and volunteers have engaged in spiritual conversations with numerous adult English students already during the first two weeks of the summer trimester! We praise God for the students' openness because our purpose is not only to teach English, but also to share our faith. Please pray that any past negative experiences that these individuals may have had with churches won't hinder their exploration of the claims of Christ.
• Please pray for a family in our faith community in which the husband and wife are experiencing marital difficulties and the son is displaying threatening behavior.

Current needs:

• Three LCD (flat screen) computer monitors
• Diapers sizes 4, 5, and 6 to stock the Resource Center

Important upcoming dates:

• June 29: Spanish class cancelled.
• July 1-4: Midterm break. The Mission Adelante office will be closed and there will be no activities on Thursday. **Monday morning English class will continue uninterrupted.**
  

Amazing Improvement for Felipe Leyva!

We were elated to learn last week that Leaders-In-Training (LIT) student, Felipe Leyva received the award for most improved third grader at M.E. Pearson elementary school at the end of the year. His improvement on the state math assessments was the best in his grade level, out-pacing normal growth by almost four times. His reading improvement was also marked at nearly three times normal level.

Immigrant kids face significant challenges in our urban context. These begin with the language barrier (nearly 85% of students at M.E. Pearson speak only Spanish in the home), and continue with poverty, intimidation by gangs, and other negative social and peer dynamics. Mission Adelante's LIT program identifies kids from within this mix who have characteristics of potential leaders and invests in their spiritual, academic and character growth. The aim is to equip them become leaders among their peers.

Felipe's dramatic improvement in math and reading is a tremendous encouragement to all of us who worked with him this year in those very subjects. Other LIT students from this first year have also received honors; Iris Venegas, 8th grade, was accepted into Sumner Academy, Andrea Flores, 3rd grade, made similar, though not as dramatic improvements in math and reading, and Helen Venegas, 6th grade, has made it to the final stage in the process of becoming a Kauffman Scholar.

Please pray with us for these students and for those whom we will choose to join them in the LIT program this fall. And thank the Lord for the exciting fruit that we're beginning to see from our pilot year of the program.

In other news:

• Our summer trimester got off to a great start last Thursday evening with 53 kids in attendance at Kids Adelante and four adult English classes full to capacity. Thanks to volunteers' availability this summer, we also have a morning adult English class. We owe so much of the success of our programs and our impact on the community to the dedicated, ongoing service of our many volunteers!
• Both Bible studies kicked off the summer with a pot-luck meal and fellowship on Sunday evening. Several visitors joined us for the first time.
• Buy Royal’s tickets to 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!

Prayer needs:

• The nine students who successfully completed the year of LIT will go on a three-day canoe and camping trip this weekend in southern Missouri. Eleven adults will join them. Please pray for safety, cooperation of the weather, and that the trip will make a spiritual impact on the kids and allow for bonding between the kids and volunteers.
• Please pray for the provision of the necessary funds for Megan McDermott to join our staff full-time as the Kids Adelante Director.

Current needs:

• Three LCD (flat screen) computer monitors

Important upcoming dates:

• July 1-4: Midterm break. The Mission Adelante office will be closed and there will be no activities on Thursday. **Monday morning English class will continue uninterrupted.**

A Mission Field in Your Own Backyard

Mission Adelante (Mission 'go forth') is strategically positioned to reach a growing Latin American mission field that is coming to our own doorstep. Somewhere between 75% and 85% of the population of our urban Kansas City neighborhood is Latino. Yet, most American Christians are unaware of the needs of this population, or have simply not considered the kingdom opportunity that this dynamic presents. It is a significant and accessible openning for followers of Christ to engage in missions in an ongoing way, without the expense and adjustment of having to move to a foreign country.

Immigrants are generally a group with distinct needs. They, like widows and orphans, are mentioned in the Bible as vulnerable people who should be the object of special care and compassion by believers. Problems that are foreign to most suburban Christians, such as language barriers in school, at work, and in the hospital, gang violence, illiteracy, and abuse by landlords are par for the course for many immigrants from Latin America.

With these things in mind, Mission Adelante is focused on three important objectives:

1. Serving Latino immigrants in practical ways: Serving is a tangible way to demonstrate the love of Christ. Teaching English, tutoring kids, and providing food and clothing are some of the ways we do this

2. Sharing Life: Our staff, and even some of our volunteers, have re-located to the neighbhorhood where we serve, so that we can build authentic ministry relationships.

3. Holistic Evangelism: Serving and building relationships is our way of earning the right to be heard. Living the gospel and sharing it verbally make a powerful combination.

Whether you're interested in getting your feet wet as a volunteer, contributing financially, or praying for our ministry, we would love to include you in what God is doing through Mission Adelante. Please contact Jarrett Meek with questions. jarrettm@missionadelante.org

What-If Serve Day Winners:
Thank you to all who participated in the the What-If Serve Day! Members of team 19 and team 24 have won the prize! We would love to present you with a Mission Adelante polo shirt! Please email Morgan Ham at morganh@missionadelante.org to request a shirt size and claim your prize. (If you think you were on one of these sheet-rocking teams, but aren't sure, ask Morgan.)

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