Sovereign Grace in the Lives of Immigrants

The "perseverance of the saints" is the phrase Theologians use to describe the sovereign power of God to preserve the faith of those who belong to Him, thus keeping their eternal salvation secure despite the many struggles and temptations they may experience in their lives. Many of us find great comfort in the truth that we are both drawn to God by His grace and kept in him by that same sovereign power. John 10: 27-29 affirm this truth.

²⁷"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; ²⁸and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹"My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

At times over the past few years I have been tempted to doubt God's preserving power in the lives of immigrants who we've seen stumble and fall and fade away after having received Christ. Their volatile lives, their difficulties, and their transient situation present significant barriers to consistency in the pursuit of Christ. But, time and time again my belief in the sovereignty of God's grace has been renewed as we've seen God bring them back around.

Mario and Veronica are a great example of this. Nearly three years ago now they received Christ during one of our home-based Bible studies, but difficulties of every kind have frequently caused them to disappear for long periods of time from their involvement in Mission Adelante. This week I am thinking back over the past four months and am in awe at the way God has been working in their lives. Their consistent participation and pursuit of Christ has been at an unprecedented level despite a host of challenges they have faced during this time. Just when I had written them off, God brought them back around with a renewed authenticity and commitment to following Him.

If you are wondering what to pray for Mission Adelante this week, please pray for the sovereign keeping power of God to reign in the lives of the immigrants we're reaching.

In other news:

• An average of 60 kids have come to the first two Thursday evening Kids Adelante outreach Bible studies of the fall trimester, which makes for a very strong start.
• Thirteen adult students have already memorized a short version of the story of Adam and Eve in English during the first two weeks of the level 2 ESL class. Bible stories are great material for language learning!
• About 110 mostly brand new pairs of soccer cleats and other athletic shoes were donated to Mission Adelante after being collected at a youth soccer league drive led by Shawn Alexander. We'll distribute them to neighborhood kids who participate in our annual soccer camp next summer.

Prayer needs:

• We're concerned about two families in our faith community that have become involved in a business operated by a pyramid model. Please join us in praying that the demands of the business won't draw them away from fellowship with our community.
• Please pray for Megan McDermott to carve out the time to continue cultivating relationships with several kids that have become disconnected from Kids Adelante.
• The men in our faith community and ESL program have been invited to a fishing event this Saturday. This is the first time for an outreach event specifically targeted to attract men to our community. Please pray for God to allow them to connect well with one another and desire to plug into our faith community.

Current needs:

• Two flat screen computer monitors. One is for Megan, Kids Adelante Director, because her current monitor flickers off and back on every few seconds. The other is for use by the Leaders In Training students.
• Skillets, diapers sizes 3-5, and baby wipes for distribution through our Resource Center.