First Steps for the Bhutanese Outreach Project

Last Tuesday evening it was raining and cold; the perfect night to launch a new ministry initiative! David Stetler and about 10 volunteers gathered for the first team meeting of the Bhutanese outreach project team. For those of you who haven't heard, Mission Adelante is launching a pilot outreach to Bhutanese refugees in our target neighborhood. This initiative will not only address the needs of another immigrant group in our area, but will also allow us to test the transferability of our ministry model to other peoples. Read More.

Volunteers from four different churches were present with at least one thing in common; a heart for the Bhutanese. Some have already had some experiences reaching out to them through ESL and other means. While others were there to learn more. This trimester they will focus on observing and learning Mission Adelante's core outreach programs with a plan to launch ESL and Kids programs in January.

In Other News:

• Jason will travel to Cincinnati tomorrow with staff from The Hope Center attend the annual Christian Community Development Association conference and glean lessons from other urban ministries around the U.S.
• Mission Adelante is saying, "goodbye" to volunteer Thiago deAgostino as he moves back to his native Brazil this week.
• We're thankful for a new Kids Adelante volunteer named Adam, who is focusing all of his attention on one of our most at-risk preteen boys.

Prayer needs:

• Please join us in sustained prayer for a kid named Eduardo who is struggling with a pattern of making detrimental choices.
• Pray for momentum for our volunteers and participants to continue strong over the mid-trimester hump.
• Pray for good health for our staff, volunteers, participants, and all families now that we're in the "cold and flu season."
• We're praising God for the favor he's given Megan McDermott with potential financial supporters and asking for him to give her more of the same as she continues to schedule meetings.

Current needs:

• Diapers sizes 3,4, and 5--any quantity--for distribution through our Resource Center.
• Winter clothes, i.e. long-sleeved tops and warm pants, for distribution through our Resource Center.
• A case of white copy paper for office use.

Fishing for Fishermen

Christ coined the phrase "fishers of men." The very encouragement he gave to his disciples was to cast out their nets, not for actual fish but for men. Too often, men come through our doors for only a trimester before work, sports, or other engagements steal them away from us. Therefore the relational window quickly closes right before our eyes. This past weekend we cast our relational nets out to men in our English classes and our church community.

Thanks to the help of one ESL volunteers, Mike Anderson, we planned a fishing trip to grab hold of these relationships and make the most of them. Fifteen men, kids, and volunteers jumped on a bus with us to a private fishing pond in Spring Hill. Our group spent the bulk of the day there fishing, eating, and enjoying conversation together. We rejoiced in the opportunity to connect with three men from our ESL classes and grow deeper with four men from our Adelante church community.

We literally cast the invitational net weekly to Hispanic men, women and children through serving, sharing life together, and holistic evangelism. However, there are few times that we can leave our neighborhood together and share life. Pray with us that this trip opens the doors for more opportunities to share Christ's story at work in us!

In other news:

• Alberto and Graciela are committed members of our faith community that are also on their way to becoming American citizens. Jason has begun studying with them weekly for their upcoming American history and civics exam.
• We have begun to include preteens and teens ages 12 and up in our home-based Bible studies. Until now they had been with the younger kids for our children's ministry. We're excited to see how their participation in the Bible Studies will impact the groups as a whole as well as them individually.
• Just three weeks into this academic year of Leaders In Training, a strong bond of friendship has formed among the 12 students chosen to participate.

Prayer needs:

• This Sunday evening our whole community will gather for a worship celebration at our facility. Please pray that the momentum we gathered during late summer will still be evident. Also, we'll invite the new class of ESL students to come, so pray that many will accept our invitation and come.
• We're concerned about two families in our faith community that have become involved in a business operated by a pyramid model. Please continue to pray that the demands of the business won't draw them away from fellowship with our 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.
• A sofa and skillets for distribution to families in need through our resource center.