Servant-Hearted Molly

written by Jarrett Meek

I've known Molly Merrick since she was a child at Heartland Community Church. As she grew into her teenage years she could often be found in the children's ministry classrooms serving as a volunteer. Her heart of service began early and is genuinely the legacy of her servant-hearted mom, Marcia, whom many of you know.

Molly's involvement with Mission Adelante began as a volunteer in the winter of 2008. By Spring she realized that God was fulfilling her heart for missions right here in the immigrant mission field in our own backyard. She moved to our neighborhood and joined our team as a summer intern. Molly's journey continued adelante (forward) through the year, and by January of 2009 she had joined our staff in a more permanent capacity as a ministry aide, on a part-time basis.

As a Ministry Aide Molly has made a significant contribution to our ministry in many ways. Her role includes hands-on help with our Leaders-in-Training program for kids, organizing our Resource Center, and generally helping keep our ship afloat. Molly's love for kids, her heart for helping people in need, and her humble heart to pitch in wherever she may be needed have all found robust expression through her role with Mission Adelante.

As I have observed Molly over the past two years, I has witnessed a young woman who has gained self-confidence, begun to find her wings, and has followed the leading of Jesus to make an impact in the lives of others for His glory. I am proud of Molly and thankful for the way Jesus has called and used her in our our lives and in the lives of those we serve.

In other news:

• We're in the early stages of planning a knitting and weaving co-op to help the Bhutanese refugee women in our neighborhood begin to generate income for their families.
• Nineteen volunteers began the lower level of our Spanish class last night with four volunteers continuing to the upper level, and four Hispanic volunteers helped Jarrett teach. We're very excited about so much interest being shown by volunteers in becoming effective at cross-cultural ministry.
• Leaders-In-Training students and volunteers celebrated accomplishments with two of their own students yesterday: Odalis earned her first "A" on a math test, and Gaby brought three awards to show off that she had received at school including one for academic improvement and two for good citizenship. These kinds of improvements are the gratification that our L.I.T. tutors find so rewarding!
• L.I.T. students will hold a Bake Sale at the Mission Adelante facility next Thursday, February 4 at 8:30 p.m. Proceeds will be donated to World Vision for their earthquake relief effort in Haiti.
• The Mission Adelante facility is undergoing significant transformation as all-star volunteer and renovation manager James McClure and his crew of skilled volunteers have spent every Saturday this month here working. Last Saturday kitchen cabinets and counter-tops were installed and doors were hung throughout the second floor.

Prayer needs:

• Praise God with us for providing a couple of more volunteers for the Thursday morning ESL class at M.E. Pearson Elementary School.
• Also, praise God for bringing several of the new ESL students to Worship for the first time last Sunday evening.
• Please pray for a Hispanic woman in our community who courageously left her job after suffering workplace abuse and sexual harassment over the course of a few years. Pray for God to allow her to find a new job where she'll be respected.
• Megan McDermott is expecting as many as 25 Hispanic teenagers tomorrow evening for the first Teens Adelante meeting. Please pray that they won't be hindered from coming and that they'll find an atmosphere of acceptance and honesty. Also, pray for volunteers to have wisdom, patience, and flexibility.

Current needs:

• A refrigerator for the newly constructed kitchen on the second floor of our facility.
• Paper towels

Upcoming dates:

• Saturday morning, February 27: Adelante Missions Institute presents Kirk Ogden, Director of South American Missions for a seminar on cross-cultural ministry. Look for more details soon!
• Thursday, March 18: Spring break. No evening activities.