Building Community at Christian Community Development Association Conference

Written by Drew Hammond, Bhutanese Ministry Intern

Two weeks ago, a team of 12 from Mission Adelante traveled to New Orleans to attend the 2013 Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) National Conference. There were 5 staff members, 2 members from our Bhutanese community, 2 from our Latino community, and 3 volunteers. The trip was an incredible time for us to build friendships, worship together, and come together to collaborate on how we can transform  Kansas City, Kansas together.

Ram Rai is a friend of mine who traveled to the CCDA conference with us. Ram is a Bhutanese refugee who has resettled in Kansas City and now owns RG Asian Store, a neighborhood grocery store that caters to the needs of Asians.  The following is an interview with about his experience at the conference.

Question: What was your favorite New Orleans experience?

Answer: The city of New Orleans itself was very interesting to me, I had never been there before so experiencing that culture was really great. Also, the French Quarter reminded me of cities in Nepal, we even met some people from Nepal which made me feel very welcome in New Orleans.

Question: What is best thing you learned from CCDA Conference?

Answer: The best thing I learned from the CCDA Conference was being on mission together. Specifically to incarnate the love of Jesus so our neighbors can come to follow Him with us.

Question: What was the most meaningful part of the trip to CCDA?

Answer: Being a brother in a large community of Jesus followers. Also, learning how to encourage and train children and students in the ways of Jesus.

Question: Is there anything from the conference that you are excited to implement in Kansas City, KS?

Answer: I received a lot of knowledge and training on how to give a workshop about the negative effects of drugs, alcohol, and negative thinking. As a matter of fact, I am planning a workshop right now.

Question: Do you have any prayer requests for our readers?

Answer: My biggest prayer request after CCDA is that I will continue to be encouraged and blessed as I reach out to my neighbors.

In other news:

• The Latino Leaders in Training (LIT) program launched last Wednesday with 14 kids! We are excited to begin growing together as a family in our pursuit of Christ!
• All of the volunteers who will be serving in our programs this fall met together at Mission Adelante on Monday night for fellowship and to plan for the trimester. One of the highlights of the evening was the level of ownership our community took is sponsoring the night. There was a multicultural worship band, and desserts were provided by lots of our community members. It was great to welcome our volunteers together as a community.
• The Bhutanese Outreach had a great fall trimester launch on Tuesday. We're eager for the fall launch of the Latino Outreach tomorrow. We are excited for a new season with new friends at Mission Adelante.

Current needs:

• A refrigerator. Please contact Jason at jasons@missionadelante.org if you have one to give.

Loving People from All Places

by Jarrett Meek, Founder, Pastor/Executive Director

Anyone who's spent much time in a foreign country understands how challenging it can be to navigate the  language, culture, systems and relationships in a place that's not your home.  That was certainly our experience when we were in Costa Rica for language school in 2002 and 2003.  But, out of nowhere, we were surprised by the friendship of a Costa Rican family who took us under their wing and walked with us in the ups and downs of adjusting to a new culture and context.  This experience became foundational for us in understanding how God wants us to embrace and befriend people from other places.

Members of Mission Adelante celebrate together at the
National Christian Foundation's Passion Awards

For Israel, the experience of living as foreigners in Egypt marked their identity as a people.  The Egyptian experience was a mixture of blessings and sorrows for God's people. Joseph's slavery, imprisonment and rise to power as Pharaoh's right-hand man is one of the most amazing immigrant success stories in history.  The escape from famine and the subsequent slavery of the Israelites in Egypt gave God's chosen nation a unique lens through which to view God's call to love the foreigners who would one day live in their midst.

"When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.  You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."  Leviticus 19:33-34

One phrase from these verses jumps off the page as familiar and powerful; "You shall love him as yourself".  This is one of the only places where this "Great Commandment", "love your neighbor as yourself", is applied so directly to a specific group of people.   And if you recall, when Jesus was asked, "who's my neighbor?", he told the story of the Good Samaritan, making the foreigner and outsider to the Jews the hero of the story, the neighbor, and the intended recipient of loving actions by God's people.  Jesus emphasizes that the commandment to love God and neighbor is at the very heart of all His commands.  This mandate finds a special expression in the way we show hospitality, compassion, and friendship to people from other places.

Whether you're from Bhutan, Burma, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nepal, the United States, or any other place, Mission Adelante takes seriously this Great Commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves.  This love for neighbor is practical.  It invites, befriends, listens, learns, embraces, shares, serves, celebrates, and grieves.  It creates a new community and redefines the "we".  It makes outsiders insiders and tells heroic stories about Samaritans.  Though we still have a long way to go, our heart's desire is that the phrase, "Loving people from all places" would be what most defines the Mission Adelante community.

In other news:

• Staff and immigrant leaders returned on Sunday energized by the Christian Community Development Association conference where our immigrant leaders had already begun dreaming of new ways to impact our community.
• We have two new additions to our Latino house church this week as we have welcomed two new babies! Please pray for good health and rest for the families.

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for a family in the Bhutanese community who just had their first child! Pray for sound sleep and community support for this new family.
• Pray for the registration tomorrow evening for our Latino ESL program where we hope to see a strong retention of past students and a healthy group of new students.
• School can be a struggle for many of our Bhutanese High School students who don’t have strong English, making learning difficult, and the temptation to drop out strong. Pray for our school district to have the resources and knowledge to teach ESL students well, and pray for our students to have endurance and a strong work ethic in their studies.

Other needs:

• Want to hang out with some fun kids and share Jesús in a meaningful way? We are looking for 3 or 4 volunteers for our Outreach Bible Study on Thursdays from 6:30-9:00.  Please contact Megan if you are interested at meganm@missionadelante.org.
• Our Bhutanese Kids Outreach is looking for a few new friends!  We are in need of 5 mentors to walk with kids at part of our Outreach Bible Study on Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:00pm.  If you are interested in learning more please contact Kristen at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
• If you are out and about and notice swimsuits on clearance, would you think about picking some up for kids at Mission Adelante?  We go swimming many times a year, even in the winter, and sometimes we find out on the way to the pool that some of our friends don’t have swimsuits that fit.  We specifically need suits that fit Elementary and Middle School boys, and one-piece suits that fit later Elementary and Middle School girls.  If you have questions, or would like to help, contact Kristen Maxwell at Kristenm@missionadelante.org

Important dates:

• Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, September 21, 9:00-12:30 All volunteers should attend this training once at the beginning of serving with Mission Adelante. It's also a great way for someone to become familiar with Mission Adelante's ministry. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about what we do, and about our volunteer opportunities, please plan to attend/encourage him or her to attend this informative training. 
• All Volunteer Huddle & Dessert: Monday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. We encourage everyone that will be volunteering with us during our fall trimester to attend so we can prepare for a great launch. 
• Fall trimester programs launch: Week of September 23

A "Year of Breakthrough"

Written by Kristen Maxwell, Bhutanese Children's Ministry Director

A few weeks ago, I had a chance to go on a prayer and planning retreat.  It gave me a chance to slow down and take time to listen to the Lord.  During my time away I heard from the Lord that this year would be a "Year of Breakthrough" for our after school leadership and character development program, Leaders in Training.  As I returned from the retreat and began to dive deeper in to what the Lord was saying, I felt challenged by a verse in the book of Isaiah.  

“But forget all that—

    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.

For I am about to do something new.

    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness.

    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT)

Will you join me in praying this verse over our 30 Latino and Bhutanese Leaders in Training for the 2013-2014 school year?  Will you pray with us that the Lord would help them to see the new things He is doing, and point them in the right direction?  Pray that the Lord would give them growth and confidence in their academic life, and speak to them about their walk with Him.  

Will you pray for the volunteers and staff that have the joy of loving on these kids every day?  Would you pray that we would not stick to old ways, but would eagerly follow the new ways that the Lord is leading us?  Would you pray for renewal in the lives of the LIT staff, mentors and kids?

We are currently looking for some more mentors to lock arms with us and lead the leaders that the Lord is raising up in our community.  If you are interested in learning more about how to help, contact Megan McDermott (Latino LIT) atmeganm@missionadelante.org or Kristen Maxwell (Bhutanese LIT) at Kristenm@missionadelante.org.

In other news:

• Congratulations to Jenny & Garett Dunn on the birth of their first child, Rowen Matthew, on Saturday, August 31!  He was healthy, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches long.  Mom and baby are doing great!
• Four of our staff members, six immigrant leaders, and one volunteer will be in New Orleans until Sunday for the CCDA conference.  It’s a tremendous opportunity to learn about, and network with others immersed in, Christian community development.  Pray for this team to grow together and bring home new vision.

Prayer needs:

• Pray for our Congress as they return from legislative break to sort through important issues like Syria and immigration reform.
• Pray for our LIT program as we kick off over the next week and a half.

Current needs:

• Want to hang out with some fun kids and share Jesús in a meaningful way? We are looking for 3-4 volunteers for our Outreach Bible Study on Thursdays from 6:30-9.  Please contact Megan if you are interested at meganm@missionadelante.org.
• Our Bhutanese Kids Outreach is looking for a few new friends!  We are in need of 6-7 mentors to walk with kids at part of our Outreach Bible Study on Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:00pm.  If you are interested in learning more please contact Kristen at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
• We need some Rubbermaid-type storage tubs to store clothing in our Resource Center. Please contact Molly at mollym@missionadelante.org if you’d like to help.

Important dates:

• Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, September 21, 9:00-12:30 All volunteers should attend this training once at the beginning of serving with Mission Adelante. It's also a great way for someone to become familiar with Mission Adelante's ministry. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about what we do, and about our volunteer opportunities, please plan to attend/encourage him or her to attend this informative training. 
• All Volunteer Huddle & Dessert: Monday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. We encourage everyone that will be volunteering with us during our fall trimester to attend so we can prepare for a great launch. 
• Fall trimester programs launch: Week of September 23

Remove the Glass Ceiling

Written by Jason Schoff, Latino Outreach Director

When I was younger, I dreamed of learning to fly jets and becoming an airline pilot.  Nothing stood in my way as far as I knew.  My family and friends told me it was all possible if I worked hard enough, and based on their encouragement, I felt like I could accomplish anything.  My future was limitless.  As a Christian, I fully understand why this is true.  In Genesis 1:26-28 we read that God created each of us in His own image, meaning that He put in humans an amazing ability to do great things, some beyond imagination.

What would your life be like if you couldn't dream about the future?  Many immigrant families journey to the United States, their travel fueled by their dreams.  However, some discover that there is a glass ceiling limiting what they can actually achieve.  This ceiling becomes an inhibitor to dreams and aspirations, and is most disturbing when we see immigrant children learn to doubt the potential of their dreams coming true.  As our ministry has grown, we have discovered the complexities of what undocumented families face, especially undocumented children brought to the U.S. illegally by parents in search of a better life.  These kids may dream in elementary school of being a doctor but by high school they learn that they cannot work legally or get a driver's license, and they surrender their hope of achieving their dreams.  We share in their disappointment.

Last summer our President signed an executive order granting these kids a chance to Dream, provided they graduate from high school.  Since then we have helped five youth complete the paperwork to gain temporary legal status.  What does this mean?  It means we can cheer kids on to dream again, and they can actually believe that it's worth it.  When you remove the glass ceiling looming above a person's life, he or she can again believe great things, and then achieve great things.  A transformation occurs in the lives of those who are granted this chance!  As advocates for immigrant families, we wonder what amazing things the parents, too, could achieve, were they given a similar opportunity.  How might our cities and churches benefit from our neighbors' dreams? This is why we stand with other Christians (Evangelical Immigration Table) who share the conviction that our laws must be reformed so as to honor the image of God in each of us.  Please join us in praying that national legislators who are tackling this issue will share this conviction.

In other news:

• One of our Bhutanese friends who is hearing impaired recently went missing for two days. His family was very worried until the police located him safe and sound at KU Med Center. Our friends from Deaf International were a huge help to his family during this time. What a beautiful thing to see His children gather around others in a time of need.
• A group of community leaders, volunteers, and staff are headed to the Christian Community Development Association National Conference in New Orleans next week. Please pray that they would hear from God during this time and come back with fresh ideas and renewed vision of what it looks like to work in partnership with our community.

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for the Bhutanese ESL Lead Team as we plan program components for the fall.
• The Adelante Thrift team continues to search for a retail location and will view two potential sites this weekend. Please pray as we continue the process of finding the right store location.

Other needs:

• We're looking for three copies of the Jesus Calling Bible Storybook to use with the younger kids in our Kids Adelante outreach Bible study. (Here is the listing on Amazon.) We're specifically requesting the books, not monetary donations. Please contact Molly at mollym@missionadelante.org if you would like to contribute one.
• Our LIT Library is coming closer to completion!  We are in need of some furnishings to make it feel like home, such as a colorful rug and bean bag chairs.  If you have an item to donate please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
• Want to hang out with some fun kids and make a big impact? We are looking for volunteers for our Leadership development program and also for our Outreach Bible Study! Opportunities are available Monday-Thursday.  Please contact Megan if you are interested at meganm@missionadelante.org.
• Our Bhutanese Leaders in Training Program is getting ready to start our second year! We are currently looking for 4 mentors to serve on Wednesday afternoons.  If you are interested in learning more, contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
• Kids Club, our Bhutanese Kids Outreach is in need of 7 mentors, 6:30-8:30 on Tuesday nights from September 24th-December 10th.  If you are interested, or know of someone who might be, contact Kristen Maxwell at Kristenm@missionadelante.org.

Important dates:

• Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, September 21, 9:00-12:30 All volunteers should attend this training once at the beginning of serving with Mission Adelante. It's also a great way for someone to become familiar with Mission Adelante's ministry. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about what we do, and about our volunteer opportunities, please plan to attend/encourage him or her to attend this informative training. 
• All Volunteer Huddle & Dessert: Monday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. We encourage everyone that will be volunteering with us during our fall trimester to attend so we can prepare for a great launch. 
• Fall trimester programs launch: Week of September 23