A Journey of Firsts

Written by Drew Hammond, Bhutanese Ministry Logistics Coordinator

Spring break for many people is a time to go to the beach, take a cruise, try surfing, or do anything else that involves bright sunshine and escaping the tyranny of winter clothes. However, a group of five Bhutanese-Nepali student leaders from Mission Adelante chose to spend their spring break in the bone chilling air of “the windy city,” Chicago, Illinois.

The trip was the first official activity of the Leadership Training Project, (LTP), for the Bhutanese Teens Ministry. The Leadership Training Project is a year-long leadership development program for emerging youth leaders. The program has two components: mentoring and learning through leading. Students will be mentored by an adult in leadership skills and taught about how to follow Jesus, the ultimate leader of men, as Nepalis and in a way that honors and celebrates their Nepali culture and family. Students will also participate in opportunities to serve and lead in the Bhutanese Community, and in our Kansas City neighborhood. The leadership skills they develop during this program will help them to grow spiritually and build their character, as well as to teach them necessary skills for school, future jobs, and how to be good and productive members of their families and communities.

The objective of the trip was to transform us from a group of individual students working to organize the Bhutanese Teens Ministry into a team of leaders equipped and empowered to lead the Bhutanese Teen community at Mission Adelante. One great way to make a group of people into a unified team is to share new experiences. Our journey to Chicago was full of new experiences. For example, none of us had ever navigated the subway and bus system of Chicago before. It proved very complicated for a group of people from Kansas City without experience with such a massive public transportation system. Many times during our trip we relied upon help from local people from Chicago at times when we got off the bus at the wrong stop or rushed from one train to another, hoping not to be late to our next destination. We returned from our journey knowing the Lord had used our transportation challenges, as well as others, to draw and bind us together as a team.

Will you pray for the LTP team? Pray that we will be bound together as we embark on our journey to love and follow Jesus as our Lord.

In other news:

• It has  been an exciting time for the Latino Outreach as more and more of our teens step up to mentor kids during our Thursday night Outreach Bible Study.  We praise God for teens that are using their gifts to transform our neighborhood and the world for the glory of Jesus Christ!

• The Latino LIT kids are very excited for a trip to the Omaha Zoo this weekend! The trip is a reward for all of their hard work this year.

Prayer needs:

• The lease negotiations continue as we try to secure a space for Adelante Thrift. Please continue to pray for this process and for the next steps that need to happen to make the thrift store a reality.

• As we wait for the House of Representatives to legislate immigration reform, please pray against actions that will polarize the discussion and pray for a willingness to cooperate in ways that are productive.

Current needs:

• Is your church planning a VBS program this summer? Once your VBS camp is over, please consider giving your program materials to a Burmese Chin woman who is starting a children’s outreach program for Chin children in the community. Please contact Kristen Allen at kristena@missionadelante.org to learn more.

• We are looking for people who have knowledge and skills with literacy intervention for teenagers. Many of the Bhutanese teens are in need of reading and English help outside of school. Mission Adelante would especially like to offer this help to our five teenage interns this Summer. If you or someone you know has helpful resources or suggestions on this topic or would be interested in volunteering your skills this summer, please contact Hannah Hume at hannahh@missionadelante.org.

• Our LIT students earn "Mission Adelante Money" for exemplary behavior and doing extra academic work, which they can spend at a Reward Store once each trimester.  We're in need of items by March 31 to stock that store!  Ideas include sports equipment, craft supplies, bedroom decorations, or any small item that would appeal to 8-14 year old students.  If you would like to contribute, please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
• Every August we have the chance to bless the almost 200 students who are a part of the ministries at Mission Adelante with backpacks for Back-to-School!  We are currently looking for churches and organizations to host Backpack drives for the back-to-school season!  Would you consider hosting a backpack drive as a summer service project, or as a part of your Vacation Bible School? If you would like more information on packing backpacks for us, and meeting this tangible need for our community contact Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@Missionadelante.org.

Important dates:

• Optional Bhutanese ESL Training: March 30th at 2:00 on the topic of Hinduism at Jenny Dunn’s house.  Email Jenny for details: jennyd@missionadelante.org.
• Bhutanese Spring Party: Saturday, April 12, 5:00-8:00 at First Baptist Church, 2900 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66102. Please come and help us celebrate the accomplishments of our ESL, Teens, Kids Adelante, and L.I.T. students this trimester and honor volunteers with sustained service.
• Latino Spring Party: Saturday, April 13, 5:00-8:00 at Bethany Community Center.  Please come and help us celebrate the accomplishments of our ESL, Teens, Kids Adelante, and L.I.T. students this trimester and honor volunteers with sustained service. Bethany Community Center is located on Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas (66102) between 11th and 12th Streets, behind the fire station.

A New Director of Latino Ministries for Mission Adelante!

by Jarrett Meek, Mission Adelante
and Jeff Stokes, Mill Creek Community Church

We are excited to announce that Gary Pauley will be joining Mission Adelante's staff as our new Director of Latino Ministries. As I write, I am struck by the absolutely surprising ways that God often chooses to answer our prayers. Indeed, it never would have occurred to me to approach Gary Pauley, the teaching pastor at Mill Creek Community Church, to fill a role at Mission Adelante. But, in the strangest way, God orchestrated seemingly chance meetings at critical moments, which provided space for casual and unexpected conversations, that led to Gary filling the role of Latino Ministries Director at Mission Adelante. And now, we are eager to welcome Gary and Jan into our neighborhood and ministry and to see how God will continue to deepen our partnership with Mill Creek through this transition.

The Pauleys are a gifted couple with years of pastoral ministry experience and a proven heart for cross-cultural ministry and for our neighborhood. In addition to having planted and then pastored Mill Creek Community Church for 19 years, Gary and Jan have been involved in the Mission Adelante community in formal and informal ways for the last five years. Jan has volunteered with our Latino ESL program and then helped launch our Bhutanese teens club, while Gary has found himself serving, sharing life, and sharing Jesus with Bhutanese youth in our neighborhood. Their love for people from all places and their missions heart has been evident in the ways they have engaged with our ministry over several years, and in the ways they have led their own church by example. Gary is bilingual, having learned Spanish in informal cross-cultural settings, and has spent time teaching in missions contexts in Argentina, Mexico, Russia, China, and the Philippines. And Mill Creek, along with the Pauleys, has developed a deep commitment and passion to be a "sending" church.

Mill Creek has been an important partner for Mission Adelante over the years, and now even more so in this transition. We are extremely grateful for the collaborative spirit they have demonstrated and their desire to use this transition as an opportunity to deepen the relationship and partnership between their church and Mission Adelante.  Even as this transition means some significant changes and a sacrifice for Mill Creek, their elders, staff and congregation are embracing the change as a way to live out yet again the value of "sending and going" as shown in the New Testament. What an inspiration! We are looking forward to the opportunity to walk closely with Mill Creek in the coming season and beyond. Jeff Stokes, Mill Creek's Executive Pastor has shared his thoughts below to further elaborate on this transition and what it means to their congregation.
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A Note from Jeff Stokes, Executive Pastor, Mill Creek Community Church

At Mill Creek Community Church, we talk often about “every member on mission where they work, live and play”. We celebrate and rejoice when members naturally engage by showing and sharing Christ’s love to those around them. As His disciples, this should be the norm for all of us, including our own pastors. Gary and Jan Pauley are acting on this biblical truth they have taught and modeled for us - walking in faith and obedience to His call,wherever the call may lead. We will miss them greatly, but we fully support the Pauleys in responding to His call to join the team at Mission Adelante and to serve in the Kansas City, KS community.

I can share firsthand that Gary and Jan will bring biblical wisdom, love, and truth to every relationship and endeavor they are involved with. Your staff and your community will be blessed by their presence and testimony.

We so appreciate our partnership with Mission Adelante. We love your passion and vision for the people in your fellowship and community. We look forward to deepening our relationship and serving together for the Kingdom work here in the metro area. We covet your prayers as we search for a new teaching pastor who will fill “big” shoes left by Gary knowing God has just the right person. In turn, we will pray for Mission Adelante as you complete this transition with Gary and Jan. Just promise to send Gary and Jan back to us occasionally for updates and opportunities to support and respond to your work at Mission Adelante. May we all be people willing to be “sent” as He calls us to model and share the good news of Christ to all.

God Makes it Grow

Written by Hannah Hume, Bhutanese Teens Ministry Coordinator

“I planted, Apollos watered, but it is God who has been making it grow” 1 Corinthians 3:6

In life, things rarely go as planned. This can be really frustrating sometimes, especially in a ministry context. We pray, we envision and dream, we set out plans, and we walk in faithfulness in order to see our plans through. We want to see the vision the Lord has given us become a reality. However, along the way things happen that are completely outside of our control.

We can faithfully share the gospel using the best methods man can devise but we have no control over whether our audience receives our message. We can invest in students' lives, only to find out that their family has decided to move to another state. We can plan a great field trip and then find ourselves sick in bed, unable to lead the trip. Things are constantly shifting and changing, and it can be very easy to become discouraged when things don’t seem to be turning out the way we had hoped. This is one of the reasons that prayer is SO important.

Prayer is one of our core values at Mission Adelante. We believe that prayer is the most important work in ministry and that our mission depends upon the power and work of the Holy Spirit in individual lives, in our community, and in all of our circumstances.

This doesn’t mean that when we pray, God suddenly makes everything easy and in accord with our exact preferences (although He may). What it does, is remind us of our place in the world. As Paul so aptly explained to the Corinthians “God makes the seed grow”. He is in control. He is working out His plan--a plan He lets us join Him in. He doesn't ask us to make things happen, he just asks us to faithfully walk according to His leading, and let Him do the rest. This truth can give us freedom from disappointment and energy to do the work He has given us, knowing the results are up to Him!

Would you join us in praying for our KCK neighborhood? Pray that God would carry out His plan for this city, and that we would be faithful to follow his lead.

Important dates:

• Observation Days: Tuesdays, March 11 (Bhutanese)/Thursdays, March 6 & 13 (Latino) 6:30-8:30  Have you wondered what all goes on around here on a typical evening of programming?  Here's your opportunity to come and see for yourself!  Come on up to 22 S. 18th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102.
• Spring Break: March 17-22 No programs.  The Mission Adelante office will be closed March 19-22.
• Optional Bhutanese ESL Training: March 30th at 2:00 at Jenny Dunn’s house.  Email Jenny for details: jennyd@missionadelante.org.

An Emphasis on Literacy

Written by Lauren Timberlake, Bhutanese ESL Director

Many Americans are unaware of the lack of access to education some people have in other parts of the world. A number of the refugees we work with in the Bhutanese English classes know how to read and write in their native language, but many more of them do not. Political unrest, poverty, a lack of schools for girls, and needs at home are some of the factors that kept most adult refugees from graduating high school. Many did not finish or even attend primary school at all. As a result, literacy is a huge obstacle to information, employment, and citizenship for many.

We are taking steps to improve literacy in our English classes this term. Dry erase boards with letters and numbers to trace have become very popular with students. Some are learning letter sounds and sounding out words. Others are using early readers to gain more confidence. Our advanced students are reading citizenship textbooks to learn about American history and civics. It’s been a great challenge, and the students are so proud of what they are accomplishing. This will prepare them to tackle the reading and writing components of the citizenship exam.

One of my first memories working here was with a grandmother who had no idea how to hold a pencil. Now, she can write her name and address. She works every week on writing letters more clearly. Another student, a mother of 4, is learning to read and working towards citizenship. She was happy last week to be able to differentiate the words “amendment” and “America.”

Volunteer conversation partners are our greatest resource. One-on-one listening, speaking, reading and writing practice is a huge help for a non-native English speakers. Our volunteers do a great job of identifying student abilities and choosing appropriate reading and writing exercises from the options available in class.

Knowing the Bhutanese community has taught our staff and volunteers much about life across the globe. We have been blessed by their optimism, resilience, and willingness to learn new things at all stages of life. We are grateful to be coaches and cheerleaders as many learn to read for the first time.

In other news:

• We took the Leaders in Training to Sky Zone indoor trampoline park last Monday as a reward for all of their hard work.  We love helping the kids discover that in life, hard work pays off!
• This trimester there are 234 volunteers serving with Mission Adelante. Eighty three of them are immigrant members of our community!  We get really excited about this kind of fruit!

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for Mission Adelante community members who will be sharing their testimonies in the English classes over the next few weeks.
• Please pray for the Adelante Thrift Board as they continue to review leases and negotiate to determine the best space between two potential thrift locations. Our fundraising efforts will begin soon and we are seeking God’s guidance as we continue down the path of sustainable community development.

Current needs:

• Our LIT students earn "Mission Adelante Money" for exemplary behavior and doing extra academic work, which they can spend at a Reward Store once each trimester.  We're in need of items by March 31 to stock that store!  Ideas include sports equipment, craft supplies, bedroom decorations, or any small item that would appeal to 8-14 year old students.  If you would like to contribute, please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.
• Operations Teams are Forming!  If you are interested in joining our facilities team (handy man projects) or IT Team (Think “Geek Squad”), please contact Sarah Winston at sarahw@missionadelante.org.  These roles are on an as-needed basis, and don’t require a weekly commitment.

Important dates:

• Observation Days: Tuesdays, March 4 & 11 (Bhutanese)/Thursdays, March 6 & 13 (Latino) 6:30-8:30  Have you wondered what all goes on around here on a typical evening of programming?  Here's your opportunity to come and see for yourself!  Come on up to 22 S. 18th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102.
• Spring Break: March 17-22 No programs.  The Mission Adelante office will be closed March 19-22.
• Optional Bhutanese ESL Training: March 30th at 2:00 at Jenny Dunn’s house.  Email Jenny for details: jennyd@missionadelante.org.

Reigniting The Spark of Exploration in Our Children

Written by Megan McDermott, Latino Children's Ministry Director

Throughout my education, one of the things I treasured most was the freedom to explore the topics that interested me.  If I wanted to learn more about the Egyptians, I was encouraged to research and understand the culture.  When I expressed my fascination with Native American dress, my teachers encouraged my creative exploration of that clothing.  However, when I look at the children in our after-school tutoring and character development program, Leaders in Training, I see that the spark of exploration has faded.  In an effort to reignite that spark, one of our main focuses this year in LIT has been learning about the past, and in particular, World War I.  

The children were so intrigued by the events of WWI, the soldiers, the battles, how animals were utilized, and more than anything,  how Mexico was involved in the war.  At Mission Adelante, we believe in the importance of celebrating culture and developing leaders.  Therefore, it was so exciting to see their eyes light up when they made the connection between the familiarity of Mexico and the role that it had played in WWI. 

Last Saturday, we took the children to the WWI museum and spent the day exploring together.  We poured over the vast collection of artifacts, did some hands-on activities, and got a glimpse into our country's history.  It is said that “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”   I believe that by arming the future leaders of our community with the knowledge of their past, they will approach the future with greater wisdom. 

In other news:

• On Sunday the Bhutanese community welcomed baby Sarup Gurung into the world at his cultural baby naming ceremony, which takes place when a baby is 10 days old! He is a healthy little boy, and the first boy after 3 girls, making dad very happy! Many volunteers and Mission Adelante staff were able to go and see the baby and congratulate the family.
• We love to celebrate the cultures of people from other places living in our neighborhood! Several of those involved in Mission Adelante attended Chin National Day this weekend to celebrate the unity of Chin people, a collection of various tribes from Chin State in Burma. Through our community development efforts we continue to strengthen partnerships with various Chin groups in our community as two Mission Adelante volunteers develop friendships and help Chin churches organize citizenship classes for their members.
• As we continue to study citizenship with our Bhutanese friends, it has been gratifying to see their confidence increase .  Citizenship means a great deal to them, and they are succeeding! Thank you, Jesus, for small successes.

Prayer needs:

• Adelante Thrift is currently reviewing leases for two potential retail locations. Please pray for guidance and wisdom as we move another step closer to launch.

Current needs:

• Operations Teams are Forming!  If you are interested in joining our facilities team (handy man projects) or IT Team (Think “Geek Squad”), please contact Sarah Winston at sarahw@missionadelante.org.  These roles are on an as-needed basis, and don’t require a weekly commitment.
• Our LIT students earn "Mission Adelante Money" for exemplary behavior and doing extra academic work, which they can spend at a Reward Store once each trimester. We're in need of items by March 31 to stock that store! Ideas include sports equipment, craft supplies, bedroom decorations, or any small item that would appeal to 8-14 year old students. If you would like to contribute, please contact Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org or Kristen Maxwell at kristenm@missionadelante.org.

Important dates:

• Child Protection Meeting--Saturday, February 22 at 9:00 a.m. All volunteers that serve the kids and youth of Mission Adelante should attend.
• Observation Days: Tuesdays, March 4 & 11 (Bhutanese)/Thursdays, March 6 & 13 (Latino) 6:30-8:30  Have you wondered what all goes on around here on a typical evening of programming?  Here's your opportunity to come and see for yourself!  Come on up to 22 S. 18th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102.