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.
  

Leaders In Training Lift-off!

A new class of "Leaders In Training" began the ministry year last Monday at Mission Adelante in our much anticipated LIT launch. Several returning students along with a handful of new ones will be joining us three days a week for tutoring, spiritual mentoring, and character development. This intensive leadership development group is designed to invest heavily in the students who demonstrate the most diligence and character as potential leaders among their peers.

We have observed that immigrant kids in our urban neighborhood are playing against the odds. By the time they reach middle school most of them have been recruited by gangs or have friends who are in them. Our goal is the raise up a group of kids from an early age who love God, have strong Christian character, and who can influence their peers for good rather than succumb the peer pressure that's all around them. It's a tall order, but we know that God is all powerful and can use our investment to change their lives and help them beat the odds.

Please pray with us for the new class of LIT students. Pray for a strong start and a solid commitment. You are sure to hear more about them individually and as a group over the next several months.

In other news:

• Dave Stetler and three volunteers hosted five Bhutanese refugees for their first English class in our facility this afternoon. We're excited to watch their first steps toward becoming a holistic ministry to the Bhutanese population in Kansas City! (For more on the topic, see the following post!)
  
• Last week was Launch Week for our fall trimester! Twenty-four adults enrolled for the ESL Level 1 class, and we have high hopes for all the summer ESL students to return for upper level classes this fall.
• Kids Adelante had a huge group-59 kids on Thursday night for the trimester launch.
  
• Saturday morning, September 12, about 25 kids and a few parents marched with Megan McDermott and other staff and volunteers in the Central Avenue parade. It turned out to be a great way to reconnect with many past students and acquaintances who were spectators along the parade route.
• Sam Masters, a missionary in Cordoba, Argentina and our summer intern, Becky Masters', dad preached at our worship celebration on Sunday, September 13. Our community really enjoyed having him and his wife as guests and hearing Sam's message.

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for all the new folks who are becoming involved in our programs for the first time this fall to come with an openness to God.
• Pray for relational unity among the members of our faith community.
• Please pray for God to provide a few more Kids Adelante volunteers to kick-off the trimester fully staffed.
• Pray for Dave & Holly Stetler as they focus on building their volunteer team and raising funds for the Bhutanese Outreach Project.

Current needs:

• Two flat screen computer monitors

A New Opportunity for Mission Adelante

Dear Friends,

I’m excited to fill you in on a new opportunity that God has opened up for Mission Adelante. Our Board of Overseers has approved a 16 month pilot outreach project to another ethnic group in our neighborhood: Bhutanese refugees. While we had not envisioned attempting to reach immigrant groups beyond Hispanics, the circumstances and timing of this opportunity made it seem like a God-given opening to test the transferability of our ministry model and to serve another group of people who need the compassion of Christ and His gospel of grace.

Several factors have come together over the past three months to convince us that we should move forward with this pilot project. At the heart of these factors is a called leader/couple (David and Holly Stetler-pictured here) with a compatible ministry vision, a commitment to moving to the neighborhood, support from a sending church, the need and desire for coaching and infrastructure, and a handful of volunteers who are already engaged in ministry to the Bhutanese. We believe that Mission Adelante can offer a lot to Dave and Holly and to their heart to reach Bhutanese immigrants by providing proven ministry models, infrastructure, a relational support network in the neighborhood, and ongoing coaching. They will become full members of our missionary team.

For Mission Adelante this represents an opportunity to test the reproducibility of our ministry vision and core strategies. This fall Dave and his emerging team will focus on fundraising, team building, contact work, observing, learning, and planning, with an aim to launch pilot programs in January (God-willing). As they prepare to launch this project, the goal is to reproduce, but also to contextualize the best of Mission Adelante in order to reach a new people group.

The very nature of a pilot is experimental. In other words, we don’t know what parts of this project will succeed, or if the idea of reaching other people groups beyond Hispanics will eventually become an ongoing part of our ministry vision or not. However, we are excited to discover the answers to these questions and believe that God has given us the right context in which to explore them. I invite you to enter into this process with us through prayer this fall and over the next 16 months. I am certain that wherever God leads us will be exciting.

In His Grace,

Jarrett Meek

Executive Director, Mission Adelante, Inc.

The Power of an Invitation

When you first meet nine-year-old Gaby, you immediately notice her smile and gentle eyes. She has an infectious energy about her that reminds you what it was like to be nine years old, questioning and exploring everything about the world around you.

As Gaby has grown over the last trimester, we have seen her become more attentive and excited to attend the Kids Adelante Outreach Bible Study, often encouraging her brother and sister to attend. Her love for the Lord and her desire to know Him made the decision to invite her to join LIT (Leaders in Training) a very easy one. However, the power of that invitation gave Gaby the confidence to step out as a leader because she realized that we believed in her!

Since that invitation, Gaby has consistently been praying over her family's dinner, even though her siblings often tease her mercilessly for it. At a recent garage sale fundraiser, she desired to step up and be the cajera, or cashier, simply because she wanted to help. This past Saturday at the resource center, Gaby saw the opportunity to volunteer again with the donations being handed out. She saw a need and met it. Without anyone even asking her; she very naturally began to serve.

Many of our kids battle against the societal norm that to love and serve the Lord isn't "cool." We teach them about God's love for them at LIT and the Outreach Bible Study, but when they walk out our doors, the world often paints a far harsher reality that contradicts this truth. Gaby is just one of the fourteen children that will be participating in LIT this year. How incredible it will be to continue to see our younger generations stand up and claim the truth of God's love and passion for their lives!

In other news:

• The L.I.T. volunteer team is nearly staffed! The ten volunteers met last week for training. L.I.T. begins Monday, September 14.
• During our break between trimesters, our staff is preparing and recruiting for the upcoming trimester, which begins September 17.
• Our facility is becoming much more comfortable and inviting thanks to the interior design and decorating of one generous volunteer!

Prayer needs:

• Please pray for God to give clarity about his will to volunteers that are considering joining our team for the first time or returning for another trimester this fall.
• Pray for our whole faith community to be encouraged by five consecutive Sundays together in worship celebrations, and praise God for four ongoing volunteers to rotate leading the Sunday evening kids Bible study.
• Pray for God to allow local public school principles to accept Megan McDermott's efforts to meet them for the sake of supporting the L.I.T. students to the fullest extent possible.

Current needs:

• People or small groups to provide light, healthy meals weekly for the 14 L.I.T. students on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons throughout the academic year.
• baby wipes to make available in our resource center
• Help paint at Mission Adelante with your small group or church on 8/22, 8/29, and 9/12. Contact jarrettm@missionadelante.org to help!
  

Important upcoming dates:

• Volunteer Orientation and Training: Saturday, September 5, 9:00 - 1:00
• All Volunteer Team Meeting: Monday, September 14, 6:30 - 8:30
  

Backpacks Provide a Fresh Start

Can you remember the first day of school each year and all of the excitement that inevitably came with it? For me, the last few weeks of summer were always filled with anxious discussions about teachers, classmates, schedules, and of course, the all-important backpack. However, as we now know, it was the supplies that filled our backpacks that helped each of us begin the school year on the right foot.

As the summer began, we prayed that God would inspire local churches to partner with us in reaching out to our neighborhood kids. We were blown away as volunteers and local churches came together and donated more than eighty backpacks!! In addition, each backpack was packed with all the pencils, paper, rulers, erasers, and other supplies that each child would need to start the school year. Most of the backpacks were so heavy that the littlest kids couldn't even carry them!

Each child left Kids Adelante last Thursday armed to tackle a brand new school year, knowing that people around the city cared about them. When the kids experience compassion and generosity, they see God's love through others' actions. They recognize that the God they have been learning about all trimester loves them so deeply that he provided a blessing that will see them through the school year. Thank you to those of you who gave your time, finances, and hearts to remind the children of Kids Adelante of their worth in God's eyes.

In other news:

• There was a great turnout at our End-of-trimester Party on Sunday afternoon with over 200 people in attendance! It was held in a large outdoor pavilion overlooking Wyandotte County Lake, where we grilled burgers and recognized program participants and volunteers.
• A record number of adult students completed the level one ESL class this summer with 21 of the original 24 taking the final exam. We owe this success much in part to our faithful volunteer conversation partners!
• We're thankful that God continues to provide new volunteers for our programs each trimester. If you're interested in volunteering, we have a spot for you! To find out about opportunities in the kids' ministry, e-mail Megan McDermott at meganm@missionadelante.org. For opportunities in the ESL program and the Resource Center, e-mail Jason Schoff at jasons@missionadelante.org.
• This is Megan M.'s final week with the pre-teen and teenage girls in their Purity Bible Study. Megan has rejoiced as the girls have discovered their self-worth in Christ.
• The next five weeks are a break between trimesters. ESL and Kids Adelante programs resume on September 17. All volunteers, please mark your calendar for the Volunteer Team Meeting on Monday evening, September 14.

Prayer needs:

• During out break from programs, our focus shifts to our Sunday evening worship services, called Celebrations. Please pray that people who first learned about our ministry at the party last Sunday will be interested in investigating our faith community.
• Kansas City, Kansas schools begin this Monday, August 17. Please pray for kids to be exited for a good school year.
• Please pray for Alberto, who is beginning training to prepare him to preach his first sermon at Celebration on September 13. He will be the first Hispanic from our own community to give a message.

Current needs:

• dining room chairs
• a microwave
• a washer and dryer
• pasta
• baby wipes, all for distribution to needy families through our Resource Center

Important upcoming dates:

• Saturday, September 5 @ 9:00: Volunteer Orientation & Training. All volunteers should attend this orientation at least once, preferably at the beginning of volunteering.
• Monday, September 14 @ 6:30: All Volunteer Team Meeting
• Thursday, September 17: Fall trimester begins; Thursday evening programs resume