Summer Internship in Cross-Cultural Ministry! Apply by March 20th

Get your feet wet in cross-cultural ministry. Our summer internship combines practical missions experience in an urban context with mentoring and seminars on key topics relevant to ministry. This opportunity is perfect for the college or post-college person who is exploring a potential call to missions or urban ministry. You will make a Kingdom impact and you will learn a lot! The internship lasts from May 28 until August 15. Applications must be received by March 20. To request an application packet including more detailed information, please contact Morgan Ham at morganh@missionadelante.org.

Programs Cancelled Thursday, February 24

Please be advised that today’s activities, including all Latino Outreach programs, have been cancelled due to the weather. It is our policy to follow the decisions of Kansas City Kansas Community College for weather-related closings.

Something in the Water

Written by Brooke Coon

Sunday evening I had the great joy of watching Salma, one of the Teens Adelante girls, get baptized. I will never forget sitting on her porch in the intense heat this summer, the only place where we could talk in private. She was asking questions about traditions and liturgy done in quinceaneras (the coming of age party for Hispanic girls) as well as the meaning of baptism. Salma is a fiery, passionate girl, and she doesn't want to do something that she doesn't believe in. But when she is in, she is 100% in. The blessing I've received through Salma has been watching what she decides to put her 100% in. The things that she commits to are becoming more and more righteous.

Sunday night after her baptism, I stopped by her house to drop something off, and she didn't want me to leave. So she corralled Jessica, another teen who lives next door, her little sister followed, and we sat on the floor in her bedroom. She was flipping through her newly gifted pink bible and firing off questions about how God changes us, how we still fall, and how we are a new creation. She talked about what it meant to die with Christ and be resurrected in Him. She talked about how she has started to control her cussing and asked me if there is anyone on earth that has never cussed. She asked if there was anyone who has ever read the entire Bible and I could see in the fire in her eyes that she just couldn't get enough. Suddenly, the Bible had become very real and interesting to her and she couldn't believe all the topics she was coming across.

The girl was on fire for God that night. She was the one asking all the questions and pondering God. I was overwhelmed by her passion (the 100% thing) and I could hardly answer one question before she posed more. I want to say there was something in the water, but I know the truth is that there was something in the blood of Jesus Christ. He has been pursuing Salma and her mom Mayra as well, in the midst of traumatic loss and pain in their family this year. The blood of Jesus has given them new life, and Mayra made that public declaration by being baptized that night, too. Something very special happened in their baptism, and Salma's heart was lighting up her bedroom that night in a way that marveled the other three of us girls.

In other news:

• Mission House, a partner ministry in our neighborhood, hosted a super bowl party that was attended and enjoyed by several Bhutanese people and Bhutanese Outreach staff and volunteers. This type of events is so helpful with establishing genuine friendships with those we seek to minister to.
• The Latino church had our second baptism service on Sunday evening, at which three people were baptized and two children were dedicated.
• The Latino church continues to emphasize discipleship by helping mature believers get paired with new believers in order to help them grow in their faith.
• This is the third week David Stetler will meet with five teenage Bhutanese boys. As they study the life of Jesus together, they've been challenged, and we're hopeful that their faith will grow to the point of trusting Jesus.

Prayer needs:

• Pray for the people on the Disciple Making Team to continue to pursue the individuals in whom they're trying to invest.
• Pray for hunger for growth in the Latino church.

Current needs:

• Some items that have recently been requested in our Resource Center are 3 twin beds, 2 dressers, blankets, a blender, and pots and pans. The Resource Center is also low on cereal and canned soup. To donate any of these items, please contact Molly Merrick at mollym@missionadelante.org or 913-961-2984.

A Beautiful Desire

Written by David Coon

A few months ago, we had a new addition to our worship team. Anthony's story is like many young boys these days. His father is gone, so just he and his mom make up his family. I constantly see how he seeks approval and love from the men at Mission Adelante. He has boundless energy and often does things to get attention. However, more than anything, he loves to drum!

Since Anthony has started playing with our team, he has brought so much enthusiasm and joy to the group. He has been playing the djimbe (hand drum) with us and is by far the most talented 8 year old drummer I’ve ever met. I brought up a drum set a couple of weeks ago to let Anthony try out during rehearsal. I was amazed yet again! He played with such enthusiasm and skill! He is an absolute natural on the drum set. Since that day, he hasn't stopped asking when he's going to play drums in the Sunday service because he loved playing them so much. I have to remind myself to be patient with him as he overflows with excitement.

His mom, who sings with our group, often tells him that God is going to do great things with him. If I imagine Anthony in 10 years, I see him in front of a large congregation surrounded by drums and cymbals, playing his heart out. I am blessed to see the beauty of a young boy deeply yearning to use his gifts.

It’s apparent to me now that what Anthony desires is to be needed by the body and to serve in the way he's been made to serve. He needs to know that he matters and that he is a beautifully made child of God, his true Father. He is, in the eyes of Jesus, a precious little one in his great flock.

Current needs:

• Curtains for our classroom windows. As the windows aren't standard sizes, these would best be custom made by someone. If you could purchase the fabric and/or sew the curtains, please contact Marla at marlah@missionadelante.org or 913-281-6274.

Blessings of Children's Ministry

Written by Brooke Coon

On Sunday December 19, a group of Bhutanese and Latino kids, plus a handful of leaders, boarded a big yellow bus bound for Westside Family Church. The Mission Adelante kids were invited to join the Westside kids to sing a couple Christmas songs and bring to life the coming sermon about the joy and wonder of Christmas. Like proud mamas, the leaders had tears in their eyes as the kids began to sing. However, what really moved me was what continued as we sat through the service.

Our kids sat down and another children's choir performed. They vibrantly sang "I'm trading my sorrow for the joy of the Lord." One of the Mission Adelante girls sitting next to me leaned over and asked, "What does trading my sorrows mean?" My heart just melted as I have never heard such an important question from this pre-teen. I whispered back to her, "It means we are giving our sorrow to Jesus, letting him take our sadness from us, and receiving joy from our hope in Him." There are times when you think kids aren't paying attention at all and then there are times when they desire to understand every lyric of a worship song.

As the sermon went on, the congregation passed around a bowl for offerings and commitments for children's programs that Westside has in other countries. The same girl asked me what the bowl was for. After I explained it to her, she told me she had five dollars in her stuff upstairs. The simplicity of her response was beautiful. She didn't need to think about it and she didn't need to ask any more questions. She just knew that there was a need and she wanted to help.

I praise God for these precious moments where we get to witness Mission Adelante’s youth seeking to know Him more. They are the treasures that I store in my heart to keep me going through the daily tasks of children's ministry. There was a beauty that Sunday that spoke to the wonder of God...that He is so complex yet so simple. He is so approachable that even children can grasp the gospel of salvation and peace. He works through every creature, young and old. And oftentimes, the greatest blessing can be when the children reach out and minister to us!

In other news:

• There was a great turnout to the Latino worship community's Christmas Eve service. A highlight of the evening was the open mic time, when about 7 people gave testimony of God's faithfulness to them.
• The Mission Adelante office was closed between Christmas and New Year's Day, which allowed staff members to spend extra time with immigrant friends including Brooke and David Coon, who invited several families to their home on Christmas Eve.
• Lauren Timberlake has begun fundraising to join our staff as the Bhutanese ESL Director. She's already made a great contribution as a volunteer, so we're really eager to have her in the office more!

Prayer needs:

• Praise God with us! The family that we've been praying for during the past few months was finally reunited on New Year's Eve!
• Please pray for the time Jarrett is spending in Qba this week and next, specifically that God will guide the development of the ministry team there during a leader's retreat the rest of this week.
• Join us in asking God for his guidance of our final planning for the upcoming trimester, and for the provision of more volunteers.
• Pray for God's provision of funding for David Coon, Kristen Maxwell, and Lauren Timberlake to join the Mission Adelante staff.

Current needs:

• A drum set, and bass amplifier for our worship team. Please contact David Coon at 913-424-0213 if you can donate any of these items.

Upcoming dates:

• Volunteer Orientation & Training: Saturday, January 15 @ 9:00 - Noon. All volunteers are encouraged to attend this Saturday orientation once. Please contact Morgan at morganh@missionadelante.org for more details.
• Volunteer Team Meeting: Monday, January 17 @ 6:30. All volunteers serving during the upcoming trimester are encouraged to attend this meeting in preparation of the launch.
• L.I.T. resumes: Monday, January 17.
• Bhutanese Outreach Trimester Launch: Tuesday, January 18 @ 6:30
• Latino Outreach Trimester Launch: Thursady, January 20 @ 6:30