A Lifestyle of Befriending the Friendless

Suburban Christians often have a genuine desire to befriend the friendless yet struggle with the cultural, geographical, and lifestyle chasm that exists between them and those whom they would serve. Mission Adelante has discovered a cross cultural mission field on our own doorstep and we are passionate about helping you tap into it!

Abundant volunteer participation has been one of the most significant blessings and fruits of the Mission Adelante ministry. There are currently about 45 volunteers serving in ongoing roles with Mission Adelante. More exciting than the numbers though are the people. Some of them have made a lifestyle out of serving broken people. Felipe and Morgan Ham and Bill Medley have been volunteering on the front lines with Mission Adelante since before we began in 2005, now over two years ago. Valerie Kalny has kept our books since inception. Our board members also fit into that category of those having served since inception. They include Scott and Paulette Robinette, Ben Kalny, Dru Shiner, Ethan Vaughan, and Paul Nobrega.

Todd Jones, Susie Simpson are now completing their second year of service. And a majority of the rest have served for multiple trimesters including Chris and Veronica Lang, Mary Ann Bettis, Caren Collins and others who are nearing the two year mark..

We praise God for the incredible partners we have in this ministry. And we praise Him for the ways He is working in their lives through serving.

Immigrant Kids in a Cultural No-Man's Land

“That’s where my dad is,” said Felipe as we passed the Wyandotte County Detention Center. “Yeah”, said Emanuel, “We go there to visit him”. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Only three weeks earlier I had greeted their father at the door as he picked his 4 kids and 3 nephews/nieces up from our Thursday night outreach Bible study.

Eleven of us had squeezed into two cars and we were on our way to a local Columbian restaurant to drink Mango smoothies and play UNO. When we arrived I asked Nayeli, the oldest sister, about their father and got a shrug and a mumble. It was clear she didn’t want to talk about it.

There was “Mango en leche” for everyone. And “Skips”, “Reverses” and “Draw Fours” were almost as plentiful as the laughter. And yet I wondered how these children, could laugh when their father/uncle was in jail.

Immigrant children are in a cultural no-man’s land. As they grow, they learn English quickly and integrate into some aspects of American culture through the school system. Yet, their parents often lag behind in both cultural integration as well as language acquisition. The gap widens and a young teenager finds himself in cultural flux; not really a part of American culture, distant from his parents, and highly susceptible to negative peer influences. With a father in prison the deck is stacked against these children.

And yet I am hopeful that in the case of Felipe, Nayeli, and their siblings and cousins that God will use Kids Adelante to fill the cultural gap they live their lives in as well as the gap their incarcerated father has left. And, I have hope that they will find a relationship with the Savior of the world.

Mission Adelante Christmas Update

Merry Christmas from the Mission Adelante Team!

As we head into this weekend and then the Christmas break I wanted to update you all on a few recent happenings in the Mission Adelante community and give you some creative ideas for year-end giving.

A Grand Finale
With snow falling and temperatures dropping God brought record numbers of Volunteers and immigrants to celebrate Christmas and the end of another trimester. Some 150 plus people turned out to enjoy a catered Chinese buffet, great jazz music, an awards ceremony, and a brief evangelistic message. An army of volunteers helped put the event together and donate services and items to make it happen. Several kids received awards for memorizing scripture verses and perfect attendance at our program, while a few kids were selected for special awards including leadership, servant heart, and enthusiasm. Sara’s husband, Pedro confessed after the party that he hadn’t wanted to come, but that his wife had dragged him along against his will. With a big smile on his face he said, “I had a great time! This is the first time I’ve ever enjoyed an event like this.” We are praying that God will use this event to open doors for us to connect relationally with the friends and family members of our kids and ESL students.

The Power of Giving
On Monday night I stopped by the home of Nayeli, Felipe and Emanuel with a van load of gifts contributed by members of a Heartland Community Church small group. When Nayeli came to the door I told her I needed some help unloading some “stuff” from my van. “What stuff?” she asked. “Just some stuff”, I replied. She called her brothers and we all went out to the van. When I opened the back hatch their eyes opened wide and their mouths dropped. “It’s all for you”, I said. In a matter of 30 seconds my van was unloaded and I was inside watching the kids looking for their names on each gift. Their mother, Luz, and their grandmother were there watching too. A few weeks ago I had learned that their father was in prison.

Nayeli, Felipe and Emanuel are an interesting trio. They connected to Kids Adelante through a VBS program we did last summer with the help of Emmanuel Baptist Church. Most kids connect with us because their parents are in our English program. Nayeli and Felipe had perfect attendance this trimester and Nayeli set the bar high for the other kids in the oldest group by coming with her verse memorized nearly every week. She received the leadership award at our party on Saturday.

After watching the kids excitedly investigate their gifts, I took the opportunity to circle the family up, share a verse and pray for them. Felipe said he wanted to pray too, but when his turn came he didn’t know what to say. So, I told him to repeat after me. To my surprise, everyone in the room repeated the prayer after me, including their mother and grandmother. Afterward they began to ask about our Bible Study and how to be a part of it. I extended an invitation to our Christmas worship celebration this Sunday night. They accepted.

We continue to be convinced that God works through compassionate service, caring relationships and His word to draw people to Himself. Thank you to all who have played role in this process through giving or volunteering.
Please pray with us for them, that God would bring them on Sunday night the 23rd. That they would feel welcome in our community and home, that His word would take root in their hearts, and that they would be reborn to new life in Christ.

Year End Giving Ideas:
Mission Adelante relies significantly on year-end giving to meet our ministry and operating budget each year. This year we are praying that God will provide $25,000 toward our 2008 ministry budget through year-end giving. We invite you to consider being a part of meeting this goal in one of the following ways.

Cash contribution: You may send checks to Mission Adelante, 251 N. 15th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102.
Gift Cards: We need gift cards to places like Home Depot, Office Max, and Dick’s sports.
Non-Cash Assets (like automobiles): Mission Adelante has a foundation fund set up through the Servant Christian Community Foundation. SCCF specializes in converting assets to cash for ministry organizations. If you have an asset such as a vehicle that you are considering selling, why not save yourself the hassle and use it to make a kingdom impact. SCCF makes it really easy for donors and ministries, and they are very efficient. Please contact Connie at chougland@servantchristian.com for details on how do this!

Thank you for your interest in Mission Adelante and your part in it. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In His Grace,
Jarrett Meek

Thank You!

You have believed in God’s power to work through us. You have encouraged us. You have helped confirm God’s calling in our lives. You have prayed for us. You have supported our ministry financially. You have been our friends. You have served along with us. We are so grateful for you and your support! Thank you!

Welcome Lucy to the Team!

On May 16, 2007 Lucy Rose Meek was born into the Meek team! What a blessing. Though Lucy has been by far our easiest baby, our family has had a challenging year adjusting to having four kids in the midst of our demanding ministry and homeschooling schedule. Kristen is a true hero of the faith!

Members of our family occupy their time as follows: Caroline-reading about and drawing horses, Annie-playing piano, Charlie-race cars, swords, football, Mommy and Daddy—trying to maintain sanity!

Though we often feel like we spend ourselves, we are more confirmed than ever in the calling God has given us with Mission Adelante. Thank you for your prayers and support!

2007 Mile-Markers

· A New Building for Mission Adelante

Thanks to generous giving by Heartland Community Church, we were able to purchase a building for Mission Adelante at a key location in our target neighborhood. Having been a funeral home in the past, we undertaking a significant renovation project to resurrect it to a new life and a new purpose. Volunteer opportunites in the new building should abound through the first half of 2008

· Raul Contreras passes citizenship exam

This very day, after four trimesters in our ESL program working with Todd Jones and others, our neighbor, Raúl took and passed the U.S. citizenship exam in English!

· Growing a church

Mission Adelante’s church plant has shown even-paced growth throughout the year. Ten people have now received Christ through our ministry. Though every gain seems to be hard-fought, we now average 22 adults and 18 kids at our monthly worship services and have three home-based Bible studies meeting on Sunday nights.

· Servant Christian Foundation Passion Award

In November Mission Adelante was recognized along with 21 other local, regional, and international ministries at the Thurman Mitchell Passion Awards. It was a tremendous honor and boost for our team!