What is next...

Friends,

Thank you so much for your support of me, and the work at Mission Adelante over the past 7 years. The Lord did and continues to do great things through the relationships that were built and the seeds that were planted during the course of the ministry there. I have been blown away by the stories that have made their way back to me about former volunteers continuing to minister to the kids they feel called to since programs have ended. Hearing these stories fills me with so much joy, and makes me want to scream out "It worked!" because one of our main goals was to get Jesus followers into intentional relationships with our refugee friends.

The past few months have been pretty crazy in my life. We finished with our End-of-Outreach Party on April 22nd, and on April 26th I moved down the street to Mark Twain Elementary School to serve as a long-term substitute for a 5th-grade teacher going out on maternity leave. It has been a really interesting transition going straight from full-time vocational ministry into full-time elementary school teaching, all the while searching for a job that would be the right fit. During the month of May, I applied for about 30 teaching positions. I also had quite a few Skype interviews, and a few job offers. This past week I went down to Atlanta, Georgia to interview for a few more teaching positions, and accepted a position to teach 4th grade at Idlewood Elementary School in Tucker, GA. Idlewood serves students from all over the world, with a total of 52 languages being spoken amongst the student body.

The Tucker/Clarkston area holds a special place in my heart, 12 years ago I took a job as a youth ministry intern at the Northlake Church of Christ in Tucker, and went back to serve as an intern in some capacity (sometimes youth, sometimes kids, sometimes I wasn't sure what my job was:-)) for 4 summers, over 5 years. It was at Northlake that I learned to do ministry, and had a chance to lead and grow, I have always felt at home there. Somewhere along the way, Northlake began to develop a relationship with the refugee community in Clarkston, GA, just about 10 minutes from the church. Clarkston is where my love of serving refugees began. I remember visiting my first Nepali home during the summer of 2009, being served Tang and Grapes on a gold serving tray, with no air-conditioning and a pile of shoes like a mountain by the front door, it was a scene that became very familiar in my life, not even a year later as I began my work with Mission Adelante.

Though I will greatly miss Kansas City and the relationships I have made here (8 years in August), I am excited to return to the Tucker/Clarkston area at the end of this summer.

Some of you might be wondering what does this look like practically?
I am still in Kansas City, for now, living with my roommates, loving my neighbors, and now beginning to pack. I have been able to save enough money not to work this summer, which is a tremendous blessing which I am so grateful for. I plan to take a small group of girls to camp with Northlake in mid-July and then relocate after camp. I am going to live with my 2nd set of parents (who I lived with while working at Northlake) for a few months while I get settled. I won't be a stranger to Kansas City, as my family is all here, and I have promised my kiddos that I would come back for frequent visits... and even offered to let a few of them come stay with me once I have a place of my own. :-)

Thank you for your love, prayers, and support over the past 7 years, this ministry wouldn't have been possible without you!

A new season...

7 years ago this blog started as I came on staff at Mission Adelante. We were required to have a blog to keep our supporters and friends updated. As time has gone by, this blog has become less important to my ministry, and more important to me as I use it to remember how the Lord has worked in my life, and the lives of those around me. It only seemed appropriate that I share here an important email update sent to all of my supporters this past week. 

Friends, family, supporters, dear ones,

Seven and a half years ago I moved back to Kansas City from Nashville, unsure of what plans the Lord had for me. I knew I loved serving refugees, was skilled as a teacher, and was temporarily living in my parent's basement. Seven years ago I attended my first volunteer training at Mission Adelante. Shortly after, I took on a leadership position and joined the staff of Mission Adelante as the Bhutanese Youth and Kids Outreach Director. When I said yes to joining God in this mission I was unprepared for the wild ride He had in store for me.

Over the past 7 years, I have seen the Lord move in a mighty way. I walked with families through births, deaths, hard decisions, health problems, joy, sorrow, celebration and sadness, all the while proclaiming the name of Jesus and the love God has for them over them through prayers, stories, and service.

Each year our team reflects on what the Lord has done and begins to pray what He may have for us in the future. We noted quite a few things in our reflection this year. The Bhutanese community has now been living in Kansas City for over 7 years, they are for the most part past the "crisis-mode" stage that many newly arrived refugees operate in. New families have stopped arriving in the US (for the most part), the kids are doing really well in school (again, for the most part), families are getting better jobs and buying houses, high-schoolers are going on to college or trade school and finding good jobs, the community is tight-knit and close both in physical space and relationship, families are advocating for themselves and know where to seek resources. As our staff began to think about these things, we realized that many of the goals that we had set out to meet had been met. Our neighbors felt welcomed, they were put into relationship with Jesus followers, their practical needs were met and the Gospel was communicated in both word and deed.

As we realized these things, each of our staff members also began to feel a shift in what the Lord was calling us to and what that might look like in the next season, myself included.

The realization that we had accomplished much of what we set out to do, partnered with what has felt like a very Holy Spirit led shift in callings, has led us to a place where we realized it was time to wind-down the formal outreach to the Bhutanese community through Mission Adelante. With the full support of our Board of Directors, we have set up a timeline to end formal ministry programs by the end of April 2017.

If you are reading this email, you have somehow supported our ministry to the Bhutanese over the years, whether that be as a volunteer, prayer partner, financial supporter, friend, or all of the above. We are so grateful for your partnership.

Through your partnership we have been able to:

• Develop 35 students through our Leaders in Training program, introducing them to new things, increasing their confidence, and pushing them towards academic success. 
• Distribute close to 700 backpacks to Bhutanese students and their families to make back-to-school a little easier. 
• Help over 6,000 books find new homes through kiddos in our programs and partnerships with neighborhood schools. 
• Increase the knowledge and cross-cultural competence of teachers and staff members in schools in KCK that serve refugees by providing teacher development workshops on Bhutanese culture and the refugee resettlement process. 
• Share the love of Jesus with literally HUNDREDS of kids, youth and their families.

Thank you for making these things possible!

We know that there is still work to be done in terms of sharing the Gospel and pointing people to Jesus, so a big part of this last trimester is realizing how these things can continue through relationships while celebrating all that the Lord has done.

So, what does this mean for me practically....

• We are going to be strategically dialing down the intensity of our youth and kids ministry programs during the last trimester. During this time the focus of our staff will be equipping volunteers to continue investing in the families they feel called to. 
• I will be passing off roles and responsibilities at Mission Adelante that extend beyond the Bhutanese Ministry to enable the programs to continue when I am no longer with the organization (i.e. Book and Backpack distribution) 
• I plan to continue relationships with the girls I have been discipling, and provide opportunities for them to walk with Jesus and learn about Him, whether or not the Lord keeps me in Kansas City, or calls me to a new place. It makes me so grateful for modern technology. 
• My last day of employment with Mission Adelante will be in early/mid-May of 2017, allowing me to wrap up any loose ends. 

How you can pray....

• Pray we finish well, that our last trimester would be fruitful. 
• Pray for continued provision, I am still in need of the financial donations to finish well. If you are a financial supporter of the ministry please pray about continuing to support the ministry through April. In the coming weeks, I will be sending out more information on how to continue supporting the ministry of Mission Adelante after my departure if that is of interest to you. 
• Pray for a spirit of celebration of what the Lord has done. 
• Pray for direction as to what the Lord has next for me. I thought that I would work with Mission Adelante for a long, long time, but have clearly heard the Lord say that it is time for me to look for what He has next for me, which is quite counter-intuitive. Pray that I would also have the patience to wait for the right job. 

Thank you for your love and support over the years! 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

To read a letter in regards to the ministry transition from our Founder, Jarret Meek, check out the

Adelante Express: A Big Transition for Our Bhutanese Ministry

Trusting the Father

Sometimes as we were wrapping up things at Mission Adelante I would go and work from the IHOP Prayer Room.   As I was doing some journaling and planning for the end of things, I noticed a dad and daughter walking around the edge of the room.

Growing up with a sister in a wheelchair I am always reminded of her, and what I learned growing up when I see kids with some kind of exceptionality.  I had seen this girl and her father at the prayer room before and noticed them because she was blind and maybe had an additional developmental delay. As I watched them interact I noticed that the daughter was 100% at peace in the prayer room, and so much of it seemed to stem from the fact that she was with her father. They walked around the edge of the room, her father guiding her the whole time.  She was completely dependent on him for safety and guidance. Occasionally they would stop walking and she would dance, and it was a dance of great joy.  A dance of celebration and worship.

I learned a lot from that little girl in just about 20 or 30 minutes.  I was reminded what trust looks like, true, honest, steadfast trust.  I was reminded that the Father has got this.  As I am in a season of disorientation, he knows the right direction.  There may be obstacles, but there will be joy and dancing.  And most of all, he has me.  He isn't  going to lead me into a place or a season where I can not be safely tucked into the crook of his arm as we make our way around.