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!
