Check out some of Midwest Missions biggest stories!
Mission Spotlight
American indian christian mission - 2020
A large request for relief was submitted and with some of the funds donated from the #20DayChallenge we were able to pay it forward - your generous gifts helped purchase supplies for those in need during this pandemic.
The request first came through our partner South Side Christian Church in Springfield, IL. South Side is a congregation that is generous with their time, talent, and treasure. It is their desire to leverage the unique collection of gifts that make up their church family to achieve a greater impact for the Kingdom. They select missions all around the world to support. Midwest Mission was chosen to be one of their National Partners. South Side received a letter from another of their National Mission groups, American Indian Christian Mission (AICM) in Arizona, requesting immediate supplies to help those in the Navajo and Apache Reservations that are being affected by COVID 19.
The AICM had no masks, hand sanitizer or toilet paper. On Friday April 24th Midwest Mission sent a shipment to the AICM with a Record Breaking Shipment valued at $435,580.60!
On this shipment we had:
- 6,444 Rice Packets which will feed 38,664 individuals
Assembled by:
Savoy UMC in Savoy, IL
First UMC in Springfield, IL
Aldersgate UMC in Marion, IL
IGRC
First UMC in Fairbury, IL
Concord Trinity UMC in St. Louis, MO
First UMC in Batesville, IN
Edwardsville UMC in Georgetown, IN
- 14,300 8 oz bottles of hand sanitizer bought in bulk from Kennay Farms Distilling in Rochelle, IL and bottled on-site
- 1,170 Homemade Cloth Masks
- 4,080 N95 Masks
- 585 Bottles of Household Cleaner
- 10 - 30 Gallon Empty Barrels and 4 - 250 Gallon Plastic Water Tanks to haul and store water
- 1,557 Rolls of Toilet Paper
- 640 Personal Dignity Kits
- 20,016 UMCOR Hygiene Kits
- 28,800 Sponges
- 800 Scrub Brushes
- 1,008 Bottles of Water
- 250 New Pairs of Shoes
Please continue to send prayers for the Navajo and Apache Tribes as they continue to cope with this pandemic.
Hear Deanne's Prayer as she explains what it felt like for herself and those that received the supplies.
hurricane dorian
first supply shipment
arrived september 7, 2019
Midwest Mission's items were prestaged at our partner Food for the Poor Warehouse in Jacksonville, Fly in May 2018 in anticipation of hurricane season. Personal Dignity Kits, Rice Meal Packs and Linens where airlifted into the Bahamas on September 7, 2019.
"I am working the primary relief effort and we ware handing out your lovely personal gift packages. They are so appreciated. Many thanks and God Bless you." Michelle Cove September 7, 2019
Michelle took the time to email our Executive Director to thank Midwest Mission in the midst of the relief effort. The pictures to the left are of the Personal Dignity Kits that were handed out in the Bahamas and children playing while waiting for supplies to be disbursed to their families.
Meet our partner
central Illinois Christians In mission
Central Illinois Christians in Mission (C.I.C.I.M.), Inc. provides their neighbors in the Decatur, Illinois area with household goods. In addition, they make dressers and bed frames. The past few years they have served over 1400 families each year, providing everything from cereal bowls to refrigerators. All items are provided at no cost. Clients are referred to them by social organizations, schools and churches in the Decatur area. The abundance of donations come from people and organizations in the Decatur community. They also depend upon the generosity of the community for monetary donations that provide the funds to operate.
Midwest Mission has been partnering with C.I.C.I.M. since 2007 and since November of 2019 we have been sending missionaries to help them on Tuesday and Thursday mornings when they are open.
What we take for granted, others are not so fortunate to have. We thank God that Central Illinois Christians in Mission is there to help so many of their neighbors. It was truly a beautiful day in their neighborhood.
USNS Comfort:
Humanitarian Mission
The Comfort is a US Navy hospital ship that is deploying to South America to help with the 1.5 million Venezuelan refugees who have fled to nearby countries. On September 28th, 2018 the donated trucking arrived and was loaded with medical and education supplies. In this shipment, you helped provide 11 Wheelchairs, 96 pairs of Crutches, 73 Canes, 122 Walkers, 90 Jr. Desks (made from Recycled Bleacher Wood), 1,931 Personal Dignity Kits, 1,388 Student School Kits, 42 Teacher School Kits, 300 Blankets, 156 Handmade Cover them with Love Quilts, 218 Handmade Preemie Hats, 443 Handmade Girl Outfits, and 96 Handmade Boy Outfits. In addition to the medical supplies, you also donated 1,850 gently used and new stuffed animals in only a week's time. Children that will be treated by the Comfort team will receive a stuffed animal. The value of this shipment was $89,236 but the value of bringing hope is priceless. Oh, to see the smiles on the children's faces as they cuddle with a stuffed animal. Your prayers and generosity brought this shipment together and we ask you to continue to pray that those who receive these supplies will heal inside and out and feel the love of God. Please continue to pray for this mission, the refugees and the US Military.
Wisconsin flood relief
When the floods hit Wisconsin, Midwest Mission responded within 24 hours. On September 4, 2018, you donated a total of 2,555 Hygiene Kits, 5,040 Cleaning Kits (Flood Buckets), and 2,060 School Kits to the Wisconsin Disaster Relief Distribution Center to support their local communities after receiving rainfall that caused flood damage to multiple counties in that area. The Hygiene Kits gave individuals the essential hygiene items while they were in shelters. The Cleaning Kits were there for families to start the clean-up process in their homes and will be used by United Methodist Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) from around the county.
The School Kits helped replenish school supplies and book bags for 2,060 children that had lost their book bags due to the flood. Midwest Mission will continue to monitor and take calls for support as any type of disaster takes place in the world.
Wheelchair for woodjy part I
Jacqueline Parks Raitano and her daughter Julia are regular
donors at Midwest Mission. Last year, Julia asked her friends to bring items
for Cleaning Kits to her 8th birthday party, instead of presents, to help
hurricane survivors and Julia brought in stuffed animals for the USNS Comfort
shipment. On September 25, the family reached out to Midwest Mission with
a request. Last year, they had the opportunity to visit La Victoire, Haiti
where they met a kind and loving young boy named Woodjy Luis Pierre. After
engaging in the village, school, and church they discovered that Woodjy had to
be carried every time he left his home because he is unable to walk. They
recently found out another family would be visiting this same village in Haiti
in November of this year and Woodjy still needed that youth-size
wheelchair.
We did not have a youth wheelchair but knew God was calling us to help. Phone
calls were made to local community partners, hospitals and wheelchair
manufacturers and no one had a youth wheelchair (or they could make one for the
child but would need his measurements and would not have it completed before
November.) But the next day a call came in - a youth-size wheelchair had just
been donated back to Numotion in Peoria, IL and they were thrilled
to donate it to young Woodjy.
Building relationships are the most critical part of mission work. Midwest
Mission is here to help with supplies but it's most important mission is to
show God's love in a practical way, here at home and around the world. Midwest
Mission wants all God's children to know his love and experience his
Grace. Oh, the Joy that comes from serving others.
World Mission Outreach (WMO)
Nicaragua
In February Midwest Mission sent two shipments totaling 28,990 pounds of medical supplies, sewing machines, Personal Dignity Kits, school bags and much more to World Mission Outreach (WMO) ,in Hickory NC. In April WMO sent a group to Nicaragua on a mission trip. A mission they focus on is teaching Trade Skill Education. One of the days they focused on sewing to make clothes, blankets, sheets and anything else they may need for their daily life or to sell and make a profit! They also handed out school bags and Personal Dignity kits to the children.
Check out their ministry at www.wmoc.org.
Er Abroad: Mission Possible
ER Abroad is a not-for profit organization that provides basic healthcare to villagers in the impoverished areas of central Guatemala. Founded in 2008, ER Abroad continues to provide basic health care to people who rarely get to see a doctor.
ER Abroad typically sends teams of 8-10 medical professionals who provide basic healthcare, medications, vitamins and over the counter pain medications to those who do not have access to health care. Treating everything from skin infections, internal parasites and machete wounds. Teams have also diagnosed serious illnesses including diabetes, cardiac abnormalities and skin cancers. The second ER Abroad team even delivered a baby their first day of clinic.
The most recent ER Abroad team was in Guatemala February 11-19, 2016. Along was 2 Doctors, 1 Nurse Practitioner, 3 EMT's and 2 RN's. The base of their operation is the old city of Antigua but they traveled up to an hour and a half to provide services to the most needed in small villages and towns.
During these five days of clinics ER Abroad examined and treated 552 patients. Each family that was served at their clinics received a Personal Dignity Kit from Midwest Mission.