Happy New Year!

January 2nd, 2026 Newsletter

Happy New Year from all of us at Midwest Mission! We are looking forward to another exciting year, full of sending hope and empowerment.

2025 was Midwest Mission’s biggest year yet! This year we:

• Celebrated 25 years of ministry

• Sent 68 International shipments to 20 different countries — the most we’ve ever sent!

• Responded to 7 U.S. disasters and 11 international disasters

• Purchased the Midwest Mission Iowa building in Jefferson, Iowa

• Sent a tractor to Honduras, and a fire truck, and ambulance to Guatemala

• Became a fully solar-run campus

We cannot wait to see how God uses Midwest Mission and you in 2026.  This amazing year would not have happened without listening to God’s nudges and letting Him guide the ministry. We had the goal of sending 50 international shipments, and God blew that out of the water! 

This year also wouldn’t have happened without you — our volunteers, donors, and prayer supporters who are the backbone of Midwest Mission. This is YOUR ministry, and because of you, more and more people have what they need in Christ’s name. 

We look forward to partnering with you again this year, sending hope and empowerment around the world and around the corner.

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Tornado Kits sent to Mt. Zion, IL 

On Sunday, December 28, severe weather struck the Midwest, bringing extreme temperature changes, rain, snow, and even tornadoes.

The town of Mt. Zion, Illinois endured an EF-1 tornado that touched down and cut across two entire neighborhoods. Many homes - especially roofs - were affected.

Midwest Mission was connected to Mt. Zion United Methodist Church by Curtis Franklin — the Illinois Great Rivers Conference’s Coordinator of Mission and Outreach, and a Midwest Mission Board Member. Reverend Paige Campbell at Mt. Zion UMC coordinated with Midwest Mission’s Director of Missions, Melissa Brookens, to get 24 Tornado Kits for the community. 

On Wednesday, December 31, the church distributed the Tornado Kits to affected families.

Please be praying for those who were affected by the tornado. They are dealing with cold temperatures, figuring out their next steps, and the grief of the event happening, especially during the holiday season.

We are thankful for churches that step up and be a light in their community in the midst of disaster. 

We are also thankful to be called on to help respond in crisis — and we are ready because people like you donate time and treasures to transform resources into humanitarian and disaster relief.

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Bike Blitz Weekend Workshop

In 2026, Midwest Mission is launching Weekend Workshops — dedicated time for volunteers to use their specific skills to help with tasks such as bike repair, sewing machine repair, sewing, and more! These hands-on workshops will be led by volunteer shop leaders who will guide participants through the different tasks. Why? Midwest Mission receives more items than our local key volunteers can repair! These workshops will ensure more items will be available to send out, and we hope more people might be interested in becoming local key volunteers (volunteers who regularly come to Midwest Mission and volunteer in a specific area).

Join us for the Bike Blitz! 

The first Weekend Workshop is on Saturday, January 17th from 8:30am-3:00pm at Midwest Mission in Pawnee, IL. 

This hands-on workshop brings volunteers together to inspect, repair, and restore unverified donated bikes. Participants will work through basic assessments, cleaning, adjustments, and necessary repairs to help make each bike safe, functional, and ready for use. The goal of the workshop is to efficiently evaluate donated bikes, determine needed fixes, and transform as many as possible into fully operational bicycles that can be put back into service for the community.

There are 15 volunteer spots available. If you are interested, please sign up here.

We do ask that participants bring their own lunch, or plan to eat out for lunch.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jeremiah Miller, Reservations Coordinator, at jeremiah@midwestmission.org.