Vacation Bible School is well underway and we are already getting reports and pictures of your preschoolers through fifth grade students using the Midwest Mission Vacation Bible Series for your mission projects.

Let us know which Midwest Mission projects your students are doing. What do they think about sending kits and the items that are in them?

It's been exciting to see students fill Personal Dignity Kits (PDKs) with soap, towels, shampoo, and toothbrushes, assemble Rice Meal Bags that feed a family of six, and create Student Kits with collected notebooks, pencils, crayons, and sewn one-handled bags.

Mode Dorcely of Haiti and her three daughters have been serving at Midwest Mission this summer, and recently participated in Vacation Bible School Week at First United Methodist Church-Springfield IL. "The children we worked with this week were making Rice Meal Bags and were having so much fun," Mode shared. "They had already packed 71 of their 80 boxes and weren't even close to wanting to finish. 'We want to do more!' I believe they will surpass their goal. They are so excited!"

This is only one example. We can't wait to hear from you and your students. Please send your pictures and stories to Lisa@midwestmission.org. We may use them in future newsletters, social media, and promotions.

When we send out the Brick by Brick campaign mailer and ask for your help, we do it with prayer over the projects and needs that will help make the biggest impact. With grateful hearts we share the updates of how you are bringing these most recent projects to fruition.

The Dream: Foundation, footings, and assembly of Quonset Hut for storage of trucks, mowers, tractor, and other equipment to keep them protected from the elements and open up warehouse space.

Our Progress: The Quonset Hut is now standing tall on the east side of the dorm. This portion of the project, asked for in the Brick by Brick campaign, is now completed. The next steps will be to enclose the back, build out the front, and install an overhead door.

The Dream: 10 containers and adding a concrete apron for the east side of the warehouse for additional storage outside the loading dock.

Our Progress: The 14 x 95 foot concrete apron is completed. We now have a 45 x 95 square foot space for storage containers. According to Operations Manager, Brad Walton, having the space will provide more storage on campus so we don't have to rent warehouse space elsewhere.

The Dream: Get it running. It needed a high pressure fuel pump and other repairs.

Our Progress: "We are able to use it again and it's used weekly. Just in the last couple of weeks we took it to ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) in Decatur, IL and loaded free boxes to use for our food packs, a value of about $10,000," Brad says. "We also received a call from the VA hospital in St. Louis to pick up a second load of medical equipment. This will be ongoing every six weeks or so. It saves us from renting or paying a trucking company or making multiple trips with smaller vehicles. We save money on fuel and we gain efficiency in our time."

Meet Darlene Powell of Springfield, IL. She has served at Midwest Mission for six years and volunteers as her schedule allows. She attends Springfield First United Methodist Church in Springfield, IL.

"it is a nice break from the trivial day-to-day things that get in the way of appreciating what really matters … it is humbling to be a part of something bigger than you and know that what you're doing touches lives in ways you will never know in a place where it makes all the difference to someone you will never meet."

"whatever is needed. I love being here and don't mind any task, regardless of how big or small, because it all matters."

Thank you, Darlene, for your service to Midwest Mission! Check out Darlene's Midwest Mission story on our Facebook and website.

Projects completed