As I write this month's newsletter, Terri and I are in Mildura, Australia, our former home for nearly five years, on our way to meet the MMI construction team headed up by MMI Board Chairman, Louie Martina.  The team will be in the Solomon's for two weeks working on a clinic and church on property donated two years ago by the tribal chief after our medical team, headed by Nancy Stoeckel, nursed him back to health.  We believe the clinic and the church will impact the community for years to come - and we are excited to see the work unfold over the next couple of weeks. The MMI team and first few days of construction are pictured below:

While in Australia, Terri and I had an opportunity to speak at the morning and evening services at Diggerland Community Church, our church home over the last several years, and share about MMI.  We have a strong connection here and tremendous support for MMI -  and it was like coming home.  Pastor Bruce Sharman and I had an opportunity to talk about projects in Papau New Guinea and potentially partnering in our upcoming project in Cusco, Peru.

In late April, we had an opportunity to meet with Pastor Florante Torres, who is pastoring a church in Laguna, Philippines and has developed a strong connection with a nearby hospital in Batanga, Philippines.  Between the hospital and the ministry of the church, there are numerous opportunities for MMI.  Tom Stoeckel and I have opened dialogue with Dr. Magnaye of the Batanga Medical Center after Pastor Florante shared numerous photos of the hospital, which is overcrowded and poorly supplied.  In addition, Pastor Florante has been working with the local prison and has a food ministry to local children - feeding seven groups of children once a week.  I contacted Eric Rivera of the local YWAM Ministry, Gleanings for the Hungry, and they have committed to a half container of food to be sent with our first container to the Philippines.  Terri and I hope to visit the Philippines in June and meet directly with Pastor Florante and Dr. Magnaye.  We believe there is an opportunity for several containers to be sent to the area and we have begun working on logistics.  If you have questions or are interested in supporting the work in the Philippines, please contact Melanie in our Clovis office.  Remember, donations of $1,000 or more will be matched by an MMI donor.  It is a tremendous opportunity to really make an impact in an area that has tremendous need.

Overflow patient care in the hallways at Batanga Medical Center (left), and crowded prison conditions at the local prison in Laguna, Philippines (right). MMI is exploring opportunities to help in both communities. Terri and I plan to visit in mid-June.

We also had an opportunity to meet with Pastor Doddy Murty from Kolkata, India and Jon Menton from NorthPointe Church regarding sending containers to hospitals in West Bengal, India. A key moment in the meeting was a phone call with the regional Minister of Transportation about a meeting with MMI in the first week of November in India to ease restrictions for shipping containers into India. It is a critical connection, and we were very encouraged to hear about the work Pastor Doddy has been doing in the area for many years in partnership with NorthPointe Church.  Many of our volunteers attend NorthPointe and they have been a key partner and contributor to the work of MMI. Much thanks to Pastor Steve Williams, the staff and congregation of NorthPointe for their ministry in the community and their vision to touch the nations.