Bringing a new life into this world is a beautiful thing. A newborn brings joy and love like no other into the lives of moms and dads. But, with the joy comes the stress of taking care of the baby, and meeting their needs. For mothers in Guatemala, that stress and worry about taking care of their newborn is amplified. 

In Guatemala, almost 60 percent of the population lives under the poverty line. As a result, malnutrition and lack of medical care are widespread. New mothers have to make serious choices about how they will spend their money to best care for the life of their child. Many sacrifices have to be made. 

That’s why these Layette Kits are such a gift to those who receive them. The kits bring hope to the expecting mothers, and empower them to use the resources they have to better the life of them and their children. 

“Young single moms like Danelik (pictured above) are unable to afford many essentials for their newborns, so it gives us great joy to be able to provide this assistance,” said Byron Paredes, Food For The Poor’s in-country partner representative.

Danelik is a new mom who has a story like many mothers in Guatemala. The father of the baby does not support the baby’s essential needs. As a single mother, Danelik must work long hours in a bakery to try to make ends meet, but it still isn’t enough. The gift of a Layette Kit allows her to use the money she makes for food without worrying about how they will afford other basic items. The Layette Kit she received consists of six cloth diapers, two sleepers, two onesies, two infant washcloths, six diaper pins, one sweater, two receiving blankets, and diaper cream. 

“With Food For The Poor’s continued support and that of its donor (Midwest Mission), we can continue to provide these much-needed essentials to many Guatemalans in need, and to continue this humanitarian mission,” Byron said.

Thursday, June 29 was an eventful day at Midwest Mission in Pawnee, IL. A sunny, warm day quickly turned into a dark and cloudy day as storms rolled in. 

Early in the day, Chuck Porter, longtime regular volunteer, decided it was time to clean out the storm shelter, removing leftover paint buckets, tiles, and debris that had been stored down there for years. At this time, it was a beautiful day, and the teams joyfully hauled all of the items out of the shelter. Little did we know, the shelter would shortly be used.

"Yesterday we had to clear out the storm shelter," said Ryanne Erb, a youth volunteer from Dixon FUMC. "We did not know we would be using it an hour or two later. I think God knew something was going to happen and had us clear out the shelter."

As the teams from Dixon, IL and Coal City, IL came back from lunch, phones started ringing with alerts about tornado warnings. Everyone in the warehouse and dorm was quickly whisked away into the newly cleaned storm shelter located under the duplex. Volunteer leaders bravely assisted getting everyone down the steps and tucked away into safety. Staff and volunteers alike sat side-by-side on the benches, wrapped in blankets stored in the shelter for times like these. After about 30 minutes of high winds, sheets of rainfall, and booms of thunder, the tornado warning was lifted. 

After a time of prayer, everyone headed up the steps and into the fresh, damp air. Immediately everyone could see the evidence of a storm. Trees were down across the road, corn was turned sideways, and branches littered the ground. But, thankfully, Midwest Mission was blessed with no damage. 

On Thursday night, the team from Dixon FUMC and volunteer leaders Kristi and Brett Ahrens helped clear branches at Sugar Creek United Methodist Church. Today (Friday, June 30), they assisted with debris removal at Ball-Chatham Elementary school.

"What mattered here... was the work we did to clean up at the church after the storm," Reid Scott, a youth volunteer from Dixon FUMC said. "We were able to help repair God's kingdom."

We are so grateful for their help, and keeping a missional and servant-like mindset, even in the midst of the chaos of a storm.

This was an exciting week at Midwest Mission. We sent out two international shipments in two days, bringing our total for the year to 26 international shipments. 

The first shipment left the warehouse on Wednesday, June 28. It was a general in-kind shipment to Guatemala. “General in-kind” means that the container was filled with requested supplies such as kits, medical supplies, tools, and other items we typically send. The container was packed to the brim! It included Feminine Hygiene Kits, donated desks and chairs, medical supplies, and more. It was valued at $145,840.36.

The second shipment left on Thursday, June 29. This shipment was an Angels of Hope shipment to Honduras. An Angels of Hope shipment always includes Personal Dignity Kits, Home Care Kits, and disinfecting wipes. These shipments help children’s homes across Latin America and the Caribbean stay clean and help the children with hygiene. The shipment was valued at $46,420.00.

Midwest Mission Weekly Projects

Work of the Mission Volunteers

Work Done

• Kit Assembly — Layette Kits, Student Kits, Home Care Kits, and Personal Dignity Kits
• Bikes - repaired
• Desks - parts prepared, built, polyurethaned
• Sewing Machines - repaired
• Cleaning
• Counting items into inventory
• Sewing
• Storm clean up

Disbursements

• Bidwell Food Pantry, Des Moines, IA: Redirect hygiene items Value: $50.00
• Food For The Poor, Guatemala: See above story
• Food For The Poor, Honduras: See above story

Midwest Mission is able to do this work because of your generous donations and willingness to volunteer. Thank you!



Ready to Get Involved?

Volunteer at Midwest Mission

Dates are available in 2023, 2024, and 2025

Need a Saturday option for team volunteering

or assistance in booking?

Contact Pat Wright at pat@midwestmission.org

or 217-697-4063

Click below to check calendar openings and to reserve your spots.

Volunteer Reservation Calendar



2025 Volunteer Calendar is now open for dorm reservations!

Go to our Reservation Calendar, log in, reserve your rooms, and submit payment for your Non-refundable Reservation Fee via credit card or electronic check. We will email you the Access Code to reserve Volunteer Shifts for your team. You must complete this step for your team to volunteer at Midwest Mission.

For local teams and individuals: Volunteer Shifts will only be available 3 months ahead of time. Beginning October 1, 2023 you will be able to reserve Volunteer Shifts for January of 2024.

Thank you for your patience as we try to improve the reservation experience for both local teams and those staying in the dorm.

Chuck and Karen Porter

Brighton, Illinois

Brett and Kristi Ahrens

Stratford, Iowa

First UMC

Dixon, IL

Coal City UMC

Coal City, IL

Union Reunion

St. Louis, MO

SPARC

Springfield, IL

Not Pictured: Springfield First UMC Sewing Group, Springfield, IL

Hope UMC

Blue Earth, MN

Terry "Doc" Sprague

Guthrie Center, IA

Staves Memorial UMC

Des Moines, IA

Great Plains Conference UWF

Lincoln, NE