2002 Mission Report

WHAT IS FAMILY MISSIONS INTERNATIONAL?

Family Missions International (FMI) and Community Ministries is a comprehensive organization reaching out to the children, youth and poor families of the Southern Tagalog Region of the Philippines.  FMI works specifically in the lower part of the Southern Tagalog Region on the Island of Mindoro with children and their families.  FMI offers programs and services such as educational & vocational development, food & clothing distribution, medical & dental care, livelihood/micro-enterprise training and spiritual/social programs.

Vision   Objectives  Outreach 2002  Library Project  Relief Report  Medical

Vision: We envision Occidental Mindoro and the Southern Tagalog area as a region of self-reliant communities united by faith in God, respect, care for creation, human life and dignity, enjoying freedom, justice and peace, fulfilling their mission in the church and the world.

Our work starts with:
One child ........... One family ......... One community

Objectives
1. To provide comprehensive ministry to children in targeted barangays & small towns by offering education, health & nutrition training as well as other services to eventually improve their physical & spiritual lives and ultimately to reach the whole family.
2. To help and teach the families the benefits of working towards economic self sufficiency.
3. To instill a sense of responsibility and help people realize that they can learn and bring about positive changes in themselves, their families and community.
4. To introduce the Gospel to families and relatives, teaching them to be true followers and witnesses of Christ and eventually to bring and disciple other members of the community.

2002 Year Project - Southern Tagalog Region for children and families

The Family Misions International (FMI) community project for April 2002 is located in Barahan, Sta. Cruz, Occidental Mindoro. This is a big barangay with a population of roughly 6,000 including that of the sitios located nearest it. This number is composed of children-youth-adults-senior citizens. The main source of income for the residents is farming. Not all people have farms to cultivate. Many of the children are malnourished due to lack of nutritious food, vitamins, and immediate medical attention. Barahan lacks medical facilities and personnel. The nearest hospital is practically an hour and a half driving under a bad road condition. The nearest medical center is in Sta. Cruz which is about thirty minutes rough driving. This distance applies only to Barahan, other sitios takes more travel time. There is a high risk of heart attack due to high blood pressure among the older generation. This is caused by unbalanced diet and lack of proper knowledge on preventive measures and first aid treatment.

More or less, half of the population are children ages 0-12 yo. Many of the children hardly go to school due to lack of financial support. During this year 2002, our Family Missions Teams, which is composed of volunteers, will be making a contribution in the lives of the residents of Barahan, especially the children and senior citizens. We want to be able to extend to them our love, concern, care and support. This can only be made possible with generous givers like yourselves who also would like to make a vital contribution in people's lives. Your donations and support to this mission will bring joy and hope to many individuals, young and old. We will not only focus on the practical needs of each person but also in their spiritual needs. The Family Missions Team believes that physical relief is only skin deep and temporary but feeding the spiritual need of every person is eternal and will give a deeper sense of meaning to life.

Therefore, we invite you to join us in achieving these goals. Let's address the physical needs in a practical way to show that they have not been forgotten. To let them know that there are still people like us who care very deeply for their well being. We need your full support in reaching the people in the provinces. This mission is just the beginning. The number of lives that will be reached and will benefit from this mission will depend on the support we will receive from our partners. Be our partner now and touch lives!

HERE'S HOW:

1. You may donate clothes, books, toys, shoes, school supplies, food (canned goods, noodles, rice, etc.)

2. You may encourage others to partner with us to support this mission especially in donating medicines and vitamins for our medical missions.

3. You may donate in cash to provide for whatever is lacking in supplies needed for the mission, as well as to help us set up different clubs such as Kidz Club, Youth Club, Senior Citizens Club, etc. This way, our efforts will bear its fruits in due time and will give the people a sense of belonging and a chance to discover their hidden potentials.

4. You may sponsor a child's education through a scholarship program.

5. You may share your knowledge in conducting livelihood programs through seminars by volunteering your services with us, especially in the area of agriculture or you may also volunteer your services in our medical missions.

6. If you have a transportation service to lend freely to this mission to transport the supplies, we will appreciate it very much.

OUR CALL:

We need 'you' to accomplish these purposes. We believe that we can contribute to many lives by keeping an open heart to love people and be filled with compassion for them. Love and compassion is what we really need to make a success in reaching others. Many working individuals have not the time to go on missions themselves but have the heart to help people in need. This is a vital part of our mission "to be a bridge, a vessel, an arm for those who want to reach out but have not the time to do so, because we are co-workers and co-contributors in this mission.

Thank you for showing an interest in the Mindoro mission. We will appreciate every help we can get. You may contact David or Mitzu Grubbs at our email address at familymissions@csica.com to get more information on how you can send your support.

God bless you mightily for lending a helping hand!

Your partner:

Family Missions Team

Photos from end of year - Phase I of Family Missions Project in Mindoro

Family Missions International - Library Project

How great is the need for books and classroom materials in Mindoro, Philippines?

Many of the barrio schools have only a handful of books; school libraries and computer centers are largely non-existent. In many cases, an entire class share a single outdated, worn and tattered book. When textbooks, computers, science kits, toys and games, athletic equipment and consumable school supplies are delivered and unpacked, it is a major event and a cause for great celebration. For many students, it will be the first time they will use clean, modern books with colored illustrations, charts and photos, not to mention a computer or a science kit.

According to the Department of Education, there are more than 1 million pre-literates in the country and more than 6 million people are deemed to be functionally illiterate. Many of these are found among the indigenous cultural communities where FMI will work. The languages spoken by a number of these communities have had no written tradition. Initial work involves linguistic research which leads to the development of an appropriate orthography for the language – an alphabet which is easily read and affords the student opportunity to use the skills they have learned in reading in the vernacular to transition to reading in other Philippine languages. FMI endeavors to serve these communities through literacy education - tailoring such education to the felt needs of the people using a learner centered, bottom-up approach. Our desire is that, beginning from initial literacy, the learner will develop a desire to maintain their reading and writing skills and that these will provide the basis for continuing education, benefiting the individual, the community in which he lives and his nation. Learning is a lifelong process and some of the basic tools are reading, writing and numeracy.

Donate for Library Project

Proposed Regular Activities
1. Mindoro Clothes & Feeding
2. Monthly Seminars / Training - Health, nutrition and livelihood
3. Quarterly Medical Check-ups
4. Bible studies and follow-up / Kid's Clubs and mother's fellowship
5. Monthly Meeting with Mother's and partners

How to be a Volunteer for Projects
1. Willing to work in a depressed communities
2. With compassion and love to children and their families
3. Must submit letter of intention and desire to our office.
4. Will be contacted thru phone or letter for confirmation of their commitment to FMI.

Area
• Occidental Mindoro
• Tagaytay City and Bantangas

On going activities
• Food & Clothing -  / M-F / 11 AM - 12 PM
• Children's Puppet Shows & Choir practice
• Vitamin in-take
• Medicine in-take -  6 months
• Visitation
• Clubs & Mother's meeting - monthly

Medical Plans - Future
• Quarterly Check-up
• Laboratory Examination (X-ray, CBC, Urinalysis and Fecalysis)
• Food Processing
• Paper Recycling
• Handicrafts Making
• Health and Sanitation
• Hair Trimming Social / Spiritual
• Kids fellowship - every Sunday
• Mother's fellowship - every Saturday
• Pastor's training