New features on the website!

This afternoon we are posting to the website our December updates. The newsletter is there under the newsletter link. We are proud of Marilyn's cover design and Ron's article inside, a tribute to our donors, is very moving. There is a new picture album of the recent container being loaded under the photos link. The pictures augment what is said in the newsletter about the tremendous amount of aid that arrives in our warehouse. And as always in December, the big feature is Ron's Christmas devotional video (or audio, if you prefer or have dial-up access). You will find it on the home page. It is a flash video, so it should play within your browser. Most computers have the flash player already installed. If the video does not play you can download the free flash player at http://www.adobe.com/ . Drop us a line or comment on this post if you enjoy these updates or if you would like to let us know anything else.

Good Search

Here's an easy way to raise money for Mission Partners International. Just start using GoodSearch.com as your search engine and online shopping mall. Select Mission Partners International, Sidney, Ohio as your charity. Every time you search the Internet or make an online purchase at one of their partner merchants, GoodSearch makes a donation to Mission Partners and it's powered by Yahoo! so you get great search results!

Now here's a gift!

Last week we received one of our more unusual donations - a 3 month old, state of the art, fibre optic equipped dental chair. The dentist who had purchased it decided that he did not like the way it was set up. Unfortunately for him, he could not trade it back in. The supplier, who has previously donated to MPI, called and ask if we could take it. Could we! Christian Hope Church in Kiev has a dental office in their office complex, but they don't have anything like this. They are excited about the prospect of receiving it. As it happens (or as God planned it) our next container, scheduled for early in 2008 will be going to Kiev. Wayde has already begun the process of getting approval from the Humanitarian Committee in Kiev. Besides the chair, there will be 25 church pews from Tillsonburg Pentecostal Church, which in installing new seating are blessing an overseas church. There will also be 4 manual hospital beds as well as about 200 boxes of packed aid. We'll let you know when we are ready to ship, so stay tuned! (If you are wondering about the value of the chair - over $20,000!)

This week's prayer requests

• Results so far for MPI's annual Christmas blessing campaign have been good. Pray for a record response so that many Slavic pastors and workers may be blessed.
• Next week are parliamentary elections in Russia. President Putin is leading the party likely to win the most seats. Many observers think his intent is to keep the reigns of power even after he steps down as President early next year. Please pray for Russia!
• Our container was loaded on the ship late last week. It is scheduled to reach its destination in Ukraine in early January. Please pray for its safe progress and that its contents would be distributed to just the right people who need it.

Get Connected

Do you Facebook? Then join the MPI group, administered by Marilyn Crewe (MPI's office manager). It's a great way to connect with others who are interested in what we do or who have in some way been touched by this ministry. Re-connect with those who were on your mission team. See pictures and share stories. Receive notices of MPI news or notice of a new video posting. Let us know what you are doing. All the things Facebook is good at. Now with MPI.

Mining Accident in Ukraine

Nearly 80 killed in Ukraine's worst mine disaster in years
Nov 19 2007, 14:58
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) - Rescuers struggled against flames and fallen rock in trying to reach 23 miners trapped in a coal mine Monday, a day after a methane blast killed at least 77 in one of Ukraine's deadliest mining disasters of the post-Soviet era. Nearly 80 killed in Ukraine's worst mine disaster in years. Read More

Get your MPI updates automatically

This blog is available via feeds. A feed is a means whereby when something is posted, it can be automatically sent to you. You can read about feeds at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(protocol).

On the left side panel of this screen, you will see a menu item to subscribe by Atom. This will add something like a bookmark, which you can then select from your browser to see what is up. Or, you can use RSS (really simple syndication), the little orange square with what looks like radio waves in it (the picture in the upper left corner of this blog entry). If you click on the icon on a page with feeds, you will be taken to a new page with the address of the blog. If you have a feed reader (there are many choices - including Google Reader and Bloglines; you can do a search for them), simply paste the address of the new page into the new subscription menu in the reader. There are lots of things you can subscribe to - other blogs, news items, etc., which can make your online experience convenient and productive. Then to read them all, without having to navigate around the web, just go to your feed reader.

This week's prayer requests

Pray for the success of MPI's annual Christmas blessing campaign so that many hundreds of pastors and workers will be blessed

Pray for the safe and timely delivery of our overseas coordinator & translator, Andrei Shander's new(er) van. It will be a big blessing to both his family and MPI's work.

Pray for the MPI staff as this week we begin to lay out plans for 2008

What an awesome day in the warehouse!

Yesterday, Thursday, we had another banner day of aid arriving at the warehouse. In January we received our largest ever single shipment of aid - over 1000 sports jackets courtesy of our friends Mike and Sue in Montreal - and it has not stopped since! Last week we received 4 manual hospital beds and the same donor brought several wheelchairs and walkers yesterday. He noted that a couple of the chairs cost $5000 new and they are in very good shape. Then Mike and Sue struck again, with 9 skids of goods they have been collecting in their garage (and a neighbour's). This time it was nearly 4000 pairs of socks and 800 pairs of boots and shoes plus clothes. Wayde is scrambling to get it all sorted and packed. But what a great problem to have! Even though we just shipped a container last week, we really must ship another early in 2008. Wayde is already working on its paperwork.

Treat yourself to this!

MPI hosted Andrei Shaitar from Belarus in September. At our Fall Gala he performed a mime that just blew people away! Copy the following URL into your browser's address bar and you will be taken to a video of his performance posted on Google Video. While there, be sure to check out the rest of MPI's videos.

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-1389693051024090783&hl=en-CA

Help MPI with GoodSearch

MPI is registered with Goodsearch, a search engine with a difference. Based on Yahoo, Goodsearch aims to grow its business by encouraging people to support their favourite charities. Approximately 1 cent per search is directed to the charity of your choice, which can really add up over a year. Simply go to www.goodsearch.com, select your charity (Mission Partners International, Sydney, Ohio - it works for US based charities, which MPI is) and then enter search items as usual. Goodsearch will remember your choice of charity until you delete your cookies, in which case you will need to select MPI again. If you have a search bar in your browser, Goodsearch also provides the option of adding it to your list of search engines and you can then make it your default choice.

Go ahead and try it. You can always use another search engine, too, but using Goodsearch is a rather painless way to help your favourite charity. You'll see from the figures at Goodsearch that even a penny per search adds up to significant funds over time.

This week's prayer requests

Pray for the safe arrival of our container in Ukraine in early January

Pray for Wayde as he works this week to prepare the documents for the next container hopefully scheduled for early in 2008

Pray for a church team that is with Pastor Alexander in Belarus

A great idea for Christmas giving

Check out MPI's giving page at http://www.canadahelps.org/. MPI partners with Canadahelps.org to efficiently and cost-effectively process online donations. This year we have set up a giving page to raise funds for Tanya's home based orphanage in Dneperpetrovsk, Ukraine. We are suggesting that between now and Dec. 1 you give up one restaraunt meal and donate that amount to help feed Tanya's kids over the winter. Go to Canadahelps.org, click on Giving Pages in the blue box "Ways to Give" and search for Mission Partners International. Follow the prompts to donate your chosen amount. An electronic receipt will be issued within minutes to your email inbox (be sure to print it out). MPI will electronically receive the funds within a few days with notification of the donor and fund designation. Thanks!

Welcome to the MPI Blog

MPI is happy to add this new facility to our website. As blogs do, this one will help keep the MPI 'family' connected and informed. Check often to see what is happening. Friends and supporters often write or call to let us know what is happening in their life and to ask us to pray - and we do! This is another tool for you to be in touch with us. We look forward to lots of great interaction.