Monthly Missions Update / november 2026 / volume 3 issue 11
HELLO MORNING STAR FAMILY
We're nearing the end of the year and there are lots of things to celebrate like the work God is doing in Central Asia and around the world and our own city. See more details below!
GLOBAL PARTNER - JEFF AND SARAH with mstar team
We've returned from Central Asia with a lifetime of memories and stories packed into the week we were there. God is bringing about His Kingdom through the faithful obedience of believers and the powerful testimonies they share! Join us for lunch THIS Sunday 11/8/26 at 1pm in the South auditorium at Morning Star. Each member of the team will share what we saw and how God is working in the region! Register for lunch HERE so we'll have plenty of food for everyone.
season of giving- GLOBAL and local PARTNERs 11/15/26 - 12/13/26.
It's almost time for Season of Giving! This year we'll have a Christmas tree in the lobby that you'll be able to choose which gift you want to provide to people in need. There are a variety of needs from a single tube of toothpaste all the way to a full box of groceries, from a box of diapers or wipes to money for school backpacks with Mike Silva's trip to Colombia.
Each partner has different needs, and you can pick what needs you'll meet. Knowing that it is more blessed to give than to receive, let's give with joyful hearts and open hands!
How does it work?
Pick a tag
Fill the need - Some are financial, some are material needs.
Bring it back to the lobby on a Sunday with the tag.
Local partner - salem angels
We dream of ensuring every resource family has a village of support - that every grandma who says yes, every sister who opens her door, and every community family who steps in to care for a child feels radically supported.
We dream about giving all these young ones the chance to experience the firsts of childhood, build friendships, discover new interests, and create memories that foster belonging.
It starts with one, then starts to grow - participation in our Polk County Kid Fun Nights doubled this year, from 10 children to 20. Overall, the number of resource families living in rural Polk County engaged in our programs has increased by 64% since 2021.
Building their own village - two youth became friends through our Dare to Dream youth enrichment activities. This fall, as they began their first post-secondary educational experience, they decided to be roommates at the university, so they could navigate this important milestone together.
“I used to be in your Love Box program until our home transitioned to permanency - but I still remain close friends with the volunteer you matched me with! We text each other all the time! In fact, she's watching my children right now.”
She made quilts for youth moving into college. When giving the quilts to the youth, she intentionally sat down with each one to hear about their aspirations over a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, and a pastry.
Foster care is complicated.
Doing something doesn't have to be.
Foster care can provide a placement.
People create belonging.
You can be that person.
Global partner- reid saunders
607 Heard the Gospel
160 Decisions for Christ
Our team recently returned home from an incredible time of ministry in Japan! Many RSA friends reached out while we were traveling to let us know we were covered in prayer. What a blessing! It was evident on this outreach that prayer makes a difference, so much so that a typhoon headed straight for us turned away!
Did you know that Japan is one of the hardest places in the world to share the Good News?
Most people have no Christian knowledge or background at all
The average church has about 20 people
The average age of a pastor is around 65 years old
Many young people carry crushing pressure to succeed and not let their families down
The Lord put two verses on my heart to preach during our time there: Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” and Romans 10:11, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
God knew just what words these hearts needed to hear!
This outreach was extra special, as it was Ruth Daniel’s final trip before retirement. We are so thankful for Ruth and her years of faithful leadership. It was also our new Ministry Director James Autry’s first trip with us, and he was a gift to the team.
Doors continue to open as trust and relationships are being built. Next November, we’ll return to Japan. We already have plans for affinity events in Okinawa, a festival in Yokohama, a youth rally, and outreach to the homeless. Japanese pastors have also invited me to speak at a conference of 100 pastors.
Before heading home, our team traveled to Mongolia and Kazakhstan to meet with church leaders who are hungry to reach their nations for Christ. We’re now planning outreaches in both countries for 2028. Please pray for these new partnerships! I can’t wait to share more about this with you soon!
Thank you for partnering with RSA to see the Gospel proclaimed to the ends of the earth. Please keep praying for these new believers in Japan.
“Not to us, O Lord, but to your name be the glory” (Psalm 115:1).
All for Jesus!
Reid
local partner - salem free clinics
Bringing Care Within Reach
At Salem Free Clinics, we are always looking for ways to offer more services to our patients. One of the ways we can offer more, is by partnering with others. We have gratefully hosed a few partnerships through our doors in the last couple months, expanding care to our patients in new ways.
Last month, OHSU brought its mammography van to SFC, providing free mammogram screenings to 11 patients. With three OHSU volunteers, we helped patients receive these important screenings right in our parking lot, making the screenings accessible, private and dignified.
We’ve also recently partnered with Walgreens to offer free flu vaccines. During our first clinic with Walgreens, their team administered 26 flu shots and also provided free vaccine certificates for us to distribute to patients. We then hosted a second flu vaccine clinic at Polk Community Free Clinic in partnership with Polk County Public Health, where 18 people received vaccines, including four children.
We were recently blessed to receive this note from a dental patient:
"Thank you so much Salem Free Clinics for a wonderful experience during my recent tooth extraction. You are truly God's blessings, the dental team was very professional, so kind, and very caring. I felt so comfortable throughout the procedure.
My heart had so much joy because of your generosity—the volunteers even offered me a prayer and gave me juice. These simple gestures really meant so much to me and showed genuine compassion. As someone from the Philippines who has been living in Oregon for two months, I felt truly welcomed and cared for. Thank you so much, Salem Free Clinics, for your excellent service and beautiful hearts.
God bless you all!"
(Pictures from OHSU's Mammography Day at Salem Free Clinics)
These partnerships make a meaningful difference in the lives of our patients. By bringing these services to Salem Free Clinics, this preventive care that may have been out of reach before, is now within their neighborhood, and at the clinic they already know and trust.
This is what compassion looks like in action: organizations coming together to care for our neighbors in practical, meaningful ways. Your support as a Compassion Partner is making this work, and these partnerships possible.
Thank you for helping Salem Free Clinics continue finding new ways to care for our community!
YOU Made It Happen: Share the Care
This fall, Salem Free Clinics did things a little different and hosted a "Non-Event" fundraiser. Instead of our usual Fall Fundraiser, we invited you to participate in our “Share the Care Campaign”. There was no dinner to attend, no program, and no need to dress up.
While our event took a 'raincheck' until spring 2027, the need for free compassionate healthcare continues for the many who need our medical, dental, and counseling services. To help sustain these vital services, we set a goal to raise $200,000 with some generous matching gifts to help double the impact of your donations.
YOUR generosity exceeded our goal! We raised an incredible $202,907, surpassing our goal before the October 31 deadline! We are so grateful to everyone who gave, shared the campaign, encouraged others to participate, and helped spread the word.
Thanks to you, Salem Free Clinics will continue offering free, compassionate healthcare to our neighbors who have nowhere else to turn. We all recognize that while an event can take the year off, compassion never does. Every gift helps make it possible for patients to receive the care they need with dignity and without the burden of a medical bill.
We couldn’t do this work without you, and we’re so grateful to have you as part of the Salem Free Clinics family!
Lunch & Learn
Our upcoming Lunch & Learn is on January 28th, from 12-1PM. Save the date, and keep your eyes out for more details on the topic!
Share the Care Exhibition
Save the date for April 8, 2027, for the Share the Care Exhibition! Join us for an elegant evening of portraits, patient stories, and an opportunity to celebrate the people at the heart of Salem Free Clinics.
To learn more about each of our Global & Local Partners, CLICK HERE. If you’re interested in helping more with Missions at Morning Star, please email: jared@mstar.church
Thanks for all you do to help share the Good News of Jesus with a world in need!
– Morning Star Missions Board
