Missions Update - October 2026
Monthly Missions Update / october 2026 / volume 3 issue 10
Hello Morning star family
Check out the updates below from our Local and Global Partners to see how God is at work in our community and around the world! We're especially excited for our team heading to Central Asia in a few weeks. See more details below!
GLOBAL PARTNER - JEFF AND SARAH with mstar team
10/15/26 - 10/25/26
Our team has finished their training, purchased airfare, raised all the funds we need, filled out all the appropriate forms and paperwork! While I'm writing this, we're just two weeks away from what we've been praying for the last few years. As we pack our bags and continue praying for the Lord's provision and direction during this trip. Please join us in prayer!
Important dates:
10/11/26 - The Central Asia team will be prayed for from the stage during both Sunday services. We'll share a bit about the trip and how you can keep us in prayer.
10/15/26 to 10/24/26 - The team ministers in Central Asia, working with Global Partners Jeff and Sarah as they care for and provide an education to refugee children from countries around Central Asia.
11/8/26 - Lunch and stories from Central Asia. You're invited to hear stories of how God worked during our trip. You can ask any questions you want and be filled in on the ministry Jeff and Sarah do.
global partner - reid saunders
Reid Saunders says,
I have exciting news! Our team is heading back to Japan next week!
Japan is a beautiful nation of 123 million people, but only about 2% are believers, making it one of the most secular countries in the world. Many people, especially the youth, are struggling with a lack of hope beneath the surface.
Last year, we witnessed a powerful move of God in Japan, with an enthusiastic response to the Gospel that is rarely seen in Japanese culture. Local pastors said it was unlike anything they had experienced before, and they eagerly invited us to come back this year. Now we are returning to Yokohama, Kawasaki, and Tokyo alongside our partner, Pastor Nozomi Nishimura of Yokohama Jesus Family Church. We are boldly praying and believing that attendance will double from last year!
Here is the video recap from last year's outreach for you to see how God moved.
If there is a date on the schedule or a prayer request that stands out to you, please email me back and let me know you will be covering that in prayer. It always brings so much encouragement to our team to know our friends are lifting us up in specific ways while we’re away.
Schedule:
September 30: Team arrives in Japan
October 1: Women's lunch event & affinity event
October 2: Gospel concert outreach
October 3: Youth Joyfest
October 4: Preaching at church & team returns home
All for Jesus!
Reid
Local partner - hope station
REAL IMPACT
"Beyond the financial support, what we value most is the kindness, respect, and dignity with which you treat each person who comes to your door. Hope Station gives us much more than food: it gives us hope, stability, and the opportunity to continue growing as a family."
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"Hope Station has allowed my wife and I to pay off debt because of our membership. Thanks to Hope Station, we have been able to cut our student loan amount in half. Because of the reduction in our debt, our membership has been life changing for us. I am so thankful to the donors of Hope Station. I have nothing but gratitude for the volunteers and Marci.”
REcent donations to hope station
We would like to start this newsletter with a HUGE THANK YOU to Kyle Schurter (pictured above), who grew and donated TWO ACRES of corn crops to Hope Station. We are deeply grateful to Kyle for his incredibly generous donation, which was distributed to 17 other nonprofits and churches, and fed a total of over 20,000 people through Hope Station and these other organizations. Almost 38,000lbs of corn were picked from Kyle's fields.
Another partnership that has greatly blessed Hope Station over the years is Salem Harvest!
Salem Harvest goes out into produce fields and gathers leftover crops that may otherwise go to waste. They have been kind enough to share a great deal of these crops with Hope Station, which has given us the privilege of providing fresh produce to the families we serve. Recently, this has included grapes, apples, broccoli, and watermelon, to name a few. It is because of Salem Harvest we were able to pick the corn donated by Kyle Schurter Farms!
Other great partnerships:
To mention a few other partnerships we've been grateful for:
Christian Motorcyclists Association — one of our volunteers is a part of this organization and has been kind enough to bring various donations from them.
Crumbl — Crumbl cookies are always a major hit with our members, as well as the larger community we serve! We consider it a privilege to be able to provide special treats like Crumbl.
Chick-fil-A — Hope Station receives food donations from Chick-fil-A every week. This means our families are able to grab things like fries, chicken nuggets and strips, as well as salads, from Chick-fil-A and enjoy them at home!
volunteer highlights: salem first baptist
On August 22, Hope Station welcomed over 20 volunteers from Salem First Baptist Church through their annual Serve Salem event! These volunteers were greatly beneficial to Hope Station, and were able to help with various tasks that we often don't have time for! Many, many thanks to SFB and each person who gave of their time to support Hope Station's mission.
Hope Station - Brazil
We are excited to announce that the inauguration for Hope Station's free medical clinic, Novo Horizonte, occurred as planned on August 1!
The building is nearly done, but it was so important to kick off the work that will happen in this space! It still needs a roof, a few different furnishings, and minor cosmetic additions in order to be fully operational, but the main construction finished far more expeditiously than expected!
We are still approximately $3,700 short of the $12,000 to ensure Novo Horizonte's clinic can be fully operational.
We are so grateful for the donors who have supported this building project over the last 18+ months with their time and finances!
We thank you for your consideration! Every donation means the least fortunate in Brazil can receive vital medical services.
local partner - salem free clinics
Share the Care: A Different Kind of Fundraiser
You’ve probably heard by now that we’re doing things a little differently this fall! Instead of hosting our usual fundraising event, we’re inviting our supporters to participate in a Non-Event we're calling Share the Care. That means no dinner, no program, and no need block out another hour in your October. Instead, we’re asking our community to make a designated gift to support the ongoing care happening every day at Salem Free Clinics.
Thanks to generous matching gifts, every donation made through October 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000. Our Share the Care campaign goal is raising $200,000 to help us continue providing free medical, dental, and counseling services to our neighbors. So far, we’ve raised $144,537, and we still need your help to reach our goal!
While our usual event is taking a raincheck until Spring 2027, the need for free healthcare in our community continues. Your generosity helps ensure our patients can access compassionate care at no cost, even when other options are out of their reach.
There’s no event to attend, but there’s still a whole lot of care to share. Thank you for being part of it!
SFC at the Saturday Market
This summer, Salem Free Clinics hosted a booth at the Salem Saturday Market three times, providing free health screenings to 127 people! Our staff and volunteers offered blood pressure checks and prediabetes screenings, helping community members learn a little more about their health.
The market was also a great opportunity to connect with our neighbors, share about the free services available at SFC, and spread the word about the care available right here in our community for those who need it.
A big thank-you to the staff and volunteers who spent their Saturdays underneath the big blue tent making this possible. We’re grateful for their time and dedication to bringing compassionate care beyond our clinic walls.
Keep an eye out for us at our last Salem Saturday Market on October 24th! We hope to see you there.
Getting Students Ready for the Season
Another amazing opportunity to provide care beyond our clinic walls came last month: Salem Free Clinics provided sports physicals at both Parrish Middle School and Jefferson High School, helping local students get ready for the school year and upcoming sports seasons. Between the two events, our staff and volunteers completed 98 sports physicals. But our clinic has done even more than that! Many families who missed the events have followed up scheduling sports physicals at our clinic, allowing us to serve even more students and families.
In October, we’ll be heading to McKay High School providing sports physicals to more students in our community. We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to bring care directly into local schools and for the volunteers who generously give their time to make these events possible.
There is a special joy in being out in our community, meeting families where they are, and helping remove barriers to care. Whether at our clinics or in local schools, we’re thankful to serve our neighbors and help more students get ready for the season
Community Partners Making Care Possible
A heartfelt thank-you to the Sternglanz Foundation for their generous $50,000 gift toward our Share the Care matching campaign! Their support helps inspire our community to give, doubling the impact of donations and bringing us closer to our $200,000 goal. We are so grateful for their partnership and commitment to ensuring our neighbors have access to free, compassionate healthcare. We would also like to thank the anonymous donors that contributed to the matching grant. Your generosity has made this campaign possible.
local partner - salem free clinics
Thanks to those who helped us serve at the SFR celebration! It was great seeing folks from different churches serving together & enjoying the company of our New Neighbors!
As we step into October, we’re still carrying the joy of celebrating 10 years of Salem For Refugees with so many of you.
September reminded us just how much can happen when people come together—sharing stories, building friendships, serving one another, and creating a community where everyone has a place.
What a evening!
Earlier this month, our community gathered for Ten Together, celebrating 10 years of Salem For Refugees and the thousands of moments, relationships, and people who have shaped our story.
We looked back at where we started and celebrated how far we’ve come. More than anything, the evening was a reminder that Salem For Refugees has never been the story of one organization—it is the story of a community choosing to welcome, support, and walk alongside one another.
To everyone who joined us, volunteered, shared a story, invited their friends and family, or has been part of these past ten years: thank you for being part of the story.
Here’s to the next ten.
Join Us for a Sunset Walk
Looking for a simple way to connect with others in the community?
Join us next Monday, October 5, for a relaxed Sunset Walk together.
We’ll meet at the Salem For Refugees office where snacks, coffee, and tea will be provided before we head out together. From there, we’ll walk to the Oregon State Capitol State Park and then make our way back to the SFR office.
It’s a simple opportunity to spend time together, enjoy the evening, meet someone new, and connect outside of our usual programs and events.
Monday, October 5
5:30 - 7:00 PM
Starting and ending at the Salem For Refugees office.
Bring a friend, bring your family, or come on your own. Everyone is welcome!
Beyond the Neighborhood Launches
We’re officially launching Beyond the Neighborhood (BTN) for the year, our mentoring program housed at the Salem YMCA. Through BTN, we connect refugee high school students with university student mentors for academic support, encouragement, and guidance as they navigate high school and begin thinking about what comes next.
This year, 19 volunteer mentors from Willamette University and Portland State University will meet twice a week with 28 high school students.
The goal is simple: build meaningful relationships that help students grow in confidence, stay on track toward graduation, and explore what they want for their future.
Join Us for Thrive!
Thrive is almost here, and you’re invited!
Join us on November 12 and 13 as we gather to celebrate our community and hear stories from children, youth, and young adults. This year, Thrive is shining a light on the next generation—their experiences, hopes, growth, and the people walking alongside them.
There are also plenty of ways to be part of Thrive beyond attending. We’re looking for volunteers to help us welcome guests, set up, support the event, and clean up afterward.
Want to volunteer? Reach out to Jeff at jeff@salemforrefugees.org.
Come celebrate and connect with us!
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
