Dr. Paul Osteen Teaching with PAACS at Mukinge
As Dr. Paul Osteen serves the beautiful people of Zambia at Mukinge Mission Hospital, he is also able to help teach in-country doctors through the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) surgical residency program. In this picture, Dr. Paul is working with Dr. Kimutai, a 4th year resident from PAACS on his rural hospital rotation at Mukinge.
PAACS is working toward increasing and retaining African surgeons working in rural hospitals. Click here to learn about the progress of their work recently published in the World Journal of Surgery or visit their website at www.paacs.net.
To learn about the work of Mukinge Mission Hospital, click here.
The M3 Podcast | Episode 8
In this podcast episode, Dr. Paul Osteen and guest Natul Middlebrook, Executive Director of HandUp Global Ministries and the HUGG Mission Market, discuss the purpose and the philosophy behind Fair Trade. Natul says, “We believe in the power of giving people living in impoverished communities a hand up and not a handout because we’re looking for sustainable solutions. I like to tell people, no one ever climbed out of poverty with their hands out and open. We do it through innovation, ingenuity and a strong work ethic.” Listen to learn how the HUGG Mission Market creates a unique missional experience that invites shoppers to take part in fashion that fuels social change in under-resourced communities by purchasing products crafted in these communities. Visit https://huggmissionmarket.org/ for more info.
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I Was a Stranger & You Invited Me In
Today, one person is forcibly displaced every two seconds as a result of conflict or persecution amounting to 68.5 million refugees and counting. The good news is that there are many great organizations stepping up to help this displaced community. We encourage you to look into opportunities that are available in your area to help serve this vulnerable population. Here in Houston, Texas, we partner with Houston Welcomes Refugees, and here is a story shared by one of their welcome team volunteers about one of the families they have had the honor to serve…
After getting much closer to the family, we learned the incredibly difficult journey they took to get to America. At one point (before they had children), they were in the back of a truck for two weeks with 28 people. There was no food or water, and several people around them passed away. It was a long journey that took them through Africa and into Israel before finally reaching America! We felt incredibly honored that they would open up and share such a difficult story with us.
Our refugee family has overcome significant hardships. Their son has a developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body. Yet throughout our time with them, we saw the family grow in confidence as they learned to navigate the resettlement process and health care system.
Even though we had already served with another welcome team, being with this family reshaped what we thought of refugees. Our previous family needed so much support, but this family, despite the medical issue, did not require as much. Refugees are much more capable than we had conceived. It was a good growth experience for us!
To learn more about Houston Welcomes Refugees, click here.
To review the current statistics posted by The UN Refugee Agency, click here.
World Fair Trade Day!
May 11th is World Fair Trade Day! It is an inclusive worldwide festival of events celebrating Fair Trade as a tangible contribution to sustainable development, especially the economic empowerment of small producers, gender equality in workplaces and responsible production practices. It lands on the second Saturday every year in May.
When you shop Fair Trade, you shop with a purpose. We at M3 love our Fair Trade partners at WC Trading Company and HUGG Mission Market. WC Trading Company is open seven days a week in The Woodlands, Texas, and you can click here for their store hours and info. You can shop HUGG Mission Market any time online, and you can click here to learn their story and start shopping now!