Marshall Islands location on the globeOur calling to the remote islands of Micronesia

When we were called to the mission field, we were given good advice to ask God about a specific location where he wanted us to serve. We heard “Micronesia”. We did not even know where it was at the time! As we educated ourselves and prayed, God confirmed that it was really the right place for us to be.

Learn more about our call to missions

Our vision for the Marshall Islands

In 2014, we were serving with YWAM Ships Kona on one of their boats in the Marshall Islands. When we left RMI, our family all felt a strong stir to come back, that it was the place we were supposed to be and more specifically on the island of Ebeye where there are so many needs.

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Everyone should have access to primary education, medical services, a bible in their own language, health education, food, clothing and clean water. In the Marshall Islands that is not always the case and we feel that these are the areas that God is directing us towards.

  • Education: On Ebeye, there are over 2000 school-aged children that are not attending school.
  • Bible poverty: Many do not have a bible written in their mother tongue of Marshallese
  • Diabetes: This disease is seen as an “epidemic” in the Marshall Islands
  • Food and Clothing: Many of the inhabitants of the outer islands only see a supply boat 3 to 4 times a year
  • Reading Glasses: Little to no opportunity for Optometry consultation
  • Medical Services: Wound care, Primary Health care and the education about health is sometimes unavailable or non-existent
  • Menstrual Health Services:  There are very few options to supplies and education about menstrual health for women

Changing Focus Ministries feels driven to make a difference in peoples spiritual, physical and mental well-being.

Discover our specific ministries

Action that we are taking as an organization:

  • Education: We run and ESL Class for the children in our neighborhood that do not attend school and we have sponsored over 75 students in private schools on Ebeye
  • Bible poverty: Our goal is to take a Marshallese bible to every household on every island in RMI
  • Diabetes: We conduct diabetes health education in every school on Ebeye and the outer islands
  • Food and Clothing: When sailing to an outer island we bring a healthy supply of clothing and food to give away
  • Reading Glasses: We provide optometry consultation and give out free reading glasses & sunglasses on every island we go to
  • Medical Services: We perform wound care, Primary Health care and the educate about many health issues to the outer islands and Ebeye
  • Menstrual Health Services:  We use the “Days for Girls” platform to educate and provide reusable menstrual kits to the outer atolls

With God’s help and generous sponsors, we are making an impact to the holistic over-all well being of peoples in the Marshall Islands.

Discover our specific ministries

Our progress

Our mission is to reach all the inhabited islands of the Marshall Islands with the love of God and to give a Marshallese Bible to every household. We also believe that we need to attend to their physical needs. That’s why we give freely reading glasses, medical services, health education activities, clothing, food, etc. With the help of teams of volunteers serving with us, we have reached 38% of all the inhabited islands. Here are some visual statistics and information about our progress through the Marshall Islands and the extent of what still needs to be done.

  • 39% islands reached
  • 1467 Bibles
  • 3221 medical services
  • 114 sponsored school children
  • 6672 health education
  • 392 Days for Girls kits
  • 1183 reading glasses / 334 sunglasses
  • 2752 people given - clothing / 1841 food

Marshall Islands Map

Reached Unreached Uninhabited

Marshall Islands List

Reached Unreached Uninhabited
  • Population: 1729
  • Bibles: 173
  • Medical services: 354
  • Health education: 213
  • Reading glasses / Sunglasses: 117 / 18
  • Clothing / Food: 469 / 219
  • Population: 339
  • Population: 499
  • Population: 706
  • Population: 664
  • Population: 84
  • Population: 1 788
  • Population: 548
  • Population: 11,408
  • Bibles: 319
  • Medical services: 1718
  • Health education: 5264
  • Days for Girls kits: 26
  • Reading glasses / Sunglasses: 500 / 69
  • Clothing / Food: 223 / 366
  • Population: 347
  • Bibles: 86
  • Medical services: 145
  • Health education: 176
  • Days for Girls kits: 124
  • Reading glasses / Sunglasses: 56 / 41
  • Clothing / Food: 434 / 148
  • Population: 155
  • Bibles: 21
  • Medical services: 9
  • Health education: 28
  • Reading glasses / Sunglasses: 18 / 11
  • Clothing / Food: 62 / 40
  • Population: 401
  • Bibles: 121
  • Medical services: 82
  • Health education: 240
  • Days for Girls kits: 86
  • Reading glasses / Sunglasses: 31 / 68
  • Clothing / Food: 27 / 14
  • Population: 27 797
  • Population: 682
  • Population: 348
  • Population: 738
  • Population: 508
  • Population: 780
  • Bibles: 109
  • Medical services: 349
  • Health education: 260
  • Reading glasses / Sunglasses: 94 / 14
  • Clothing / Food: 290 / 290
  • Population: 79
  • Population: 364
  • Bibles: 74
  • Medical services: 213
  • Health education: 162
  • Reading glasses / Sunglasses: 51 / 14
  • Clothing / Food: 120 / 120
  • Population: 435
  • Population: 97
  • Bibles: 36
  • Medical services: 94
  • Health education: 43
  • Reading glasses / Sunglasses: 23 / 3
  • Clothing / Food: 80 / 45
  • Population: 1004
  • Bibles: 188
  • Medical services: 179
  • Health education: 301
  • Days for Girls kits: 124
  • Reading glasses / Sunglasses: 107 / 47
  • Clothing / Food: 260 / 116

Would you like to help us reach the rest of those islands? Have a look at our volunteering opportunities.

Our ministries

Over the years, we have a started multiple ministries to serve our community in Ebeye and the outer islands. Here is a list of all our active ministries. We are dreaming for a lot more though with the help of our faithful supporters and volunteers.

Gifts on Cloud Nine's deck to distribute on outer islands

Outer island outreaches

We plan quarterly trips to the outer atolls to take Marshallese bibles, perform medical services, take supplies and to serve the isolated.  Find out more here: Outer Island Outreaches

Distributing bibles in the Marshall Islands

End Bible poverty

Many Marshallese in the outer islands have never possessed a Bible in their own language. Our goal is to personally deliver one Bible per household. To find out more go here: Ending Bible Poverty

Marshallese children

Education sponsorship

Over 2000 children in Ebeye don’t go to school because public schools are full. We help these children with sponsors for their education.  To find out more click here:  Child Sponsorship Program

Kids playing duck goose at Good News Club

Good News Club

This ministry is all about sharing God’s love with kids and sharing the good news. We play games, sing songs, tell a Bible story, provide snacks and do wound care in the least reached parts of Ebeye.  To find out more click here: Good News Club

Katie teaching english to kids in Ebeye

English as a Second Language

We offer weekly English classes to the children in our neighborhood who don’t go to school. They learn the basics and hear about Jesus’ love for them.  To find out more info click here:  ESL Class

Katie teaching about germs at primary school in Wotje

Health education

We teach a combination of Diabetes Prevention, Healthy Eating Habits, Dental Care and ways an individual can improve their overall health by increasing their knowledge.  To find out more info click here:  Health Education

Young Marshallese girls with their Days for Girls gift

Days For Girls

A non-profit organization, www.daysforgirls.org – Days for Girls is a global movement that prepares and distributes sustainable menstrual health solutions to girls/women who would otherwise miss school or work during their monthly periods.  More info to come.

Treating an infected wound on a Marshallese girl

Wound Care Clinic

In the tropical climate of the Marshall Islands it is easy to find yourself with a wound that become infected.  We do free wound care clinics frequently in different locations on Ebeye and provide much needed supplies for the participants.

To find out more info click here:  Wound Care

Reading Glasses Clinic

The first year we arrived we were gifted over a 1,000 reading glasses which we have been giving away.  In reaching an outer island we set up a day to asses the eyes of those that need reading glasses and match them up with the appropriate level needed to read again.    To find out more info click here: Reading Glasses

The Suderno's family during their mission trip to the Philippines

Sponsorship of other Ministries

God calls all of us to ministry one way or another.  Ministry can be just about anything from sharing the love of Christ to co-workers at a job to selling everything and moving to a foreign land.  Even for those of us that are called to the foreign land, God calls us to support other ministries that He is working in.  There is no way we could even list all the ministries we know about but we would love to tell you about a few that God continues to put on our hearts.  To find out more about these ministries click here:  Sponsorship of other Ministries

You want to help us fulfill our mission? Please consider volunteering with us or financially investing in our ministry.

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