About Us

The WAY: Empowering Missions International, Inc. (TWEMI) is a US based non-profit organization which seeks to form strategic partnerships with people, institutions and organizations around the world.

TWEMI provides fundraising, funds and support for projects which enhance and improve the lives of people.

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to support and promote self determination, ownership, self-reliance, and management of the projects and programs by and for the people in the areas in which we work.   TWEMI provides financial support and consultation to other non-profits organizations.

Our Philosophical Principal:  Empowering People to Become Self-Reliant. “If you give a man a fish he can only eat once but, if you show him how to fish he can feed himself.”

OUR HISTORY

The Way: Empowering Missions International, Inc. is the brainchild of Rev. Melvin Black.  Having many years of experience in community and church centered, mission oriented projects, Rev. Black came to realize that while these missions were outgrowths of the church and required membership as a prerequisite, the programs were ineffectual to those most in need.  Lack of funding, membership requirements, as well as personal and resource commitment, limited and in some cases prohibited the effectiveness of the programs.  Thus, the need to serve all individuals was realized.

In 2009, Rev. Black envisioned the necessity to start an organization that has as its core value, self sustaining service.   From a vision the mission began, and The Way: Empowering Missions International (The Way: EMI) was born.

My First Mission to the Philippines by Rev. Melvin Black

My initial journey to the Far East was in pursuit to learn more about my father’s experiences as a soldier in WWII. He served in the Marine 52 artillery battalion and  his unit fought in the Pacific during the war. It was during my second journey to the Far East where I met a Philippine nun, Sister Estela Marie.

She introduced herself and told me about her mission to Makilala, North Cotabato on the island of Mindanao to start a home for abandoned children.   She also suggested that I partner with her and assist in building the home. The Way: EMI and Sister Estela Marie decided to partner and worked in conjunction on-site in the Philippines from 2009 until 2011 to build a home for abused and abandoned children.

I worked with her from 2009 until 2011.  This project started with donated land and a desire and assistance from many people to build this facility. It started with clearing land, obtaining building supplies and paying for local labor to assist with the building of the home.

The project started with a desire, donated land and assistance from many people to build the facility. Our organization helped clear the land, obtain building supplies and payed for local labor to assist with the construction of the home. The mission project included planting crops, providing clothing and education, temporary housing, and feeding projects for the children.  As the mission continued, attention turned toward projects to sustain the home.  This includes making soap to sell and buying a freezer to resell fish purchased from General Santos, Mindanao.  The Way: EMI also donated a chain saw to cut and build furniture and clear more land.

Once the home was able to sustain itself, Sister Marie returned to Italy and The Way: EMI began its next mission project for a Medical Clinic at Bahay Aurora Orphanage in the Philippines. Currently, the local community and church in North Cotabato continue to support and run the home for the children.