Ministry Newsletter

Dear Friends of the Mordecai Project:

Life is slowly returning to a new normal as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Restaurants are busy and airports are crowded again. Thankfully I have been able to travel domestically for many months, and soon I will begin traveling internationally. But our lives have changed forever because of this global crisis, and hopefully the pruning we have endured will bear much fruit for the kingdom of God. I pray that for you!

Many of our brothers and sisters overseas are still suffering because of new waves of the virus, or because of the negative impact of lockdowns. It is especially bad in India and parts of Africa. As you can see in the photo below, many families in Africa lack food because lockdowns have prevented people from selling their wares on the streets. We just sent funds to two or our ministry partners in Uganda to provide food for needy families, but we need to send more.

Below you can see a widow in Kagoma, Uganda, who is struggling to feed her six children. The funds we sent this week to Pastor Paul Wandera will help her, along with many other families. We provided essential commodities like soap, rice, corn, sugar, salt and beans. Soon, we hope to help Pastor Paul build a dormitory to house girls at his school in that village. The Mordecai Project is committed to helping women and girls who are falling through the cracks of society. Thank you for standing with us!

Below you can see the children who attend a Christian school in the small village of Kyendamwoyo, Uganda. The principal of the school, Moses Myebale, informed me recently that the children are suffering because lockdowns have severely affected their parents’ ability to feed them. Any gift you send, designated to this project, will provide food for the children. We are also asking the Lord to provide $27,000 to build a girls’ dorm to replace the one that was destroyed in a storm a few months ago. If your church is interested in helping us raise those funds, please contact me.

We are excited to announce that our women’s empowerment center in Pakistan continues to grow. Below you can see the women who met for three days last week for discipleship training. During those days we also gave them the money they made from the sale of tote bags they made with the sewing machines we bought for them. We sold the bags in the United States, and the funds provide enough money for the women to feed their families for a month. Very soon we will be announcing plans to build a sewing center where the women will work to make more bags to provide a living wage for them.

About 14 years ago I met a young Slavic guy named Alex Novik, who is from a Russian-speaking church in Philadelphia. He then introduced me to a guy named Alex Ankudovich. I mentored both of these guys, and then they introduced me to other young leaders in the Slavic-American church. One of those young men is Igor Marach, a 24-year-old youth pastor at a Slavic church in South River, New Jersey. I went to Igor’s church in June to lead revival services for the youth and to speak at the Sunday service. In the photo below I am with Alex, Alex, Igor and two other young leaders of the New Jersey church.

Below you can see the group of young adults who crammed into Grace Church on that Friday evening in June. It reminded me of the atmosphere of youth events I attended in the 1970s, during the Jesus Movement. I truly believe something of that magnitude is going to happen again! Something special is happening among Slavic youth. Come, Holy Spirit!

I love the hunger of these young people! In the Friday night service, students from many ethnic backgrounds showed up. After I preached a message about “Going Deeper With God,” we had eight salvations and many others were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

During the weekend I was in New Jersey, a young Ethiopian guy named Nathan Mesfin joined me (below, on the left). On Sunday morning, I preached at the predominantly Ukrainian congregation about the way the Holy Spirit breaks down racial and cultural barriers. I reminded them that they can’t just stay in their Slavic box, but they must open their hearts to all people. Having Nathan with me was a great visual example of my message. The Ukrainian church is ready to open their hearts to reach their community!

After the New Jersey trip I spoke for two days at the summer semester of Randy Clark’s Global School of Supernatural ministry. We had more than 100 students in the in-person class, along with more online students. It is always special to invest in these students, because they come from many backgrounds. I met one lady who is a key leader in the nation of Rwanda, and she wants me to come to her country to bring healing to the many women who have suffered sexual violence there. She has many government connections. Please be praying about this unusual door of opportunity.

In June I was also blessed to speak at the Emerge pastoral training event in Franklin Springs, Georgia. It was really special to share the pulpit with one of my best friends, Chris Maxwell, who is the campus pastor at Emmanuel College. Chris taught on the importance of leaders having strong friendships, and then I taught after him on the priority of relational mentoring. So many leaders are crying out for training on how to reach the next generation, and I am blessed to help equip them.

The Lord has connected me with so many wonderful young leaders from many immigrant backgrounds. Below you can see Mehari Berhane, an Eritrean immigrant who lives in California, with his fiancé Salam. I have been doing their premarital counseling sessions, and I will be doing their wedding in July in Seattle. The church in Eritrea is suffering right now, and Christians must worship underground. But I am praying that religious freedom will be restored soon, and one day I can go to Eritrea with Mehari and Salam.

Here are some specific prayer requests from us:

** I will be traveling in the next few weeks to Chicago; Mobile, Alabama; Orlando, Florida; and Seattle. Please pray for safety and fresh anointing.

** I learned recently that I will have to have a cataract removed, and the initial pre-op visit with the doctor is July 8. Please pray for God’s healing and special grace over this procedure.

** Please stand with us as we raise funds for all of our overseas projects. We are asking the Lord for a big gift to help us finalize all of our Phase One projects. If you or your church would like to discuss adopting one of our projects please contact me.

** I visited my mother this week in her nursing home. I will be allowed to visit her more frequently in the coming weeks. We are grateful that pandemic protocols are being relaxed.

We love you and thank God for you. And thank you for your financial support. We could not do this without our partners. To give to our overseas work, just hit the “Donate” button below and follow the prompts. To give by check, mail it to The Mordecai Project, P.O. Box 2781, LaGrange, GA 30241.

Lee and Deborah Grady

The Mordecai Project
P.O. Box 2781
LaGrange, GA 30241