Ministry Newsletter

Dear Friends:

We used to sing a song in the 1970s called “Bind Us Together, Lord.” The chorus celebrated the way the Holy Spirit connects God’s people “with cords that cannot be broken.” I’m grateful for all the people the Lord has used to help us fulfill the mission of The Mordecai Project—intercessors, financial partners, team members and friends. Thank you for praying for us and supporting us!

I’m also thankful for the way the Holy Spirit has knit my heart with church leaders from around the world who have a heart for the poor and the abused. Below you can see me with Pastor Ratna Sajja and his wife, Jothi. I met them several years ago because of a mutual connection to Christ for the Nations Institute. Recently, Ratna invited me to minister in his church in Vijaywada, India, and I went there in October for several days. Ratna’s testimony is amazing. As a young boy he was crippled by a fever, but God healed him at age six. The healing brought his Hindu father to the Lord, and his dad started a church known as Messiah Fellowship. Today, Ratna pastors that church, and he and his team are reaching thousands for Jesus.

We had some glorious meetings while I was in Vijaywada. I did a weekend conference on the Holy Spirit, and many people were filled with the Spirit or had other breakthroughs. I also taught in the church’s Bible college, and I ministered to women who are benefitting from the church’s sewing school.

Women in India suffer in many ways because of tradition and male dominance. But the Lord is releasing them from those chains and they are finding their true identity in Christ.

I have traveled to India four times before this trip, so I invited some of my Indian disciples to join me in Vijaywada. Below you can see Sireesh, Hani and Dinnu, who came from nearby Hyderabad. I have been investing in these young men since 2011, and I am so proud of them. They stayed with me in Vijaywada, and they got a front row seat for all the ministry that took place.

After the time in Vijaywada, these guys traveled with me to Tanuku, where The Mordecai Project operates a girls’ home. I had not been to Tanuku since 2015. That was the year we decided where we would build our new facility, known as Mordecai’s House. We have had many construction delays because of COVID, but progress is being made now on the building. I was thrilled to find the girls (below) doing well in school. They were excited to see me, and our ministry gave them new dresses, shoes and an afternoon at a local water park! They greeted me with songs they had prepared for my arrival.

While in Tanuku I also did a street meeting, where some people gave their hearts to Jesus. I also traveled with our directors, Raja and Padma, to a remote jungle area to train a group of pastors who are bravely taking the gospel to hostile communities. It was an honor to serve these heroes of faith who are risking their lives to spread the gospel.

The photo below really captures the heart of our ministry. These three girls are part of Mordecai’s House. Divya, on the left, is 17. At age six she was abandoned because her parents already had “too many girls.” (Because of the dowry system, parents often feel overwhelmed when they face dowry payments when their daughters grow up.) On the right is Sirisha, age 20. Her parents divorced when she was 8. Her mother struggled to feed her, and her father didn’t want to raise a girl. Both Sirisha and Divya found out about Mordecai House and they’ve lived there since.

In the middle of the photo is Miracle, who is age 1. She was born two months premature. Her mother believed superstitiously that premature babies always die, so she abandoned her. Our director, Raja, got permission to enroll her in our program. She got the name Miracle, and all the other girls dearly love her. This is the heart of the gospel—we have been adopted by God!

While in Tanuku I also spoke at a pastor’s conference that Raja organized with support from our ministry. We helped bring pastors from many remote areas in the region so they could be equipped to better make disciples. This day alone was worth the trip! These pastors are very poor and they do not have access to books, seminaries or practical training. Only in eternity will we understand how moments like this make a difference in the kingdom of God. Thank you for making events like this possible.

The Mordecai Project also sponsored a women’s event that we held in a tent in Tanuku. Women from poor backgrounds came to hear how Jesus Christ broke the chains of oppression and gave women dignity, purpose and a voice. This message of empowerment is revolutionary in Indian culture, and it is making a difference in many lives. Many of the women in the photo below are Dalits, or untouchables, who have been told all their lives that they are worthless. But when they find Christ they discover they are valuable in the eyes of God!

Below you can see another one of my Indian disciples, Prasanna, who has known me since my second trip to that country. Prasanna, who is the brother of our ministry director, Raja, works non-stop to help underprivileged people who are at the bottom of the caste system in India. Prasanna takes food, blankets and God’s love to families that live near a huge garbage dump in Tanuku. I went with him to feed families and pray for them—and we saw a young girl miraculously healed one day. I am mentoring Prasanna, and now he is making disciples himself, as you can see in the photo. Investing in young leaders like these guys is my greatest joy.