Ministry Newsletter

From Lee Grady / Praise Reports and Prayer Requests

Dear Friends of the Mordecai Project:

When my friends describe 2020, they use words like “crazy,” “weird,” “intense” and “traumatic.” And more than once someone has said the year reminded them of an episode of The Twilight Zone! I try to stay positive, because I know the Lord’s grace was abundant even in this difficult season. But if I’m honest, I have to admit I feel shell-shocked because of the pandemic and the political turmoil. We are praying for you as we enter 2021. And please pray for us!

The Lord is so good to send encouragement at the right time. This week I got a message from a Nigerian pastor named Yinka Ojo. He sent the photo below, and wrote: “In January 2013 you prophesied at our church here in Lagos, Nigeria. You said I would be taking teams on ministry trips to other nations. At that time, this seemed far-fetched and not on my radar at all. But the wheels began to turn. And this past weekend we undertook our first mission trip with a team of Nigerians. We ministered in the nations of Benin and Togo. God’s word came to pass after 8 years!”

Pastor Yinka’s testimony reminds me that God’s promises always come to pass in His timing. We sow the word; then we water the word. And if we do not grow weary, we will reap! When I prayed and fasted about 2021, the Lord told me it would be a year of reaping. I don’t see the fruit yet—the branches look bare from pruning! But I know fruit is coming.

Below you can see the members of the Mordecai Project’s board during our annual meeting in mid-January. I am so grateful for these leaders, who not only advise us and hold us accountable but also pray with us and encourage us. We had a wonderful time of prayer and celebration after I shared the victories of 2020. I am grateful for James Graham (with his wife, Sharlene), Chris Revells (with Jeannie), Matt Judd, Eddie and Beth Taylor, Dee Mueller (with Mark) and my wife, Deborah, who serve on our board. My assistant, Paul Muzichuk, was also with us—and I am so grateful for his servant’s heart as he handles my schedule, organizes our events, and does so much to administrate our missionary outreach.

Before the pandemic I had never heard of Zoom—but I now use this video conferencing app almost daily. I also use FaceTime to mentor and disciple so many young leaders. Below you can see Dante Grady, a youth pastor from Pittsburgh; David Solomon, who has a young adult ministry for Ethiopians and Eritreans; and Alvin Teguh—a businessman from Indonesia. Even though much of my travel has been restricted, I am doing more mentoring than ever. My greatest joy in life is investing in the next generation.

I also do many group discipleship events, like the one advertised below. When I put out the word this week, more than 30 young men asked if they could be on the mentoring call. This technology is allowing me to “redeem the time” and pour into these young leaders even when I cannot travel as much. We are currently assessing travel restrictions in all of the countries I visit routinely so that I can begin to schedule my 2021 trips. Please pray for this process because I feel like I’m trying to put together a puzzle!

Our overseas work is thriving in the midst of this pandemic. The woman below, from our ministry in Masindi, Uganda, is raising pigs to feed her family. We provided the first pigs for her, and they are reproducing fast! We are in serious need of $8,000 to cover all costs of our women’s empowerment center for this year. (This includes a security guard, veterinary costs, feed and fertilizer.) We also need $600 to buy corn seed before the prices are raised in March. The women will be planting fields of corn to provide for their families. If anyone can help us with these costs we would appreciate it very much.

I am so grateful for Robert and Doreen Kaahwa (below), the directors of our women’s project in Masindi. The Lord has blessed me to work with some wonderful servants. Robert and Doreen pastor a church, Doreen leads a growing community school, and now they are expanding the women’s outreach—which we call Bethany Women’s Empowerment Center. Please pray for them—as well as our directors in Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Peru, Guatemala, Colombia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and two more cities in Uganda.

Since March we have been feeding a group of 50 destitute women in Pakistan. This project is under the leadership of my friends Susheel and Esther Saleem. At this point we feel it is time to begin to build the women’s shelter so that the women can learn tailoring and other trades. We are hoping to teach them sewing so they can make tote bags, Bible covers and other decorative crafts. We also plan to start a sheep farm soon, and we will let you know the cost of each lamb.

Below you can see the model of sewing machines that we purchased for $100 each for our Uganda center. We want to buy at least 25 sewing machines to begin the work in Pakistan. Please pray with us about this, and consider donating $100 or more for these sewing machines. Your gift will help break the cycle of poverty and lift these women up so they can give their children a future. In addition to these sewing machines we want to provide $1,250 in food aid to the women this month. If you or your church can help us with this, please donate online and designate “Pakistan.”

Many people have been asking me if we plan to have any Bold Venture discipleship events in 2021. YES! We have already secured a camp near Mobile, Alabama, for our Southeast region event for men. Below you can see some of the leaders who will be working with us on that retreat. We also plan to have a men’s Bold Venture near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a women’s event—either in Florida or Georgia. We will let you know the details as soon as we have them!

Thank you for praying for us – and for my family. My 92-year-old mother tested positive COVID in late December, but she never had any symptoms. However because the nursing home is so cautious they will not let me visit her now. I know she is lonely. We also celebrated my grandson Hananiah’s seventh birthday last week! He brings so much joy into our lives and we are so blessed that he and his family live so near us.

Thanks so much for your prayers and financial support. Over the next few weeks I will be preaching in Newnan, Georgia; Houston, Texas; Greenville, South Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina. I need your prayers for a strong anointing of the Holy Spirit on these meetings. And please pray that these financial needs will be met so that we can fund all of the overseas projects.

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

ABOUT US


The Mordecai Project is a Christian ministry devoted to empowering women, confronting abuse and transforming nations through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

DONATIONS


All gifts are tax-deductible. Secure online donations can be made at our website themordecaiproject.org/donate
Checks can be made out to The Mordecai Project and mailed to:
The Mordecai Project / Bold Venture Ministries
P.O. Box 2781
LaGrange, GA 30241:

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Rev. Matt Judd
Good News Church
Augusta, Georgia
Chris Revells
Pickens, South Carolina
Rev. Luis Roig
Casa del Padre
Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Rev. Eddie Taylor
Rev. Beth Taylor
Taylor Ministry Group
Deland, Florida
Re. James Graham
International Gospel Outreach
Semmes, Alabama
Rev. Dee Mueller
The Hearth Ministries
Blairsville, Georgia

 

OTHER ADVISERS


Rev. Barry St. Clair
East West Ministries
Lilburn, Georgia
Rev. Doug Beacham
Bishop, International Pentecostal Holiness Church
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Rev. Chris Maxwell
Campus Pastor
Emmanuel College
Franklin Springs, Georgia
Rev. David and Angela Munizzi
Catalyst Church
Orlando, Florida
Barry and Myra Goldfarb
Deland, Florida
Mimi Haddad
President, Christians for Biblical Equality
Minneapolis, Minnesota 
Rev. Quentin Beard
Sioux Falls First Assembly
Sioux Falls, South Dakota  
The Mordecai Project / Bold Venture Ministries, P.O. Box 2781, LaGrange, GA 30241, United States