
Dear Friends of the Mordecai Project:
God’s mercy and grace is always overflowing, but August was not an easy month. On Aug. 18, when I was flying to South Dakota for our men’s Bold Venture event, my assistant Abdiel’s mother died from COVID-19 in a hospital in Florida. We had been praying for Beatríz López for several weeks while she was in intensive care. But the Lord chose to take her home, and I went to the funeral on August 25 so I could support Abdiel and his brother, Abdias. Below you can see Abdiel and me with a photo of his mother at her memorial service in West Palm Beach.
Beatríz was a special lady. She planted many churches in her native Cuba, and she was the first woman to serve as a bishop in the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Please pray for Abdiel during this time of grief. He loved his mother very much and it is difficult for him to imagine life without her, even though he has been living in the United States and she was in Cuba. We are thankful that she was able to see him graduate from Holmes Bible College in May.
In early August I had unexpected eye surgery! I found out that I had a detached retina, so my wife took me to Emory Hospital in Atlanta for the two-hour procedure. The doctor says my retina is fully reattached and healing, but she says it will take another month for all blurriness to go away. So far my vision is not back to normal, so I am asking that you please pray for total healing. Thankfully this did not keep me from traveling, but I did obtain an eye patch that I use sometimes!
I was really blessed to minister at a pastor’s conference near Fayetteville, North Carolina, in August—where I spoke about the urgent need for discipling the next generation. The Lord really blessed those meetings and I made some wonderful new friends during the trip. I am seeing increased hunger for revival wherever I go these days.
We had a very powerful men’s Bold Venture in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, August 19-21. Even though the country is still slogging through this pandemic, with new waves of infection, a healthy group of men came from Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, the east coast, and South Dakota. Below you can see our diverse group of speakers who challenged the men to become disciple-makers.
I am so grateful to my friend Quentin Beard, pastor of Sioux Falls First Assembly, for allowing us to use his facility for Bold Venture. Quentin attended the first Bold Venture in 2010, and he has been a great supporter of The Mordecai Project since then. About 85 men took over the church for three days, and we ate all our meals in the fellowship hall. The Lord showed up and transformed the men, as He always does. Some were filled with the Holy Spirit, and many others were healed of father wounds or set free from many forms of bondage so they can serve Jesus passionately. And as a result of this event, a group of men who came from Minneapolis has asked that we host a men’s Bold Venture there in 2022!
Also while I was in Chicago I got to visit with my friends Joseph and Carolina Chaparro and their new baby, Ezekiel. When Ezekiel was in the womb, Carolina started bleeding and the doctors were concerned she might lose the baby. I was speaking at their church that weekend in 2020, and I prayed for Carolina. Joseph called me later that day and said that her bleeding had stopped, and Carolina did not bleed anymore. Ezekiel was born with no complications a few months later. And as you can see, he is smiling today! What a blessing to see this boy healthy and whole. We praise God for His healing miracles.
Throughout August we were able to fund and expand our work in several countries. Below you can see some of the women we are helping in Masindi, Uganda. We expanded our pig farm there, and the women are raising the pigs and using the profits to feed their families and build businesses. We thank God for our directors there, Robert and Doreen Kaahwa, who are doing a marvelous job discipling and supporting these women.
Below you can see some of the girls who received full scholarships to attend Christian school in Moi’s Bridge, Kenya, this month. In their community, many girls are pulled out of school if their parents have any financial difficulties. The girls you see here not only have their school fees paid, but also we provided them a big box of school supplies, food and sanitary pads. Your gifts made this possible! Staying in school also protects them from the risks of female mutilation, which is a serious threat in Kenya. Thanks to Pastor Elijah Wafula, our ministry director there.
In the photo below you can see Pastor Fanny Injaidi, our director in Lilongwe, Malawi, with the 22 girls we are helping there. We provided school fees and school supplies for them so they do not have to worry about being pulled out of school this year. They were all smiles when Fanny surprised them with these care packages! Some girls in Malawi even drop out of school simply because they cannot afford feminine hygiene supplies. Your gifts supplied sanitary pads as well as notebooks, paper, groceries and other items the girls can keep in their dorms.
Also in August, we were building our new sewing center in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo! Special thanks to Pastor Udjasiri Wakahasha, who is overseeing this project. In July we sent the $5,000 needed to construct a sewing center adjacent to the church. When that building is completed, we will purchase enough sewing machines to train all of the women shown in the photo below. Pastor Udjasiri says women in the community are very curious about the project, and this has opened evangelistic opportunities! Please pray that the Lord will provide the funds for the foot-powered sewing machines. They cost about $100 each.
As you can see we were very busy in August. September will be even busier, but the Lord is supplying His strength and anointing. Our next men’s Bold Venture discipleship retreat will be at a camp near Mobile, Alabama, beginning on Sept. 30. We already have more than 140 men registered, but we have a few more spots open if you know a man who needs to attend. Bold Venture is a life-changing experience. Please encourage your friends to register at boldventure.org before we close it.
My schedule in September is very full. Please pray for the following events:
** I will be at Life Mission Worship Center in Hopewell, New Jersey (near New York City), September 11-13.
** I will preach at Faith Chapel in Syracuse, New York, September 17-19.
** I will do events for men, women and church leaders at New Life Christian Fellowship in Alpena, Michigan, Sept. 23-26.
** Please also continue to pray for my mother, who is still in a nursing home in LaGrange, where I live. Her dementia is now severe, but she has not had any falls recently.
We love you and thank God for your financial support. We could not do this without your partnership. 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