Ministry Newsletter

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is watching the 1938 version of “A Christmas Carol,” starring Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge. I love seeing the bitter, tight-fisted Scrooge transform overnight into a happy, generous man after he realizes the true meaning of Christmas. He opens his heart, starts laughing, and then opens his wallet—to his employee, Bob Cratchit; to a boy passing by his house on Christmas morning; to two men seeking donations for a charity; to his nephew, Fred; and to the financially struggling Crachit family.

Acts 20:35 says: “It is better to give than to receive.” This is an interesting passage because it’s a saying of Jesus that doesn’t appear in the canonical gospels. And yet the apostle Paul, along with so many of the early disciples, knew Jesus said this. Jesus probably said it often, and people remembered His words even before the gospels were recorded.

Jesus had the most generous heart of anyone—and He calls us to the same generosity. He also reminds us that we will experience true blessing not when we hoard things, but when we share with others. Thank you so much for sharing with The Mordecai Project during this past year!

Below you can see one way that The Mordecai Project is helping women in El Salvador. I was with these women in the capital city of San Salvador in November, when we hosted an event there. Our director, Maribel de la Rosa, has been training the women in various skills so they can start businesses. These women learned how to color fabrics using natural dyes from vegetables and fruits. They are now selling purses, hats, wallets, skirts and other items so they can feed their families. And at our event, some women also came to know Jesus!

At the women’s event in San Salvador, we also gave each woman a bag of groceries and other items for their families. We have also been doing this at our women’s outreach in Pakistan. Your donations have made this possible!

Below you can see me with Pastor Maribel and her husband, Carlos. We are excited to announce that we have obtained land a few miles south of the capital where we plan to build a women’s empowerment center. The land has several acres for farming, so the women can grow vegetables and fruits as well as tend animals for milk, meat and eggs. In 2024 we will be raising the funds to build this center.

While I was in El Salvador, I also led a weekend retreat for my friends at Luminaries Church. Everyone from the congregation came to a retreat center in the mountains, two hours north of the capital, and we had a rich time of teaching, worship and fellowship. I have been connected to pastor Ricardo Quinteros and his wife, Sheli, for many years. Many people were filled with the Holy Spirit during this weekend.

I am so grateful for my friendships with the people from Luminaries. This is a very young church that is reaching the next generation, and some of the guys are like spiritual sons to me. Below you can see me with some of the leaders when we went out to eat “pupusas” (Salvadoran tacos) after a church meeting.

After a week in El Salvador, Pastor Quinteros drove me to the Honduran border where I met Pastor Isaac Vilorio, who leads Centro Crisitiano in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. Isaac and his wife, Peggy, invited me back to Honduras to do a week of ministry. On that Saturday I preached several times at an all-day men’s event that they called “Aventura Audaz”—which means “Bold Venture.” The men connected with each other in a powerful way, and they also experienced many spiritual breakthroughs.

Below you can see Pastora Peggy translating for me on Sunday morning at Centro Cristiano, where I reached a message called “Close Your Exits.” People were deeply challenged to surrender to the will of God instead of resisting the Holy Spirit! I love working with this church.

In mid-December, my ministry assistant, Abdiel Lopez, traveled to his native Cuba to minister to the leaders of several churches that his late mother founded. I am so proud of Abdiel for his sacrifice. I had originally planned to go with him on this trip, but because I had already been in 11 countries in 2023 I felt I needed to get some rest. Thanks to everyone who gave money to support Abdiel’s trip. The people in Cuba are suffering a lot, but Abdiel was able to take aid to them and to the pastors, who are finding it difficult to afford food. Please pray for Cuba!

Below you can see one of the many miracles of 2023. This is an aerial view of our women’s empowerment center in Masindi, Uganda. This is the largest facility we have ever built, and it will be used as a residential shelter for women in crisis, as well as a vocational training facility. I will be cutting the ribbon and dedicating this building when I go to Uganda in February 2024. We need approximately $10,000 to finish the final painting, wiring, tiling and plumbing. Please consider helping us with that need.

On the personal front, we are very excited to announce that our oldest daughter, Margaret, graduated from law school at Georgia State University on December 15. Margaret achieved this milestone at age 38 with three young kids! And her plan is to use her law degree to fight human trafficking in the state of Georgia and beyond. For more information about her ministry, Illuminate Justice, you can go to illuminatejustice.com.

We pray you have a wonderful Christmas with those you love. Below you can see our three grandchildren, Grady (11), Judah (7) and Hananiah (9). We took this photo on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta on the day Margaret graduated. We love having them so close by!

Thank you so much for your financial support. Our needs have grown a lot because our projects have expanded. Please consider asking your church to adopt one of our outreaches—or perhaps invite a local business to help us. Our biggest needs are:

** $12,000 to complete construction for our girls’ home in India;

** $10,000 to finish the interior of the shelter in Masindi, Uganda;

** $30,000 to build a school in Goma, Congo;

** $6,000 for school fees and rent for our training project in Rwentobo, Uganda;

** Additional sewing machines for several centers ($150 each);

** $12,000 to launch our project for women in Sri Lanka.

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.