Ministry Newsletter

Dear Friends:

People often ask me how I keep such a busy travel schedule. I know it must seem that I’m always on the go. The truth is that (1) I usually get some good rest in between trips; (2) my wife has been 100% supportive of my calling; and (3) I have many people praying for me. I love the apostle Paul’s plea in his first letter to the Thessalonians: “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thess. 5:25). Because the prayers of the saints are going up continually for me, I usually enjoy smooth travel, minimal disruptions and divine protection. I don’t take that for granted!

This past month I traveled to Boston for our men’s Bold Venture retreat. Then I spent almost two weeks in El Salvador, and tacked on a quick trip to Springfield, Missouri, before returning home. And in spite of a horrible nationwide computer crash and a bad tropical storm, my trips were not disrupted. Please keep praying!

The Lord is blessing our overseas projects in amazing ways. Below you can see a woman who’s been learning to make clothes in our new empowerment center in Nyiragongo, Congo. These ladies are strategizing ways to make tote bags that we can sell to the American market. Stay tuned! These women will soon start their own businesses.

Below you can see a group of women who recently arrived in Goma, Congo, from the region of Kivu. Armed rebels who are fighting the Congolese government have been terrorizing the local people, and they use rape as a weapon to intimidate women. Some of the women in the photo were raped, forcing them to flee their homes. The terrorists burned one woman’s house with her parents inside. The level of trauma is beyond comprehension. Please pray for them. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we raised enough funds to rent rooms for these women and to provide mattresses, furnishings and food for them for three months. They will soon join our tailoring school.

In July we sent funds to launch our new project for girls in Bandarawela, Sri Lanka. Our directors, Micho and Steffni, are doing such a great job ministering to the students and their teachers. We provided food packets along with feminine hygiene supplies to hundreds of girls and some of the teachers. We are also offering discipleship. You can see five of the women in the photo below. Our assistance is keeping girls in school, because schools cannot afford to provide feminine pads.

I was so blessed that my oldest daughter, Margaret, could accompany me during the first half of my trip to El Salvador in July. Margaret just recently passed the bar in Georgia, and she is serving as a lawyer in the juvenile court in our county. She wanted to visit our women’s project in El Salvador because she has a special burden to help victims of human trafficking. Below you can see Margaret with our directors, Carlos and Maribel de la Rosa, and their daughter, Gracia. We are standing on farmland in San Marcos, El Salvador, where we will soon build our women’s empowerment center and shelter. We only need approximately $40,000 to build this structure. If you, your church or your business would like to partner with us to make this dream a reality, please donate today. The shelter will not only offer vocational training classes, but the women will also be involved in growing and harvesting crops.

I spoke in several women’s meetings in San Salvador, Opico, Quezalapa and Chalchuapa—and my daughter also shared her testimony about how the Lord gives us dreams and then sends miracles so we can achieve them. The women were so encouraged by her story of how she was able to go to law school as a young mother of three children. Below you can see some of the women worshiping at a meeting in the capital city.

After the first week I traveled to the city of San Miguel, where I did a pastor’s retreat with my friend David Alvarado, a young leader I have known for several years. These pastors were so strengthened as I taught on the leadership principles of the Apostle Paul. My messages were taken from the next book I’m writing, which is called “A Life Poured Out.” I was able to give personal prophetic ministry to each pastor in this event.

While I was in San Miguel I also did a special men’s event where I challenged the guys to walk in purity and avoid the pitfalls of Samson. It is so encouraging to see men in Latin America rejecting the macho culture of male domination and unfaithfulness. These men are embracing the true masculinity modeled for us in Scripture—manhood that is strong but compassionate, and guided by integrity and fatherly love.

While I was in El Salvador I also did an outreach to prostitutes who work in the capital city. A church I have worked with for many years, Luminaries, has been reaching out to these women for many months—and they invited them to a luncheon where they were showered with love and blessed with gifts. I shared a message of salvation and some of the women began a relationship with Jesus.

It was very special to have my spiritual son Rodolfo Bermudez with me on the El Salvador trip. Based in southern Mexico, he rode 16 hours in a bus on bumpy roads to join me! He also shared his testimony in some meetings, and he preached to the youth at the church in Quezalapa. I’m so proud of this young man. Right now he and his wife are praying about joining The Mordecai Project team in Guatemala!

Below you can see me next to a Ugandan pastor who is based in Boston, Massachusetts. I met Kenneth Mutegyeki last year when he came to our Bold Venture event in Florida. This year we decided to host a Bold Venture men’s conference in Boston. Denis, Moses and Paul, three leaders in Kenneth’s church, worked very hard to make Bold Venture a reality. And now we have become very close friends. We had an unforgettable time together!

Bold Venture Boston was very special because so many immigrant brothers attended from many ethnic backgrounds. And the worship had a distinctive African flavor! Some of the American men who attended had never experienced African praise before, so they learned to dance! It was almost as good as being in Uganda!

Below you can see me with the other Bold Venture speakers. This was perhaps the most diverse group of speakers we have ever had at one of our men’s events. The men included (from left) Kenneth Mutegyeki from Uganda, Ulan Karypov from Kyrgyzstan, Paul Muzichuk from Ukraine, Khuram Bashir from Pakistan, Nati Bulcho from Ethiopia, Antione Ashley from Florida, Hao Xu from China, and yours truly. We had 16 languages represented in the event! It was like Pentecost!

My favorite thing about Bold Venture Boston was having my grandson, Grady, with me. He’s only 12, but he listened to every speaker, did the 5-minute workouts, worshipped, and enjoyed connecting with all the men. And he ran to the altar when there were opportunities for ministry. He told me that his favorite moment was the night he went to receive prayer for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This was unforgettable!

In early August I traveled to Springfield, Missouri, to attend a short meeting with some leaders in my church network. Because we were meeting at the headquarters of Convoy of Hope, my friend Hal Donaldson asked if I would speak to the staff of the ministry. Convoy of Hope is one of the largest Christian charities in the United States, and they feed more than 500,000 children every day. I spoke to about 340 of the staff of Convoy, and then I had some special time with Hal Donaldson and his wife, Doree (below). We have known each other since 1997. If you are ever in Springfield, a tour of Convoy headquarters is worth your time!

Finally, I wanted you to see that my new book, “Let’s Go Deeper,” is now available in Indonesian. I will be going to Indonesia in September to promote the book in some churches in Jakarta and Bandung. It is very special that my message on discipleship can spread on the other side of the world while I am here on this side!

I really covet your prayers as I travel in August. Here’s my ministry schedule for the next several weeks:

** August 14-25 –Barranquilla and Bucaramanga, Colombia
** September 2-6 – Slavic Missionary Bible School in Jacksonville, Florida
** September 12-14 — Bold Venture men’s event, Lombard, Illinois (Chicago)
(It’s not too late to register for this event at boldventure.org.)
** September 15 – Christian Worship Center, Lombard, Illinois
** September 19-21 – Women’s Bold Venture in Tulsa, Oklahoma

We love you! We need your prayers as well as your financial support. 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.