Dear Friends of the Mordecai Project:
Some people think international travel is glamorous. All you have to do is read about Paul’s journey to Italy in Acts 27-28 to know that it is anything but! However I am thankful I don’t have to travel by boat, like Paul, to get to my destinations. My recent journey to Singapore required 21 hours of flying. Sometimes my mileage status on Delta Airlines gets me an upgrade, but that rarely happens on international flights. However, cramped seats and jet lag are worth it to see the kind of spiritual fruit I saw on this trip! Thank you for covering me in prayer!
Below you can see me with my host in Singapore, Peter Sam. I met Peter several years ago on one of my first trips there. He is now the pastor of the Indonesian congregation of Cornerstone Church, one of the largest churches in the country. It has about 5,000 members and continues to grow. Peter and I bonded on my second trip and he has become a dear friend.
Below you can see me with the leaders of Peter’s Indonesian congregation. Many of the members of his church are Indonesian women who came to Singapore to work as maids. I brought a special word to them from the Book of Ruth and there was so much freedom released. Afterwards I was able to pray for all the leaders and prophesy over them. It was a special time of encouragement for everyone. Peter and I are now talking about going to Indonesia on my next trip to Singapore so we can do some conferences there.
Below you can see a Tamil-speaking Indian congregation called Jesus Lives Church. I spoke to this group four times while I was in Singapore. Pastor Jonathan Suppoya met me on one of my previous trips and asked if I would train his church in discipleship. We also had a powerful night service where many were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Indians make up about 9 percent of Singapore’s population, and God is moving powerfully in this minority group.
I also spoke three times at Rock of Ages Church, a mostly Chinese congregation that is reaching a lot of young adults. You can see me below with some of the young people who come to one of the services. I did a special series of meetings on the Holy Spirit. Many shy, timid or intellectual people received the baptism of the Holy Spirit! There was also deep healing from abuse. There was a strong sense that the Lord turned up the volume of this church so they can make a bigger impact.
I met so many special people on this trip, including the woman below—Haziel Minoza. She leads the Filipino ministry of Cornerstone Church, and God has used her to plant about 16 Filipino congregations in the past few years. She has read my book, 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, and it gave her special courage to step out as a leader. Haziel is now planning to bring me to the Philippines the next time I go to Singapore so that we can encourage more women to arise. Please pray for these new opportunities in Asia!
Below you can see me with some of the leaders of Cornerstone’s Filipino ministry. They are precious people—and because of the Spanish influence in the Philippines they remind me of my Latin American friends! They are very exuberant and have a similar passion as Latino believers. The night I spoke at their service they began lining up for me to pray and prophesy over them. No one seemed to want to go home that night!
In the photo below you can see me praying over a young man who I called out of the crowd. His name is Billy Caraig, and he is a young Filipino immigrant who leads worship for several of the Filipino congregations in Singapore. Billy and I got connected in a special way and he ended up going with me to some of the other churches during my trip. God has knit our hearts and he wants to travel with me in the future. I know the Lord is going to use him in some powerful ways.
During my visit to Singapore I was able to have lunch with this powerful lady, Naomi Dowdy (below). It was Naomi who first brought me to Singapore many years ago to do a women’s event. She planted Trinity Christian Center more than 40 years ago and it has grown to more than 8,000 members today. Even though she turned her pulpit over to the man she trained to be her successor, she still travels the world giving apostolic oversight to many churches. And she is in her 80s! She is a legend. It was a special thrill for my Indian disciple Hani (right) to be with me during this meeting.
Speaking of disciples, I was able to invest in these men during my trip (below). On the left is Billy Caraig from the Philippines. Next is Alberto Piovezani, a Brazilian immigrant who works in Singapore, and on the far right is Sireesh Kumar, another Indian who is currently working in Malaysia. I met Sireesh in India many years ago before he was married. All of these guys stayed with me during my trip, and they have become like my own sons. My greatest joy is investing in disciples who can carry on my work after I am gone.
On the last two nights of my trip I spoke at Telugu-speaking Indian congregation that is affiliated with Cornerstone Church. Almost 95% of the church is men who work in the shipyards of Singapore. They work long hours and are away from their families, but they are very hungry for God. Below you can see that many men came to the altar to make first-time decisions for Jesus. That same night, more than 50 came to the altar to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The most special moment of the entire trip was when I saw my spiritual son Alberto praying for some guys at the altar when I spoke at the Telugu service. Alberto is now inspired to invest his life in others. He wants to help mentor some of the Indian guys who responded to the Lord. I can’t express in words how fulfilling it is to see your own disciples carrying on the work!
Thank you again for believing in me and praying for this trip. It was physically exhausting and spiritually intense, but I would not change anything. Seeds were planted and watered, and there was also a harvest. God is moving so powerfully today in Asia and it was a huge honor to be a small part of that.
The day before I returned to the United States my mother fell in her apartment and fractured her pelvis. Fortunately my sister was visiting and was able to tend to her while I was en route home. As soon as I landed in Atlanta I raced home to her hospital room. You can see in the photo below that she was happy to see me. I do request your prayers for her: She is currently in rehab at a nursing home in LaGrange. She needs to recover her mobility in order to return to her assisted living apartment. Please pray for grace to recover. She turns 91 in two weeks!
We really need your prayers. Donations seem to have slowed a bit the past few months but our expenses have not decreased. We also need extra funds to launch our Uganda project and to complete our Peru and Guatemala shelters. Please continue to agree with us for the following needs:
- I need someone to give $800 to cover my trip to Guatemala in July.
- We need $5,000 for our women’s project in Masindi, Uganda.
- Please pray for the approximately $10,000 remaining to finish the Guatemala shelter.
- We need about $20,000 to complete the Peru shelter.
- A total of about $300,000 is needed to launch all of the Phase One projects around the world. The need is huge but the Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills! I know this money is coming. Please agree with us for a miracle. I will be meeting with one of my board members next week to work on writing a grant request for these funds.
Thank you again for your partnership. We are indebted to all of you. Please let us know if there is anything we can agree with you about in prayer.
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