Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The McGrady Family

Dear Friends and Family,We can hardly believe that it is time for our Christmas letter. What an amazing year it has been. We recognize how very much we have needed God's help and the support of you our friends and family to make all that we do a reality. It's humbling and yet a feeling of great blessing to know we are part of an amazing team. Thank you so very much.

On a personal note, as of October 31, we have lived in Marion, IN for a year. Jordan is living at home and attending school at Indiana Wesleyan University just two miles away. He is majoring in Business and Spanish and doing very well. Jessica started working in April for Spherion Staffing in Mansfield, Ohio as their Marketing Manager and Social Media Analyst. Josh is working at a men's clothing store in Columbus, Ohio as an assistant manager.

Marlene has continued to travel to Michigan on Mondays and Tuesdays to work as a counselor at Arborhills Psychological Services, as well as teaching a practicum in pastoral counseling and doing counseling for ministerial students at Indiana Wesleyan this semester. As of this blog posting she has finished her work in Michigan and now will proceed to complete the licensing requirements for counseling in Indiana over the next few months.

We still have the blessing of working with World Gospel Mission as Pastors to Missionaries and leading the Member Health/Care department there. What a joy this has been as we have helped to lead 3 re-entries ( a time of debriefing, renewal and transition for our missionaries who are returning from their field of service for Home Ministries.) as well as presented seminars in some of the training sessions for new missionaries going out.

In addition, we had the privilege of traveling to Bolivia in July to share in a retreat with our missionaries. What a great time we had of getting to know them a little better and seeing some of the great work that they do there. There are no words to describe the admiration we have for them as they serve together on the front lines. They face challenges that those living in the States can't imagine, but still they faithfully serve.
We also were able to travel in September to Cusco, Peru, a beautiful city high up in the Andes Mountains. Things did not go quite as planned there as Ned ended up in the hospital for 2 days with a parasite, but we were still able to spend valuable time with the missionaries as we shared together and got to know them a little better. Listening to the heartbeats of these amazing people gave us insight into how we might better come along side and partner with them! (And, yes, further tests reveal that Ned has a no longer has a little friend living with him)

We feel so blessed as we think of all of you and what you individually and collectively mean to us in our lives and to our ministry. We are deeply grateful for your care, prayers, love and support. We truly believe that all of what we accomplish is a reflection of God's help and you!

We want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Please pray for our ministry as we prepare to travel to the American Indian Field in Arizona, Paraguay and Bolivia during the start of the New Year.

Sincerely, The McGrady’s Ned, Marlene, Jessica, Joshua and Jordan

Luke 2:10 -11 "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

www.wgm.org/mcgrady to find out more about our ministry with World Gospel Mission and or to make a secure on-line donation.

Reaching to Cusco, Peru! October 2012

 During the month of September we traveled to Cusco, Peru to work with WGM's Team of missionaries partnering with the church and various ministries to help reach that city for Christ. No we were not under a Tsunami warning but from the view of Ned's hospital bed the trip seemed a little like one.
We arrived safely in Cusco after an all night flight and was preparing for various ministry opportunities including preaching, teaching, a special ladies meeting at the Agape Church and a retreat with the missionary team. The next day I (Ned) became very ill and it lasted in to the next day when on the advise of a missionary doctor we headed for the hospital.

I worked many years as a hospital chaplain but never was a patient until arriving in Cusco. The hospital was a step back in time but a nice new building that offered attentive care. The ER doc admitted me for hydration and antibiotics to treat a parasite that had taken up residence in my body. Two days later the bugs had been bombarded with enough antibiotics and other medications that the symptoms subsided and I was discharged late that second day. Thankfully Marlene is an LPN and was able to stay at the hospital and between the two of us and the help of the missionaries and your prayers we made it through that trial.

Due to this minor tsunami that hit me, all of our ministry at the church changed as we were only able to pray for the city of Cusco from our 6th floor window. Our plans to go to a retreat center for a few days were also curtailed as others of our team had some of the same symptoms as I had. So we decided it was best for everyone to stay near to home for the week.

But God was failthful to us, as we continued to lift up Christ in Cusco. For a few hours each day we met with our missionaries David and Cathlene Strong and Ann Seaney and we talked about ministry and missions. We spent time discussing ways that the local Agape Church may help discover its gifts and talents and use them to make a strong impact in to the lives of local Cuscanians.

The city of Cusco is a very large city and reaching 1/2 million people. It is set in the heart of the Andes Mountains and is at an elevation of 12,000 ft.  Up the mountainside, overlooking the city is a large white statue of Jesus and His arms are outstreached over the city. As we peared up at this huge statue of Jesus the verse of scripture came to my mind, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." John 12:32 NKJV and I prayed Lord may our WGM missionaries be blessed as they are "lifting up Christ in Cusco." Jesus said, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3: 14 -15 NKJV. Please join us in praying for all our missionaries sharing Christ in foreign lands. Marlene and I with the stength of the Lord, spent time investing in the lives of some great missionaries and we had the opporunity to encourage them in their work on the front lines as they are daily lifting up Christ in Cusco.

The people of Cusco are wonderful, warm and friendly and they have some religious influence in their lives, but as with so many people in our world, the clarity of who Christ is and what He came to do gets clouded by busyness, other priorities as well as false religions. Even though Jesus stands watch over the city of Cusco with arms outstreached most Cuscanians would rather tell you about "mother earth" and caution you to treat her with respect by giving her a drink of water by pouring some on the ground. Our missionaries have sensed God's call to Cusco to proclaim Christ and to introduce folks to the Creator God himself! The one that invites us to drink of the Living Water, so as to thirst no more! Pray for our team serving there as God works in them and through them to accomplish His purposes. God has Cusco on His heart! Will you pray?

By the end of our stay in Cusco it seemed like it was a little bit like a Tsunami, as we had a lot of unexpected things happen to us. But in spite of all that happened we saw God work in some amazing ways resulting in some real God inspired ideas to use the teachings we did with our missionaries to impact and share with the Agape Church. Perhaps had our plans not changed, we may not have had the focus on how God may want to use the missionaries in new ways to impact the church. Good things do come out of Tsunami's ya know. Well it was time for us to start our journey back to the USA. We had a flight to Lima the capital where we had visited with missionaries back in 2009 and we enjoyed the city overlooking the ocean. And for those of you that know me well, I love Dunkin Donuts coffee, and amazingly enough that evening we enjoyed a visit to the local DD's. The coffee reminded us of home and as a souvenir we bought the coffee mug that said, "I love DD Peru!" We took a night tour of the city and returned to our guest house for a short night stay before heading to the airport for our return to Miami and eventually Indianapolis. We thank you so much for your prayers and support that makes it possible to fulfill our part in the great commission work of seeing our world reached with the "Good News". You are truly our "Champions" and because of your faithfulness in prayer and giving we can go! We are humbled to be your missionaries and we are committed to ministering the love of Jesus wherever we go.

Stationed locally, serving Christ Globally,

Ned and Marlene McGrady

World Gospel Mission

Box 948

Marion, IN 46953

 the month

Champions Corner August 2012

Welcome to our New Blogspot!

We are excited to share with you about our ministry with World Gospel Mission and our work as pastors to missionaries.

During the month of July we traveled to Santa Cruz, Bolivia to gather with 35 missionaries in a week long retreat. Our role as pastors to missionaries allows us the opportunity to invest in the lives of missionaries to encourage, inspire, counsel and pray with some of God's choice servants working on the front lines.

Marlene, Jordan and I flew in to Santa Cruz to begin our ministry. We attended retreat activites, enjoyed great fellowship with missionaries, hearing their stories, listening to their hearts and speaking encouragement into their lives. The week was filled with wonderful opportunities for ministry. Jordan connected with the MK's on the field and enjoyed their programing under the leadership of VIA Missionary Liz Morriss. Many fun filled times took place as this group of MK's laughed and played together while growing deeper in their walk with God.

One of the highlights for our time there included the opportunities to have some hands on involvement in ministry with the missionaries. Ned went out on the streets with Rick Lampen, the field director who partners with YWAM in a ministry to the street kids. We boarded the city bus and traveled to an area busy with traffic hustling by. At the intersection of this busy crossroads lay a drainage canal underneath. Each day street kids ages 12 on up grab a blanket, cardboard, plastic whatever they can and sleep under the bridge in the canal. When they wake up in the morning they head out to the street corner with a spray bottle and squeegee to wash windows. Dressed in the same clothes day after day they wash windows at the red lights to get money for food, or in many cases drugs.

Rick's ministry as a nurse practicioner is to treat these kids wounds with first aid and try to share Christ with them. Let me tell you a story about Lucito.

Lucito is 22 years old. Over a year ago, he was struck by a car while washing windows.A car hit him, running over and crushing his left arm and left leg. He went to the social hospital and had surgery to repair broken bones, but it has left him on a crutch with pins in his knee and severly crippled arm and leg.

Rick attended to his wounds while another missionary prayed with him. I gave him a spanish New Testament and tract to help introduce him to Jesus. He was interested in what we had to say and appreciated the help he was receiving. YWAM has a home for steet kids to go to for safety and rehabilitation. They provide for their needs and give them an education and teach them a vocation. It is a chance for Christ's love to be shown in very practical and meaningful ways.

Lucito needs surgery to remove the pin in his leg. It has only been a miracle that infection has not set in. We are praying for that to become a reality, moreover we are praying for the seeds of God's Word sown that day to grow in his heart and for him to come to Christ. Rick continues weekly visits to this street to visit with these kids. Pray for this ministry as God love is poured out.

Marlene had a wonderful opportunity to go to an orphanage with WGM Missionary Donna Brown to love on some infants there. Many of these children come because no one can take care of them or their medical problems are complicated and there are little means to help them. This orphanage has the chance to be Jesus to the least of these.

Here at this place Christ love is poured out on these precious little ones and they are ministered to and cared for in loving ways as they are nursed back to health. Missionaries and Christian workers have a chance to teach these little ones that Jesus Loves them and He has not forsaken them.

"If you have done it unto the least of these, my brother, you have done it unto me."

Marlene and I believe that we have one of the greatest jobs a missionary could ever have. Pictured above are some of God's finest servants that are giving of themselves each and every day to serve Jesus in Bolivia. We had the joy of visiting with these wonderful people, eating together, playing together, laughing and crying together. What a joy to invest in the lives of these missionaries. They are responsible for helping Jesus' love to flourish in the nation of Bolivia;on the streets of Santa Cruz among the homeless;in the orphanages, universities, churches and the like. The name of Jesus is being lifted up by these great people.

What a humbling experience is ours to pastor this flock. In this picture is just one of our WGM Teams of missionaries serving Christ cross culturally. Equally humbling is for us to realize that YOU are praying for us and supporting us financially so that we can go to the mission field and serve Christ by serving our missionaries. We thank you from our hearts for we know that together we have this ministry.

Thankyou each one,

Ned, Marlene and Jordan McGrady

World Gospel Mission

Box 948

Marion, IN 46953

727-459-2966

ned@straightpaths.org

Special Prayer Requests:

* For Marlene's parents health

* For Ned's family at the death of his sister's husband

* For Jordan as he begins college this fall

* For our upcoming visit to Peru September 19 -29

* For God's blessings and faithfulness to all in this ministry