Champions Corner - A Year in Review

Champions Corner Ned and Marlene McGrady

What a whirlwind and amazing year we have had. As 2019 comes to a close, we wanted to share with our family and friends a snap shot of this past year. We thank you for your continued support and prayers for our ministry. We are so thankful for your faithful support and prayers for this work.

In this issue:

• ·  A summary of this year’s ministry highlights.
• ·  A special wish for a very Merry Christmas and most blessed New Year.
• ·  A message of THANKS to you for your prayers and support.

 “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven.” Psa. 89:1-2

January- We were involved in three, week long trainings at our mission headquarters in Marion, IN. Helping to debrief returning missionaries, and assisting in preparation of sending out new global workers to the nations.

February- We traveled to Peru for a ministry trip to conduct a retreat for workers.  We had a great time of worship, and renewal. Our missionaries were greatly encouraged as we spent time in prayer, listening and learning.

March- Was a month to work out of the office at headquarters.

April- Our granddaughter Rowen turned three and got a baby sister for her birthday. Elliot Justine was born on April 22 and we welcomed her to our family. Marlene celebrated her birthday just one day before Elliot came into the world. Marlene, Rowen, and Elliot all share April birthdays.

May- Ned surprised Marlene with a trip to Yankee Stadium. Having grown up in Upstate New York, Marlene has always been a Yankee’s fan and she had a dream to go to a game. We had a great day and the Yankee’s won, making the day complete.

June and July- We stayed in Marion, IN and assisted with several trainings, Renewals, Camps and other conferences that we were involved in. WGM does a great job of training, encouraging and helping to prepare global workers to help make positive change in our world. Currently we have over 250 workers serving in over 25 countries around the world. We are honored to be a part of their lives and help to support their success in mission work.

August- One of the frequent questions we are asked is “how do we take care of ourselves?” In answer to this question we took a two week sabbath vacation and went to the beach and to the mountains and had a great time of personal renewal and practicing what we preach in the stewardship of our own self-care.

September- We had global workers in to Marion, from around the world, for a time of Debriefing and Renewal.

October- We traveled to the WGM Asia/Oceana Field Retreat that was held in Manila, Philippines. Over 30 missionaries and their kids met for a week of teaching and spiritual encouragement. After that retreat we traveled to Papua New Guinea and visited our missionaries working in that area of the world. 

 November- We traveled to the “End of the Earth” Ushuaia, Argentina for a field retreat with our global workers serving in there. God met with us in a great way as we shared in this time of retreat together.

December- is the time to say, 

“Thank you again for your support and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” 

from Ned and Marlene McGrady

To the uttermost parts of the World!

"To the uttermost parts of the World" became a reality to us as we boarded the plane in Indianapolis to begin our 20 day travel to the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Our ministry of pastoring missionaries and supporting their well-being took us first to the capital in Manila where we joined with over 20 WGM Global Workers and their children from Asia and Oceania.

We studied about Biblical Muticultural Teams and had two facilitators from Argentina that lead us in this important training to help our teams grow together and reach out to those to whom they minister. Our Member Health Team provided times of fun, s'mores, activities, worship, devotionals and more. Ned lead the evening sessions based on the book by Dr. Matthew Sleeth, "24/6" as we considered the importance of Sabbath Rest and stewardship of time in caring for our relationship with Christ. We closed our time with Communion and we were grateful for the close presence of the Lord in our midst. Many of you were praying for us and for this retreat and we appreciate it so much. God was faithful and your prayers made the difference. We spent this week enjoying the fellowship of our workers and being available to listen, pray and encourage them in the work they are doing in this part of the world. The ministry to our workers' children was also a key part of what our team was able to provide as we spent this week together. The retreat center was a very nice facility and we were so blessed to have this time with our people. A baptismal service of several young people was happening at the retreat center during our time there. It was so great to see the Lord at work among His people, all around the world! What an encouragement. We are so very blessed to be a part of this ministry. We have often said we have the best job in the whole world. We get to love, care, pastor, counsel and encourage people that are working cross culturally to make a difference for the Kingdom. We know that this is only possible because of  churches and supporters that faithfully stand with us in financial support and prayer. As our week closed out, it was time for us to begin thinking about the next leg of our journey to the uttermost parts of the world. We headed to the airport in Manila to fly to Papua New Guinea.    

 The trip to PNG was very interesting to us because 41 years ago, when Marlene was a Sophomore at Ohio Christian University, she went on a summer mission trip to help with medical clinics in the bush.. Among her many gifts and abilities she is an LPN, so her summer internship included giving lots of vaccinations and helping to meet the health care needs of the people. It was interesting to return there and see many of the sites she had experienced. The pictures here are of the mission station in Kar where she ministered. Today, the church is still vibrant, but missionaries are no longer present at this location.
Ned was visiting PNG for the first time, so it was all very new and interesting as we shared this time together. One of the really meaningful experiences was the opportunity to speak to the pastors that are in training at the Christian Union Bible School in Mt. Hagen.

Their teacher, Rev. Shawn Waugh, who is pictured here with his students, invited Ned to share his testimony with them. He was able to encourage the students to realize their calling as ministers and the fact that calling is the one main factor that can hold you steady when the demands of ministry press in. The picture below of the students depicts the local Cook House on the Bible College grounds. The traditional hut is complete with a fireplace and yes, those are two chickens waiting to be cleaned and prepared for lunch. The Bible School is in process of expanding and work teams are there at the time of this writing to build more modern housing, showers, and facilities to better serve the pastors as they bring their families with them to Bible College. God is truly at work in PNG and the church is growing and lives are being transformed; thus communities are being transformed and our workers there are doing a great job in promoting the Good News to the people.

We took a 5 hour trip out into the bush to visit Seth and Veronica Porter and their family in Montanda. They are working out in the remote parts of this country to build churches, mentor young people and disciple people in the faith. Seth works with his guys with a mobile saw mill to prepare lumber for building and he is currently working on three church plants. This wonderful, young family is doing a tremendous job of serving the Lord.
They were in the earthquake a few years back that hit in PNG. Their home was rocked off its foundation and though shaken, their faith and commitment to serve the Lord has not been shaken. They continue to be a bright spot in the bush for the Kingdom and we were so blessed to minister with them. You

can see a picture of Seth with some of his guys. It was such a joy to see this ministry and what God is doing in the bush!
We spent time during our visit with each one of the missionary families. We ate together, laughed together and prayed together. It was a joy to hear their hearts, see their work and have a chance to experience a small part of what God is doing in their lives and ministries. We have found that it is times like these that make a difference. One of our greatest joys was to sit with their children and ask them what we could pray for, and as we did we found ourselves praying for their friends, their families and their parents as they work in PNG.
God met with us in special ways during this visit and we know that it God's blessing and favor that was with us. Thank you for your prayers for us and for our visit there. We had a chance to go to the local market and shop for food and a few gifts.

Ned found coffee that he really liked and brought some back. He would love to share a cup with you and just thank you personally for your support and for your prayers.
We have one more trip to take this year and we want to ask you to continue to pray with us as we plan to travel in November. We will present at a mission conference in northern Indiana just before we fly out to Argentina on November 24.
We will not be home this year for Thanksgiving as we will be doing ministry to our Global Workers through providing a retreat time of respite and renewal for them. 
At the close of this year we will have done ministry, preached, counseled, taught, or visited in 30 countries around the world. WE THANK GOD for His mercy and great grace that sustains us and keeps us. 
If you would like to be a part of our ministry team and want to learn more about how you can partner with us please let us know. If there are any special prayer requests or if you would like to have us come to your church to share, we would love to hear from you. 

Our giving site for secure, online donations is www.wgm.org/mcgrady

Thank you for you love, care and support.

Ned and Marlene McGrady
Missionaries with World Gospel Mission
Box 948
Marion, IN 46952
727.459.2966

Fall into Rhythm

This is just ONE of 5 different weeks of inspirational training that we either participated in or provided during this summer. Now that school in Indiana has resumed and summer is winding down we are excited to gear up for the Rhythms of fall. We have several ministry visits to make in the months that are ahead.

In September we will have our Fall Renewal time and are looking forward to ministry to 13 missionaries and 9 children. These times of Renewal are always so encouraging as we encourage folks to stop and allow the rhythms of work to give way to rhythms of rest and renewal. One of the greatest results we see from these encounters is the gift of time we give to STOP and listen to the Holy Spirit and rest in God's presence. Maybe you would take some time right now to just PAUSE and rest in His presence and fall into His rhythms of grace and care for your soul.

We have some major travels gearing up for our ministry. On October 5 we will fly to the Philippines to the WGM Asia/Oceania Regional Retreat. We will have a week of retreat and learning together as we help lead our servants in that area of the world to fall into His rhythms for their hearts. On October 13 we will travel to Papua New Guinea for a field visit to that country. Marlene served the summer of 1978 as missionary nurse to PNG and she is anxious to return to this beautiful country and Ned is excited for his first ministry visit to this part of the world. We ask a sincere interest in your prayers for us as we prepare to make this trip to the other side of the world. We count on your prayers and your support. Thank you.

We will be back for a couple weeks before we will leave to present at a missions conference and then fly off to Argentina over Thanksgiving to minister to our missionaries serving there. We want to serve well and we need your prayers to make that a reality.

We are pleased to share that Jordan has accepted the Foreign Language Lab Supervisor position at a local middle school in our county and we are grateful for this door that has opened up for him to serve.  He is excited to share his experiences from living in South America and on The Border with young students this year. He also is excited to coach both soccer and basketball. We join him in thanking all of you for your faithful support and prayers for our family over the years.

We trust that you will sense God's presence as you too fall into rhythms of His grace and care.

Sincerely,
Ned and Marlene McGrady
Directors of Member Health
World Gospel Mission
Box 948
Marion, IN 46952

www.wgm.org/mcgrady

Summer Season

We are entering into a summer season of conferences, training and helping to prepare missionaries for ministry around the world. This week we will be interviewing six (6) new missionaries seeking to answer God's call on their hearts. We are very involved in the assessment process for these missionaries and assuring their preparation for service. Our work in the area of member care not only helps prepare workers to go out into the harvest field, but also allows us to support workers that are coming back from their fields of service for home ministry assignment. June and July are full of events that we will help to facilitate and participate in helping our missionaries to flourish in every way.

One of the most important ways that we suggest to our workers to flourish is to rest well, so that they can have the long haul in perspective. We talk about rest in the form of Sabbath. Sabbath is taking time out to care for the soul. Doing those things that feed the soul and bring life to the heart. We know that God desires for us to be healthy spiritually, emotionally and physically. This wholistic approach to health and well being often challenges us to emphasize the importance of taking the gift of time that allows the cares and concerns that are often weighing heavily on the soul, to be set aside. It is delighting in being aware of God's blessings, savoring the sights of creation, and giving thanks for the blessings that are so easily missed by our seemingly, necessary preoccupation with our work.
One of the ways we do this is through a Renewal time that we lead for our missionaries. Three or four times a year we lead the WGM staff through a time of refocus and renewal. There is time to refresh the soul and to regain a perspective on who God is and how He invites us into relationship with Him.

A big question we are often asked is, where are you traveling next? Perhaps that is due to the fact that over the past nine (9+) years we have been to 26 different countries for ministry visits. We often comment that it is hard to believe that a little girl for a small country town in up-state New York and a little boy for the hills of southern Ohio would some day travel the world and who would have imagined that we would be answering God's call to serve in missions. We have lived cross-culturally on the Tex/Mex Border, Costa Rica and Ecuador.

So what is next? Where are you traveling next? We will be heading to the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Argentina, all three are new countries that we are yet to visit and that will bring our total to 29 different countries. We will have the privilege of leading retreats for missionaries in these locations and getting a feel for what ministry is like in these places that God has called for them to serve. We ask an interest in your prayers and we make these plans for this fall. 

In answering this question, "where are you traveling next" we are also reminded that we don't go anywhere alone. Through the prayers of people like you we have the confidence that God goes before as and we always know that we take each one of you with us. You travel with us through your financial support and and you travel with us through your prayers and we thank you for standing with us through these many years of ministry. We thank our God upon every remembrance of you!

We also want to extend and invitation to you to join with us for the WGM Day of Prayer on June 10, 2019. Every hour of that day, we’ll pray and fast over each field, asking for guidance, wisdom, and boldness in sharing the Gospel. We are inviting you to join us by visiting the Facebook page of  WGM Day of Prayer June 10 . The WGM facebook page will have a 24 hour prayer focus for every country where WGM has a presence and will allow you to interact with every country that we have missionaries serving. We are convinced that what our world needs most is prayer. More is wrought by prayer than anything this world can offer. So we want to invite you to join in and pray.

Perhaps you know of missionaries that have special needs, please make a commitment to pray for them and go to the Facebook site on the the WGM Day of Prayer June 10 to participate. It is also a great time for you to stop and pray for your own missionaries and ask what may God have you to do to support them even greater ways. 
One of the prayers we often share together at WGM is the prayer in Luke 10:2, praying that the Lord of the Harvest would send forth laborers into the Harvest field. This day is set aside to pray. Please consider joining and being a part.
We do thank God for you. We thank you for your care and concern and for your faithful giving to our ministry. God is enabling us to see great things done for His glory.

To make a financial gift to our ministry go to www.wgm.org/mcgrady  where you can make a secure donation to support this work. We appreciate you and wish you a wonderful summer season.

Sincerely
Ned and Marlene McGrady
WGM Missionaries
Box 948
Marion, IN 46952
765.671.7240

New Life

With the dawn of Springtime all around us, we bask in the beauty of God's handiwork. Easter has come and gone and we have once again been reminded of the promise of New Life for every one that places their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. New Life came the day after Easter as we welcomed Elliot Justine Hiser to our family. Our daughter Jessica, her husband Zac and big

sister Rowen were excited to have family with them as Elliot came into this world. She was born early Monday morning, April 22. She was 7lbs. and 13ozs and 19.5 inches long. We rejoice in a healthy, beautiful baby girl. What a joy to our hearts and what a blessing to realize the gift of New Life from God to us. Mommy and baby and the rest of the family are doing fine. Papa and Ama are so very happy and thankful to God for Elliot. Our Easter was perfect as we celebrated Marlene's birthday. It was the first time Marlene's birthday fell on Easter since she was born. We made it a special day as all of our immediate family worshipped together that morning and then had a special meal and birthday celebration for Marlene. Ned was able to surprise Marlene with a special NY Yankee's birthday cake and tickets to go to Yankee's Stadium to see a game to fulfill a life-long wish. We look forward to seeing them play in a few weeks. Our kids helped to make the Yankee birthday party a success as they gave her various pieces of "Yankee Swag".

Our work at World Gospel Mission continues to progress very well. We are working day to day with missionaries around the world continuing to support and encourage them as they work to bring the message of New Life to the other most parts of the world. We continue to hear stories of lives made new as people here the Gospel and experience New Life in Christ. 

 

We have a several trainings ahead of us and various meetings to interact with our missionaries over the next three months. Missionaries from around the world will gather in Marion for a couple of weeks of meetings and training. Please pray for IMPACT a week long retreat in June  We will be conducting Renewal for debriefing of missionaries as well as teaching in Orientation Camp to prepare to send out missionaries in July. Summer ministry at WGM is always packed full of ministry to our missionary kids at MK Camp and so much more!

 

As for our travels this year we are in the planning stages. We have been to Peru this year and it looks like there may be opportunities for us to minister in Africa, Asia and South America all during this year. We will keep you posted as those plans fall into place. We ask you to pray that God will have us go where we are most needed and where we can be of most use to the Kingdom work. We desire to be used by God and we are so thankful for you! If you are reading this update, we count ourselves blessed to know you and to thank God for you. It is your gifts to our ministry and it is your prayers for us that make all the difference in this ministry.

 

We will keep you posted on our schedule as it unfolds. Meantime we continue to covet your prayers and financial support. Thank you for praying for our family and continue to pray that New Life will come to many in 2019.

 

May the richest of Heaven's Blessings be yours,

 

Ned and Marlene McGrady

World Gospel Mission

Directors of Member Health

Box 948

Marion, IN 46952

765.671.7240

Springing into Ministry in Peru

We just returned from a wonderful opportunity to minister with our missionaries serving Christ in Peru. Two of our team members, Mike Banks and Amy Jarrett accompanied Marlene and I on this trip to South America. God is so faithful each time we board the plane, travel across the miles to answer the call of ministry that we have been given. I am often reminded of the many people that are praying for us and giving faithfully to our ministry and it is with deep appreciation and have tremendous gratitude to God for His provisions of care, safety and blessing. During this visit we were able to spend quality time together with our missionaries in the study of God's Word, fellowship, prayer and listening. We had some fantastic, fun times in recreation (laser tag) and breaking away from the work of ministry to share in times of Sabbath rest. We enjoyed fellowship around meals together, and spending quality time care for one another.  One of the biggest challenges we see in our travels is the need for followers of Jesus to Sabbath - stop - pause... long enough to see a fresh glimpse of the goodness of God and all that He has to offer. His promises are sweet. His mercies are new each and everyday, and all we have to do is stop long enough from the busy rush of this life to see God in the midst of all that we do. Together we had opportunity to seek God and be in His presence in the beautiful Andes Mountains. We were reminded of our times of living in the beauty of the Andes and we were so thankful to be immersed back into a culture we had grown to love. Our missionaries David and Cathleen Strong and Jesus and Kristen Vega are serving with excellence amongst the Peruvian people. God is building His church and the outreach they have and relationships they are building are having an impact on lives. We are so thankful that the support you give to our ministry enables us to come alongside of missionaries like the Strongs and Vegas and to have a part in encouraging them in the work they are doing and the lives they are impacting for God.

Marlene shared devotions each day of the retreat and shared some of her experiences of how God worked through stories like Jonah and how all of us can tend to run from the Lord. Ned taught on Sabbath and remembering it and making it Holy. We worshipped together in song as Mike and Amy led us and shared together in communion as well as the fun times of visiting sights around the area. We played games, swam and simply had great fun together. Perhaps it has been a while since you have heard us say that we have the BEST job in the whole world! We love missionaries and we love to love on them. We thank you for your part in helping us fulfill that call on our hearts. God has been good to us and He has been faithful to use us in some 25 countries working with over 230 missionaries and we look forward to continuing to answer that call. Your partnership with us in this ministry makes it possible and we thank you. Thank you from our hearts. As we look into our needs at this time we would just remind you that we can always use your help. Our ministry can continue to thrive through your faithful gifts and support. Go to www.wgm.org/mcgrady for more info and or to make a donation to our ministry account. The budget year for our ministry ends on March 31 and we could use your support. Thank you so much for either your on line donation or check to WGM in our behalf. We thank you for your support.

Here are some fun pictures (below) we took while on this trip as we enjoyed meeting up with Rick and Lori Lampen our missionaries from Bolivia. They met us in Lima, Peru and we  were able to spend a weekend together in fellowship and ministry. Did I remember to say, we have the best job in the whole world? Well, we do!

 Marlene was busy feeding llama's and Ned he was able to get a selfie with one!

 

 

 

We wanted to give you an update on Jordan and his ministry in McAllen, Texas with WGM. He has stepped aside from the ministry for the remainder of 2019 in an effort to continue to prepare for the next steps he will take in his career. Many of you that have followed his ministry or recently heard him speak in a service would like to know that for now he is taking a pause in fund raising. His ministry account is being held for future service as God may open those doors to him. We thank you all for your support and prayers for Jordan and we appreciate how you stand with our family and love us in such incredible ways. Continue to pray for Jordan and the future God is working on in him and through him. He desires to serve in soccer ministry and work on the border and we pray that he will be better equipped and ready for that work in the months that are ahead. Your prayers and giving are appreciated and we thankyou that we can believe God together for great things ahead. For this time, Jordan is working a substitute teaching position at a local middle school her in the greater Marion area. This will give him increased experience in the field of education and working with kids. Thank you for praying for Jordan and for loving our family as you do. We can not say thanks enough for all  your love and support. It means the world to us. May God grant you much grace as you too, spring into ministry.

 

With grateful hearts,

 

Ned and Marlene McGrady

Missionaries

World Gospel Mission

Box 948

Marion, IN 46952

765.671.7240