Wishing you a Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas dear Friends and Family:

I think we can ALL agree on one thing right now…2020 has been the craziest year most of us have ever experienced. This time last year we were all mostly going along with normal life preparing for the holidays. We could not even have imagined what lay ahead, here are a few of the things we want to share with you. 

In January our full team met together for the first time (there are 10 of us now😊) at a retreat to begin to look at what our ministry might look like and to begin team building to get to know each other better. We could not wait until we could be together working and dream of how God might want to lead us to serve our missionaries even more.

On March 8^th we boarded a plane for Kenya Africa (with our teammates, Jeff, and Christine Stanfield) to spend at least a couple of weeks visiting and encouraging our global workers there on the Front Line. We arrived late Monday night and spent the next few days with two of our medical personnel, Robyn Moore and Jennifer Bennett visiting some of their sites where they minister to orphans, handicapped and ill children in the ministry known as “The Least of These”. So heart rending yet comforting to see the level of care and hope they bring to these children, especially in a culture that would not value the handicaps they bring. Friday morning (March 13^th…Ned’s birthday) we woke up early to a text from our daughter telling us about borders closing down. Our driver was literally outside waiting to take us to another station four hours away. As we talked and prayed and heard more news, we realized we needed to head back to the States ASAP. Fortunately, we found a direct 13-hour flight that night from Nairobi to New York. We felt like we came home to another country with all the lockdowns. And for the first time in 15 years we are not asking where we will go next in our ministry.

(Here is a picture of one of our 3 (Pre-Covid) days in Kenya, at the Giraffe Preserve and yes we are actually feeding that Giraffe!)

Our family has weathered the Covid storm and now feeling mostly recovered and back to work. We are doing some remodeling in our home at this time and working to finish that up by the end of the year.  Ned’s mom will soon be 96 years old and is doing pretty well overall. Our daughter Jessica and husband Zac and girls are healthy and busy with work and life’s demands in Mansfield, Ohio. Our oldest son Joshua continues successful work with a construction company in Lancaster, Ohio and our youngest son Jordan is in his first year as a full-time middle school teacher and coach in Gas City, Indiana.  

In April, our granddaughters Rowen and Elliot turned four and one, and they had to have “virtual” birthday parties ☹ We know that it has been hard for everyone this year. Lives of people we knew lost to Covid, elderly alone in nursing homes, parents having to figure out working from home and homeschooling, playgrounds, restaurants and many businesses shut, the list goes on and on. We have dropped back to punt, so to speak, and spent countless hours on Zoom calls with our team and global workers to try to continue to be encouragers. We are prayerfully considering what our ministry will look like in 2021 and hopeful that with the advent of the vaccine and much prayer that we will be able to return to our travels in ministry. God is faithful and we trust His leading in these times, He is our rock and in Him we hide, certainly a shelter in the time of storm. 

And to each one of you reading this note, we want to encourage you and let you know that we are so very thankful for you. We are reminded this Christmas that you are special to this ministry and special  to us. Furthermore, you are precision to our Lord Jesus and we are praying for you to remain healthy and to be encouraged in these hard times. God is still on the throne and He is in control. 

As we think of 2021, it is our prayer that we will learn more about what it means to be empathetic and to listen even better to hear people’s hearts. It is our desire to focus not on what is going on around us and the turmoil and stress we might feel, but to focus on and seek the One that came to the manger 2000 years ago. We still believe that God is in control and will not leave us without hope. Truly, we are here for you if you need a listening ear. Our prayer for you in this Holiday season and moving into next year is that the God of peace will rest on you and your household.

 “The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." Numbers 6:22-26

Best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year, 

Sincerely,

Ned and Marlene McGrady

Missionaries with World Gospel Mission

Box 948

Marion, IN 46952

www.wgm.org/mcgrady

Come Ye Thankful People Come!

Come Ye Thankful People Come   is linked to a you tube video. 

We have an invitation to give thanks, and pause, to take a moment to reflect on this year.

We realize that this year has been a year of tremendous challenge and tremendous angst. "It has been a rough year." BUT GOD!

It has been a rough year, BUT GOD was faithful to see us through it. 

It has been a time of uncertainty, BUT GOD has been our sure foundation.

It has been challenging to plan, BUT GOD has plans for our good in His heart. 

It has been difficult to adjust, BUT GOD has been our great burden bearer. 

It has been hard to understand, BUT GOD who knows us, understands us. 

It has been tough to imagine, BUT GOD ways are higher than our ways. 

It has been grueling to endure, BUT GOD has been our portion. 

It has been arduous to live life, BUT GOD has made a way.

It has been strenuous to keep on, BUT GOD has given more strength.

It has been heavy to look up, BUT GOD is the lifter of our heads. 

It has been onerous to gain perspective, BUT GOD has made paths straight.

All said, God has been our source of strength, our very present help, our anchor, our rock, our fortress, our healer, our help, our deliver...praise God. 

We want to thank you for giving to the work of Lord and entrusting your financial gifts and prayers to assist in the ministry of encouraging others. We pray that you and your entire family will have a wonderful Thanksgiving Season and we join with you in gratitude for the amazing blessings God has given to us. 

As you continue your partnership in prayer and support for our ministry, we want you to know that we Come as thankful people, thankful to God, for you!  

Love and prayers, 

Ned and Marlene McGrady, 

Missionaries with World Gospel Mission, Box 948 Marion, IN 46952

Renewal Retreat

 Usually we hold a Renewal Retreat three times a year for our Global Workers that are coming back from their various places of service. This three day Renewal time gives opportunity for our missionaries to unpack their time in cross cultural service while transitioning to life back in the USA. You may recall in March we wrote to you concerning our visit to Kenya and how we were there for three days and then the Corona Virus hit and we had to get back to the USA as soon as we could. As the virus continued to pose threats not only here in the USA but around the world we had various workers serving in places where the virus had varying degrees of severity. 

As our Global Workers evaluated their travel plans for 2020, there were those that knew they would need to return this year for their Home Ministry Assignment. With the ever changing travel restrictions around the world and countries whose borders would open and close at various times, we have had about 45 of our workers return to the USA since the virus started. 

Normally, we would hold a Renewal Retreat in July, but this year Indiana was in the midst of a stay at home order and in order to protect the safety and health of all persons we canceled our July event. Our offices at WGM have remained on a work from home status. As you may imagine, we had a number of folks that needed the July Renewal and so we figured surely by September we will be open and able to hold the event. Well, all that changed and we still are not doing in person events. 

What is really interesting and exciting for us in all of this is the way God has worked through it and how He has helped us to re-envision what this retreat could look like. With the ability to remain closely connected by way of virtual meetings, we planned our first ever virtual Renewal Retreat. 

Next week our Member Health Team will be working with our missionaries in two different virtual settings. On Monday, Sept. 21 - 23 we will meet with group one of our workers to provide a virtual retreat. We use the zoom platform with interactive break out rooms to discuss and process through the unique events of this historic time. Group two will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and conclude on Friday Sept. 25. We have a large number of persons to work with and for that reason we want to ask you to pray especially for our team and Marlene and me as we work together in ministry to these servants of God. 

One thing we are keenly aware of during these turbulent times, the strangest of times for sure, is that God is still on the throne and He IS still in control. Now more than ever we need to come by the still waters and we need to restore our soul and we need to allow God to lead us. A favorite breath prayer that we often use is, "The Lord is MY Shepherd," and you say that as you breathe in a deep breath. Hold that breath, think on the awesome power of God, and then as you exhale, "I shall not want." Try this little breath prayer. It brings a sense of calm and peace in the midst of the storm and it even gives fresh oxygenation to the brain! May you sense that peace and calm in your life today. 

Finally, we would be amiss to not THANK YOU for praying with us and for us! We appreciate how you do that and many of you support our ministry financially and we THANK YOU! 

Ned and Marlene McGrady

Directors of Member Health 
World Gospel Mission

Box 948

Marion, IN 46952

727.459.2966

www.wgm.org

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Celebrating 10 Years!

Ned and Marlene McGrady

Greetings to you our faithful supporters, prayer partners, family and friends.

We wanted to connect with you this month just to say "Thank you!" Our WGM President sent us this recent email as we celebrated 10 years of ministry with World Gospel Mission. During this 10 year anniversary our minds and hearts quickly went to you...it is because of your prayers, your financial support and most of all your faithfulness to God's call on your heart to stay engaged with us in this partnership of ministry.

Over these many years, you have enabled us to do active ministry in 31 countries and to literally scores of people. Your faithfulness in giving and praying has literally been what God has used to allow us to "Go into all the World and preach the Gospel." Dan says that we are making a difference in the lives of so many people, but we want you to know that you are making that difference right along with us and we thank you from our hearts.

We have lived cross-culturally on the Border of Mexico, Costa Rica and Ecuador. God has allowed us to pastor, teach, share and encourage others through life in these countries. Since coming to WGM in July of 2010, we have been able to multiply that ministry 10 times over by traveling around the world in ministries of encouragement, counseling, and prayer, as we have partnered with our Global Workers. We stand amazed at what God has done and is doing as we continue to lead our growing team of 10 co-workers that are helping us become even more effective and enhancing our ministries around the world.

We look forward to even greater opportunities in the future to continue to make a difference for the God's Kingdom. While our travels are on a pause in this time of pandemic, our ministry connections and support have remained strong, effective and intentional. We spend hours on zoom calls, phone calls, emails and the like as we pour into others.

Thank you so much for your on-going support for the work God has called us to. Your gifts and your prayers stand strong and help us to keep on reaching out. If you would like more information on our ministry please go to McGrady Ministry

Finally, we always love to hear from you, so drop us a note and let us know how we may be praying for you.

May the Lord Bless you, and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and give you peace.

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

Team Building

Team Building has been the main focus of our work as we have navigated the COVID-19 restrictions in our ministry. The challenges of the pandemic have limited the ability to travel and have kept us in Marion, IN since our sudden return from Kenya on March 13. The local offices of World Gospel Mission have been closed since March 16 and we are now in our 10th week of working from home  and expect to be continuing this through at least mid-June.

The opportunities for us to do ministry over technology have soared, as we are regularly connecting with persons around the world to provide support and care to our Global Workers. It has been a challenging but fulfilling time for us as every day has us somewhere else around the world and we don't even have to board a plane, cross a time zone, or pack a suitcase. It has been quite an adjustment for us to not be planning where we are traveling next, or who are we going to go visit next. It has been a blessings to continue this ministry through technology.

Another unexpected blessing we have had during this time is more time to meet with our team. Team building can happen through technology as well. The picture above was from a retreat we had back in January of this year, before any of us knew about COVID-19. Since this time we have been able to all locate in either Indiana or Ohio to organize and advance our ministry plans. God has blessed us with a very gifted team, persons that come from many helping professions. Our team is made up of several helping professions such as counselor, pastor, nurse, nurse practitioner. life coach, chaplain, IT specialist, administrative assistants and even a chef! Wow! God has brought an incredible team together to do member care to our servants.

We have met together every week via zoom calls and have developed many ministry plans, policies, and shared ideas for the growth and development of this vital work. We are often reminded of the story of Joshua in Exodus 17. He is in the heat of battle, and on the hilltop Moses is praying with his arms lifted. As the weight of the prayer takes its toll on his arms, they go down and Joshua loses in battle. God sends along Aaron and Hur to hold up Moses's arms in prayer and Joshua wins the battle! Our team are the Aaron's and the Hur's to our Global Workers. We literally help to hold up the arms of our missionaries in prayer and support so that they can stay strong on the front lines and win the battle.

Every Wednesday morning we have zoomed together with our team in a hang out as we enjoy a cup of coffee, tea or diet coke while we chat. At the close of our time, we pray together. These types of opportunities have helped us to build our team and get to know one another in deeper and more meaningful ways. We look forward to when we can get back together in person and be able to travel to our fields of ministry. This summer all of our training events have been moved to an on-line virtual format. They are being adjusted and retooled to fit this venue and we ask an interest in your prayers that they will be effective and encouraging to our people. We are hopeful that the Fall events will be able to be held in person and travels will resume.

We have been blessed at WGM to have continued and regular financial support come in. The mission as a whole has had giving remain stable and on par with other years, even throughout this pandemic. We are so thankful that God has continued to provide for the needs of spreading His word around the world. The vast majority of our Global Workers have remained in their countries of service and are continuing their ministries and outreaches to the people to whom God has called them. Every day at 10:02AM, we are reminded to pray for workers to be sent into the harvest field. The prayer is based on Luke 10:2, to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers. We are currently working with persons desiring to answer that call and we will be resuming sending people as soon as possible.

We thank you for your gifts and continued financial support for our ministry. While we are not traveling, we are still very engaged in ministry and working with this great group of servants to continue to do the best member care we can offer. Your gifts and your prayers make this a reality and we thank you from our hearts.

We trust that as you read this update, you will find God's peace, His blessings, and His protection for you and your loved ones. It is our prayer that you are healthy and that you may experience the presence of God near. We would love to hear from you, pray for you, and know how you are doing in this turbulent time. We would love to hear from you and know better how to pray for you. Please email us at ned@straightpaths.org 


Sincerely,

Ned and Marlene McGrady 

Directors of Member Health 

765.671.7240 | wgm.org/mcgrady | Facebook

Changing More than Time Zones

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
Psalm 18:2 NKJV

The day that we returned home from our shortened trip to Kenya we were met with the news of the COVID-19 virus and the beginning of the stay at home order. When we left for Kenya on March 8, we had no idea that the nation and the entire world would come to a halt. We were in Nairobi, Kenya and just two hours away from beginning our tour throughout the country to do ministry visits with our missionaries, doctors, nurses and other ministry workers. Marlene received a text from our daughter, Jessica, stating that the USA had closed travel from anyone coming from Europe. We immediately felt the Lord beginning to lead our hearts and minds to consider leaving Kenya soon. We had planned to be there for several weeks, but decided it would be best to leave. We made arrangements for a direct flight from Nairobi to JFK. We arrived on March 13 (Ned's 60th birthday, which lasted 31 hours in the flight through several time zones.)

We know that God was leading us and He truly was our help and strength and we thank Him for the provision that brought us back home safely to Indiana. The governor of Indiana instituted the CDC guidelines for social distancing and a statewide stay at home order. The offices of World Gospel Mission followed those recommendations and has remained closed with most employees working from home. We have continued our ministry responsibilities supporting missionaries, assisting some with difficult decisions of whether or not to come home. Also to help them cope with their situations that in some places have a much more restrictive stay at home order. We are finding all our people to be safe and doing as well as can be expected in these trying days and we ask that you join us in praying for them to remain healthy and safe in their respective countries.

As we have been house bound, like most of you have, and doing your best to social distance ourselves, (and now perhaps even wearing a mask), it seems there has been some time to pause, stop, and rest. Some thoughts that have come to the forefront are, the Lord has stopped our world and created a pause. In this pause where has God been in this time? What has God been saying to you? Where have you seen God at work? These questions we don't often ask, many times because we are so busy moving from one place to the next, one task to the next, but in the midst of this time we can reflect on these questions. The gift of Sabbath is a time to rest, a time to stop, a time to fully experience where God is at work and what He is doing in the world. This time is a chance we all may have a to listen to Jesus and hear His heart. It is time to read the Bible, to spend time in prayer, and to trust God even in the storms.

We have close friends that are sick and some are having big struggles with their illness. We continue to pray for the healing touch of God to be on them. We believe God is able and we invite you to join us in trusting in the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. As we approach this Holy Week, we know that it is one like no other in the lifetime of anyone reading this. Never has there been in our history this situation affecting the whole world at the same time. We know that we serve the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead to bring us the gift of Eternal Life through faith in His finished work on Calvary's Cross.

While we are home in Marion, IN we are thinking of each and everyone of you. We are praying the Lord will bless you greatly during this Easter Season. We pray that you will be safe, that you will be healthy, and that you will find the power of the risen Lord to be your strength and your salvation.

We love you all much and we thank you for your continued support for the ministry and for your prayers. We look forward to continuing to serve the Lord in support to all our missionaries serving around the world. We pray that your church, your family, and all you know will blessed abundantly.

Sincerely yours,
Ned and Marlene McGrady
World Gospel Mission
Box 948
Marion, IN 46952
765-664-7331

www.wgm.org/mcgrady

"Up, up and Away...."

Well.... it is "up, up and away!" We will be traveling to Kenya for most of the month of March. We will be accompanied by our new co-workers, Jeff and Christine Stanfield and together we will travel to all of WGM's stations throughout the country visiting our 40 plus missionaries serving cross-culturally in medical, orphanage, and community development and educational ministries.
Our flagship ministry at Tenwek Hospital, as well as Chigoria, Nairobi, Kijabe, Olderkesi will round up our 20 days of ministry there. We have made several trips to Kenya over the years and we are excited to once again visit a part of the world that has captured our hearts. God is doing a great work through our missionaries in Kenya and we are thrilled to partner with them in support and prayer as we go to encourage and bless them. We ask an interest in your prayers for the 4 of us as we seek to be Jesus' hands and feet there in Kenya.
We ask that you will pray for our travels, for our visits with each person, for the Kenyans we will interface with, for our health and safety as we go.
Many of you have been aware of my mom's illness and hospitalizations over the holidays. Marlene and I were able to make a quick visit her prior to our trip.  We are grateful to report that mom is making good progress in her recovery and gaining strength in her recovery process. We will be planning to be together with mom for our granddaughters birthdays over Easter Weekend.
As always, we realize that we can not do this ministry alone. We need you as partners in this work to support us in prayer. Through your support we are enabled to go to care for others across the way. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Ned and Marlene 

New Beginnings

Welcome to January 2020, a year of new beginnings. I recalled preaching one of my favorite sermons this time of year, entitled, "A New You for a New Year!" Marlene and I pray that you will have a blessed New Year, full of the newness of Christ,  and His presence in this new year. May you be made new in His love.

Speaking of new things, I want to ask you our loyal supporters and prayer partners to join us in praying for a very special week for us during January 27 - Feb. 1. We believe we have some new plans for ministry and new direction from the Lord that we will be seeking during our Member Health Team's Strategic Planning Retreat. God has doubled the size of our team of workers and has strategically placed us together for this time, to make even a greater impact of our missionary workers serving around the world.  

Would you prayer for our retreat? We will be together for this week, seeking God's direction as we plan, strategize and wait on the Lord for His direction for our team. We have grown from five workers on our team to 10 and this will be our first time together as a full team. We are meeting in Sarasota, FL and have invited Dr. Daniel Tolan, a WGM missionary to serve as our facilitator of our retreat. Please join us in praying for our team as we begin this journey together. Our team will be traveling from IN, OH, and Bolivia to join our team together.

Marlene and I will be staying on in Florida for a time to connect with supporters and to speak at Presbyterian Village Chapel in Largo. We will also have time to go to Avon Park Camp and meet up with missionaries in the Florida area. We look forward to this time and what God has for us.

Looking ahead we will be speaking at our home church, Encounter Church (Trinity Wesleyan Church) in Jackson, MI on Feb. 23 and at Christian Fellowship Church in Jackson, MI on Mar. 1. Then we will be ministering in Kenya, Africa from March 8 - 25. So please continue to pray for our travels, our ministry and all that God is doing in us and through us.

Thank you for those that have inquired about Ned's mom. She was hospitalized twice in the month of December for pneumonia and was recently released from rehab to her home where we are continuing to support her needs for recovery. On Dec. 28 we had a 95th Birthday celebration for mom. This picture is our daughter Jessica, who served as the MC for mom's party, and Rowen, her daughter that sang "Jesus Loves Me" and "Happy Birthday" to great grandma McGrady. We had a wonderful time celebration with over 125 people.