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