I want to thank everyone for considering my project.  My name is Asekor Glay.  I embarked on this journey nearly 20 years ago when I first wrote my memoir 'Refinement by Fire.'  

Surviving the unspeakable horrors of war, exiled from my homeland Liberia, escaping capture from Liberian rebels, overcoming the stigma and chaos of a mental breakdown, suffering from depression, mania, and 15 years of hospitalization.  Breaking out of homelessness and poverty, run-ins with the law, being tasered on multiple occasions, spending days and weeks in jail, all might seem like different experiences happening to multiple people or out of a fictitious novel, but for me, it was the reality of both my child and adulthood.

Being caught in the middle of a civil war from 1989 to 1997, facing a life sentence of Manic Depression as a youth and adult, I learned early the power of worship and having faith in God. My unimaginable circumstances became the foundation of my purpose and the motivation for my evangelistic ministry.

During the Liberian Civil War with rebels attacking and capturing surrounding cities, I was forced to flee to neighboring villages. After the rebels took over my parent’s homes, and burned it to the ground, I was forced to flee to exile, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and eventually to America.  To pass the time of refugee life, I joined local Christian choirs to minister God’s word. It did not matter whether I had transportation, my legs were my vehicle that took me to gospel conferences miles away to proclaim and hear the gospel preached. 

At the early age of twelve, I learned the importance of living for God in my new war-torn country. Through Christian music and my uncontestable vocal range at the age of fourteen led me to sing with national mass choirs and leading various church choirs in Liberia.  While in Guinea and the Ivory Coast, I traveled on foot with Christian groups ministering through music, and evangelizing.  In addition to the mass choirs, together, my brothers, Saykeh, Alvin, and Alton and I formed our own group.   My affiliation with my brothers and other Christian groups exposed me heavily to western Christian music.

By 1995, when the civil war in Liberia subsided, though there were nothing left of our parent’s home, barely any food to eat, I formed another Christian group. While ministering around the City of Monrovia at concerts and other gospel programs, another rebel uprising began, which forced my family once again to flee to the Ivory Coast.

 As a refugee in the Ivory Coast, I built a reputation as a solid Christian artist and songwriter. I was approached to join several popular entertainment groups, but I continued to lead my family group. The Glay brothers became one of the top Christian groups in the Ivory Coast.

Living in the Ivory Coast in 1997, as I planned to go back to Liberia, burdened with the thought of being caught up in rebel’s insurgency, God began exposing his plan for me through my grandmother, Vonyee Saye. With careful planning, Mrs. Saye sent for me and my brothers including my mother Betty Johnson to join her in the United States on Dec. 2, 1997.  As a singer, writer, photographer, aspiring painter, Evangelist and the likes, my dream to spread the gospel worldwide was finally no longer a dream.  Since my arrival to the US, I have produced three records, 8 books, and has performed in many church plays, concerts, and invited to speak at shelters and tell my stories at churches events.  I have also become an avid photographer

Now as an Artistic Evangelist, I learned to adapt and sing every style of music while incorporating theater, writing, photography, painting, dance, poetry, and the likes to be effective in my message. 

I am now currently a partner with local African church in Minnesota to build schools, hospitals, orphanages, and churches to cater to the hurting and distressed back in my homeland of Liberia.   Through my personal experience with mental illness and experiences with the war, I am now an advocate for the mentally ill and for those who have experienced the worst of the war. 

As my title says, this is a 'project that is going to involve many steps along our journey.  With the funds raised here on Crowdfundr, I will be applying these funds to the development of a Script.  With the availability of a script along with the assistance of my entertainment attorney I will be able to market my memoir to the major movie production companies.  

 I fully believe that with the right producer my story can be made into a major Blockbuster that will generate more funds help with these projects.