 Hey Mafia Miracle Makers, In last week's edition, I told you all about heading to London with my mom to officiate the wedding of Amber and Alex. Well...it's done and the verdict is in on how I did. But first, just in case you're new here. I'm TeeJ Mercer, Hollywood veteran and founder of the nonprofit Move-In Day Mafia. We provide decked out dorm rooms and monthly care packages for HBCU students who have aged out of foster care. Move-In Day Mafia started in miracles, but before there were scholars… before there were dorm rooms… before there were care packages… There was someone God placed in my life long before I even knew I’d need her. THE MIRACLE NAMED AMBER When God moved me from Los Angeles to Atlanta in 2020, before the world locked down, He didn’t tell me what I was moving to do. I just had to have faith. He didn’t tell me a single detail for two years. He just whispered, “Everybody you need is already in position; they are just waiting to be activated.” I had no clue who He meant. Fast forward to May 2022. I finally shared on Facebook that God had given me this wild assignment of creating Move-In Day Mafia. Within minutes, I got a text from Amber.  And just like that, God revealed one of the people He’d promised. From day one, Amber has been right beside me. Not behind me… beside me. Helping me build systems… policies… procedures… structures… all the things my right-brain creative heart never cared to do. Mafia would not be what it is today without her. Periodt. So when my phone buzzed one day and Amber said, “Hey… I need a favor,” it was an instant yes. No questions asked. But then she hit me with, “Hold on… You might need to pray about it.” Ma’am… why would you say that? Now my nerves are tap dancing. Because what kind of favor needs PRAYER? =>> A transplant? =>> An alibi? =>> Somebody need to disappear? =>> Do I need to bring bail money? Then she dropped the bomb: “Alex and I want you to officiate our wedding.” I’m sorry… Say what now? WHAT in dee entire hell?! Have you MET me? Where in my résumé does it say “l can marry humans”? What wedding have I EVER attended where someone walked out saying, “You know who should do THIS next time? TeeJ.” ME??? And that kicked off six months of me texting her like clockwork: “Hey sis… yall come to your senses yet?” And baby… let me tell you… First time officiating a wedding. In London.  And the reviews? Straight fire. “Best officiant ever.” “Absolutely brilliant.” “This couldn’t be your first time.” “I loved every minute.” And yes, I am absolutely about to pimp myself out to bring in money for Move-In Day Mafia. If you want your wedding blessed, laughed through, AND on schedule… call your girl. London Adventures: Two Dreams Unlocked Officiating a whole wedding in London was wild enough, but I had two missions while I was there. Non-negotiable missions. Mission One: 221B Baker Street. Yall… I cannot stress this enough. I have been OBSESSED with the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock Holmes series. The man got me in a chokehold with that coat flip and that fast-talking brilliance. So the SECOND my black cab turned the corner and I saw that iconic black door, I swear something in my spirit LEAPT. I squealed. Out loud. Like somebody was handing me front-row Prince tickets. It was surreal. The energy. The nostalgia.  Mission Two: See the horses from TikTok that bite people. The horses that guard the royals… the ones who warn hard-headed tourists who get too close with one side-eye before they snap like they’re saying, “Didn’t I tell you don’t touch me?” I just needed to see them in real life. Tall. Regal. Unbothered. Giving, “Try me if you want to… I bite.”  Checked the wedding and both missions off the list. My cup of joy was full with seeing the love of Amber and Alex Aziza Hewitt culminate in this moment.  GOOD NEWS  CHALLENGES  You know what London taught me, Miracle Maker?  Sometimes you say yes to something that makes ZERO sense, simply because someone you trust believes in you.
Amber believed I could officiate her wedding before I ever did. So I borrowed her faith until mine caught up. And here’s the thing… I knew she didn’t choose me to be some cookie-cutter, stand-there-and-whisper officiant. She chose ME. TeeJ. The woman who walks loud and laughs louder. So I showed up as myself. Not the “proper” officiant version. Not the “maybe-I-should-tone-it-down” version. ME. And baby… the moment she picked “Let’s Get It Started” as my entrance song? Game over. That was my confirmation that what was required… was authenticity. Here’s the encouragement for you: When a dream calls you higher, don’t shrink to fit the moment. Expand. Rise. Be fully you. Borrow someone else’s belief if you need to. Hold their faith until yours gets legs. But step. Move. Start. Because on the other side of your YES… is a version of you that you didn’t even know you could meet. And before I leave you this week… A little heart talk. Earlier this week, we kicked off our #KeepTeeJOffThePole campaign, and the love that started coming in reminded me of something I say all the time… Mafia moves differently. We don’t wait for the perfect moment or the perfect headline. We show up because that’s who we are. And we are marching boldly toward the goal that will change everything for our scholars… 1,000 monthly donors by Move-In Season 2026. Why does that number matter? Because when 1,000 people give every month… Students who grew up counting losses will finally get to count on something. Kids who’ve had more caseworkers than birthday candles will have a safety net they can actually feel. And Mafia will be able to say YES to scholars without hesitation. And here’s the part that matters most… It does not matter if someone gives $1 or $100. Family is family. Impact is impact. And when we all pull together according to our own budgets, our scholars get to breathe easier. So if this mission moves you… If these stories stir something in you… If you’ve ever whispered “somebody should help these babies”… I’m asking you to be that somebody today. 💛 Set up a monthly contribution at any level that fits your heart and your household 💛 Like, share, and comment on this newsletter so more people discover what Mafia is doing 💛 Invite one person to join us See you next week! |
AuthorTEEJ MERCER - TeeJ never set out to be an entrepreneur. She definitely didn’t plan to run a nonprofit. But after 25 years in Hollywood, editing and producing for major TV shows and movie studios, she saw a story that needed to be told. More importantly, she saw a PROBLEM that needed to be solved. Archives
January 2026
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