About a month and a half ago, a short term mission team came to serve in Nsoko, they were made up of high school students all the way to adults. They were a medical missions team that were a part of the Ambassador program through Adventures in Missions. But anyways, when they came Pastor Gift was on sabbatical leave in South Africa for a few weeks, so we basically took over his command here in Nsoko, meaning that my team served as this Ambassador team’s host here in Swaziland and we set up the entire ministry they would be serving through and led them in that. Along with the team, Don and Connie Rock came with as leaders of the Ambassador team. Don and Connie are some cool cats, they are the head directors of the whole Ambassador program and know all the ins and outs and what’s what. Well, Don and Connie are in need of people to lead trips with the Ambassador program, which sends out teams of high schoolers, and they felt that my team would be good candidates to lead trips because, well, we don’t have a leader of ourselves here. The Rocks later went back to the States and prayed and asked God specifically if he wanted any of us to lead and what exact trip. After hearing from God, they then told me what they felt was God’s will with the trips.
The Rocks have asked me to lead a team of high school participants on a four week sports trip to Bistrita, Romania with the Ambassador Program from June 13th to July 17th (World Cup month). Here in Swaziland, my main ministry has developed to be serving and ministering to a professional soccer team, and after practicing with them for a few months, I became the only white man playing professional soccer in all of Swaziland! There has been strong discipleship made with these men and God really used sports as an excellent tool for having people discover His love, because now in Nsoko, Swaziland, God has created some men on that team to lead their community. Now, it’s nearly impossible to really say what you will be doing on mission trips, for example, I was told that I would be doing a lot of caring for orphans and widows in Swaziland, which did happen a lot, but I also found myself witnessing and playing professional soccer all in the name of Jesus! With that said, what will take place in Romania is a focus on loving and ministering to underprivileged groups of Roma people commonly known as “Gypsies”. I will spend time with grateful, energetic children at orphanages, and run various youth programs geared towards sharing the Gospel message and a large portion of my ministry will be sports-related. The AIM staff who asked me to lead this team, prayed and prayed for God to give a person to be a leader on the Romania trip. They heard from God that I am supposed to be a leader on this trip because of the experience He’s given me through the Novas Project and applying Jesus to sports and having His will be done through that. But more importantly, it will be my role as a leader to make disciples of participants and to lead them in experiencing the kingdom of God. As a leader with Ambassadors, my responsibility will be to disciple high school students and make sure ministry, accommodation, transportation, etc…is taken care of. I will work with two other leaders: Jessica and Sarah.
I had prayed about going to Romania for a few days and heard from the Father that he wants for me to lead this team. I am asking for your support and help in this. I would seriously love for your participation in God’s plan to further the kingdom in this way. First, I will need you to pray. Please be praying for me, my team, my other co-leaders, and for God to really be discovered in new and intimate ways. Second, I will need your help with financial support. God has a big call on my life for making disciples. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Matt. 28:19. The cost for me to go on this journey is $2,175, mostly of airfare. But as well as asking for support for the Romania trip, I am asking for support still for the Novas Project. The Novas Project’s cost was $8,950, but I am still roughly $1,500 short of that goal. Don told me that if funding could be met for the Novas Project, then he can help me out by dropping the cost of the Romania trip to $1,620, so about a $500 difference.
I ask that you don’t see this as donating money to “me”, but that your support is “kingdom” money. Any sum of money is totally appreciated, and weekly gifts also help out tons because I will only be home from Swaziland to work for a little less than four weeks. But I want to make clear that this isn’t just me asking for money to go to Romania, this is God sending me out as a servant to Jesus. If you feel it on your heart to help me, than please send your donation to the AIM office at 6000 Wellspring Trail, GA 30506. You can also donate online here at www.bryanmarsh.myadventures.org over on the left side of the screen where it says, “Support Me.” Please read through my blogs from my experiences in Swaziland and read the upcoming stories from Romania. I know times are tough, so if your heart is in it to support this financially but you are a little strapped, please pray and seek God to discern on your decision to support this journey. Also, please tell your friends and family, people you work with, your church, other churches, or just about everyone you come into contact with, only kidding, but seriously that will help. I know that God is bringing me through transformations and teaching me many things through the Novas Project and teaching me more and more of what it really means to live as a disciple of Christ’s through this trip to Romania and so on. Thank you for even reading this.
Bryan Marsh.
