It has been a true pleasure to spend time with the men we are training this week. When we finish they will soon begin sports ministry in their respective countries and I cannot wait to see how God will use them. Here is a little bit about each one:
Steve Davids (Germany)
An Awana missionary raised in Germany, Steve and his family arrived in Wiesbaden, just west of Frankfurt, a little over a year ago. The host of the event, Steve is a veteran sports camp leader and spent this week learning more about the latest changes to the sports camp curriculum. With several church options at his disposal to begin sports camp ministry, we are most certainly looking forward to how God will use him this ministry year and the years to follow.
Max Tamozhnikov (Ukraine)
Max’s passion for soccer is apparent from the moment you meet him. An Awana missionary near Kharkiv, he has a passion for reaching children and raising up leaders within churches. He is looking to implement sports ministry as soon as he returns, all for the sake of building up churches in his region.
Bruno Cunha Faria (Portugal)
Part of the Awana ministry team in Portugal, Bruno prayed fervently for an opportunity to use sports as a tool for outreach in his nation. A resident of the Algarve region, he is an avid runner who desires to use fitness and soccer to connect families to the church. As he returns home, his intention is to use sports as a way to assist churches as they reach out to children and families in need.
Andi Dina (Albania)
A new member of the Awana family, as a child Andi had a dream of one day playing professional soccer. That dream was cut short by a civil war. Now, he is merging this passion with his deep desire to reach children and raise up leaders within local churches. This summer Andi intends to begin sports ministry in several churches, using this style of ministry to create excitement and create outreach alongside the long-term discipleship ministry of Awana.
As with other trainings like this one, the chance to spend dedicated time with like-minded ministry partners encourages and inspires our training team as we look to the future of sports ministry in Europe. Please continue to pray as we plan and as we run a short sports camp during the rest of our time here in Germany. I am greatly encouraged by what I have seen in each of these missionaries and know God will use this training to strengthen and grow more churches here in Europe!