March Madness – Road to the Final Four or Maybe a Little More!

If you are a basketball fan the road to the final four is the most exciting time of the year. It’s when everyone has to bring their best game putting it all on the line. As the teams are eliminated you know what everyone has done and not done. You have watched what each team has brought to the table. Like the final four I want to take this time to give you an update on how your prayers and giving have accomplish many things and where we are financially.

As Cathy and I work to connect churches, businesses and talented individuals to 35 plus nations of the earth thereby seeing God’s kingdom come to broken and lost people we want to thank you and give you some highlights.

• Sunday, March 21^st we entered another time when we assessed, orientated, and trained nine new missionaries for the harvest field. Building the harvest force has amazing results. Please pray that God will bring more workers for the harvest fields. We have many opportunities for impact but we need more workers!

• In 2009 we trained and appointed (sent out) more than 25 new missionaries.

• For 20-to-30-years-olds who want to investigate a career in mission work we now have two year teams set up in Hungary, China, Thailand, Dominican Republic, Belgium, and England. I hope to soon have one set up in Kazakhstan in the next year and I want to build one in Africa but I need a leader. Pray for this new generation as they are the new harvest force! Here is a new web site to check out.

• The Vietnam partnership is starting to reach into two new unreached groups. There are 52 unreached people groups in Vietnam and with these two new groups we will be making disciples in 22 groups. The training we developed has caused unreal growth. Now I am working to help bring business training to these rural leaders so they can start businesses that fund church growth and multiplication.

• The DR Congo partnership is just flat out growing. We are establishing a world class bilingual Christian University (the first of its kind in DR Congo). This next year I will focus on building bringing groups together to build a global training system whereby interactive training can take place by leaders around the world. On my next in October I want to take people to teach English to new prepitory year students. Do you want to come? I need you! We are expecting to have 350 to 400 students next year. I have also helped to complete all processes and systems to field International Staff to the school.

• The Swedish partnership has seen new growth on the campus of Lulea Institute. There are now over 12 students meeting regularly. This is almost double from last year. We will soon have a couple and single living there. Pray they get their final monthly amount in so they can move before October. The harvest is plentiful but there are no workers on this 5000 person campus!

• Pray for a new partnership we are developing in Pucallpa Peru. I hope to take a trip late summer to bring all the groups together and define goals and outcomes.

• Our Cuban partnership is expanding. We have our annual partnership meeting in Vancouver in May. If you can believe it we are helping to establish businesses in Cuba which are funding church growth. So far we have 5 started!

• Please continue to pray for the other partnerships in Senegal, Tanzania, Thailand, France, Slovenia, Nepal, India, and Colombia. Check out my new partnership page with descriptions and resources by clicking here.

Because of you, new churches are being planted. Each of these churches are made up of people just like you who were once without hope... wondering what will happen to them, living in fear of offending some spirit, busted up families, children without a future, desperate for change. Now thousands and thousands are now are learning about a God who loves then and are experiencing grace and peace. Because of you…!

One last comment that is hard for us to bring up but some of you have told us that we need to make the “ask.” First, again, Cathy and I want to thank you for your continued support. We are honored and humbled that God has led you to partner with us. Words do not express our sincere gratitude. So we are asking you to please pray for this financial aspect of our ministry. Due to hard times our support has dropped to $50,000 a year and we need to get it back to $75,000. This amount includes things like living expenses, travel and ministry expenses, taxes, health care, etc. As you can imagine we live with frugality.

Pray for us to meet people who can help us restore our budget so we can keep working. If you know someone who would like to hear about what we do please let us know. Once again, accept our heartfelt THANK YOU!

This is your investment. This is your joy.

Mark & Cathy Szymanski

www.mszymanski.com

mski@earthlink.net

704.517.0255