Being a Mentor in Macedonia (aka the Vasko Atanasov Project)

If you were wondering why I was Macedonia the last few years, I don't know if I can answer that question for you. This video might answer that question and maybe it won't: If you watched that video, you would see a guy named Slave (Slah-vay) claim that God told him "one day this building will belong to the kingdom of God, and there will be a Christian team playing here." Slave told me that in 2005 and I laughed in his face. Then in 2009, when Ryan Smith wrote me on facebook and told me that he wanted me to come back to Strumica, Macedonia to play on Christian basketball team and help run the sports hall, I thought it was a joke. I was like "No way! that sh*t is BANANAS FOSTER WITH AN SIDE OF EXTRA BANANAS SERVED BY A MONKEY DRESSED AS A BAG OF BANANAS!!"

And then I told him no, I can't play for that kind of money, but I would pray about it. And I did and when he made me a only slightly less ridiculous offer, I reluctantly admitted if there really is a God, I should probably go to Macedonia. After 2 years there, I still question why I was in Macedonia. I was supposedly a sports missionary for this ministry, and at times I filled the position admirably and at other times not so much. One thing I did was serve as a quasi-mentor to a highschool kid named Vasko Atanasov. My roommate, Jeremiah Boswell also mentored Vasko, giving him valuable advice and emotional support, while my mentoring style mostly involved making fun of the shape of his head and predisposition to date girls 5 or 6 years younger than him (ballpark estimate) and occasionally telling him some biblical wisdom. I don't know if anything I said to him sunk in, but Vasko is actually a really great kid who loves basketball and loves Jesus.

Vasko was a handball goalie but had a serious injury that derailed his career. Instead of feeling sorry for himself and going out and getting completely hammered at the clubs, which most kids his age do in that city, Vasko took initiative and got involved with coaching kids at ABA basketball club, eventually taking over the head coach position of the 7th grade team and leading them to the championship game. The maturity of this kid is unbelievable for his age. It has been so awesome to see him mature in his relationship with Christ and witness how God is using him to influence others. Go on his twitter page (http://twitter.com/attanasov) and you will see bible verses among statements such as:

I care about impacting people, not impressing people.

The blessings of God will complicate your life. But unlike sin, it will complicate your life in ways it should be complicated.

How many 17 year old kids do you know writing things like that? Anyway, I am telling you how great Vasko is not only because his is, but also because he will be coming to America this summer as a coach on a reverse missions trip with Athletes in Action. Vasko is a student in Macedonia with limited access to funds, so Jeremiah and I told him we would help raise the support for this trip. The trip is 2 weeks away and Vasko still need $800 to reach this goal. I believe this trip is important for Vasko to continue to grow in his faith. Please send your check immediately to:


Didasko Ministries, Inc.
13310 NE Shaver St.
Portland, OR 97230
And Note that it’s for: Sharrett 1040 Account

It sucks that there is no way to donate online, but it is what it is. If you plan on writing a check, please comment on the blog how much or send me a message so we can keep track of the total. Thanks and God bless!!