Who is Jesus to you? We asked this question in a video interview with Marshall, an international student from South Africa. “Jesus is so many things to me,” he said. “He’s a friend and he also plays the role of a father to me…who comforts me and gives me hope. Jesus is my everything.” But it wasn’t always that way for him. Marshall told us how he can relate to others who struggle to find out “why we are really here on Earth.” Though he remembers clearly when South Africans gained independence, Marshall laments the lack of control most of his countrymen still experience. Nevertheless, many doors opened to him that were closed to his parents, such as studying for a Master’s degree here in the U.S.
As a key student leader of Bridges in Sacramento, Marshall realizes the unique potential for fulfilling the Great Commission at college campuses. “When you come to the U.S., you find all these people in just one country. It allows you to interact with different cultures without leaving the country.” With a team of fellow students, Marshall went on a Bridges mission trip to the Bay Area. Despite feeling nervous at times, Marshall was able to share his faith in Jesus with other international students, as well as American students. “Americans need Jesus, too,” he said. Through his involvement with Bridges, Marshall realized God is helping him discover his destiny. “I think my vision is becoming more clearer and clearer. I’m still praying about it, but I feel like God has called me to be an ambassador for Christ.”
Marshall is one of many students that Bridges is training and sending out into the world. Wherever he lands, there will be one more ambassador asking people, “Who is Jesus to you?”