“You! You were in my dream…“

Could this be real?  I’m sure you’ve had dreams, but have they been like this one?

Read our latest prayer letter by clicking HERE 

Shirts to 'stir' up questions

The Cru student movement at the University  of Illinois will wear t-shirts (buttons and more) that some might not care to see now, but will be thankful they saw later.

Huh?

This week on campus (Feb 6-10) they’ll be having their BIG Winter Outreach.  It will center around their testimonies.  Every believer has his/her own personal story of a heroic pursuit that resulted in a dramatic rescue. Each of them has a story that is unique to us and full of the power of the gospel.

It is a story of transformation.

All over campus next week students will see green posters with the words “Before & After.” They will also see students wearing green shirts, green buttons and green stickers with their own personal before and after words.

Their shirts might say two words, like  “Striving” & “Satisfied.”  Others would have two words describing their ‘story.’  Those words represent who they were before knowing God and what God has produced in them. Telling others that story allows students to tell of the transforming power of God through the Gospel.

Pray:

• Pray that the campus would be covered with green!
• Pray that the abundance of green shirts, buttons, posters, stickers, and whatever else they can come up with would produce a curious campus and they would be able to tell our stories over and over throughout the week.
• Pray that God would soften the hearts of lost students, so that they would recognize themselves in the before parts of our story and desire Christ and the transformation he brings.

Jessi is 12 weeks along with all-day pregnancy symptoms as evidence!

Before you check Facebook (haha) could you pray:

• Jessi’s symptoms would subside
• Baby continues to develop and be healthy

Take a minute to process your life, your current reality or fears.  I will bet you have something that you are struggling to find it hard to believe, it cannot be done, this will never change or you fill in the blank.  We all have lies we believe.  If you feel like being transparent, share it!

Physically taking food to the Spiritually hungry

If you had to fill in the rest of the sentence, how would you finish it? God is greater than _______.

Now imagine being with 2400 others finishing that sentence—it’s incredible! And, it’s not all about the same thing. Can you hear the resolve in their voices as they declare it?

• God is greater than my idol of comfort.

• God is greater than my singleness.

• God is greater than my brokenness and struggles in life.

• God is greater than my sexual bondage.

• God is greater than my mom’s health.

• God is greater than my fears & doubts. I’ll share my faith again with those ignored or persecuted by many christians.  The LGBT community.

Each of the four days of this conference saw resolute commitments of yielding
to Christ—mending a broken friendship, reading the Bible, breaking up with a
boyfriend, choosing purity, deferring to parents, applying for a summer
missions project, or committing to a year long ministry internship.
God has used our annual Winter Conference, IndyCC, as a trail marker of believing
God for greater things every year.

Here’s some Fast Facts from the 2,000 + in attendance: 

• People talked too: 3,583
• People Shared Gospel with: 1,522
• Number of decisions: 147
• Shared Spirit-filled life with: 328
• People who wanted church follow-up: 689 
• Number of Christians trained to present the gospel clearly: 2,000 + 

Prayer:  Could you pray as these students start a new semester, they’d grow in their relationship with God, teach other to share their faith by going out together on campus and live each day knowing that “God is greater than…”

To watch a video, click HERE

Jessi & I are believing God for the impossible, seeing students who are walking the opposite direction of God turn and surrender their lives to Him.  Only God can do that, AND by His grace, He chooses us to be a part of it.

Our new staff need to be prepared to spend the best hours of their day, committed to seeing the impossible happen; that commitment takes huge faith.  What better way to prepare them for that impossible than trusting God to provide for their salary, benefits, and ministry expenses by raising up a team of committed ministry partners to send them to their mission field.  It is emotionally, physically and spiritually challenging.  But so exhilarating to God’s faithfulness.  Just like on campus, they are stepping into the unknown, trusting God to move hearts to join their ministry partner team.  This is God’s spiritual bootcamp for missionaries, which is preparing them to trust God when roadblocks seemingly prevent the impossible from being accomplished on campus.

Our job is not just being their supervisor in helping them to strategize, set goals, and hold them accountable.  At the core, we’re learning that it’s about being shepherds of their hearts to believe the truths that God has promised in His Word—that He will provide for those He’s called.  Together, let’s trust the Lord to strengthen their faith so that, that strong faith will push them to persevere in tough circumstances when trusting him for the impossible of changing hearts on campus.

Through your partnership we are about to send 14 new missionaries.

Stu, from Purdue University, has been on two short-term stints with Cru in Berlin and in September joined staff to go back to Berlin as full-time staff because of incredible things God is doing there in the midst of a spiritually cold country.  Stu is easy to talk with and has a big vision for what he’s trusting God to do there.  Bold in sharing his faith & discipling students to know God and make Jesus known, Stu is eager to return and already nearing full support!

Nate & Megan, from Mount Union U, are former college athletes joining the small campus team of two in Cleveland.  These two are super teachable, gracefully bold & love Jesus!  A week away from closing on the first home, they’re committed and ready after raising support for the past year.  Having had their lives changed thru Cru, their excitement is contagious!  They often can’t hold it inside.

P.S.   In our previous prayer letter I described my first day in my college experience, saying I was “ashamed” of my parents.  A more accurate word is “embarrassed” and wanting to be independent.  They’re wonderful & I love them heaps.  I love you dad & mom

Stop by our recent Photos area.  

How about, Cru Worldwide Student Network summer projects (WSN) shared the message of Christ with students from over 50 countries.  How’s that!

11 Summer Missions Projects in 4 + Continents with 200 + students going to the world!  Your support is sending them to reach the world for Christ!

You know the backdrop to your life and frustrations of your heart.  Can you imagine not knowing our loving God through those?  Every person talked too or every number counted were lives…and most without hope.

Numbers are boring and some dispute the validity of numbers recorded.  Okay that’s fine, but when 680 international students from around the world said they made a decision to trust in Jesus this summer…THAT IS AWESOME!

I just heard of male students in Istanbull, Turkey who told his Muslim parents and they disowned him by cutting off any financial help.  Yet he was eager to tell others at his university about what he found that has changed his life!

Remember, YOU are making a difference in the world!

Prayer:

• For these individuals to be want to grow and impact their world for Christ
• For the persecution that is/will happen for the cost of following Jesus
• U.S. students who’re now back at college will continue to take bold steps of faith

John, Reaching International students who're reaching the World

Have you ever felt insignificant in a sea of new faces?  What does it feel like to be unknown?

It was 1996 when I stepped foot onto the vast Purdue University campus.  Ashamed of my parents in tow and eager to be free, I wanted to belong to someone and/or something.  Wanting to belong and anyone to befriend me, I curiously walked the campus in search of significance.  What a pivotal time for a freshman.  Do you remember the beginning of your college experience or a similar time?

     Our mission:  To make Christ inescapable.  As you read we’re laboring, exhausted, steadfast to help each student find their significance in Jesus.  Staff and students are combing the campuses praying and engaging in spiritual conversations to bring students closer to being known by faith in Jesus.  If they follow Jesus their significance will be in a life-long relationship with God rather than a one night stand this Friday or willingness to do anything for approval.  How can they have faith if they’ve never heard the Truth?  The Kingdom of God is growing because God is bringing students into a relationship with Himself and you’re a part of this!

Jessi & I diligently provide leadership & development to new Cru staff, who’re bursting at the seems to arrive to their campus assignment, to develop a team of ministry partners so they can be unleashed to turn lost students into Christ-centered laborers.  For example, John(name changed for protection), placed his faith in Jesus in a East Asia due to a missionary.  He grew to be a leader of an underground church then came to the States for more education where he joined the Cru ministry that reaches out to internationals called Bridges International.  I’m coached John while witnessing God’s provision for him as he, just TODAY completed his personal support.  He’ll immediately report to a local campus to focus his full attention to reaching internationals who will return home and proclaim Jesus to their nation.  Unbelievable what God is doing friends !!!  Your partnership is reaping eternal dividends more than you know.

New Campus Crusade for Christ name & logo

Different Name: Same Mission & Vision

You may have already heard about an exciting element at our National Staff Conference since it has been covered in the national news.  Some are reporting it positively while others have tried to make it out to be controversial.  Campus Crusade for Christ is changing its name to Cru!  This is very exciting for us.  While our name is changing our mission and vision is not!  This change is intended to remove the barriers that our name has been putting up that are making that mission more difficult. While the cross might be offensive to some, our name certainly doesn’t need to be.

If you would like to read, watch video or listen to more about our name change you can visit www.ccci.org/cru.  If you have any questions about this please contact us; we would be delighted to talk it over with you.

             P.S. At a Central Ill Cru gathering, David, a student leader, related how one of his summer co-workers had said to him, “Because of you, I now see the importance of God in my life.” Very encouraging!

*  Don’t forget to to see my beauties [Jessi & Nora] with my studly son [Cooper] HERE