THE SLAMERS

Each year, the South Orange County Cru team invites a bunch of us local staff to help connect with students at UCI’s (University of California at Irvine) annual “Anteater Involvement Fair” (AIF).  It is one of my (Scott) favorite days of the Fall!  This year it was Monday, September 20th.  Every club on campus was there, and thousands of students swarmed the central park area.  We had 500 Cru flyers and “Hello Panda” cookie bags to give away and use to meet students.  If they took a flyer and cookie, we would ask them to scan a QR code with their phone and fill our our online survey.

Throughout those hours I encountered scores of students.  Many freshmen, and sophomores who were “on campus” for the fist time.  Gustavo, from the volleyball team, Dylan, Brittany, MJ, and Rodolfo, just to name a few.   Some said, “no thanks”, many said, “sure”.  Some asked questions about our group, and I got to share.  I would ask them a few questions about year in school, major, and if they lived on campus.  Sometimes, we would dig a little deeper into their spiritual background.  

Nutsa (newt-sah), stopped to grab a cookie and fill out our survey.  It turned out that she was from the country of Georgia!  When I asked if she had any spiritual background, she said that Georgia was a Christian country.  She had not found another student yet who was from her country.   I urged her to head over to Cru’s “Bridges International” tent, where there is an entire ministry devoted to serving International students.

 When the AIF was over, and the survey responses were counted, over 160 contacts indicated they were “interested” in getting involved with Cru at UCI in some way!  Wow!  God is always on the move!

Pray now for the 160 students to be followed-up in a timely fashion.  That’s a lot of work for the South Orange County team and their student leaders!

Praise & Prayer Requests!

Pray for students this Fall, to find Jesus in communities of faith, like Cru, on and around their campuses.

Pray for Cru staff and students around the country who are giving tons of effort to put Jesus before as many students as possible.

Family Requests:

Praise the Lord with us for Sarah loving Biola and, so far, having a fantastic beginning! Pray for all of us as we adjust to a new normal around our house.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20:21

All but one Cru Summer Mission have come to an end!  This month, we thought you would enjoy just reading a fraction of what God did.  We’ll let the students tell the stories of His glory:

“I walked into a room full of strangers and now I’m in a room full of brothers and sisters.” – Kailyn, Hampton Beach

“I felt God working everyday at work when having conversations with coworkers” – Nicholas, Clearwater Beach

“Summer Mission renewed my joy in the Lord, showed me the sweetness and fun of Christian community, and grew my comfortability in sharing the gospel relationally. I feel very connected to my Cru community, and I feel ready to engage in relational evangelism on my campus. I don’t know if I could’ve said either of those things before summer mission.” – Madison, Croatia

“We had many gospel conversations, we had great team unity, and we were constantly challenged by staff to grow in our faith. “- Alice, Croatia

“I saw a coworker come to Christ through one of the sloppiest “sharings” of the gospel ever. It showed me that God will work through your brokenness and your imperfections” – Ezekiel, Clearwater Beach

“I made brand new friends! I loved seeing His creation in a new world, it made the world feel so big and broke my heart for the lost people in this world.” – Kambria, North Africa

“I got to lead a Bible study and learn how to prepare and lead a group which was exciting! I feel prepared to do this in the fall at my Michigan Tech campus.” – Emily, Virginia Beach

Thanks for partnering with us to see God work this life change in and through college students around the world!  For even more stories of what God did this summer, watch this 2 minute video of testimonies from a handful of Summer Mission students: 

https://vimeo.com/588961500

Praise & Prayer Requests!

Praise God for the work He has done in and through college students this summer, around the globe!

Pray for ongoing and lasting spiritual impact on those to whom these students ministered this summer. 

Pray for those students who went on a Summer Mission, to metabolize what they’ve experienced and live it out back on campus this Fall.

Family Requests:

Praise the Lord with us for Sarah loving Biola and, so far, having a fantastic beginning! Pray for all of us as we adjust to a new normal around our house.

“Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among  the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”

Psalm 96:2-3

Noah and Andrew met on the cross country team at their high school.  Noah was two years ahead of Andrew, but they were teammates and friends.  When Noah graduated and began college at Michigan State University, they stayed in touch.  At MSU, Noah met Jesus and his life began to change!  Back home, Andrew suffered a running injury.  Tying his performance to his significance, Andrew struggled.  Hearing how his life had changed,  Andrew reached out to Noah, who shared the gospel with him.  While initially,  Andrew was interested, his injury soon healed up and spiritual things were ignored again in his life.  

Two years passed and Andrew was also accepted to Michigan State University.   When he arrived on campus, Noah immediately invited him to a Cru Bible study.  Honestly,  Andrew was only interested in making friendships, as campus was closed to freshmen because of Covid-19.  But, God was at work, and later last Fall Andrew placed his faith in Jesus!  This summer Andrew and Noah are both participating in the Chicago Summer Mission!  Now they are developing “practical ministry skills and the tools necessary to be a strategic leader both in Chicago and back on their campus.” 

Don’t you love being a part of what God is doing to prepare this generation for his glory?!  Thanks again for your investment with us in Noah and Andrew, and over 1,000 other college students on mission trips this summer!  We look forward to telling more stories of God’s work in the coming months, as most summer mission trips will wrap up within the next month.

Praise & Prayer Requests!

• Praise God for the work He has done and is doing in students like Noah and Andrew this summer!

• Pray for students to grow in their faith, share the gospel a ton, and for many to come to faith in Christ this summer. 

• Pray for the safety and success of each student and trip that is going out this month. 

Family Requests:

Please pray for us to get a little rest this summer and for a successful college move-in/send-off for Sarah the last week of August.

“At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ…that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak”

Colossians 4:3-4

I took the opportunity for a quick visit to Cru’s San Diego Summer Mission last week.  This summer, 44 students came mostly from Arkansas schools, and a handful of others, throughout the middle US.  They have joined Cru staff in Mission Bay for 8 weeks of their summer.  Students have jobs at nearby Belmont Park,  while in the evenings and off times they study God’s word together, are learning to share their faith, and are living in Christian community.  God has been doing some incredible things!

I was able to be present for a “Life Opportunities” day, where students heard from Cru speakers and guests on Biblical decision-making, living out your faith in the workplace, and ways they could minister with Cru.  At the end of the day, I came across a student named Cade, from the University of Arkansas.  I asked him how he was doing.  “The Lord is moving me to do overseas ministry for a year, after I graduate,”  he replied with a smile.  I paused in that moment with him as he recorded the Lord’s nudging in his journal.  

The following morning, I joined the entire staff team for their last meeting of the summer, before they left the students to lead the remainder of the trip on their own.  They recounted many of the things the Lord has already done this summer.  Among them were

• Students making commitments to spend time with the Lord every morning, read the Bible in a year,  and share their faith regularly.
• “Unity in diverse views and disagreements.”
• “Mia decided to apply for a one-year overseas internship with Cru, and asked a friend at home to hold her accountable.”
• “Addy wanted to challenge the girls she poured into at home, to be more intentional with their summers.”
• One student will ask her boss on a “gospel” appointment when she gets home.

Thanks for partnering with us to see this kind of Christ-centered life change happen in college students from San Diego to Central Asia!

Praise & Prayer Requests!

• Praise God for the work He is doing in and through students in San Diego and many other locations this summer!

• Pray for students to grow in their faith, share the gospel a ton, and for many to come to faith in Christ this summer. 

• Pray for the safety and success of each student and trip that is going out this month. 

Family Requests:

Please praise the Lord with us for a very encouraging graduation celebration for Sarah! Please pray as we enjoy this summer with her and as a family.

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.  Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

Psalm 143:8

As of today, 11of our 41 US Summer Missions are underway!  Breckenridge , Daytona Beach, “The Badlands” in North Dakota, and San Diego, are just a few of the places teeming with college students eager to connect with God, others, and share the gospel with those in the community!   

10 of our 23 International Summer Mission are also underway!  Teams are on the ground in places like Croatia, Estonia, the Middle East, and North Africa.  College students are engaging other college students around the world, with the good news of Jesus!

43 more trips will begin between now and the end of July, totaling over 1,000 students sent this summer.  We cannot wait to tell the stories of what God will accomplish!

In the meantime, Scott and his team have been responding to the needs of these teams as they depart.  Generally, they have been smooth departures. 

 A hiccup we encountered (but quickly resolved) was a few students and staff having taken the wrong COVID-19 test before their international flight!  Make sure you get a PCR test if you are leaving the country:) 

Then there were the adjustments we needed to make with regard to the CDC’s new regulations for those who are fully vaccinated.  While it makes things simpler with regard to safety protocols, it makes them more complicated with regard to team unity.  Part of a team is vaccinated with no protocols to follow, while the others are unvaccinated and having to mask and social distance.  It is challenging to navigate and keep the unity of the body of Christ, but it is possible.

Praise & Prayer Requests!

Family Requests:

Please pray for us personally to end Sarah’s last year of high school well and all the preparation for graduation!

“Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.”

Psalm 116:7