Car Updates

I'm currently working with mats.org to get a car in my price-range that is small (because parking in Jersey City is a nightmare) and gas-effiecient (because I drive 200 miles a week)! I've made a faith goal of $10k to purchase a vehicle that would meet my needs. The combination of what my insurance company will be giving me and my tax-refund will leave me just about $1500 short of that goal.

I'm currently waiting to see how God will provide the rest of the money or which car He will provide for me. I was considering a hybrid, but the potential battery maintenence I will need to pay for doesn't really make it worth it. Last car I had, Toyota Yaris, is the most gas-effiecient car I know with 35-38 miles/gallon.

Please pray I make a wise decision that would help me to continue my ministry work here in NJ for many years to come. I'm so excited to see how God will work!

Keeping Tabs Jan2012

RADIATE.2011—Be Free

Every New Year, I have the wonderful opportunity to worship into the New Year with hundreds of students from the mid-atlantic region. This year 937 students from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey gathered in the Baltimore Inner Harbor to develop their relationships with Jesus through fellowship, training, worship and prayer.

 Pastor Jackson Crum, Claude Hickman and Roger Hershey all spoke on the topic “be free”. In and through their teaching, felt God challenge me to give a detailed testimony, known as a “soul to soul”, to the women involved at Kean Cru. Little did I know this time, which included my sister, developed a greater feeling of freedom within the women to be open and honest about where God has convicted them of sin. Since that night, I’ve been able to privately meet with several of these women and encourage them, as Paul did in Ephesians 5:8, to walk as children of light.

One of the great things about conferences like these is that I am able to reunite with the students I worked with this past summer at Hampton Beach, NH Summer Project. It was really encouraging to see the women from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia & North Carolina persevering and “running the race.”

RADIATE2011 - Be Free

I just returned from Cru's 4-day winter conference, RADIATE. This year the theme was "Be Free" and 1000 students were able to hear from special guests like Pastor Jackson Crum, Claude Hickman, our own Roger Hershey, and "I Am Second" speakers: Chris & Adrienne Plekenpol. Students from all across the mid-atlantic region started off the conference worshiping with The Bridgeband....

There is a lot more to tell, but for now it's time to rest. If you're interested in more videos and pictures, check out my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/edithann.morales

Giving Time of the Year

Merry Christmas!  I pray you experience joy as we remember our Savior coming to dwell among us! 

At this time of year we tend to look back and think of all the Lord has done in our lives throughout the year.  I pray that you are able to take the time to think of the ways the Lord has been working and what He’s been teaching you.  As I reflect back I realize that resting in God’s full control has been a major theme of my life this year.  For instance, Kean Cru doubled in size and is continuing to grow hungry for more of Jesus (all I did was pray & show up). Over Summer Project I was able to pour into women at random who dealt with similar issues as I have these last two years (only He could put us together). Then, even more beyond my control, several students gave their lives to Christ this past semester! Praise God!

Liscet Duran (Kean Cru leader I disciple pictured left) and I have been learning this lesson together: It’s not easy to surrender control in every area of my life, especially when I think I know what’s best. For example, there are times when I’m sharing the Gospel and will continue to emphasize God’s love, hoping for some reaction from the listener that will show I’m speaking clearly. There are other times I want the Kean Cru leadership team to do things a certain way so that meetings would run more smoothly (as though God can’t work through all things). Even recently I planned to meet with Anita, a student I disciple at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark, and her roommate. Since NJIT does not allow students to do surveys on campus or share their faith openly, Anita and I planned to share with her roommate. The problem was we didn’t have time to discuss a game plan before entering the field. At the end, we had little spiritual conversation that didn’t lead to the Gospel. This is still a relationship we are pursuing for the sake of giving Jess (the roommate) an opportunity to know Christ. However in my own hands, I want to work at it without rest until we have a clear conversation.

One of the most difficult struggles I’ve been faced with is resting God’s full control of my finances. I raise support to cover my daily needs as well as ministry needs like conferences, materials and missions trips. Your partnership allows me to disciple and share the love of Jesus to college students from all across the Mid-Atlantic region. I’m so excited for what God is doing at Kean University with the leaders and members of Kean Cru as well as with Anita at NJIT. In order to be involved with discipleship & come alongside these future leaders in ministry, I want to remain undistracted and rest in His promise to provide my needs according to His will. Low support has a way of distracting me and I am currently about $1,300 short on monthly support.

Would you prayerfully consider a special gift or raising your monthly support at this year-end to help offset some of my needs?  Please make Checks out to Campus Crusade for Christ and enclose it in the envelope provided or you can give on-line at http://give.ccci.org/give/0597677

Thank you for any amount you give.  I would not be able to serve without your partnership through prayer and financial support.  Thank you for your faithful support, prayers, and encouragement!

In His Amazing Grace,

 E. Tabitha Morales

October 2011 - News Report

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” - 2 Corinthians 4:18

By mid-October, students are trying to balance school, friends, family, work, ministry, and their relationships with God. Sometimes things slip out of perspective and start to get fuzzy. Fall retreat is a time where students can get away for a weekend of worship, teaching, relaxing, and connecting with others. This year we had over 110 students from NJ join with a group of 60 from Westchester, PA to learn to focus their attention on Jesus through it all.
 
During women’s time, the women were especially challenged in their relationships with one another by guest speaker, Sarah Evers, who spoke about what it means to be an “ezer”. Although I was privileged to lead a seminar on evangelism and train students to uniquely initiate conversation with friends, family and peers, my favorite aspect of the retreat was following up with these Kean women (pictured left). Raised Catholic, Dailyn Santana (sitting in front of me), prayed to enter into an intimate relationship with Jesus at FR2011 and attends Bible Studies & women’s fellowship regularly! :) “You girls have NO idea, this weekend was like ‘answered prayers weekend’! I told God I wanted to really know Him at Fall retreat and I did, then I wanted female friends and you’re here!”

---

Christa, Victoria, Maria, Sindy, Liscet, Alison

Homecoming Festivities!

Aside from bowling nights, Pizza & God, and Bible study, another way Kean thought to reach their campus was to participate in the annual Homecoming festivities! This year student organizations were given a "Jersey Shore" theme to promote their group at the tailgate festival. Families came to support our winning football team and enjoy the free games and food. Kean Cru leader and senior, Liscet Duran (second from right), ran for homecoming queen and told the voting committee it was for the sake of bringing MORE glory to God who's brought her through these last years! :)

Joe Ro, Harvey Minano, Joe Celentano

Please continue to pray that the Kean leadership team wisely decides how to reach their campus for God’s glory!

Thanks for helping make this happen!

Picture story! :)

I've not posted in a long time... But here's the short, picture version of why:

This Friday is our second Jersey Cru of the semester! Last month we had nearly 200 students!

Kean is really working on reaching out to their campus this week. (Quest week is a statewide student/staff effort to take the initiative to share the Gospel with students, faculty and staff on the 30/60 campuses we are on.)

Kean Cru doesn't just give out free pizza! We really want people to come talk about God. So we are providing home-made empanadas! :)

Fall Retreat was terrific! Students truly encountered Jesus Christ!

11 women represented KeanCru at this years Fall Retreat. Harvey (right) is joined by 2 NJCU men pictured above.

Discipleship was beautiful by the beach @ Harvey Cedars Bible Conference.

Although a D3 University, Kean Cru even represented at the tailgate festival this year and cheered on Liscet (2nd from right) as she represented Christ, running for home-coming queen!)

Just cuz we were at homecoming, doesn't mean we weren't going to make an effort to start spiritual conversations! Underneath the castle the students built, they laid sand with "Soularium" cards dug in them. :)

Last Thursday, in an effort to reach students who may not have attended the homecoming concert, Kean Cru played short films produced by the Global Shortfilm Network to promote spiritual conversation.

Before that, Kean Cru had a difficult time booking a room to have Bible Study in, so we did a few community building events like bowling! Here are some of our senior women involved in the ministry. (From left to right: Liscet, Sindy, Jahtasia, Sharon)

It was a fun time for everyone!

Even a silly time for newbies to get to know and love us! :)

Free from Ctrl

This song, Hold Me - Jaime Grace and Toby Mac, is one of those songs I hear and wish I would always believe. Laura Story sings a song called "Blessings" that does a good job of reminding me of the truths I need to stay focused on.

Backdrop: (pray please)

• I haven't had an apartment since the end of July and the school semester started the end of August. So I've been staying with my parents on the weekend and friends/students throughout the week as I work on campus at Kean University. 
• My support has been $1200/month lower than I need it to be so that I can fully engage college students with the revitalizing story of Jesus Christ. So I've only been working at Kean University for the most part and working on support the rest of the time.
• My tire blew an unexpected expense through my emergency fund the second day of work.
• My laptop has been unexpectedly been shutting down on random occasions.
• Kean Cru has been having problems getting a room for it's weekly Bible studies.

What God's been teaching me...

This weekend I was able to go to Baltimore with our Jersey Metro Intern, ChiChi, and a few NJ students to meet up with staff and students from around the region to discuss and plan our upcoming winter conference, RADIATE2011. Immediately after this conference, I decided to drive to Virginia with a student of mine to go visit friends & students from Hampton Beach Summer Project 2011. It was Saturday afternoon and I had Monday off since I had just finished working a 65 hour work week. I've obviously been struggling with finding rest without a place of my own and I knew that if I went to NJ or NY, I would probably work in one way or another. So I decided I need to get away.

Truth:
On this 5 hour drive to Virginia Tech & 8 hour drive back up to NJ, I learned that I have a strong desire to be in control of all things in my life and cause them to work my way - "the good way". I tend to forget God's promises and truth that He loves me and has plans to prosper me and not to harm me (Jeremiah 29:11). I see my circumstances and wonder where is God's hand, but He said He will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrew 13:5). So then can I believe Him even when I don't see Him working? Can I believe His word, which says He is good & all that He does is good (Psalm 119:68)?

Focus:
This song, "Tear Down the Walls" by Hillsong, reminds me that I can believe Him because there is a greater purpose to being here in this life than to be comfortable and adjusted in my life-seat. I can BE FREE from the need to control because He's trust-worthy. Christian rap artist, Lecrae, says it beautifully in his song "Background"- "I can play the background cuz I know sometimes I get in the way". He can handle my life.... I just gotta trust Him and see it from His perspective. Kinda gets me excited for what God is going to do at our Fall Retreat this year entitled "focus - Change your perspective. Find your purpose."

NOW... (praise time)

I can see God's goodness in all these things that appear painful.

• Because I don't have an apartment, I've saved on rent and utilities for two months and haven't had to pay with students, friends and family.
• Because my support is low, I've been able to talk to more students about what I do and the importance of giving to God's kingdom work.
• Because my tire blew & my laptop may be at the end of it's working life, I'm excited for what God's going to do on campus to upset the enemies schemes!
• Despite Kean having problems getting a room for their weekly meetings, we've had MANY freshmen students come out to our meet & greet, pizza & God event, and bowling night out... people know we are on campus! This is key to our movement! PRAISE JESUS!

Missions Trips?

In his Introduction to the New Testament Epistles, J. B. Phillips writes:

There is a vast difference between the Christianity of the first century and the [Christianity of today]. To us, Christianity is all too often a code of ethics, a philosophy of life, a standard of performance, but to those first-century Christians, it was a new quality of life altogether, and they did not hesitate to describe this as Christ living in them. Perhaps if we believed what they believed, we could achieve what they achieved.

Bill Bright writes:

The first-century church rocked their world. Filled with the Spirit and compelled by the love of God, the early church took the Good News of God's love and forgiveness to the entire known world. Never before had any small body of ordinary men and women made such an impact on the world. Those Christians were a group of ordinary people, like you and me, who knew the love and forgiveness of God. Controlled and empowered by God's Holy Spirit, they reached out in love to people living under the tyranny of an evil empire.

This Saturday:
Some of the NJMetro staff team will be joined by 40 students from around the state to take a 20 hour bus ride to Daytona, Florida.  
Why? 2 words every college student loves to hear: "Spring Break".
Every year the US National Campus Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ puts on a weekly conference for students from around the country in Panama City Beach, Florida. This isn't just a vacation though; This trip has purpose. Hundreds of students each week in March are trained to shrewdly and un-apologetically share their faith with college students who've come down to Florida to find life in things of this world that are fleeting and not fulfilling.

Prayer walking the beach in PCB, FL -2008

So why not join the National Conference? This year there were so many Christian college students excited to share their faith on the beach for Spring break that the conference registration had to close early! There was no more available housing. Having had already gathered 40+ NJ students ready and excited to go and preach the Good News, the Jersey Metro staff team PRAYED and listened carefully for the Lord's leading. Through lots of prayer and internet searches, we found a great deal at a hotel in Daytona, Florida. So this year, we will have our own training conference and time to share our faith with "Cru" movements from across the state of NJ on the Dayona beach. Some students from Kean University started to call this trip "DAY-Break" in reference to a "Reilly Band" song called "Sunlight" and of course it's also a pun for being in  DAYtona on Spring BREAK. :)

Please be praying for us as we prepare to take this trip this Saturday March, 12th. Pray that our staff and students would be motivated by love and compassion for the many seeking a fulfilling love and purpose in this life. Pray that this compassion motivates them to be bold for Christ! Pray that our students would make this a way of life and not just something to do on a trip.