PUERTO RICO

Cru exists in more countries than Coca Cola… AND NOW, we are in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the campus of Rio Piedras!

University Campus Center

This week, I took a short 4 day trip with 10 other staff from the military ministry, faculty ministry, and campus ministry of Cru to San Juan.

La Escalerita - A Christian group we hope to partner with

A campus outreach we attended with all the Christian groups

We explored the campus and the community to see if we can start a Cru movement on the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras! We met students with a Catholic background and some who were protestant. We met a group of Christians who gathered together to sing everyday from 12 - 1 called “Confra” (conference) as well as another Christian club who gathered for Bible  studies and prayer called “Escalerita” (little stairway). We are hoping to partner with Gabriella and Carlos, who lead Escalerita and train them in multiple methods of evangelism and leadership skills. 

God did amazing things in my heart for the people of my heritage as I engaged with students and locals in lots of conversations in Spanglish (English & Spanish). Prayerfully, with the financial support and training needed, I’ll be able to lead a Summer Mission trip to Puerto Rico in 2017. Please pray for our team as we continue to partner with Dr. Bob, a Puerto Rican Christian leader who is helping start Cru movements across the island.

October 2015 Short Stories

It’s not always easy being on mission for the LORD all the time. Andy Mineo, a Christian rap artist, has released music that I think communicates the feelings, dangers and blessings of being on mission with God. A busy lifestyle, even for the LORD, can be the downfall of a Christian. If we don’t stay focused, we can lose sight of the vision and of God’s heart. My life has been busy, but God is still working on me. Thank God! ;)

NEW YORK CITY (Oct. 5^th – 8^th)

Rockefeller Center, NYC

The first week of October, I spent four days learning first-hand about the mission and vision of the campus ministry of Cru in NYC. Many of you know I am from New York originally and only came to NJ to study Deaf education. As a native New Yorker, Puerto Rican woman, and trained leader with Cru I can be an asset to the team of 30 working to reach 1 million students for Christ.

On Tuesday, the Worldwide Day of Prayer, we prayed at Brooklyn College (historically difficult to access) and the next day prayed for the entire city at “Top of the Rock” in Manhattan. Please pray with me as I careful consider this option for my future with Cru.

NJ-NY CRU FALL RETREAT (Oct. 9^th – 11^th)

Fall Retreat with Staff Women

The weekend following, I gave leadership to the New Jersey / New York City Fall Retreat with the theme “Community”. We had ministries from New York City with the Campus Ministry of Cru, Epic (reaching the campus through Asian-Americans), & Destino (reaching the campus through Hispanics & Latinos) join the New Jersey Campus ministries of Cru and they definitely put the word “community” to action.

Cru is a caring community, passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. It was beautiful to see all these communities with individual stories from various ethnicities & cultures come together to share in the great story of Jesus’ life and death that makes us into one community. Praise God for 150 in attendance!

ORLANDO, FL (Oct.11^th – 17^th)

SLI6 Participants

The second week of October, I spent 50 hours with the participants of the 6^th Senior Leadership Institute (SLI). We discussed the importance of a strong spiritual foundation to our leadership, cultural intelligence of a leader, the roles & responsibilities within the framework of a leader, the growth model, & how to coach students and teams. We also worked on a team to interview a Christian chief investment officer (CIO) to learn about his leadership style.

One thing I am excited for is that I get a coach who is Christian and who doesn’t work with Cru but will pour into my leadership development for the next two years.  I am also part of a small process group with whom I’ll work with to help bring improvements to Cru.

NJ #LIGHTUPJERSEY Evangelism Week (Oct. 19^th – 23^rd)

Large Jersey Light Brite
(Each Gospel conversation is a light)

The third week of October, New Jersey students canvased their campuses, spreading the Good News of Jesus to all who would hear! One day, I got to go to the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) to train three students involved with Cru in how to share their faith. These days, technology is key to communicating with this younger generation and even more so at an institute of technology like NJIT.

After teaching these three young men how to use the “Perspectives” app, “God Tools” app, and “The Jesus Film” app, we walked onto campus and shared the Gospel with 5 different students.  Although none of the students put their trust in Christ, they all were intrigued with the subject of Christianity and indicated an interest to continue learning about who Jesus is. J The conversations also inspired those three young Christian men to continue to share their faith with peers and family as well as train others to do the same!

Kean Homecoming (Oct.24^th)

That following Saturday, I attended the Kean homecoming event where our student leaders set up a table where families of faculty, staff & students could make masks & get to know more about Cru.

The student president of Cru at Kean decided to keep her brother entertained by playing a picture survey called “Soularium” where she asked him questions about God and his spiritual journey.  At the end of this Gospel conversation, Brandon gave his life to Christ!

Mid-Atlantic Team Leaders Conference (Oct. 26^th – 29^th)

The following week I attended a Team Leaders conference in Winchester, Virginia with staff like myself. There were about 50 team directors in the room and I was the only one who was an ethnic minority.

Sometimes this particular conference gets me down because I feel so alone but this year I grew even more passionate about what could happen if the demographics of the room changed to more accurately reflect the scope we are hoping to reach.

"Okay, I'm a college student... Now where are all the Christians?"

Kean Cru Core Group

Can you remember your first day? Of school, work, college? Do you remember walking into a room of people you didn't know in an environment you were unfamiliar with?

I do. I remember thinking that all I had to do was make sure I was invisible to everyone but the professor and if anyone were to see me, they would see my dedication to school work and only talk about that... Or so I hoped.

I remember the first day someone at my college talked to me about Jesus.  I had not yet found a Christian community on campus to connect with because the campus felt HUGE and the environment felt lonely. One day in the University Center, a woman behind a table with books and surveys asked me if I was interested in getting involved in something called "Campus Crusade for Christ". It seemed invasive honestly... I mean "crusade?!”...really? Unsure of their mission or doctrine, I did what my daddy taught me. I started grilling this woman with questions. "What do you do?" "Do you believe in the authority of scriptures?" "What do you believe about Jesus?"  The woman I spoke to saw my passion and recognized I had a Christian history. She calmed my worries of doctrinal issues (something every college student thinks about... not) and invited me to coffee. That interaction changed the path of the rest of my life.

Do you have a moment like that? Bethany does. Bethany is the student vice president of Cru at Kean University.

Bethany learned about a relationship with Jesus Christ her freshman year at a Cru table full of water bottles. Since then, Bethany has attended Bible studies, women's time, Jersey Cru, Fall Retreat and RADIATE, our winter conference. She even took the step of faith to raise her own financial support (coming from a Catholic Church) so that she can go on a Summer Mission with Cru to Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Today Bethany is still learning to walk in her faith and multiply her faith by sharing with others. Watch her video testimony here: https://youtu.be/gWJhdwZmm4g

Just before speaking at Jersey Cru

The start of the new academic year includes hundreds of these life-changing encounters. Many students encounter a Christian for the first time within the first 6 weeks of school. Jersey Cru, our statewide Cru meeting is the first time they witness 200 believers from 20 or so college movements across the state in one room worshipping God together! Soon after Jersey Cru is Fall Retreat, where many first time students solidify new Christian friendships, grow in their understanding of scripture, and get trained to engage in spiritual conversations just like that initial one they had with a random Christian. Please pray for these weeks!

Celebrating God's Work

You are invited to join Cru for our 16th annual

Jersey Metro Fellowship Dinner

Saturday, April 18, 2015
6:00 - 8:30 pm

Crowne Plaza Edison
2055 Lincoln Highway
Edison, NJ

To hear stories like these:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66hMSQR_ENQ

conversations

Seton Hall student, Damaris, who I disciple, 

with me just before sharing our faith at campus blitz

Much of my life consists of conversations with college students. I even live with one!

Most of these conversations are simple “get to know you” types but there are also the very specific interactions I plan with students for the sake of their spiritual and professional development.

As the female team leader in New Jersey, I also have many conversations with national Cru leaders whose concern is to reach these students for Christ, build them in their faith and send them to reach the lost.

Cru has set a goal to send 1 million “multipliers” (people who know & share their faith in Jesus) into the world by 2020.

During Spring break many students stay home to catch up with their shows on Netflix, visit family out of town, or simply sleep all day. This year, our staff planned another option for the students to consider spending 2/7 days they have off.

Jersey schools are split over which week to have spring break, so for each week, our staff planned to reach those campuses not on break. This past Monday & Tuesday, we trained students who participated in different methods and tools for evangelism.

We prayed and shared the Gospel with 13 different people, initiated spiritual conversation with 65 more people and led one person to Christ.

 

New Jersey is very diverse. At Rutgers Camden, day two, we wrote the words “Only Jesus Saves” in chalk on the ground in front of the student center in over 15 different languages. The spelling was acquired through random students on campus who spoke those languages. Many stopped to watch and take pictures with their primary language.

God is reaching students of every nation in very unique ways!

Follow @JerseyMetro on Twitter or Instagram to see more photos & celebrate more good news!