Did you know?

Did you know this about Cru & my ministry scope?

I figure since I will be getting training for the next few weeks to be the Missional Team Leader of all the Urban schools in New Jersey, I should share a few fun facts I learn. There are many reasons why I chose to work with college students, here are a few:

Did you know?

• Professors influence every student with whom we work. Over the course of four years, every single student spends around 2,000 hours in a classroom, being taught and shaped by 25-30 professors. And the influence doesn’t stop there—add textbooks, homework assignments, papers to be written, and so on and we begin to see the incredible reach of university professors. 

Help me reach students who can reach the professors who shape and mold the next generation of  leaders. Visit give.ccci.org/0597677

Generosity develops Joy

Just yesterday, I posted about how "Generosity develops Growth". When God's people sell all their possessions (like in Acts 2) and give to one another to help build the body of Christ so they can expand the kingdom of God, they are growing a movement for God. Acts 2:42-47 is a prime example of a godly community truly surrendered to Christ in every aspect of their lives.

What I learned today from some of you is that when someone in the body of Christ is generous, it develops a deep joy and appreciatio, not only for that person, but for God who laid it on that person's heart. Tonight at Cru, 11 students prayerfully decided to attend Fall Retreat from Kean Cru. Four of them said they can pay $50 and would need scholarships for the rest. They others have freshmen scholarships and can pay the rest. One girl came to me and admitted she really wanted to go but previously made a commitment to her church so instead asked if she could scholarship someone $60! Now one other student only needs to raise or come up with $39. :)

How great is God to provide?! I don't know where the last four scholarships of $49 will come from but I'm not concerned because my God always comes through!

If you think you are one of the ways He is coming through and would lie to scholarship one of these students to be challenged to lift the veils of their lives, you can visit give.ccci.org and give to account # 2868515. That's the Kean Cru account specifically.

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

Strategy10

STRATEGY10
So I've developed a new strategy to raise support. I actually just came off of a media fast for a week and may I say, it was refreshing. Not only did I hear clearly from the Lord, but God reaffirmed a few things I had been doubtfully praying through. (Shame on me for doubting-I know…but don't we all at some point?) Anyway, I love how God speaks sometimes and then when you do something like this fast you realize He is always speaking. Sometimes we are just too stuck in this communication-frantic world to listen, hear clearly and respond. :o)


So what's this Strategy10 thing all about? Well, it really has nothing to do with the fact that it's 2010, although now that you've brought it up, I think I like that idea...heehee...Anyway, it really has to do with the idea of raising support in a financially scary time. There are a few phrases people just don't like to hear this new year. Statements like "will you...?" or "prayerfully consider..." used to be followed by an intense look and listening ear. However in today’s boiling pot of an economy, it's not so welcomed in many cases. All I'm doing is asking that you consider the lost and confused young adults on the college campuses and prayerfully decide how much you can give to a fulltime ministry pursuing them for Christ.


Understanding the pressures of such an economy and the difficult intensity for so many to let go of their seeds, I decided to develop Strategy10. Strategy10 is the idea that everybody has $10 to give to a good cause (or even a good meal!) per month. All I have been asking the past month is if people would prayerfully consider whether the Lord is leading them to give a simple $10/month gift towards the spiritual health of the leading 1% of the population of the world. So far I have had 12 commitments to this Strategy10 partnership which has encouragingly brought me to 72% of my financial support!


Another part of this method of madness is to ask the 66/257 people who financially support me to increase $10/month. Considering the fact that most of them have been graciously giving a consistent monthly gift for over two years now, I'm assured by the Spirit that this is a legitimate ask. If each person I have asked (not all because every person and situation are different) will give that amount and the others will begin to give, I might very well be at 100% very soon!


If you'd like, you could be praying for me as I go through these next few weeks writing letters and calling friends to hop on the Strategy10 team. Or even better, join the team! Visit: the giving website, type in my full name and your gift intentions.


I know to some it might be a bizarre dream, but HEY! I don't worship a God who can't handle miracles. His job is the hearts of people! His most popular miracle is changing the hearts of unresponsive stubborn sinners into humble servants! Sure, He can't force anyone to do anything they don't want, including loving the millions of lost college students in this world, however, He can influence them as they go about their weeks and encounter the many college students who don't know Jesus Christ. Hey - Jesus Christ was a miracle!....Like Pastor Epstein says: "If God is truly God, then the virgin birth was just another day at the office!" Last I checked, my God can do it!


There is so much more to Strategy10 and how I believe He placed in on my heart, but I'm going to leave it here. Will you pray with me? 

AWESOME GOD!

So how awesome is our God?!

I totally love Him! Everytime I'm not sure if I'm going to be back on campus, He raises my support a little more!

Within the past two weeks, a few people have dropped from my monthly team and others plan on stopping their monthly gifts in December. Yet, this past week I've received 2 SPECIAL ONE-time gifts, which help me receive a full paycheck, and then I received a monthly gift that brought me up to 69% of my monthly support!! I'm so excited and I can't wait for the others to come through! AND I can't wait to meet new people and have more opportunities to tell them about the amazing things God is doing in the lives of college students, staff and faculty!

Here's a picture of a few of the staff ladies I will be working with on the campuses of NJ.




Praise the Lord!