AMAZING!

RADIATE - FOUR DAYS YOU WILL NEVER FORGET

“I could write a novel about how absolutely AMAZING my last Radiate as a college student was!”

RADIATE is our annual winter conference with the Mid-Atlantic region of Cru. This December 28th – January 1st, over 1,000 students gathered in Washington, DC for four days of community and growth in their relationships with God.

They heard from great speakers such as Matt Mikalatos, Matt Watts, Heather Holleman & PastorJames White. Students and staff sang in worship with talented bands, and reached out to this city in need of hope. Finally, they participated in worship into the New Year.

A student boasted on Facebook:

“From bonding with my awesome Jersey Cru family & having us win the social media contest, to having my tweet chosen by Emcee Shelby Abbott, and having God completely strengthen the fact that I am indeed 100% Anchored in Him, & starting off the new year worshipping and praising Him, I could not be anymore blessed.” – Ramapo student, Angie Cisneros (pictured center on right)

As a student at RADIATE, I was amazed at the sheer number of students in the room and quickly fascinated by their hearts for God.  Eight years later, now on staff, I am truly blessed to witness God’s work in the lives of so many students!

God at work: Of the 741 students who told us they signed a pledge (here), 24 of them trusted Christ, 105 committed to spending a year of their life in full-time vocational ministry, and 220 committed on going on a Summer Mission with Cru.

Something even more amazing is that when asked to consider helping other students attend conferences and to consider supporting overseas missions, these “broke college students” pledged to give $81,751.74! God truly is at work!

Praise Him!

Colorado Picture Update

This Summer was full of fun new relationships! 

Pictured right is the coaching group I was with every day of the first six weeks of the Summer. These women will all be leading in the Mid-Atlantic region under the direction of Jen Durlin, our regional/national director (center).

I really enjoyed getting to know each of them in a real way and can't wait to see how God uses us across the region! :)

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Other Vital Relationships: This Summer had lots of difficult moments that could only be faced in prayer with my sisters in Christ.

   A Jersey Metro Cru almuni, Jess Fong, was one of those women I leaned on often! We prayed multiple times through the tears of pain brought on by the enemy's attempted attack on our identity as ethnic minorities within Cru. Now headed to work with The Epic Movement of Cru in CA, I'm sure prayers will only increase. It's a blessing to my hear to know this gorgeous woman!

Patrice Holmes is a new but dear friend who lived in the dorm next door to mine all Summer long. We had long, honest and difficult conversations about reaching ethnic minorities within the United States Campus Ministry of Cru and The Impact Movement. It was so good to have Patrice around to challenge, encourage and pray with.

Since taking classes at the Institute of Biblical Studies with Cru last year, I have known Brianna Esa to be a warm, loving, compassionate woman growing deeply in love with the Savior. This Summer, our relationship grew to a new place of encouragement. Bri is on staff with The Destino Movement in LA and has become a great friend of mine, in spite of the distance.

In the Summer of 2008, at Rollins College near Orlando, Florida, I joined staff with Beth Hasbrouck. She is by far, one of my favorite people on this earth! It was God's sovereign plan to have us be two doors away from each other all Summer long as she took the classes I took last year with Patrice and Brianna.

Beth is on staff with Cru - Inner City, Chicago and keeps in touch regularly as an encouraging and motivating friend.

The 4 of us at Horsetooth, CO

Surviving VS Thriving

WE SURVIVED! 

...AND THRIVED!

It's been an extremely DIFFICULT and yet EXCITING month! 

I expected to do a lot of planning for the Fall and I knew my role on staff would be different but I didn't expect to have so much more responsibility. My new role as the Missional Team Leader (MTL) in the Urban area in New Jersey expands my responsibility to coach a team of student leaders to include staff and intern leaders as well!

To the left is a collage of pictures of my coaching group this Summer on our trip to go white-water rafting. Being a city girl, I didn't often enter into nature's uncontrollable scene. That was God's work and I typically appreciated it from afar with my paint brush and canvas but this time God had something else in mind! I was SO nervous to head into the unfamiliar and basically learn through experience and yet, none of us fell out or were injured! Our guide was younger than us and had only a High School education but he was the expert and knew how to correct our mistakes if and when we did!

Similarly, I know the Holy Spirit is an expert (at the very least) in winning people to Himself! He controls the waves of the sea and he reigns over the waves of ministry! 

Just as the guide taught us how to row correctly, my job now calls me to be a guide and coach the staff, interns & student leaders in how to lead others to Christ, build them up & send them into mission. As their team leader, I will have to be the example but I can't do it alone. I need the help of my team to maneuver through the waves of ministry and I especially need the leading of the Holy Spirit to show us where to go.

• Please take a moment to stop and pray for the Holy Spirit to move before us in the lives of students who don't yet know Christ and those who know Him but don't know how to serve yet.
• Please also pray that God will remove all obstacles that can cause our team to row out of sync and any obstacles that may not allow us to report to campus full-time. (ie: financial support) Pray that we may thrive in His power!