September is OVER!

New "Jersey Metro" Mission Statement

God is doing SO much! How is it already October?!

First of all, I am so sorry for getting this letter out so late! This new job is very time-consuming.

Second, thank you SO much for praying for me throughout the beginning of the school year! I have felt God's power in me through your prayers!

Our staff are already prepared for Fall Retreat coming up NEXT WEEKEND! We only have about 60 students from New Jersey Colleges and Universities attending the $100 weekend retreat, but we hope many more sign up this week!

We don't just want students there for the sake of numbers! In our experience, college students have been transformed by God because they are surrounded by peers who are also seeking God, they are being poured into through multiple biblical talks, and they can experience being still through something we call a "Prayer Journey." This all combined over two nights and five meals! That's a LOT of JESUS! :) Please pray for the Lord to connect with students at Fall Retreat.

Another super exciting thing that has already happened is JERSEY CRU! This year I actually got a chance to speak at our statewide student meeting, where a third of the room was filled with NEW students! This is very exciting for us as a Jersey Metro team. We have been praying for the 550 students involved across the state to attend the monthly gathering and almost 200 have come! I was able to speak about the very real spiritual war we are in as Christians and challenge our students to persevere when our enemies: our flesh, the world, and Satan attack.

One of the ways we hope they go on the offense in this war is by taking something the world says to use for our own glory and use it for God's! 

Social Media is on the rise.... still. Why not use your Facebook page, Twitter post, or your Instagram picture to advance God's kingdom and His GOOD NEWS?! We've been encouraging our students to do this and use the hashtag, #GOSPELGOESVIRAL so that we can track how many people are reading what we post on social media about Jesus! Join us and let's see what happens! 

I'll be posting on my blog, facebook and twitter. Feel free to simply "share" or copy and paste what I'm posting. Be sure to #GOSPELGOESVIRAL :)

Missional Team Leader (MTL)

This summer I’ll be getting trained for my new role as the female Missional Team Leader (MTL) of the North Urban area of NJ. J

I’m so excited to take on this role where I will coach and train staff to lead diverse movements on several campuses in the urban area of New Jersey!

There are 106,000 college students in the Hudson County and surrounding urban areas of New Jersey. I pray the Holy Spirit will work through me as I co-lead with Mark Scott (the Jersey Metro Cru director) to direct several new interns and staff whom God has called, to reach each of these campuses with the knowledge of Jesus Christ, for the glory of God! There is so much untapped potential in this community and I can’t wait to see what God does!

            This summer is very important for me to spend time listening to God’s voice as He guides me to set goals and make plans to reach every future leader on the urban college campus.  I trust the Lord to teach me new strategies this summer through the Spirit-led training given by senior Cru staff in Colorado. I also trust He will raise the financial support that my team and I need to implement those plans this upcoming new school year.

            Please pray for me as I hope to incorporate all three reasons God has called me to staff in these plans. Those are: to help Christian minority students make their faith personal; to build up young women in Christ so that their hearts would be set on Him; and to bridge the gap between the majority and minority cultures in the Christian world.

            Please also pray that the Holy Spirit will lead His children to give to this purpose so that every college student will know somebody who truly follows Jesus Christ. I imagine a day where young minorities are working as missionaries alongside the majority culture to advance God’s kingdom everywhere. Will you help in making this possible this year? Will you consider giving a one-time $100 gift or making a monthly pledge?

In order to reach college students (like Sharon pictured left) with the life-transforming truth of the Gospel, I need be fully funded by supporters like you. My monthly support is currently 30% shy of where it should be to receive full paychecks and when retreats, conferences, or training occur, those funds are depleted even more for payment of these events.

Would you consider helping meet my one-time needs for this summer or beginning your monthly gift today?

Visit give.ccci.org/0597677 for more details on how to give or email me at edithann.morales@cru.org

New Believers Follow Up

2012 Keeping Tabs with Campus Ministry                                                           April 2012

New Believers Follow Up

                 In the Fall of 2011, I told you about Dailyn Santana, a sophomore at Kean, who prayed to receive Christ at our annual Jersey Metro Fall Retreat. A few short months later I mentioned Jennifer Gonzalez, a Kean transfer student entering her junior year who prayed to receive Christ with her best friend and leader in Cru, Christa Diaz. This happened as a result of the Spirit’s leading during a conversation Jenny & I had.

Dailyn, Tabitha, Jennifer

 

Both Dai & Jenny (pictured right) were initially interested in making personal decisions to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ because of the relationships they witnessed their friends (like Christa) have with Him. Being mutual friends with Christa, whom I disciple, they both knew of the possibility of a relationship with me, where I train young women to live a godly life. So after they asked to learn more about this “Christian life”, I thought it’d be great to bring them through five basic life concepts for a new believer together. This past week we talked about investing our time to live for things that are eternally worthy instead of the temporary temptations of this world.

Prayer Request:
Please pray for Dai and Jenny as they prepare to enter the summer with a new life purpose.

Crashing into trials (car accident)

2012 Keeping Tabs with Campus Ministry

Kean Cru - Stand guard!
Red Rover, Red Rover, Calling Satan over?!

Kean Cru Bowling in September 2011

Every semester, the Cru ministry at Kean University tries to have an "open house/welcome" meeting. Typically this consists of a snacks, games, and an explanation of the ministry according to Acts 2:42-47.

I was asked by the Kean Cru leadership team to give a short presentation explaining the ministry and our mission and vision at Kean on the first Thursday of the semester, February 2nd. Although I felt physically ill the morning of the talk, I had already prepared a "prezi" for that evening. As I spoke about the ministry, the Holy Spirit kept emphasizing community in my heart. So I pointed out how the community in Acts 2 was constantly together, in prayer, studying scripture, giving to others and staying in fellowship. This community characterized by love caused those around them to be in awe and have favor upon them! I then asked: "Does our community at Kean University cause the faculty, staff and students to be in awe? If not, why? Are we loving one another as God has loved us to the point that it transforms the community around us?"

Interestingly, the Holy Spirit gave me an analogy I never expected to communicate to the twenty-five students before me. Do you remember the children's game "red rover"? As I asked the question, the room of twenty-somethings looked blankly back at me as though I were from an entirely different decade! "I'm only a few years older than you all! Come on!" In the children's game, "Red Rover", there are two lines of people holding hands and facing each other. When one team calls someone from the other team to come over, that person has to try to run and break through the hand-holding chain of the other standing team. If the person breaks through, he/she takes the two people who's hands they separated and brings them over to join his/her team. If the person CANNOT break through, then he/she must join that team. I used this analogy to show the importance of real community in the body of Christ. I defined "real community" as a group of people who know more than each other's names and majors. For example, when I see the enemy coming after my friend, I can "hold her hand more tightly and stand firm". However, if I'm unaware, I'm in danger of being knocked down & allowing my friend to be knocked down as well.

Front of my car (not nearly as bad as the back)

I know the Lord is allowing the enemy to run at me and Kean Cru through trials of various kinds because nothing happens outside of God's knowledge. BUT GOD!... Praise God, I've seen our leadership team at Kean hold tightly to one another through prayer and love in the power of the Holy Spirit so that the enemy CANNOT break through. Sure it hurts when he rams into my car at 45MPH while I wait at a stoplight behind several cars with a student in my car. Yes, it's difficult when the tire on the car I rented pops on the way back from Kean the following night. Sure, it's painfully devastating when I find out I'm allergic to the pain medication I was prescribed at the hospital. However, I know God will be glorified, for we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus! :) As 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 says, "...we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed...."We are staying in prayer, keeping our eyes focused on Jesus, and running the race with endurance until the end.

As for my car, it may be totaled but I'm still not sure. It's definitely not drivable in the state it's currently in (basically squished) but insurance will cover the damages. I'll just have to wait and see God provide! :) Through this all, my students have been getting very sick mentally and physically. I think God is drawing them to their knees to fight this spiritual warfare, remembering that in our weakness, His strength is perfected! Romans 12:12 says "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." When I want to complain, I remember that God is good and ALL that He does is good! I'm grateful for how this is bringing unity to the Kean Cru leadership team. They are recognizing their need for wearing the whole armor of God to engage in this spiritual warfare for the hearts and lives of college students, faculty, and staff on their campus. They are being reminded of the importance of community when we are under attack.