Keeping Tabs - Hurricane Sandy

#Sandy

The last week of my life has been nothing short of adventurous. All week long, hash tags of “Sandy” like the one above filled my Twitter and Facebook news-feeds.

Reading w/ my niece and nephew after Sandy

After looking at 8 different apartments, I drove to NYC on Saturday afternoon to spend the weekend with my family as we awaited the storm. I was prepared to help them "de-flood" the basement or help my brother (just two blocks away) with his family and home. Although my apartment is still without electricity, the category 1 hurricane barely affected both Bronx homes. Unlike most of my staff team and student leadership team, we had lights and heat and good clean water all week long. Many of my friends in New Jersey were not so fortunate. I knew God was building my prayer life this year but this is way more than I or anyone else expected. With the television and news stations on practically 24/7, all my family and I could do was watch and pray. Literally.

The Holy Spirit placed it on my heart to keep my New Jersey friends informed via text message. If they turned off all of their phone services except text messaging, I could at least keep them posted on what was happening, tips on how to survive, and warnings from the government that were all over the news. Most of them turned off their phones for most of the day and then turned it on to receive my many messages about what’s good to eat in their fridge and where they can go for warmth or electricity. I’ve never felt more like a news reporter. Some of my friends were able to charge their phones in their cars but now gasoline is another issue hitting the coastal sister states.

My new used Toyota Yaris 2007 (35mpg)

Last night my dad spent 3 hours on a line with Nadine to fill up her vehicle and two red gas tanks to bring home. That morning, my brother borrowed my car to take my sister-in-law to the doctor and later in the evening, my cousin borrowed it to take his son to work in Long Island. God is SO sovereign & good! He knew I would need this car in March after my accident (February I was in a car accident that totaled my last car) and He knew it needed to be gas-efficient and low-maintenance for my job. I don’t usually have much, but I was SO EXCITED to give and; share what I did have, my car. Being able to share what God gave me with two family members who are not sure of God's love was especially rewarding! It made me think of how rewarding it can be to give, whatever we have.

One Facebook status of mine said:

:( People fighting for gas, looting stores, cutting people on line for public transportation, cursing drivers out and fighting for gas... NYC, what happened to United We Stand?
:) But thank God for the people who put extension cords out for their neighbors with no power, brought food to those in need, blankets for those who are cold, and other random acts of kindness.

2 Corinthians 8:1-15 demonstrates how extreme poverty and severe affliction can result in an abundance of giving (verse 2). Although some people resorted to doing evil, many others were helping their neighbors and friends just to get through the devastating event. It’s interesting how in severe affliction we begin to give of what we barely even have.

THINK ABOUT IT:

It feels so good to help! So good to give of what one has! Even if I barely have anything, it always feels GREAT when I can help someone else out. What doesn’t feel good is when I can’t give at all or when I’m scared to surrender what I do have for others in fear of running out. Yet every time I give, the joy of giving overwhelms the worry or anxiety of what I will have.

Jon, Joe and Mario at Fall Retreat

A perfect example of this is a Kean Cru student leader named Mario Fernandez. A fairly young believer in love with the Almighty Sovereign King of Kings sacrificed his own comfort in his dry (although without electricity) home to go to his best friend’s house and help empty the basement of rain. Sitting at home where he had nothing to give but prayer would’ve been completely understandable, but Mario chose what was difficult and surrendered his comfort for what ailed his heart… his friend’s comfort. Jonathan Lopez, Mario’s friend & another Kean Cru leader, had water almost to the first floor of his home while four homes on his block exploded. Mario isn’t an expert in removing water from a basement, but he’s a friend capable of movement and decided to give of himself to help his brother in Christ.

Thanks for your prayers and concerns!

If you're interested in experiencing this type of joy and giving out of whatever God has blessed you with, you can visit give.ccci.org & give of what you feel led to 0597677 or email me at edithann.morales@cru.org 

Will you consider being a friend of this ministry and a partner in helping reach lost students, the future leaders of this nation? 

Back to campus life...

Hey friends!
I hope your summers have been just as rejuvenating as mine has! I’ve been praying about what to tell you in this newsletter since summers are so unique on staff with Cru. If I’m not on a mission trip (summer project) or taking classes, most of the summer consists of planning and preparing for the new academic year, connecting with students, and encouraging them to walk closely with Jesus. As you already know, this summer consisted of classes at the Institute of Biblical Studies in Orlando. August however, was very strategic.

  Just two weeks ago, I finished my New Staff Development Curriculum and then went to the Jersey Metro staff retreat. This year we have one new intern coming to Kean University, Joel Aponte (pictured right with Jon & Mario - Kean Cru student leaders), and two part-time female staff for the North and the South parts of the Jersey Metro team. Please pray for Joey & Jenn Sforza (pictured left) who have been raising their financial support for two years and have not yet reported to full-time campus work. We need them in the Urban region, especially at Jersey City University and Kean! Just following the retreat, we had one full week of staff meetings 10-4 everyday to pray, strategically plan, have devotions, and set goals for the entire state. I’m so excited to see what God is going to do at Kean University!

This week is already the first week at Kean University for incoming freshmen. Upperclassmen move in on Friday and classes start on Tuesday, Sept. 4th.  Please pray for the Kean Cru leaders to continue to prioritize their relationships with Jesus as the semester begins to unravel and that be an overflow of their service to the King. These leaders truly love Jesus and want to see His kingdom expanded here, but it can be often difficult to keep that a priority when there are so many other things fighting for their attention as students with jobs other responsibilities. Please pray for me as well as I take on more responsibility with multiple students and ministries in the Urban section of New Jersey, that I may keep Jesus as the focus of my time and affection. :)

These leaders will be coming together on September 14th with Christian student leaders from around the state ministry. Please pray that God will give them wisdom to learn what to do at Kean to reach their community here with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks for your prayers and financial support, which encourages us all as we prepare! :)

Working alongside Christ,

 Tabitha Morales

Kean Cru Light Sounds

So excited to see Kean Cru in the Kean University Cougar's Byte (weekly newspaper) and on their social media blog-site, KeanXchange. Click here to watch the video. My job at Kean University is basically three-fold; I share my faith with students who don't know Jesus, disciple women who do know Jesus (teaching them to walk with God at the center of their lives), and to coach/train Christian leaders to do the same after they graduate. 

Throughout the past year and a half, I have re-gathered and aligned the Cru student leaders at Kean University who have a heart to reach the campus as though they were missionaries sent to it. These are mature believers in Christ, passionate about seeing God's kingdom come. Last year we prayed for men leaders and this year, God provided six men who have stepped up to leadership. We also prayed for more students to come hear about God's love during our Bible Studies and 50 students showed up regularly during our Thursday night Bible studies last semester (including someone practicing Islam and another struggling with homosexuality). Last semester we prayed that God would make His name known at Kean; so that Jesus' name would no longer be common as a swear word but as legitimate conversation about who He was and why we live like He is! This semester the student leaders at Kean Cru planned how they can effectively reach their campus for Christ. After they won the "Special Projects" award (a grant for any event a non-funded group wants to put on), they used the money to plan a jazz music/spoken-word night called "light sounds". The outreach was fully funded by Kean University Student Org! The intention of the night was to show how college students who enjoy music, poetry, and FREE FOOD can also love and live for Jesus Christ. This wonderful event made the Cougar's Byte (pictured above) the following week and even the social media site, KeanXchange.

Praise God! His name is being made famous! :)

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!