Christmas Letter

The last several weeks, since I reported to UW-Madison, have been pretty exciting to say the least. Here are a few quick highlights:

I arrived at Madison in the midst of a unique outreach designed with the objective of using the internet to tell our friends and the world how Jesus has changed our lives. Students launched a website to which they posted their changed life stories. More than 120 different stories were posted to the site and then shared via email, blogs, and Facebook. The response was amazing! In the first two weeks alone there were 12,465 visits to the site. Each story ends with a link to EveryBadger.com which shares the message of salvation and answers hard questions that students may have. 244 people clicked on the link to EveryBadger.com! …You can read some of these incredible stories for yourself at uwsi.wordpress.com.

Here are a few appetizers: Tyler: “In that moment I felt more broken, empty, and afraid than I have ever felt in my life. The pride and self worth that I had spent a lifetime building up came crashing down around me. But it was in that moment, with my knees on the dorm room floor, that I asked God to rescue me. Through the pain, I could see that the life I was living wasn’t the one God intended for me. I could see that I wasn’t really living at all. It’s hard for me to describe for you the peace I felt that night. I realized for the first time that God accepted me and loved me just the way I was. My life was valuable because the Creator of the universe died to save me. And he didn’t die just to save me; he died so that I could have a relationship with him.”

Gabby: “When I was about 14, I gave up on God. .. I remember sitting in my room in almost-physical pain because I was yearning for something that I felt did not exist. I wanted meaning greater than myself, and I was angry at God for abandoning me. I will always remember what I prayed with angry tears that night, “God, if you exist, MAKE ME LOVE YOU. I don’t. I barely even have the desire to. But I am desperate and so if you are real, come find me because I have no more strength to look for you anymore.” …And He did. …. After I gave my heart to God...I became friends with some other American girls my age who loved God deeply and showed me what it meant to live in Jesus’ love. I experienced joy like nothing I had ever felt before. My life didn’t get easier on the outside by any means, but on the inside I had peace. Jesus had pursued and found me just like I had asked Him to!”

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, this time of year opens up some great opportunities to share the Good News of Christ. Many girls involved with Campus Crusade took advantage of this opportunity by hosting what we call Christmas Study breaks. They invited all of the girls in their dorm hall to gather together and share Christmas memories and traditions along with delicious homemade goodies. Then, one of the hosts shared about how she finds Christmas meaningful because of the best Christmas gift of all - Jesus Christ and his offer of salvation. Through these Christmas gatherings, several girls indicated that they wanted to accept this gift and make Jesus their Savior.

One of these girls is an international student from China (I’ll call her Sue) who has been checking out a Campus Crusade Bible study for a little while now. Sue has already begun meeting with a Campus Crusade staff member for follow-up and will be attending our Christmas break conference (TCX) with about 1800 other college students in Minneapolis, MN. There are about 130 students from Madison attending this conference from December 28-January 1. Please pray for God to use the conference to change many lives!

November Newsleter

Ready to Embark

Following God day by day, wherever He leads, is always an adventure! It’s a journey filled with twists, turns and forks in the road. Currently, I am getting ready to embark on a new and unexpected adventure. You are getting this month’s newsletter early because I can’t wait to share this exciting news with you! However, before I get to the big news, I’d like to share a few things that God has been doing in my life.

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a Campus Crusade conference in Michigan. It was great to reconnect with other new staff members that I met over the summer and to receive encouragement from individuals in the same ministry. I also benefited from the financial training that we received at the conference.

Another session at the conference was on vision and calling. It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, “If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea” Antoine De Saint-Exupery. What a great reminder for me to continually focus on the big picture or mission behind everything I do!

Headed to the Capital

In my last letter, I shared with you that my fiancé, Adam, and I have decided to postpone our wedding. In light of this, for the time being, I will be going to the University of Wisconsin Madison to begin working part-time for Campus Crusade there. I am so excited about this new adventure. I can’t wait to dive in and beginning ministering to students there.

You may be wondering what this means for you as my ministry partner. Even though the location may be different, the mission is not, and I still need your prayers and financial support to make my ministry possible. Thank you for your willingness to come along with me on this journey and to be part of what God is doing in the lives of college students.