Brian’s freshman year was greatly important for his faith

Freshmen move in at UC Davis on September 19-20.  We will be intensely reaching out to them in the following weeks.  To give you an idea of how influential freshman year can be and what God can do, we thought it would be best for you to hear the story of a former freshman, Brian (above), in his own words:

“Growing up, I was very lucky to have a wonderful mother who raised me in the church despite the fact that my father was not, and still is not to this day, a Christian. But as I grew older, life changed.  All of a sudden, the story of Jesus [and living as a Christian] didn’t seem so sweet. Too often it seemed like a long list of rules, which wasn’t very appealing. Instead, I choose to prioritize being the top of my class and relationships with others over my faith.

“Entering college after a senior year mostly spent backpedaling in my faith, I was very unsure of the direction my spiritual life was going to take. At the recommendation of a friend of my older brother, I decided to show up at Cru’s first weekly meeting of the year. The highlight of the meeting came at the end when I was introduced to the two upperclassmen, named Tyler and Andrew, who would be leading the Bible study in my dorm area. Although I proceeded to go to a party immediately following the meeting, I was left thinking about the enthusiasm and care that seemed to emulate not only from Tyler and Andrew, but from everyone else back at the weekly meeting.

“Over the next year, Tyler and Andrew taught me how the Christian life is a conscious decision to make every day to submit myself before our eternal king Jesus and trust that the path he has prepared for me is for my good. As I began to surrender things that I had long held onto, I was amazed to see how Jesus began molding me into a new person. I had a purpose like none before, and all of a sudden, asking my floor mates and friends about their spiritual beliefs and sharing with them what I believed, while still scary, was something that actually happened and I even looked forward to!”

Brian led a small group bible study in the dorms last year and was able to mentor two men who lived in the dorms.  He says, “I see in their eyes a desire to experience our Savior in new and deeper ways, and I absolutely love helping them take steps in that direction.”  After coming with us to South Africa this summer, he is ready to reach out to more freshmen and strengthen them in their faith, like Tyler and Andrew did for him.

Thanks for being part of reaching this year’s incoming freshmen!  We’re so grateful for your partnership!

Prayer Requests

Thank God for the work he has done in Brian’s life and how he is using him.

Pray for the incoming freshmen.  Pray that Christians would get connected to a church or campus fellowship so that college can be a time where they thrive in their faith.  Pray for non-Christians, that they would meet Jesus have their lives changed.

Pray for energy and dependence on the Spirit as our staff and students reach out.

Frank (left) with Brian, a first-year student at Rhodes University

God often orchestrates divine appointments when you aren’t looking for them.  Even on mission trips!

A huge goal of our trip to South Africa this summer was to surface Christ-centered leaders at Rhodes University who would be willing help lead a student-led movement of Christ followers that want to reach their campus after our team left.  One day, Ashley was taking a lunch break after a morning of evangelism on campus.  Waiting in line in the cafeteria, she struck up a conversation with Brian (above, right), a first year student from Johannesburg.  It was just chit-chat, but little did Ashley know that her conversation would set the stage for a deeper conversation.

Ashley paired up with Frank (above, left) after lunch for more evangelism.   Recognizing Brian, Ashley approached him.  After eventually presenting the gospel, they found out that Brian was a Christian and looking for a Christian group to be part of.  Frank and Brian started to meet up regularly to go over four basic bible studies that ground Christians in their faith.  Brian was a faithful and eager learner.  Just a few months after getting involved in Cru at Rhodes University, he is now ready and excited to lead a discipleship group in which he can communicate the truths that he learned to his fellow students.  Praise the Lord!

The Lord did so much in our time in South Africa.  Leaders were raised up and are continuing to be raised up through currently involved students.  Additionally, there are now at least eight discipleship groups happening at Rhodes University, seven of which are led by Rhodes students.  Brian and the other involved students are eager to reach their campus.

Thanks for partnering with us in this mission to the world!

Prayer Requests

Thank God for the 13 South Africans who began relationships with Jesus!

Pray for a strong student movement that lasts for decades to come.

Pray for the students as they seek to reach their campus.

Praise God for the work he did through and in our team of Americans!