The setting was strange — an old, unstaffed hotel in rural Chico built in 1903 that was turned into a YWAM retreat center. This place, however, was where students and staff from Sacramento campuses (pictured above) traveled to participate in this year’s Winter Conference. We saw God do amazing things!
Because of COVID, Cru hadn’t had an in-person conference for over two years, with conferences being virtual and students left to watch alone or with only those from their own college campus. This year, however, our group from Sacramento gathered together with Cru movements from the Bay Area and Chico. Though the teaching content for the weekend was still virtual, gathering with other campuses allowed us to watch the conference together and engage in real-life discussion groups, prayer, and other activities. The weekend connected our students more deeply to one another and to the greater mission of reaching people with the good news of Jesus!
The synergy of students being together with great teaching and lots of informal time acted as a great catalyst to our ministry in Sacramento for the spring semester! God used the conference reinforce truths that we have been studying all year, such as the importance of taking the gospel to those who don’t know Jesus, no matter where they are. These truths particularly clicked for Kaitlyn (pictured below).
Kaitlyn left the conference with a sense that God is calling her to take part in global missions. So, this summer, she will participate in a four-week Cru Summer mission to Central Asia where she’ll minister to local college students. Additionally, Kaitlyn’s heart has grown for those who are far from Christ here in Sacramento. While meeting together with me (Cameron) this semester, Kaitlyn learned how to engage in spiritual discussions with her friends and share her the gospel. She wants to be a lifeline, connecting the lost to Jesus, using her time in college to make Jesus known. Furthermore, she wants to help others make Jesus known too; when she isn’t in Central Asia this summer, Kaitlyn is hoping to train her home church’s high school group to have spiritual conversations and share the gospel.
Please pray for Kaitlyn and the other students in Sacramento as they continue to take steps of faith! Pray that God would use their summers, whether at home or abroad!
Thank you for your faithful and generous investment in students like Kaitlyn and others from start to finish of semester and beyond! We are grateful for your partnership and faithful prayers!
PRAYER REQUESTS
Pray for Kaitlyn and the team traveling to Central Asia in a few weeks. Pray for safety and health in their travels, and for God to use them to bless the local workers and draw others to Himself.
Pray for Jeff and his team as they do the hard work necessary to make Cru’s apps, websites, and platforms function well.
Please pray for our family’s health. We had a couple months of back to back sickness (colds, stomach bugs, etc). Pray for strengthened immune systems!