“So why did you fill out our survey?” I (Cameron) asked. “For the Otter Pop!” responded Ava with a smile.

At the end of August, a couple thousand students moved into the residence halls at Sac State for the new school year. These dorms house mostly freshmen or junior transfers who are new to the area. While their primary reason for coming to Sac State is to learn academically, they are also looking for friends, community, and purpose in life.  

Each day during the first week of school as students passed by on their way to class, Cru staff, students, and volunteers gave out Otter Pops (popsicles) to students who took our spiritual interest survey. Some of the students we met were already Christians and are looking for a place to continue to grow in their faith while in college. Many students, like Ava, don’t yet know Jesus and are interested in exploring faith.  

After that first week, we got in touch with interested students and invited them to check out our weekly Bible studies (like Cam’s study above) at Sac State. We also do this at other colleges in the area, like Folsom Lake College, Consumes River College, and Sierra College. Praise God for Otter Pops and the opportunities that are opened up because of them!  

The culmination of our Fall Launch season is a weekend getaway where students can grow in their relationships with the Lord and community as they hear from a speaker, worship together, and meet students from other campuses. The first weekend of October, 75+ students from our Sacramento campuses (below), Chico, and San Fransisco gathered for Fall Retreat in Redding. 

During a reflection time, Ainslie, a Sac State freshman, shared with our group that she realized that God is always pursuing us, and she just needed to pursue Him back! Another Sac State student, Tyler, is excited to return to campus and share his faith with his friends and classmates! We are excited to come alongside these students as they walk with Jesus, and grow in living out their faith! Thank you for partnering with us and praying for students like Ava, Ainslie, and Tyler as they take the next step in their faith journeys with Jesus!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Praise God for a great start to fall! It’s been so encouraging and fun to meet lots of new and interested students! 
• Pray for students to want to learn how to read the Bible and follow Jesus with their whole lives. Pray for them to connect to a Bible study. 
• Pray for evangelism trainings starting this week. 
• Pray for our family as we steward our schedules and energy levels. Pray for our health as we get further into fall.