Lisa (right) has seen so much growth!

Meet Lisa. She has been one of my (Cameron’s) greatest sources of encouragement in ministry.

I met Lisa at the beginning of the 2010 school year. An incoming freshman at UC Davis, she lived in the dorm area where I led a Bible study. Lisa was fun, had lots to talk about, and never failed to have a smile on her face! And, as we all do, there were still many areas where Lisa had room to grow.

As I got to know Lisa, I found that she was eager to learn more about God and His Word, but her relationship with her boyfriend of more than two years was keeping her from moving forward. I mentioned seeing unhealthy patterns in their relationship; Lisa agreed. She then decided to surrender the relationship to the Lord, and they broke up soon afterward.

I not only got to be a shoulder for Lisa to cry on, but also consistently remind her of God’s truth and love for her. As she worked through the emotions of ending such a long relationship, I saw her fervor for the Lord grow.

Lisa soon decided to go to Santa Monica Summer Project, the same project that Jeff and I attended. Because of this faith stretching summer, I saw her grow in her understanding of the Gospel and God’s heart for the world.

After summer, Lisa returned to campus with a desire to reach the lost students of UC Davis with the Gospel of Jesus. And, for the last seven months, she has been helping lead a freshman Bible study. After being poured into so much for a year, she is now the one pouring into the younger girls! I have no doubt that God is using Lisa to touch the lives of every girl in her study.

Over my last three years of leading freshman girls, I’ve had some great moments of seeing how God has used me, but being a part of Lisa’s journey has been one of the sweetest. In fact, a huge blessing is that Lisa is going on the South Africa Summer Project this year with three other girls that I have led in Bible studies. I’m so excited to see her continue to grow, watch God use her to impact lives on campus, and to send her out equipped to touch more lives with the Gospel after she graduates.

I’m so thankful that God has given me the privilege of working with girls like Lisa! Thank you for partnering with us as we see Him transform lives! 🙂

Prayer Requests

–   Thank the Lord for Lisa!  Pray for her summer in South Africa and her remaining two years at UC Davis.

–   Thank the Lord for providing a reliable car.  We are super blessed.

–   Pray for our upcoming leadership retreat (May 4-6) with new and returning student leaders.  It is here that we’ll plan our outreach for fall quarter.

–   Pray for Cameron, who is finishing her last quarter as a student at UC Davis.  On top of ministry, she is taking four classes.  Pray for endurance and strength.

Shin, a freshman from Glendora, CA

“I’ve made my decision,” Shin said with a huge smile as he walked up to me (Jeff).

I had met Shin for the first time back in September.  In middle of his first few days of college, he told me that he didn’t have much of a spiritual background, but that he could see himself becoming a Christian in college.  Yet, he knew hardly anything about Jesus.  After sharing the Gospel with Shin, I recommended that he read the book of John.  While he was reading, I told him to ask if Jesus was someone who he thought he could trust.

Shin and I began to meet up a few times per quarter.  On top of our meetings, he was involved with a church’s college group, where he attended bible studies and church on Sunday.
Every time we would meet, Shin would come with a ton of questions for us to walk though.  At the end of most of our meetings, I would ask where he was at in making a decision of giving his life to Jesus.  Although he was having his questions answered, he still couldn’t make the leap to entrust himself to Christ.  I understood and even admired his hesitance about jumping into something quickly.  After all, if you’re going to give your whole life to someone, you probably want to know the person to whom you’re giving it.  However, committing to Jesus, I told him, is kind of like saying “I do” at a wedding.  When you say those words, you don’t know everything about the person you’re marrying.  From what you do know, however, you’ve decided that this person is trustworthy, and you enter into a covenant relationship based on that knowledge.

At one point along the way, Shin had made a decision that Jesus wasn’t for him.  Yet, by the grace of God, Christians around him kept pursuing him, and his investigation resumed.
A few weeks ago, Shin asked me to meet up.  This was unusual, because I was usually the one to initiate.  He didn’t specify what he wanted to talk about.  But, it became obvious the moment he saw me.

“I’ve made my decision,” he told me as he approached me.  “I decided to become a Christian!”  Shin told me he went to his church’s retreat the past weekend.  From listening to the sermons, for the first time he understood at a deep level that he was a sinner who needed to be rescued by Jesus.  It was then that Shin decided to trust him.

I am so thankful for God’s pursuit of Shin!  It is so evident that he was stirring in him from the moment he got to UC Davis in September.  I am also thankful that Shin is being followed-up through intentional discipleship in his church.

Thanks so much for being part of what God is doing at UC Davis!!

Prayer Requests

As I (Jeff) stood at the altar with my groomsmen by my side, I looked out and saw so many people gathered to support Cameron and me.  How surreal!  The moment was finally here.

The bridesmaids made their way down the aisle one by one.  Then I saw her.  Outside, Cameron was walking arm in arm with her father, about to walk down the aisle to meet me at the altar.  I gasped.  Then tears started to flow down my cheeks.  I looked longingly at her as she made her way down the aisle, where her father gave her to me.  After a beautiful ceremony, we were pronounced man and wife, and I was allowed to kiss my bride.

We made our way to Kauai the next day for our honeymoon, a gift from many of the people who attended the wedding.  It was so wonderful!

As I write this today, Cameron and I have been married for four weeks.  We’re enjoying settling in together in our new apartment and living life together.

A Rocky Return

While the honeymoon went off nearly without a hiccup, the return home definitely didn’t.

We flew in to San Jose from Kauai late at night.  We picked up our car and made a quick stop to get something to eat.  We went over a speed bump a little too fast, and within a minute the car died and began to smoke.  There were flames under the hood!  Worst of all, we had no water to put the flames out.  Luckily, after about 3 or 4 minutes, someone rescued us with a fire extinguisher.  He put the flames out, but not before a lot of parts were completely fried, including the electrical wiring.  The car was totaled.

Not the best way to return from your honeymoon!

Thankfully, Cameron has a car that we can use in the meantime, but it’s not a car that we would trust for the many trips we make down to Southern California for ministry conferences.  As a result, we’re in the market for a car!

Winter Conference

The week before our wedding, over 800 students gathered in San Diego for a four-day conference.  Over 70 Davis students came and were received training on how to walk with God for a lifetime and equipped in how to do evangelism in the relationships they already have.  Additionally, one student from Davis named Shengxi (pronounced Shung-Zee) decided to give his life to Jesus!

Thanks so much for continuing to invest in our lives and ministry!  We are blessed!

–   Pray for God to provide a reliable car within the next month or so.

–   Thank God for a beautiful wedding and wonderful honeymoon!

–   Pray for us as we are learning to do life and ministry as a married couple.  It’s definitely fun, but full of adjustments!

–   Praise God for Shengxi’s decision!

–   Deeper knowledge of the gospel in the hearts of our students.

More Pics

Jose (3rd from the right) with some of his bible study leaders (Tyler on the far left, Cameron on the far right)

God is continuing to move at UC Davis.

During the first week on campus (late September), our students and staff handed out over 2,000 water bottles in exchange for spiritual interest surveys from other students.  José, a freshman sociology major, received a water bottle that week and indicated he would like to talk to someone about his spiritual beliefs.

The next day Tyler, a junior student-leader, called José and set up an appointment to meet at a Starbucks on campus.  José shared about growing up in a rough neighborhood in San Bernardino.  Even though he had no spiritual background, he knew that God exists and that He has a plan for his life.  “I wouldn’t be here at UC Davis if he didn’t,” Jose said.  “I really shouldn’t be here.” Tyler then began to share the gospel.  After discussing sin, it’s consequences, Jesus and a relationship with God, José understood the gospel and indicated a desire to have Christ in his life.  But, he was not ready to surrender to someone he did not know much about.  So, Tyler and José agreed to meet up once a week to continue this discussion and read the Bible together.

Several weeks later, José decided to come to Cru’s Fall Retreat with 120 other Davis students.  Over the course of the weekend he bunked with other freshmen guys, dressed up for the annual ‘Thrift Store Prom’, talked with Tyler and others about Jesus, and heard several talks on how the gospel is worth surrendering everything.  On Saturday night José took a walk around the camp to talk with Jesus. He told Jesus of his desire to surrender and of his uncertainty about what that looks like.  He said, “If it takes me saying the words ‘I surrender’, then I surrender!”

Praise God for his pursuit of José!  Tyler is now leading José through follow-up material, which talks about following Christ in daily life.

Prayer Requests

–   Thank God for José and Angel, both of whom put their trust in Jesus at Fall Retreat.

–   Pray that José and Angel would understand the depth of the Gospel and surrender more and more of their lives to Jesus.

–   Pray for Crossroads, a conference from November 18-20 aimed to equip juniors and seniors to serve Christ wholeheartedly after college.

–   Pray for Cameron and me, as we get married two months from today!  Pray that we would serve each other sacrificially.  Also pray for wedding preparations.

–   Thank God that we get to go to Kauai for our honeymoon!  God provided through a ministry partner.  We’re super excited!

Cameron and I at the start of the school year

I’m Engaged!!

I proposed to Cameron on August 10 and she said yes!  It was a day to remember.  For the full story, click here.

After the proposal

New Campus Assignment

I’m excited to announce that I will be on campus full-time at UC Davis starting in September.  Cameron is there, which is ideal since we’ll be married soon. 🙂  The movement is also in need of a male staff member who can raise up freshman guys and disciple students in the movement.  I just moved in to an extra room that belongs to a great family in Davis on August 1.  I’m currently getting settled, and since Davis is known as one of America’s best biking towns, am in the market for a bike!

To get an idea of what the Cru movement is like at Davis, vist the Davis Cru website.

The bike circle at UC Davis

Campus Crusade Name Change

After years of praying, Campus Crusade felt it was appropriate to start using a new name that would reduce one hindrance to the Gospel (the word “Crusade) and better represent the organization’s scope of ministry (not just our work on the “campus”).  The name chosen was “Cru”, a name that many of our ministries on campus have been going by for about a decade without the unneeded connotations that come with the old name.  We have a new name, but will continue with the same message that we have been proclaiming for 60 years.  I am behind this name change and feel that God will use it to help us proclaim Christ in even greater ways than before.  To read an article that I wrote called “Why the Name Change”, click here.

Our new logo

Top left to right – Andrew (UCSB), Matt (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), me. Bottom left to right – Elijah (Cal State Fullerton), Eric (Chico State).

Every summer, cities throughout the world come face to face with the reality of the Gospel because of the thousands of college students who go to dialogue with the people of the city about Jesus.  Some people come to believe in Christ, while others are still a long way away in their spiritual journey from trusting Jesus.  Nonetheless, the impact is powerful.  This summer, for eight straight weeks, the people of Santa Monica have been pushed to consider where they stand on life’s biggest issues, all because of 65 college students from around the country investing their summers to preach the Gospel to those who don’t know Jesus.

My favorite aspect of this time, however, has been discipling the four guys in the above picture who have come to Santa Monica.  By pouring into them, they not only are equipped to reach out to people in Santa Monica this summer, but also to those around them wherever God leads them in the next 60 or so years of their life.  On top of living life with them, I get two hours per week separately with each individual.  Below is what one week of those times looked like:

Andrew (UCSB) – Like I do, Andrew struggles with finding his identity in what he does.  In his eyes, what he does makes him significant, and can become a big motive behind ministry.  We discuss an article that shows how preaching the Gospel to ourselves speaks to our deepest needs and changes our motives.  Additionally, we also talk about how to use the circumstances in our days as opportunities to grow.  Since Andrew is somewhat interested in a girl on project, we also talk about what it might look like to evaluate if he wants to pursue her.

Elijah (Fullerton) – Elijah has never really had a consistent time in the Word on his own.  The previous week, I had challenged him to spend 15 minutes in the Word each day.  He chose to read Philippians every day, and I check in with him to see how it’s going.  Thankfully, he’s been faithful to read every day!  I challenge him to keep that going.  We discuss an article about having a daily time with the Lord.  We then discuss the article about using our circumstances as growth opportunities.  Elijah also has a big need to gain experience in evangelism.  He’s seen me model it many times, but needs experience himself and feedback from me.  So, I give him the reigns and let him initiate spiritual conversations with 4 or 5 people at Santa Monica College (SMC).  He is growing.

Eric (Chico State) – Eric and I start out by initiating spiritual conversations with students at SMC.  I have modeled this for him many times, so just like with Elijah, I ask him to take the lead so I can give feedback later.  One person we talk to is Dan.  Eric asks questions and listens for a good 20-30 minutes.  His questions are gentle, yet pointed and thought-provoking.  Dan, though not a Christian, feels very heard and understood and communicates his thanks for such a good conversation.  Eric boldly asks if he can give his opinion and proceeds to share the Gospel.  We ask if he believes this, and he says very thoughtfully and sincerely, “Yeah, I think I do.”  We spend a little more time discussing the distinction between knowing God by faith in Christ as opposed to good works.  By the end of our conversation, Dan realizes that a relationship with God is something that he wants to investigate further.  We help him think about his next steps with God and get his contact information.  It was so rewarding to see Eric’s growth in evangelism over the past few weeks!

After ending our conversation with Dan, Eric and I then talk about using our daily circumstances for growth.  We also discuss what it would look like to be a missionary in the marketplace, where Eric is planning to be an accountant.

Matt (Cal Poly SLO) – Matt (who is a far happier person than he seems in the above photo) wants to be someone who loves and helps restore the broken wherever he is.  He wants to be heavily involved in a church body and use his gifts there.  We talk about the importance of discipleship in the church, knowing that building into a concentrated group of people and teaching them how to reach others as well will produce the most long-term impact in the kingdom.

As with the other guys, Matt and I talk about using daily circumstances for growth.  I let him take the lead in evangelism, but the campus is fairly empty by the time we start.  He initiates a few conversations, but people seem busy and we don’t have much luck.  We leave campus, but on the way talk about being comfortable and confident when we approach people.

I enjoyed my time with these men so much!  I think about how much more equipped each of them are to bring the reality of the Gospel to those who don’t know Jesus wherever they are when they leave Santa Monica and I’m not there to coach them.  I think of the lives that will be impacted through them in the coming years.  So exciting!

Thank you so much for your partnership in investing in these four men this summer, as well as allowing the people of Santa Monica to come face to face with the reality of Jesus.  You make such an impact!

Kaylyn

“Kaylyn, can I come with you to church tonight?”

Kaylyn (right) had invited Jillian to church numerous times, but she had always declined.  It was Jillian’s first time ever attending church, even though she had been exposed to the idea of God and His existence.  She had no idea what to expect, but as the pastor explained the message of the Gospel and having a relationship with Jesus, she knew it was what she needed.  The pastor invited people ready to make a decision to come forward, but instead Jillian turned to Kaylyn and they moved to the back of the room.  Kaylyn could hardly believe what was happening, but right then she had the opportunity to help Jillian ask Christ into her life!

Their relationship began about a year ago when they both came to UCI to audition for the dance department to be accepted to the program.  When they arrived, they were the first people to meet each other.  They talked for a little while and then, right before going in for the audition, Kaylyn turned to Jillian and asked if she could pray for them.  To Kaylyn it was just a simple prayer, but Jillian was very impacted and felt a strong sense of safety and connection with this new friend.  They left that day unsure if they would ever see each other again.

It was no coincidence that they both showed up to UCI in the fall and had been assigned to live not only in the same dorm, but in the same suite!  The two reconnected and developed a friendship.  Although Jillian was not ready to be open to God, Kaylyn continued to invite her to church each week.  Through the year, Jillian’s relationship with her roommate has become increasingly strained and the stress was causing her to question her purpose and meaning.  She had not forgotten that day when Kaylyn had prayed with her and knew that she went to church every Sunday.  Jillian was at her end and reached out for the first person she knew that had a strong relationship with God.

Since the night Jillian placed her faith in Christ, she has been going every week with Kaylyn to a Campus Crusade bible study led by one of our staff members, Ashleigh.  Ashleigh says it’s amazing to see Jillian’s excitement for growth and her eagerness to develop her relationship with God in community with others.   It’s so encouraging to see what God has done in Jillian’s life and the ways He has used Kaylyn’s steps of faith to bring her friend to Christ.  So exciting!

Thank you so much for your partnership in reaching students like Jillian for Christ!

When I was in South Africa last summer, I got to know more than just South African college students.  I also got to know Cameron, one of my co-leaders on the team.

While leading together for six weeks, I was able to observe who Cameron was from close up, both in a ministry setting and in day-to-day life situations.  I came away incredibly impressed by her and knew that she was someone that I wanted to pursue when we came back to the states.

Out of sheer wisdom for team dynamics, Campus Crusade has a policy that people on their summer teams can’t begin to date while overseas.  The joke is, however, that once the plane hits the ground in the states and the fasten seatbelt sign is turned off dating becomes fair game.  The day that we were leaving South Africa, I went to the local market and picked up a blank card.  Inside, I wrote a bunch of things I appreciated about Cameron and, at the end, asked her if we could talk.  I also enclosed a daisy (her favorite flower) with the stem cut off within the card.  I sealed it and put it in my backpack.  It stayed there for the next forty hours and 15,000 miles, traveling from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg to New York and finally Los Angeles, where we landed extremely exhausted from our trip.  I grabbed the card and anxiously held it in my hand.  We began to taxi down the runway (which seemed to take forever) and arrived at our gate.  The fasten seatbelt sign turned off.  At that moment, I jumped out of my seat and handed the card to Cameron, who was one aisle in front and across from me.  We began dating the next day.

I’ve been dating Cameron for 7.5 months and am even more impressed with her today than when we started dating.  She loves Jesus, is mature, sweet, intelligent, beautiful, a great friend, and super compatible with my personality.  I am so excited to be dating her.

Cameron is in her junior year at UC Davis, which definitely makes it a long-distance relationship.  We’ve managed to see each other at least once a month, however, and we Skype and talk on the phone regularly throughout the week in the meantime.

Cameron is a big part of my life, and since you are invested in my life as well, I wanted you to know about her.  Pray that our relationship would be honoring to God, that he would help us continue to get to know each other, and that he would give us patience in this season of long distance.  Pray that we would continue to enjoy each other.

I’m thankful for your involvement in my life!

On a Thursday night a few weeks ago, I gave a talk at our UCI Cru weekly meeting about Jesus being Lord and what that means for our lives.  Apparently, God used it as a tool in the life of a freshmen girl who was listening.  Below is the story in the words of Erin (top row, second from right in picture above), who came to South Africa with me this past summer.

“Jackie (top row on the left in picture) has been coming to our Bible study since last quarter. She is super sweet, kind of shy, and asks really good questions.  On Monday after Bible study, she mentioned that she was going through a hard time and was having trouble sleeping.  Shawnda [Campus Crusade staff]and I prayed with her and gave her some suggested reading.  On Thursday night after our weekly Campus Crusade meeting, I followed up with that conversation and checked in to see how her week was going.  She said that she was doing better and sleeping well.  Then she told me about how she related to the talk that evening when the speaker shared that all he cared about in college was academics and getting good grades.  She confessed that she was the same way.  She asked about doing good works for ourselves versus doing good works for God and how God uses us.  I remembered then that Jackie wasn’t there for our very first Bible study when we talked about the Gospel.  I grabbed a ‘Knowing God Personally’ booklet [a tract that presents the Gospel], sat down with her, and started going through it.

“She was really engaged and I could just see God working.  She was getting it—concepts were clicking and lights were going off.  It was beautiful!  After going through the 3rd point in the booklet I asked her, “Why do you think Jesus had to die?  Why couldn’t He just be a good teacher and tell us that we were bad, and then forgive us?” She admitted that she didn’t know.  But after explaining that the wages of our sin is death (Romans 6:23), she fully understood.  She said that even though she had been going to church for quite some time, she had never heard the Gospel presented in this way.

“After discussing the last point and reading the prayer of response to her, she decided to give her life to Christ!  Jackie has been coming to our Bible study faithfully for almost four months and I just assumed that she already knew the true Gospel and assumed that she already knew God personally.  I was wrong to assume but praise God that He knew what was up the entire time!  I am super excited that God chose to use me even though I didn’t really feel like I was fully prepared to share the Gospel with her!”

I’m thankful for Erin pouring into her fellow students in such significant ways.  Thank you for your prayers and giving that allow stories like this to happen!