Hannah, a junior at UC Davis

Have you ever had a time when your daily walk with Jesus became more about duty than desire?

Hannah (pictured above) comes from a Christian home. In fact, her parents have been on staff with Cru for longer than Hannah has been alive. So, when I (Cameron) met Hannah in the beginning of her freshman year, I was not surprised by her involvement in Cru.  She regularly attended my Bible study and had all the right answers to the questions I would ask.  Yet, I could see that Hannah was only in the early stages of taking ownership of her faith.

The previous summer, while on a mission trip to Hungary, Hannah’s perspective on faith drastically changed.  She understood for the first time that the central theme of the Christian faith was to glorify God. This moment of understanding was a major turning point for Hannah, but it was over the next few years that some of the implications of this truth would play out in her daily life.

While Hannah had grown up very goal-oriented, there wasn’t an overarching purpose for the goals she set for herself. She would strive to reach these goals from a sense of duty and performance. Even in her relationship with God, much of what Hannah did was because she was “supposed to” rather than from a desire to glorify God.

But, as she learned more about God’s transforming love and applied what she had learned the previous summer, Hannah came to realize that becoming more like Christ is not a contest to get the most brownie points; instead, it’s a process of surrendering daily to the Holy Spirit. This realization has led Hannah to desire to serve God moment-by-moment more than accomplishing her own goals.

Hannah is a key part of the UC Davis women’s water polo team.

Hannah has especially seen this transition from duty to desire affect her daily activities. As a member of the UC Davis Water Polo team, she desires to reach out to her teammates in love rather than because of “Christian duty.” She is getting closer to finishing her degree in civil engineering, but is holding her future with an open hand because she is open to however God wants to use her. And, she is pointing people to Jesus and involved in Cru because she desires to grow and help others grow in their relationship with Christ.

The simple truths can make a huge difference!

Thank you for your partnership in helping students like Hannah grow in understanding their faith!

Prayer Requests

Thank God for the transformations like Hannah’s that are happening in our students year after year!

Pray for Hannah as she reaches out to her teammates and seeks God’s will for her future.

Pray for Davis Cru’s spring break trip—specifically, launching a movement at Woodland Community College!