March Newsletter

Fresh Bread

 

Davy and I have been reading The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller together every week. I’ve been learning a ton and what has struck me recently was this quote by Keller: “Jesus died not because we were lovely, but to make us lovely.” What an amazing truth! How humbling to be made lovely by the sacrifice of Christ. I pray that truth sinks in this month and leads us to a heart of gratitude.

From Campus

 

Thank you for your prayers as I traveled to Cote d’Ivoire. The trip was incredible! Here are some of the highlights:

• Our team spent 3 days in Bouake, a city 220 miles north of Abidjan (the biggest city in Cote d’Ivoire). We spent the following 2 days in Abidjan on a campus of 60,000 students. Our team, together with the current team of Americans living there full time and several Ivorian students were able to have 161 Gospel conversations. 21 people accepted Christ, 2 of those being Muslim students! We were also able to do discipleship with students and build upon what God has already been doing in their lives.

Chrissy and I sharing the Gospel in Bouake.

• You may remember me telling you about Suzanne from this summer. I was able to see her again on this trip. I can’t tell you how much joy this brought to my heart. She has been continuing to grow in her faith and is still very involved with Cru. I’m so thankful that God has continued to teach her. She is planning on going on one of the upcoming mission trips with other Cru students. They are going to a city up north and will spend a few days sharing the gospel with students on a campus there. Suzanne wants to be a part of furthering the kingdom and I’m so thankful I got to spend time with her while I was in Cote d’Ivoire. Suzanne is not the only student from last summer that is still involved. It is so encouraging to see students that accepted Christ this summer continuing to grow in their faith. I know Cru summer projects are good for our students in the USA, but it’s amazing to see that Cru summer projects affect the lives of students all over the world. Eternities have been changed because of what happened last summer.

Suzanne and I, on campus doing a discipleship lesson. We were learning what it means to put on the armor of God.

• One of the big things I wanted to be true of this trip was that I would be an encouragement to the team living there. The team consists of 4 girls, 2 guys, and a family of 5. Although they love being in Cote d’Ivoire, life can be hard living overseas as they miss their families and the comforts of home. I was thankful to be an encouragement to them and bring a little piece of home. Thankfully, our time there was a refresher for them and the Cru movement. I pray this helps them finish the year strong.

On the road to Bouake. Chrissy (sitting next to me) and Kelsey (directly behind Chrissy) were my two of my roommates from last year. It was such a joy to encourage them on this trip.

Ways You Can Pray

• Please continue to pray for Davy and I as we plan a wedding and prepare for marriage. Our wedding is just 2 months away! Pray God continues to teach us what it means to love selflessly.
• Pray for the students in Cote d’Ivoire, specifically Suzanne. Pray they continue to grow and boldly tell others how to have a relationship with Christ.
• Please pray for Bethany. She is a senior at MSU and has been involved with Cru for years. She lost her fiancé in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago. They were two months away from their wedding. Pray that God would cover her with love and peace in this incredibly difficult time.