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| Aubrey and I packing seeds for Unto in Cru's Annex |
can't help but give thanks for you, the team of people who give generously to allow us to serve with Cru. Some have been with us a year or two, and some have been with us for the last 36 years. We have to give God the glory. Many times I have doubted whether we could continue to serve with Cru, and He uses you and many others to provide what we need.
Thank you. It is our privilege to partner with you and serve with Cru.
New Life: Longa Lambogo from Unto® on Vimeo.
South Asia:
Idregith has a vision for new churches. Since 2010, he has been coaching 19 church planters and three mentors in a South Asian country.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, Idregith couldn’t visit any of his teams. He asked God to show him what to do during the lockdown. God spoke to him: “Share the good news with your neighbors.”
He first reached out to 10 of his neighbors. All of them prayed and received Christ. He felt God’s favor was on him, and he continued telling more people about Jesus. In eight months, he has shared the gospel with 300 people from the majority religion, and 180 of them have given their hearts to Jesus.
Idregith has four house churches and 12 Pray-Care-Share groups, which will most likely grow into churches. He also has trained seven lay leaders who have started their own Pray-Care-Share groups.
United States:
Trevor had encountered God through Cru a few years earlier as a student. At the time, 16-year-old Zach hadn’t understood how the angry brother he’d known his whole life had been able to change.
Feeling empty, doubtful, and conspicuous on that unseasonably warm Minnesota night, Zach walked into a church where students had gathered to experience Cru’s virtual Winter Conference. He heard the band playing a song tailored just for him, and the weight fell away.
“Like a toddler in a new world” is how Zach sums up his semester experience of salvation, discipleship, Bible study, church — “ups with a few downs.” Realizing, as he says, “You can’t have one foot in and the other out,” Zach moved away from his party friends mid-May, opting instead for gym workouts and basketball. He spent four weeks involved in intensive evangelism and discipleship at Cru’s North Myrtle Beach Summer Mission.
Ready to reach others back on campus, Zach met up with some of his old buddies, enduring their taunts of “preacher boy.” He agreed with them, saying, “You’re right. I’m not better than you. We all need help.”
Zach plans to leverage some of his newly discovered giftings, helping to reach out to other students, initiating Christian community in the dorms, and emceeing Cru’s weekly meeting.
Digital Impact:
“Everything has changed now. All of the old things are gone, and everything is new. I am a newborn. Now I have a new life because God came for us. I know about Jesus Christ. God loves us. It is not like [my country’s religion]. Now I understand everything! Everyone who truly follows Jesus is part of the family of Christ! NOTHING IS ABLE TO SEPARATE us from God’s love. I want to talk to other people about this! Everyone around me is [a non-Christian]. Father, thank You that I am Your precious daughter. Amen.” — new believer, a 15-year-old girl in a closed nation.
The teenager quoted above is among thousands from a tech-savvy generation who are coming to Christ through digital evangelism in the most challenging parts of the world. What God is doing to reach them — through technology and the internet — is most exciting, something never before seen. The gospel is breaking through.
Thank you for all you do to love others and share the grace and truth of the gospel to those around you. And thank you for investing in our lives and ministry.
With love,
PS Pink Panthers all the way!
Macy and I just finished her last Babe Ruth softball season! I was able to coach her and the team, and we finished with an undefeated record! We had a lot of fun and I'm so grateful for the opportunity we had to play together this fall!
