Impacting Leaders Around the World

     

The last week in January I was able to do something I really enjoyed as I helped design and deliver a unique training for some of our newer national level Human Resource leaders from around the world.

Thirteen staff from around the world converged on our international headquarters in Orlando to attend the 2019 LDHR (Leadership Development and Human Resources) Centre of Excellence. They came from Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, the US, Italy, and Chile. The goal of the time was to increase their proficiency in key elements of Leadership Development and Human Resources.

The participants learned LDHR principles to apply as they do their job, how to make positive culture changes, and processes to use to help staff grow and develop. Each participant was assigned a personal coach to help them process the content and to plan how they would apply it when they returned home. The coaches will continue to meet with the participants for the next three months to help ensure learning is applied.

God truly blessed. The sharing at the end of the week reinforced the strategic importance of this effort. We are excited to see the worldwide effect this will have on developing our ministry.

I especially enjoyed teaching our Mongolian staff how to Punt, Pass and Kick during our annual HQ Super Bowl party, and I made sure Sainbileg Oyunbaatar (Saina) had the proper team uniform to wear!

Saina wrote in his prayer letter:

"I really want to give glory and praise to God. He showed His will in many ways that He wanted us to grow and develop in 2019. I think one of the opportunities was a trip to the USA. Leadership Development Human Resources (LDHR) organized a five-day training at the Campus Crusade Headquarters in Orlando, Florida, USA. I was one of the three people from Mongolia. I learnt several things from the leaders’ experience who serve in front of God faithfully, and wise solutions which lean on God. I realized a need in my ministry that I need to serve my staff more in God’s love, because they made a decision to serve Him. Furthermore, I thank God again and again that I am serving Him for the last eleven years through CCC. Also I felt many times that 'I am in the right place where I have to stand.'"

    

Thank you for investing in our lives and ministry, and for impacting the world with God's love.

With much love,

One Conversation

Cru is a big missions organization.  About 800 staff work at the World Headquarters serving about 8,000 US staff, and another 10,000 globally.  And yet what defines Cru the most is…

...one conversation.

It is a conversation explaining how someone can know God personally.  It is a conversation helping someone to share their faith with a friend.  It is a conversation inviting someone trust God with a difficult period of life.  It is a conversation inviting someone to invest a week, a summer, a year, or a lifetime in telling others about Jesus.

This weekend I was talking to two of my high school friends about Gary, a Cru staff member who invested in each of our lives.  When I was 17 he sat with me on a stairwell and explained how I could walk in the Spirit moment by moment, and I still remember that conversation.

You can probably point to a conversation like that in your life.

When Cru went through the name change a few years ago they interviewed hundreds of people about what being a part of Cru meant to them.  There were three common themes:  They experienced changed lives,  they formed meaningful relationships, and they had opportunities to engage in the mission of introducing others to Jesus.

This video is a picture of what Cru helps happen.

Thank you.

This month we all celebrate Thanksgiving, and we thank you for investing in our lives and ministry.  You not only allow us to serve with Cru, but you help us make a difference in different parts of Cru all over the world.  Thank you for your friendship with us. We can’t express enough how much your partnership means to us.

With love and thanks,

And here is one more 2 minute video about why we do what we do.

The Hard Work of New

THE HARD WORK OF NEW

Coach Alan at work

This summer Macy decided she wanted to play softball in high school.  As a 14 year old freshman, she had never swung anything but a whiffle ball bat.  At the tryouts a woman said to her, “You are kind of old to be getting started, aren’t you?  Can you even throw?”  
Macy wanted to leave, but went through with the tryouts. We are full of admiration for her bravery and willingness to step into something so new that she has to learn how to do everything!
God gave her Coach Alan, who has been very encouraging, telling her not to worry about being behind, telling her making players better, “is what I do.”  He has kindly spent significant time with her, meticulously adjusting her throwing motion, her swing, how she moves her feet…everything.  Macy is having to pay attention to everything she does.  It feels awkward because it is all new, but she is learning.  With multiple practices and two games under her belt, she is improving every day with the skills her Coach is helping her learn.

RELENTLESS ATTENTION

When I was made aware of some areas in my life that needed to change, I also met with a coach to help me.  I found that changing my natural inclinations and behavior was hard!  It took relentless attention on what I was doing to make the changes.  Just like learning a new skill, I had to move slowly and intentionally with the new behavior I wanted to master.

As I’m coaching other leaders at Cru in areas that are hindering them, I let them know that it will mean they have to work hard at making changes to what feels natural to them.  Everyone has to go through the awkward stage before the changes feel somewhat normal.  It takes bravery and effort.     

Thank you for investing in our lives and ministry with Cru. We can’t adequately express how much your partnership means to us, and allows us to invest our lives for the sake of the gospel.

With love and thanks,