"What is Cru" Video

Sometimes I feel like I have so much stuff to share about our lives, but then when I sit down to write it all slips my mind. Here are a few things:

-We hit 50% of our monthly goals last week!!!! Alex and I did a little 50% dance that looked a lot like us making 5's and 0's with our limbs while jumping around. We know the next 50% might take a little longer since we have so much new support to raise, but we are still trusting God with December 1st to be finished.


-I have really been missing my Greek girls and other sweet friends down at U of I!  My sister and I made a quick stop down there last week and I was able to see a few of them, and today I had a long phone date with one that I haven't seen for months!  As much as we are enjoying this support raising process and the time the Lord is giving us here, I wish so badly I could sit down for coffee with each of those girls and get to hear what God has been doing in their lives this Fall!  I suppose Facebook, phones, and emails will have to satisfy me for now.

-Alex and I have been meaning to share this video that they showed at the first Cru Large Group meeting this year. We really feel it gives a great picture of U of I Cru.  Enjoy!

Dwelling in the Land

This weekend we went to Champaign, and as we sat with our future teammates and some students, I realized that as much as I can't wait to be in that world, doing ministry amongst those people, I really am quite happy in the world we are in! It reminded me of a verse that Alex and I often reflected on during engagement:

  "Trust in the LORD, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness." - Psalm 37:3

I normally struggle with wanting whatever stage in life is next, thinking it will undoubtedly be better than the stage I am in. The Holy Spirit constantly brings this verse to mind, reminding me to "live in the land I am in and to cultivate faithfulness while I am in it".

However, in this first month of support raising, by God's grace alone, I really feel as if I have been dwelling! God has provided so many blessings that it has been easy to dwell here and befriend his faithfulness.

In no particular order, here are 10 reasons why I love the land we are in:


1. Living minutes from my family- especially my adorable nephews! Out of everything, I miss my family the most when I am living in Champaign.

2. Living with one of my best friends , and getting to hear fun medical stories at 8am when she is getting off from working the night shift as a labor and delivery nurse.

3. Lou's Rootbeer, Mike's Italian Feast, Avanti's bread, Emo's Ice Cream, and Cyd's Sangria- Peoria favorites that you can't find anywhere else!

4. Being the "Fun Aunt" to 2 new dogs. We basically get all the fun of 2 labs without the work!

5. Cooking dinner half the time, but double the food!  Its such a treat when Morgan cooks, and feeding 4 people is way more fun than just cooking for 2.  I look forward to our dinner convos every night.

6. My workout class at Kaufman's gym. M,W, F we do cardio/sculpting to upbeat worship music!  The women have welcomed me in and I have so much fun with them!

7. Spending an incredible amount of time with my husband!!! I love our relaxed mornings, productive afternoons, and evenings spent with supporters hearing him talk about his passions!

8. Having unlimited amount of time to spend reading my Bible and spending time with God. I cozy up with a blanket, the dogs, and don't have to rush to get anywhere!

9. Spending time with our ministry partners and experiencing Gods grace and faithfulness through them!  I love getting to know people so this part of the job is so refreshing!

10. Living 15 minutes from another best friend who also worked with U of I Cru the last 2 years and is now also transitioning to the Peoria area.

  Of course, we are still praying that God would raise our support quickly and we could get back to the students and ministry we love as soon as possible, but it is so sweet of Him to provide an abundant amount of blessings in this season.   

Grace-
Jess

"Well, We're on the Support Trail"

This is a quote Alex says after every single support appointment. His repetition and statement of the obvious cracks me up every time, but its true! We really are making headway on the trail!! Many people are wondering how we are doing and I would love to fill you in:

-Family Reunion: The last 3 weeks have been so encouraging! We are amazed at how God is providing and how generous people are!  We have been mostly meeting with current supporters and its been so fun for Alex to meet supporters from my area and I have loved getting to know his supporters from Aledo.  It feels like we are reconnecting with family every night.

-Group Project: I did not expect how fun and growing support raising would be for our marriage. I love listening to Alex share his passion and watching his eyes light up as he talks about equipping men to walk with Christ for a lifetime. We spend so many hours together working on this one goal that I feel like we are working on a college group project. We are learning how to critique each other in loving ways, affirm each other in areas where we are doing well, and delegate tasks depending on our specific strengths. I have been so thankful for Alex's unique giftings everyday because he is just good at things I am not good at!  He is the better writer, organizer, administrator, and finance manager!  The best part of this "group project" is that I got to pick my partner...

-Driving our Stake into the Ground:  Last night we sat on the quad at U of I and were amazed at how surreal it felt to be there. We have been talking about this place, these students, for close to 50 hours with people over the last 3 weeks!  Support raising is tough and definitely a sacrifice, but the Lord is really using it to deepen our passion to do campus ministry. Sitting there last night, praying for the U of I students, I realized I have never wanted anything more in my life.

 As you can see, a lot has been happening! We know things will get harder as the weeks and months go on, but for now I couldn't help but share how much we are loving this "Support Trail" so far.

A Home within a Home

   It feels so good to be back in the town I grew up in and starting such a faith-growing stage of life. We have seen God provide abundantly already, which only adds to my excitement for this new chapter. One of the coolest provisions is our home within a home. One of my best friends and roommates from college, and her husband, have opened their home to share with us while we are living in Metamora.

Our super relaxing bedroom. Anything is better than a dorm room!

Alex's Office- we can't live anywhere without our favorite books.

1 of our 2 new friends that follow us everywhere. Meet Kobe.

It is such a calm and stress free environment and we love having Morgan and Mike around to hang out with! Last night, we went through hundreds of old pictures from college and just laughed and laughed at some of the hilarious things we would do to put off homework for a few hours. We will be spending the next __?___ amount of months reconnecting with our ministry partners, meeting new ones, and sharing our long term vision for working with Cru at U of I.
  I have some creative ideas brewing for this blog, so stay tuned for some new types of entries.
Grace,
Jess

We Have A New Name!

   You may not have known, but for the last 2 years Campus Crusade for Christ has been doing an incredible amount of research and brainstorming to come up with a name that has less barriers to people hearing about Jesus. The name has served for 60 years, but even in the 80's Bill Bright discussed the need for a new name that had less negative connotations.

   So last night, in front of over 5000 staff members they unveiled the new name and logo:

The humility, prayer, and thoughtfulness that went behind this change is incredible.  You may have lots of questions about the new name and I would direct you to this FAQ website.

In the meantime, here are a few of my thoughts:
-I love it!  U of I has been using this name for the ministry for years!

-Many people are confused since this seems like just a shortened word for "crusade".  However, only people who previously knew our organization as Campus Crusade for Christ will associate the words.  For new people we meet, "cru" is a word that currently has no meaning. The organization will give it meaning as we strive to be a community of people who live and follow Jesus and proclaim his name boldly.  An example of this type of branding is "google" or "starbucks"; two words that once were nothing, but now have significant meaning to the world.

-Another concern is that "Christ" has been taken out of the name. Over and over again at this conference, we have been reassured that our mission and our passion have not changed. We still exist so that every person has a chance to hear about Jesus. A name was chosen that can best take the Gospel to the world and invite people into spiritual conversations with as few barriers as possible. I am excited to engage with people about "cru" and be able to freely converse about Jesus instead of just simply saying it in the name.

So now, seriously, continue reading more in the FAQ website because someone has spent many hours into answering all of our questions into this change!

Also, feel free to email us with any other questions!

Grace,
Jess

Welcome to the Blogging World!

This is my first try at this whole "blogosphere". I am a little apprehensive since I am not witty nor insightful, but as my friends keep moving further away, and I make more and more from out of state, it will be worth it to stay in touch.  Give me grace for the construction around here while I figure everything out!

A little update on New Staff Training in Colorado:
-We are exhausted! I am emotionally drained from the workload and Alex is recovering from his Harry Potter Hangover. (He went to the midnight premiere last night and fell asleep at 8pm!)
-We spent all day, every day this week learning how to develop a team of ministry partners that share our vision for reaching the world with the message of Christ.
-We even have to go in tomorrow morning to learn more!  (No sleeping in on our beloved Saturday!)

-Next week there is a lot to look forward to though:
    -National Staff Conference brings in 8,000 Cru staff from around the US including many of our friends from U of I!!!
    -We will get to hear talks from Francis Chan, David Platt, Josh McDowell, Tim Hawkins, and rock out to The David Crowder Band!  (However, if you know how I feel about concerts and rock music you know the exclamation point is in there for Alex's sake.)
 
Love to you all! See you back in Illinois soon!