Summer’s view of New York City this summer.

“My life will never be the same because of New York City,” says Summer, a junior at the University of North Carolina. She just returned from a Cru Summer Mission Trip to New York City.

During the month-long mission trip, 15 students initiated 216 spiritual conversations, presented the gospel 131 times and saw 1 person trust Jesus.

They also helped New York City churches and relief agencies continue to recover from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

New York City is 8.4 million people crammed into just 305 square miles. To put this in perspective, Houston has 2.2 million people in 600 square miles. If New York City had the same population density as Houston, it would cover half the state of Connecticut.

Summer has fallen in love with this city. She recently posted to her blog:

“After spending 32 days in New York City, I’m back in quiet small-town North Carolina. And it’s really difficult. I’ve gone from subway commutes during rush hour everyday to getting stuck behind tractors on curvy roads in the middle of nowhere. I’ve gone from living with millions of people to a county with only 60,000.

“When you ask if I’m happy to be home, my honest answer is no. I’m not. I am in love with New York City, you see. I feel called there and I will move there after graduation, no doubt.

“I miss the diversity and I miss the chaos and I miss the rush.

“Many people have this view of the city as dirty and scary and dangerous. But it’s not. Those adjectives can be applied anywhere, including the city, but that’s not all it is. And even if it were, that’s okay. Because those dirty, scary, dangerous people deserve hearing the good news of Jesus just as much as everyone else.

“God put this burden on my heart and a passion in my soul to be in New York and care deeply for the people there. A lot of people can’t understand why I would choose to live in such a busy place. Maybe I don’t even understand it. But that’s my reality and I’m so thankful for it.”