After a week in a mental health unit, Sophia* was returning to Penn State University. When Cru staff member, Meagin, took this Southeast Asian student to the hospital she gave her a copy of The Jesus Storybook Bible.

This Bible was a refuge for Sophia as she struggled with depression and anxiety.

On the ride home Sophia told Meagin, “For so long I have felt like I can’t get out of the darkness; the only way to escape would be to die. One night in The Jesus Storybook Bible I read how no matter how great the darkness is the light can overcome it. I realized maybe I don’t need to get myself out of darkness but the light can reach me while I am in it.”

Meagin also kept Sophia’s parents connected while Sophia was in the hospital. She is praying that both Sophia and her parents would know Jesus.

Meanwhile, at the University of Illinois, Felipe shared his story with 40 other international students from 10 countries at Cru’s Lunar New Year Dumpling Party.

This past August he had said goodbye to Ecuador, thinking he was finally done with God and religion.

He continued, “My first day on campus I went to the union to get my ID, and I saw three people holding a big map. They said they were with Bridges, a campus Christian community. I thought, ‘Oh no, not this again.’ I gave them my number to please my mom, but I knew there was a deeper purpose in that.”

Felipe became a Christian this fall. “My feeling of emptiness was replaced with understanding. Now, I want to study God’s word. I understand the importance of having God first—and of loving each other. In the past, I thought I was happy, but I was lost.”

Thank you for your role in helping people move from lost to light!

* Name changed to protect privacy.