Using GodTools with Gen Z

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Nate Miller
Gen Z is the least religious generation in American history, opening the door for the gospel.

Abdul loves God. But being a Christian in the Middle East is not easy. A Christian that openly invites friends and coworkers to church every week faces great risk.

Yet Abdul invites people to church every week and many join him. He struck an agreement with his pastor, “I’ll bring them to the door, and you take it from there.”

Abdul yearned for something more—something to help him articulate the gospel so others could understand and decide about trusting Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

That yearning was satisfied when Abdul was introduced to GodTools, an evangelistic app created by Cru. “This is just what I’ve been searching for! Now I can bring my friends to church and show them the Gospel, too. Thank you!”

GodTools is also impacting students in the United States. Jacob, a Cru staff member in San Antonio, was recently expanding his skills as a missionary by sharing short stories about Jesus from the Bible. He invited Francisco to listen to Mark 1:35-45.

Francisco resonated with the story. Jacob asked Francisco if he wanted to know more about how Jesus made a way for him to be totally clean. Francisco was very interested.

Jacob opened GodTools and scrolled to “Knowing God Personally.” This evangelistic presentation is simple, clear, and concise. Jacob shared in Spanish, the language with which Francisco was most confident. Francisco trusted Jesus right there on the college sidewalk.

Like Jacob, you can change lives using the GodTools app.

Thank you for partnering with us as we serve behind the scenes. With you, we are grateful to be a part of what God is doing. We are thankful for you!

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A different Spring Break

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Nate Miller
Unlikely friends, Tina (l) and Camryn (r) met in Bithlo, Florida outside Orlando.

Shocked is an understatement,” Camryn said. “I didn’t think there was a place in the United States that didn’t have clean running water.”

Camryn spent spring break in 2022, on Urban Immersion, a ministry outreach sponsored by Cru Inner City.

The weeklong ministry effort focused on Bithlo, a mostly forgotten enclave devoid of basic infrastructure despite being 45 minutes from Disney World outside Orlando, Florida.

When Camryn met Tina, the older woman was just six months sober after receiving assistance through Transformation Village, a partner ministry of Cru Inner City. 

Shortly after they met, Tina confided she spent more than a dozen years in prison for auto theft and drug-related felonies. She was legally free but restrained by the dual barriers of a criminal record and limited work experience. Tina spent her nights curled up under a truck, until she arrived at Transformation Village.

That first Spring Break, Camryn and Tina developed a deep bond. Their relationship prompted Camryn to return to Bithlo last spring break for her second Urban Immersion experience. “A year later, Tina is now 18 months sober and has a job and a license for the first time in 15 years,” Camryn shared last spring.

Now a senior, Camryn plans to return to Bithlo for a third Spring Break. “Without Cru Inner City, I assumed interacting with the underprivileged would only happen outside the United States. I didn’t realize how many people were homeless and trying to find a way to make it.”

Thank you for partnering with us as we serve behind the scenes. With you, we are grateful to be a part of what God is doing. We are thankful for you!

Posted in Campus, Evangelism, Inner City, Poor & Needy, Spring Break | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Coming to Living Water

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Nate Miller
Preparing rice for distribution to the hungry at a PACKHOPE event.

Clean drinking water is a daily concern for twenty-five percent of the world according to the World Health Organization. Unto, the humanitarian aid arm of Cru, partners with local churches to bring clean water to communities. Meeting this physical need opens doors for the gospel.

Unto recently partnered with churches in Southeast Asia to build over one hundred water catchment systems in a mountainous region where wells are not practical.

A nineteen-year-old mother received one of the water tanks. Following local custom, she had married at seventeen and quickly had a child. Her husband works at a factory far away and she only sees him during the New Year holiday. He would come home drunk and abusive. She joined the church after receiving the tank and became a Christian. Through her influence, her husband received Jesus and their marriage has improved.

Another family often went to the witch doctor (a common practice in this part of the world) for healing. The father became sick. He brought the witch doctor two water buffalo to perform a ritual to remove the evil spirit that was making him sick. The ritual did not heal him.

A short time later, Unto and a locl church provided a water tank for his family. The family went to the church and heard the gospel for the first time. The father accepted Christ and was released from his fear of evil spirits. Instead of seeking help from the witchdoctor, he visited a local medical doctor for his illness and was healed.

Thank you for partnering with us as we serve behind the scenes. With you, we are grateful to be a part of what God is doing. We are thankful for you!

CRU HEADQUARTERS PACKHOPE EVENT

  • Food—the number one humanitarian relief request of Unto.
  • PACKHOPE—Unto event where volunteers repack donated non-perishable food, like rice and lentils, for easier distribution to those in need.
  • 2—the number of days for the PACKHOPE event at Cru Headquarters.
  • 245,000—the number of meals packed.
  • 1706—the number of people who will be fed for one month because of this event.
Posted in international, Poor & Needy, Unto | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment