I have the twelfth version of a story for a future issue of Worldwide Challenge on my desk. Most articles don’t go through this many editing steps.
Over the last few years, our writers have taken on increasingly complex stories as Cru finds ways to take the gospel to groups of people who need a specialized approach.
Our May/June issue featured a story about the Nations branch of our campus ministry. We tell of a couple, both Native Americans, who purposefully present the gospel in meaningful ways to other Native Americans. For over 400 years, missionary activity has been focused on this group, yet only five percent have come to Christ. Now, this couple and other Native American believers are adjusting their approach without changing the core message of the gospel.
Our July/August issue reports about a campus outreach to Deaf students at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Did you know the Deaf don’t consider themselves people with a disability, but rather a distinct culture? They have their own language, American Sign Language, and ways of doing things usually not understood by outsiders.
Now, in version 12 on my desk, is a story about veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Cru Military seeks to assist those who have served the country. Coming to Christ does not solve the problems of PTSD, but He can offer hope to many men, and increasingly, women, who have been damaged in ways a hospital stay cannot address.
As Cru changes tactics to proclaim the gospel, those of us who tell the Cru story need to stay informed. This summer we’ll have a chance to learn about more new tactics.
Next month, Anne Marie and I plan to attend our staff conference, Cru ’15, in Colorado. We’ll hear from Cru ministry leaders and from leading Christian speakers about the issues facing us in society. On the way back we’ll visit family and friends in Nebraska.
Over the next few weeks would you pray about for our travel plans?
- First, please pray that we would complete the work we need to finish before we leave on July 9. Anne Marie and I both have multiple deadlines in that time.
- Second, would you pray for good health as we work hard now and then as we travel?
- And third, please pray that we could get our schedule set up as we try to visit people in Nebraska, and for appointments in Colorado as Anne Marie meets with fellow staff members to plan upcoming Writing for Life training events. (The photo above shows Anne Marie during our last trip to Colorado for a training event.)
Thanks so much for praying for us. And please let us know how we can pray for you.