March so far for us: Michael moved, Bethany came home for most of a week, Anne Marie begin preparing for three training opportunities and I assigned 19 stories to writers and edited several others. It’s been a busy month, and it’s only half over.

On March 1, Bethany’s book, One Dress, One Year, came out. Our church in Orlando hosted a book signing when she came home for Spring break. During the break, she travelled to Toronto for an interview about the book for a Canadian television show. Now she’s back in Nashville with a semester and a half left until graduation.

Michael started training for his new job with the medical software company that sought him out. He’s preparing to be a technical problem solver, working with the tech support people who are helping those who use the company’s software.

Anne Marie is preparing to train writers who are part of the Evangelical Press Association in Lancaster, Penna., in early April. I will help at that event, too. In late April, she will join Judy Douglass to teach about online communications for leaders from a wide variety of Christian ministries. Then in May, the two of us plan to train a group of Cru staff members in writing and other communications skills.

In the Worldwide Challenge office, we continue to combine our magazine and the website, Cru.org, more effectively. I’m learning how to edit stories for online reading, which is a bit different from editing for a magazine. (In this photo,which photographer Guy Gerrard took as he walked by, I’m in my office.) Some stories will appear both places. Here’s a summary of one I edited last week:

Kenyan Wilson Kipsang won the New York and London Marathons in 2014 and hopes to compete in the 2016 Olympics. He sees God at work as he runs. This is his story:

“You can’t go to church to win a race or ask God for prize money. God’s main purpose for me is to worship and glorify His name.

“I really want to give back to the community. I own a hotel and I employ 25 people, and champion athletes come and train here because of the altitude.

“I don’t distance myself from people who don’t go to church. We celebrate together. I don’t want division between the community and the church.”

As you think of us this month, please pray:

• That I will continue to learn the new editing skills for my changing job.
• For wise planning for Anne Marie in light of the different training opportunities.
• That Bethany’s health and strength will grow as she is treated for Lyme disease.
• For Michael to settle in Madison and find a great housing and roommate situation. Specifically, we are praying that he will find a Christian roommate.

Bethany is home for Spring Break, and we’ve had fun seeing her book, One Dress, One Year in bookstores. She even offered to autograph a few copies. On March 6, she signed books at our church in Orlando. We’re so grateful for how our church has stood behind her and our whole family for the last 23 and a half years.

Please pray for her trip this week to Toronto, where she will be interviewed for a television show. Pray for strength and health as the trip includes one very early morning  and one late evening. And ask God to give her a great time as she visits Niagara Falls.

Here is Anne Marie’s report from her trip to Taiwan:

Five years ago, Wendy, a teacher in Taiwan, saw a poster advertising a conference that would help her teach better. She went and received curriculum to teach morals and ethics to her class. She became part of a worldwide movement of teachers called the International School Project, a ministry of Cru.

I met Wendy in Taiwan on a short-term missions trip with the International School Project last month. (In this photo, I’m leading a small group during the trip.) They have been hosting trips since 1991 when, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Cru staff members began showing the JESUS film in Moscow.

Today, teachers in 18 countries learn to use the curriculum and consider where they are on their own spiritual journeys.

When one of Wendy’s students stopped turning in his homework and bringing his books to class, found out he was failing eight out of 10 subjects. When Wendy called his parents to them about what had happened, she learned they were getting a divorce.

Quickly turning her attention to her student’s mom, Wendy explained the content from the Love, Sex and Dating lesson. Throughout the summer, the two women talked almost nightly. Eventually Wendy explained how the mom could trust Christ to forgive her sins. The mom and her husband stayed together, and their son, on the brink of being kicked out of school, showed up in Wendy’s classroom the following Fall with a notebook, ready to take notes. Today, he’s a third-year student at one of Taiwan’s universities.

After the conference ended, we met with teachers in their own cities to discuss how they could form movements of teachers at their schools who were growing in faith and explaining that faith to others as they also taught the curriculum.

I am now helping Cru staff members from the International School Project find ways to capture stories that show how God is at work building movements of teachers around the world. Mark and I plan to travel to Colorado Springs for a week to teach their staff members to write about teachers like Wendy.

Thank you so much for the very important role you play in our lives because you pray for us and give so generously to support the work God has called us to do. We’re grateful for your friendship and your generosity. Please let us know how we can pray for you.

Sincerely in Christ,
Anne Marie, for the Winz family

Anne Marie wrote to report this:

How are you? How has your New Year started? In the past month, our family celebrated two significant milestones.

First, Michael graduated from University of Central Florida with a degree in engineering after four and a half years of academic instruction and life experience. (The family after the graduation ceremony: Mark’s dad, Ross is at the left and my parents, Jim and Helen Larkins, are at the right.)

Second, Bethany returned to Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville for the Spring semester. Last March, she came home so we could help her take care of her health. Shortly after that, she was diagnosed and treated for Lyme Disease. While she’s not cured, she’s undergoing treatment and wants to finish her degree.

Just like Michael and Bethany, I’m moving into a new opportunity. Mine is with Writing for Life. Seven months ago, at Cru 15, I spent time with my friends from the International School Project, a ministry of Cru. ISP was formed in 1991 with an invitation from the Russian Ministry of Education to help develop morals and ethics in their youth.

Teachers are strategic in influencing the direction of a nation. ISP staff members, in partnership with local and national ministries of education, sponsor conferences to equip educators in their classrooms and to help raise the moral standards in society.

ISP has trained more than 72,000 teachers in 14 countries, influencing more than 2,500,000 students and their parents.  ISP staff members have ministries that include Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Central America.

From January 21-31, I plan to travel to Taiwan and lead a small group of teachers who want to grow in their own faith and help their students grow in faith as well. I will also look for ways to help ISP collect stories about teachers and students who have trusted Christ to forgive their sins through the years.

Please pray that I will be a blessing to the Taiwanese teachers. Pray, too, that I will collect stories that best illustrate how ISP works. Thank you for the important part you play in our lives. We’re grateful for your prayers and your generosity.

Sincerely in Christ,

Anne Marie, for the Winz family

“But who sets direction for the writers in the ministry?” Susie asked. As one of two writers with Cru in Boston who traveled to Dallas for our training, she wanted to know if anyone could help give her and her co-worker, Michelle, some direction. (I’m coaching Michelle in this photo.)

“I think there’s a guild,” I answered. A group of Cru writers from the Campus ministry join a conference call every month to talk about projects they’re working on. Susie and Michelle are part of that group,

Yes, but it’s not enough,” Susie answered. I didn’t know how to respond. Ministries are encouraged to forge their own paths. Susie was looking for something more structured.

“What if I walked through this with you in the coming year. Would that be helpful?” I asked. Along with training teams at national events, I also coach writers for a year at a time.

“Will you do that?” Susie asked. “Of course,” I answered. I train, I coach and I equip writers to tell more powerful stories. Late last month, Mark and I traveled to Dallas with Becky, the new editor in chief of Worldwide Challenge, to train 21 writers. They came from various Cru ministries plus three other non-profits: Voice of the Martyrs, Mission to the World and Probe Ministries.

When we train, four things happen. First, everyone writes. Then I give feedback. We take extra time for meals so that we can have in-depth conversations and learn from each other. Finally, we give the writers time to rewrite what they first produced. These conferences work because we make space for writers, made in the image of God, to create by writing. Writers gain confidence and they do amazing work.

Please thank God for the people who came and for the things they learned while they were with us. Ask Him to increase their effectiveness as they begin to practice the things they learned. Please pray that God will give me and the leaders I’m talking to wisdom about what comes next. I have several opportunities, including a trip to Taiwan in January to consider.

Thank you very much for the important part you play in our lives. Through your prayers and generosity, Mark and I are able to do the work God has called us to do. Please let us know how we can pray for you.

– Anne Marie –

More than a year ago, I sensed that it was time to make a change.

I began to think that I should help find the next editor in chief of Worldwide Challenge magazine. While I’ve enjoyed my work, I recognized that someone with fresh ideas could help the magazine improve, while helping Cru better combine print and digital publishing, such as websites.

At the same time, I knew I should remain a Cru staff member and keep working in some communications role.

Anne Marie and I discussed it, and she agreed. My director, Mike, who oversees Cru’s communications work in the U.S., was initially reluctant, but he came around as we talked. To make that change, we had to identify the next editor in chief, and get that person prepared. Then we had to figure out what I would do next.

The first step looked clear to me. But I couldn’t make the decision alone.

I was sure that Becky Thomton should be the next editor in chief. Spotting talent in up-and-coming writers and editors is one highlight of being an editor. Becky joined our team in 2001 as a writer, and I soon knew she had a future in publishing. Over the years, Becky has traveled the U.S. and the world gathering stories for Worldwide Challenge. She served as an editor for the magazine, and then moved on to help edit Cru’s websites.

A group of Cru leaders, including Mike and me, considered a few candidates. In the end, we agreed that Becky was the best fit.

When we considered my next role, there were a few options. Then we got the news that our current managing editor would be leaving our team at the end of the year for a different ministry.

My previous job, as managing editor, was a natural fit for my personality and strengths. Might it work for me to move back to that? Mike, Becky and I pondered, prayed and planned together, concluding that it could.

Now, Becky and I are working together on the transition. We’ll both help with the magazine and with the website, Cru.org. (I encourage you to click that name and take a look.)

As Becky begins to lead our team, I’ll take some time away from the office for planning in November. That will allow her to settle into the new role while the current managing editor is still on duty.

Would you pray for us as I train Becky this month and for both of us as we take on new roles? Also, please pray for Anne Marie as she leads a Writing for Life training in Dallas on October 20-23. I’ll join her, as will Becky—something Anne Marie had planned before knowing that Becky would be the new editor in chief.

Thanks for your generosity and prayers. Let us know how we can pray for you.

We’re grateful for your friendship and your concern for our family over the years. As both Michael and Bethany face milestones, we decided it’s time to bring you up to date on what is happening with all four of us.

Michael plans to graduate from the University of Central Florida in December with a degree in mechanical engineering. We’re proud of the hard work he’s put in, and grateful that he earned and kept some generous scholarships. College has also allowed him to gain leadership experience by serving as president of the running club. He’s looking for a job, and of course we hope he finds one that he likes, maybe close to Orlando.

Bethany’s last few years have included opportunities and challenges. After facing a mix of medical problems, she finally has a diagnosis: Lyme disease. Fatigue and constant joint pain are two of the symptoms, and are so severe that she is spending this semester at home seeking treatment, instead of at school.

At the same time, she has written and edited her book, One Dress. One Year. The book focuses on her year-long project to fight human trafficking. It mixes some excerpts from her daily blog posts with narration about what was happening behind each post. It releases on March 1, and is already available for pre-sales on some websites.

After a summer break, Anne Marie restarted her neighborhood Bible study, now in their 18th year.

At church, Anne Marie and I continue working together to coordinate adult ministries. This includes Sunday school and women’s Bible studies now, and we hope to add othe
r small groups soon.

Here are some current prayer requests.

• Please pray that Michael will finish school well, and will find the right job.
• Ask God to guide the doctors helping Bethany to find a treatment plan. She is trying a mix of things now, but is not seeing a lot of progress yet.
• Pray that Anne Marie and I will find ways to effectively make disciples at church and in our neighborhood.
• Please continue to pray for upcoming Writing for Life training events in Orlando this month and in Dallas in October.
• Ask God for wisdom for me as I continue leading the magazine team.

Thanks so much for praying for us. And please let us know how we can pray for you.

Photo: At Scott’s Bluff National Monument in Nebraska on our way to Colorado.

This summer, at Cru 15, our staff conference in Colorado, I met a dear staff couple. They came to BAM, a bloggers and authors meet-up. “We’ve been through a traumatic situation,” they said.” We think God wants us to write a book. Can you help us?” They are parents of a son who suffered a brain injury while playing football.

My friend Sus Schmitt and I hosted the gathering, providing a forum for staff authors, bloggers, readers and writer “wannabes” to talk and trade advice.

More than 160 people gathered to ask for and give advice. The buzz of conversation filled the room. Staff members connected with other staff members, talking about how to write and publish everything from books to blog posts. No structured program; only conversations.

When the couple approached me, I pointed them to Ney Bailey, one of our staff members who wrote a memoir called Faith is Not a Feeling. She sat with them, listened to their story and offered insight from her own writing and speaking experience. During their 30-minute conversation, she wrote out her best thoughts so they could take the notes with them.

Of course they thanked her for spending time with them and she thanked them for telling her their story. Later, she told me how very much it had meant to her to hear their story.

My favorite conversation? For more than a year, I had been coaching Leslie via email as she wrote monthly devotions for mothers of preschoolers. She found me at BAM. What a thrill to give her a hug and tell her how much I enjoy reading what she writes.

God has given each of us a story to live and to tell. Together, Sus and I are using our expertise to help our staff members tell their stories online and in print so that people will come to Christ.

Throughout the conference, I had 15 conversations in which I coached our staff members to become better communicators. Most of them want to write on websites or social media.

A lot of outreach and discipleship now happens in this digital realm. Through the website www.everystudent.com, for example, thousands of people have indicated decisions for Christ.

Thank you for the valuable part you play in our lives. We’re grateful for your prayers and support. God uses you to allow us to continue doing the work He has called us to do.

Please let us know how we can pray for you.

– Anne Marie –

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.