“I was seeking the Lord to discover where He was leading me after high school graduation. I felt Him calling me to take this leap with Him into a new experience of growing in Him and sharing His light with others around the world. I’m so excited to get to go on this adventure with my Jesus,” said Esther, a 2020 high school graduate from Alabama, who’s spending this school year on Cru’s Gap Year mission.

Cru’s Gap Year is for recent high school graduates who will spend 9 months traveling the world, growing deeper in their walk with the Lord, and sharing the gospel with students. They develop relationships with students, speak in classes, play sports, and lead Bible studies to help students grow in their faith and become leaders on their campus.

This year’s team consists of 6 high school graduates (photo at right). The group typically visits four countries on two continents, which allows them to experience a variety of cultures. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, students on this year’s Gap Year mission could not travel internationally, but that hasn’t stopped them from sharing God’s love and forgiveness with others.

They spent the fall semester at the University of Montana. While on campus, they reached college students through surveys and tables set up on campus. When Covid prevented them from going on campus, they continued to reach students through social media. The team recently started the second half of their year at the University of Missouri.

Esther says, “So thankful we were allowed to do one-on-one meetups with students we reached through Instagram. Getting to meet them, hear some of their stories, and why they were interested in Cru. Sometimes it’s because they’d grown up Christian and wanted to find Christian community on campus, but often students saw Cru’s posts and pictures about what our community is about.”

“They saw hope and life and love, and they wanted that. So many students have been so lonely and afraid and just need people to care.” Praise God that Esther and the Gap Year team were there for such a time as this. Please pray for them as they reach out to students offering, as Esther says, “hope and life and love.”

If you know a high school student, please share the Gap Year website with them: cru.org/GapYear. This site provides information that students and parents can explore to see if this is something God may be calling them to. Pray that the 2021-22 Gap Year team will be able to travel internationally, but most importantly, that they will share God’s love with others wherever He places them.

Many changes at our house; Rachel and her family are moving to Costa Rica on March 8! We are excited for their new adventure but will certainly miss them, especially the grandkids, Evelyn and Finn. Since we were sharing a house, Robin and I will be moving in mid-March to a smaller home.

Your partnership in our ministry is helping people around the world hear the gospel. Thank you!

Yours in Christ,

Steve & Robin