“God loves you.” The tears began to flow as Ryan, a student at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, heard these words. Over the last three weeks, 181 Cru students from the South and Midwest came to NYC for spring break. They came to the most influential city in the world to learn to share the gospel and be able to take this skill back to their own campus. They also came to help the NYC Cru team find students who are interested in exploring Christianity or growing in their faith.
Rachel and Katie, from the University of Miami, were in a group of students who were assigned to have spiritual conversations with students at Medgar Evers College. They talked with Ryan, and discovered that he didn’t believe that there was a God who cared personally about us and that he thought that people would never be able to find peace.
After listening to Ryan’s views, Rachel and Katie asked Ryan if they could share their beliefs. They went through the Knowing God Personally booklet with him. The first point of the booklet says, “God loves you”. It was at this point, that Ryan began to cry. Rachel and Katie continued going through the booklet with him.
Ryan heard that we are broken people, but that God sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay for our sins and reconcile us to God. Through the Knowing God Personally booklet, Ryan was able to identify that he was living a life without God in it, but that he wanted a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He wanted to experience the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness that a life directed by Christ can bring.
Ryan prayed a prayer asking Jesus to come into his life. Later, Rachel and Katie asked him why he cried at the beginning of the booklet. Ryan said that he had always wanted to know if God loved him, and he was overwhelmed to find out that it was true. Ryan said that he planned to go home and talk to his family about Jesus. Please pray for Ryan as he gets plugged into the Cru group at Medgar Evers College. Pray for the many other students who were impacted by the NYC spring break trip.
Happy Easter! May you experience the peace and joy that comes in knowing that Christ is risen! Thank you for helping us serve the Lord here in NYC so that lives may be changed for eternity.
Yours in Christ,
Steve & Robin
