How are we more busy in the summer?
Hello friends, family and ministry partners! Andy and I hope that your summer has been one of rest and relaxation. S’mores on open fires. Swimming. Basking in air conditioning. We hope your walk with God has also been refreshing. Eye-opening. Comforting. After our last letter about Boston and Orlando, I wanted to share with you some of the other things that have kept our summer busy.
I (Catherine) have a wonderful group of friends. We eat together every Friday. We are the type of friends who walk with you as your parent’s health declines. We come to your daughter’s wedding and assist the wedding coordinator, or make the bride’s bouquet, while entertaining the small children during the ceremony. My friends are the kind who sat with me after surgery. Early this year, one of our members, Susan, went into the hospital with various health concerns. Many of us took turns sitting with Susan, keeping her mind busy. On May 4th, Susan passed away. A week later, we all helped put on Susan’s son’s wedding (she made her son and his fiancé promise to have the event). We made the desserts, helped set up and tear down, and vowed not to ride the inflatable mechanical bull (see the pic below: us with the bull). Three days later we helped put on Susan’s memorial and lunch afterward. These are great friends.
Front: Lorilee, Wendy, Jeanette, Debbie
Roswell kitty
Andy’s work focus has changed
Andy was able to take some time away from the office this summer to help Becca and Zach move in. (See the next story…) Now he is back working in the office and still enjoys helping our staff work “smarter, not harder”. He has been asked to focus his leadership toward a group he was already working with, acting as the team leader over a group of second-tier, product-support specialists. While the help desk team he previously supervised were “generalists” (knowing a bit about everything), the team he is now supervising will know more about some specific programs and products that Cru uses. One of these is Okta, an online service that helps condense the many logins used by Cru staff, students, donors, and volunteers into just one username & password. One woman on Andy’s team is what he describes as a “product evangelist;” she communicates to others about her product, manages the help content (“how to” articles, an FAQ page), and encourages staff and ministries to use that product.
There are now SIX of us at 2024 Sunset Terrace Drive!
Early this year we got the news that the owner of the house Becca and Zach have been renting would be returning from her four-year mission to New York City. She wanted to move back into her house in late August. After extensive searching, B & Z realized that they need more time to save toward a house, and that renting in Central Florida was above their saving/spending ratio. So, we have made our house available to them.
We now have a high chair at our table, Bluey on the television in the mornings, and a motorcycle in our garage. I get lots of cuddles and kisses, and get to cut dinner into teeny-tiny pieces. Becca is still directing the pre-school that Murphy and Jameson attend, and Zach is teaching Health and Physical Education at St. Cloud Middle School. Murphy has just started the Pre-K program! It Is exciting to have Cady and Kevin down the street, and this year I am still helping with their homeschooling by teaching science. So far we have done planets, what plants eat, and animal camouflage. I love that I can spend that time with them!
While we are busy, God has been busier
This summer Cru’s high school ministry was able to put on a large conference in Southern California. Catherine helped edit the website and printed content for the conference. It had been planned for 2020 but . . . you know. Getaway 2023 had more than 450 high school students in attendance. Then, 215 students and staff went to 12 different countries on mission. They were able to share the gospel more than 13,040 times!!! More than 2,100 people indicated that they had made a decision to follow Jesus.
Also this summer, more than 1,500 college students participated in summer missions around the globe. That includes more than 200 students who went to places in what is known as the 10/40 Window, a rectangular geographic area encompassing parts of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia (approx. between 10 degrees and 40 degrees north latitude.) That is an act of faith and courage!!
Closer to home, some of the students Catherine worked with as summer interns were involved with the EveryCampus initiative, working to help open a gospel-centered movement on 87 more campuses. Interns in Orlando, San Diego, and Minneapolis searched on social media to make connections with students on those campuses. They took time to pray for these campuses weekly, knowing that only God could help us connect with the right students. Their faith and diligence were remarkable!
Did you hear what God did on the campus of Auburn University? More than 200 students were baptized after a Christian conference on campus. God is on the move!!!
We love you and are grateful for you!
The Kelloggs 