Here is our video of our month with Cru-college ministry in Ecuador.
Going up to students and sharing about Jesus or talk about our faith wasn’t always the most comfortable thing to be honest. This is an area I am growing more in. But I will tell you one thing. It was extremely meaningful, extremely important, and extremely necessary.
Some days I felt like I was going to bother students but every student I interacted with at least took the time to talk with and listen to us. College can be a rough time for people and so many are searching for more.
I continued to remind myself that if someone didn’t share their faith with me in college I definitely would not be where I am today. My first year of college, pre Jesus and Army, was one of the worst years of my life but…it brought me to Jesus.
Going into college I was already insecure and not happy with who I was. This started at the end of junior year into senior year. I started making bad decision like drinking and smoking weed and I was trying to find my worth in guys. A few of my friends and I were hanging out with the wrong crowd of people and not really valuing ourselves.
We thought we were having fun but honestly we were being reckless.
On the outside, I pretended to not care, to be the crazy party girl, the girl that got too drunk and a lot of times a hot mess.
This didn’t seem that abnormal at the time because I was surrounded by it often but it led me down a darker road when I entered college.
I felt alone, I was unhappy about the way I let myself go and I didn’t feel like myself anymore. The only way I knew how to deal with this was drinking, getting drunk, blacking out and making more bad decisions pretending I was just “living life”.
I did not respect my body at all.
It actually makes me cringe now thinking of my actions in high school and college and how bad I felt about myself.
It breaks my heart that I was even in that position.
I read my journal this past year of what I wrote when I was in college and I was super depressed and broken on the inside. The sad thing was that I hid it so well that no one even knew how bad I was feeling.
My family and friends who I was always super close with didn’t even realize that I was not, in the least bit, ok. It wasn’t their fault. I acted like I didn’t care and that it was just who I was.
Then, by the grace of volleyball, I became friends with Brittany, one of my best friends from college.
She would try to talk to me about Jesus and try to bring me to her bible studies or college groups but I always turned them down. I didn’t believe in anything at that time and I didn’t understand it and didn’t want to try. Even still, she continued to love me and pray for me and stayed true to her beliefs while around me. She didn’t give up on me.
One morning, spring of 2009, I woke up full of regret and feeling super empty. I felt worthless, lost, depressed.
I remember laying on one of the open areas of grass and just cried. I knew I needed to change. I was searching for something more and I was not who I wanted to be. The Love of Jesus that Britt was talking about seemed really appealing at this point in my life.
I didn’t become a Christian that day but I spent more time with Brittany, learning about what God had to say through the Bible. I joined her in bible studies and weekly small groups, meeting more Christians who truly believed in Jesus and how he died on the cross for us, took away our sins and how he gives us hope for the future and so much more. They were super welcoming and actually cared about how I was doing. There was something different about them and it was contagious.
This was all part of the plan.
Because of people like Brittany and other people who were bold and stepped out in their faith on campus, I was able to find out about Jesus which then led me to truly accepting Him into my heart.
Life since then was not always easy. I still struggled with worth, identity, and many other areas but Jesus continued to grab my hand and pull me out of deep waters. He continued to be the light in the darkness. And through it all, He continued to show me The Way and love me unconditionally.
Reflecting back to this time while spending time on college campuses in Ecuador made me realize that these college students could be me. They could feel lost, lonely, hurt, depressed, in search for something.
God brought us to Ecuador to work with Cru for a reason and it was unfair for me to let my fear or awkwardness stop me from talking to students.
They needed to hear that there is something more and that they are worthy, chosen, a child of God, forgiven and that nothing could separate them from the love of God.
During the month in Ecuador working with Cru, we met a lot of people and had a lot of great conversations.
We were able to introduce students to Cru, tell them about the good truth about Jesus, witness students accepting Jesus in their hearts, and establish deeper relationships with students who were already Christians and passionate about sharing on their campuses.
Check out my video of our time with Cru-
Also I attached Cribs Ecuador as well!
ENJOY!
Thank you for reading this, for supporting me and for loving me <3
Love, Kristen
Romans 1: 16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”
Matthew 28: 19-20: “Therefore, go and make Disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of age.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7gsfp39mZw Cribs Ecuador
