Small Steps. Big Faith.

22 students started. 10 continued faithfully to the end. They come with head coverings, long skirts, hard life stories and big smiles. Each Wednesday I have looked forward to my Spanish class, a solid group of 8-10 women who have attended faithfully each week, pictured here: (left to right) Karthoum, Saliha, Guita, me, Rachma and Malika. The learning curve is high. Many are not literate in their own native languages. So, learning to hold a pencil and/or re-learning to read from left to right (instead of right to left) are some of the language challenges that they must overcome as they gather the building blocks for adequate communication in this new world they live in. The learning process is slow. Many have lived here for years and are just starting to learn the language. Others have attended classes for multiple years but require much repetition of basic topics until they are recorded in long-term memory. The year-long course ended this week.  We celebrated with trad...

Coque-a Catalan pastry- and café con leche. They were small details that reflected a strong desire....to connect. She was so kind to come, the neighbor that I see on her balcony throughout the week. I was so happy to have someone over. After months of silently retreating inward, the moment had arrived to start reaching out again. Although we literally see each other from our balconies, we don´t really know what´s going on in each others´ lives. How could we know? It´s the hidden things of our hearts, not just the outward activities, that really reveal what´s going on. I was kind of nervous about the details. It had been months since we talked last. What would we talk about? Would she be turned off by the emptiness and boxes in our house as we prepare to move? After cordial hellos and the traditional 2 kisses, she simply opened up and shared her own details.....life is hard right now: laid-off, money is tight, a postponed wedding, a diagnosis of illness, a weary mo...

A few months ago, I mentioned that Campus Crusade for Christ would be changing its name to Cru. We´re excited about the name and the opportunities it offers to tell the world about Jesus. Many of our ministry partners have also shared their enthusiasm. Unfortunately, you may have heard some misinformation in the media abou the motivation behind the name change. Just in case these reports have caused any concern, I want to let you know, first hand, what is true. If, by chance, you´ve wondered about what you´ve heard in the media, let me share a few thoughts: 1. Campus Crusade for Christ is unswervingly committed to lifting up and proclaiming the name of Jesus. We were founded with a commitment to the centrality of the cross, the truth of the Word, the power of the Holy Spirit and the global scope of the Great Commission. Nothing has changed. 2. The problematic words in the name were Campus and Crusade . The term "Campus" has not represented the full scop...

Ruben Rivera (second from the right) was a teenager with a dream. After a childhood filled with unknowns, he entered adolescence, dreaming about changing the world. He wanted to help children and others in great need. That feeling became a great fire that drove him to take steps. A good friend took a chance on him and discipled him with patience and faithfulness…and helped him to mold and shape his dream. His story is of one who has been changed by Jesus. His dream is to participate with Him in changing the world. His calling is to work among those who suffer most. Ruben is now the National Director of  Global Aid Network  in Spain. He´s working to raise up a team of staff and volunteers that can work with him to reach the hidden and hurting in our world. In just two years, GAiN is now sponsoring a recovery house for homeless men in Barcelona, hosting a program to reduce social exclusion for Moroccan women in Terrassa (Barcelona) and supporting the ...

The Good News: They found it! It was like striking gold. The workers on the construction site of the  Ça-Ira Children´s Home  in Haiti had found a new water source for a well. The Bad News: The water still needed to be treated to guarantee the health of the children and staff who currently live in the orphanage. Soon, this need will cease to be a concern. Within a few weeks, our children at the home will not need to worry about the quality of the water that they drink or bathe with. As we filed into the conference room at  Optima Renovables , a renewable energy company located in Terrassa, Spain, we were eager to hear their response to participate in the needs at the children´s home in Haiti. The directors were willing AND eager to donate a special water purification system to GAiN Spain to be used at the orphanage in Haiti. (pictured below) It´s a system with the latest technology and has the ability to purify 7000 liters of water a day, which is mo...

I was encircled by them, squishy colored squirrels-teething rings actually. And then there were the pacifiers, the rattles,  baby bottles...A generous donor had unloaded a truckful of materials at our GAiN office just the week before. Some of the materials were destined for the join GAiN project at the  Ça-Ira Children´s Home in Haiti, while other materials would be used at GAiN´s new recovery house, el Llar Manel Pujades in Barcelona. Just two weeks after the stillborn delivery of our daughter , it seemed a bit ironic to be surrounded by baby toys; but the task at hand was urgent: take inventory of all the materials, prepare lists and labels to relocate the boxes in a new storage area, also donated by another volunteer. It was quiet, individual work, spread out over several days, perfect for me as I dealt with the first weeks of loss. (It reminded me of Brother Lawrence and his book, The Practice of the Presence of God . ) As I emptied the boxes and counted the...

is becoming                   Have you heard yet? That´s right! In the U.S., Campus Crusade for Christ is becoming Cru . Although I am technically on staff with Agape ( Campus Crusade for Christ in Europe), I am still closely connected with Campus Crusade for Christ in the U.S. I know you care about this ministry. I wanted to make sure you knew about the change. The new name will be adopted early in 2012. The change is being made in order to be more effective in sharing the gospel and to see even more people come to faith in Christ. It´s been a two-year process, but ultimately this decision has been reached through much prayer and with a deep sense of dependence on God. Words Matter  Although our name for the last 60 years is well-respected in Christian ministry and missions, the word "Crusade" now carries serious negative associations. Also, the word "Campus" actually hinders people who are not students from e...