Ministry Update Brent & Stephanie Batiste November 26, 2014 Athletes In Action & Cru Northern Illinois University
Home Is Where The ...
WHO Invited You?
Every week students are filing in and out of our home, sometimes it is for meals, sometimes it is for Bible studies, sometimes it is just to stop in to spend time with our family and to love on our kids. Our hope is that our home would be a safe haven for students to retreat to, to be refreshed, and to experience the Gospel.
Neither Cru nor AIA have had a ministry presence in Puerto Rico for over 2 decades. That all changed last year when the General Secretary of the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee invited AIA to launch ministries on every college and university in Puerto Rico! This individual is also president of the organization that oversees all college sports in Puerto Rico.
Three of those students are pictured here. You have seen Francis in some of our past prayer letters. Francis turned her life over to Christ a couple of years ago and has been seeking the Lord for the salvation of her teammates ever since. Last Spring, she along with another student were able to lead Sarah (left) to Christ and she has experienced incredible life change!
In response to this God-ordained invitation, AIA launched several pioneering mission trips to campuses throughout Puerto Rico. We currently have a team of recent college graduates who are investing the next year of their lives to help lay the foundation of ministry in Puerto Rico, and beyond, for years to come.
Then just last month, Emily (Right) expressed that she too was ready to turn her life over to the Lord and Stephanie’s one on one discipleship grew into one on three discipleship. The difference that Christ has made in these young ladies lives shines so bright! They are continually reaching out to other students on campus and just in the past few weeks more and more girls have joined in. So now, every week, Stephanie has a standing appointments with 8-10 girls who show up to our home, with Bibles in hand, ready to talk, pray, and encourage one another to continue reaching out on campus.
NIU AIA has been invited to help give lift to these ministry efforts by sending a team of students to Puerto Rico in March. The focus of the trip is twofold. 1) Reach out to Puerto Rican students with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 2) Introduce these Puerto Rican students to our in-country missionaries who can then continue to minister to them, disciple them, and equip them to reach others on campus. We will also have opportunities to minister Christ’s love to children at an orphanage just miles from the campus we will be serving at. To learn more about the vision of what God has laid on the hearts of our ministry’s leadership. you can go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=jr3i8eMG6Gk
We would love for you to prayerfully consider making a special donation this month that would go towards our efforts to reach the students of Puerto Rico.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP! You can use the enclosed envelope to send your donation or go to: www.give.cru.org/0471575 All donations made out to Cru or Athletes In Action are tax deductible 3302 White Oak Drive Dekalb IL 60115 815-757-1464
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Puerto Rico Mission - Special Donation We are trusting God to raise up $7,000 for our outreach efforts in Puerto Rico. These funds will not only help us send a team of students to Puerto Rico, but they will also help fund our outreach efforts once we are in country. ( ) Yes, I can help by giving an extra special gift this month of ______________ ( ) Yes, I can help by beginning or increasing my monthly support to ___________ ( ) Yes, I know a young person who might be interested in an experience like this with Cru or AIA. For a list of Cru & AIA’s ministry opportunities you can go to: gosummerproject.com There are both domestic and international opportunities. Please let us know if you would like to learn more.
