The Three Sisters, Australian peaks located in the Blue Mountains 62 miles west of Sydney, each stand approximately 3,000 feet tall.

They called it "Boys in the Bush," but the three-day retreat was really about how to become men.

"A lot of guys who have grown up in the city don't learn responsibility when they stay at home," says Jake Abraham, Campus Crusade for Christ staff member in Australia. "They come from broken families or haven't had good examples of fathers. They just don't know how to be men."

So Jake created an event to teach guys about manhood, taking 20 university students straight into the Australian bush.

Jeremy Law, a first-year student at Monash University, joined his "mates" for the weekend trip. They camped out, went exploring, and even built a hut.

They also talked about God. "We looked at Genesis," says Jeremy, "and God's plan for men. We talked about authentic manhood."

Jake talked to the guys about stepping up in their roles as men, and talked about issues like purity.

Jeremy loved the retreat, telling other guys on campus about it. "It was a great encouragement in my spiritual life," says the 19-year-old. "I've become more sincere and truthful, and willing to take up my role as a man of God. I'm not so afraid to take risks."

Jeremy is continuing to grow in his faith, and Jake hopes he will continue to be a leader in the local Campus Crusade group.
—Becky Hill

Suzana Petrovska (at left) shares a friendship and a heritage with Tanja Strklevska.

Tanja Strklevska is Macedonian. And in Macedonia, a small country directly north of Greece, that means a great deal.

This is Tanja's home and culture: a culture in which religion and secular traditions have been sewn together into one garment. Often, that garment isn't one Christians can wear with a clear conscience.

For instance, it's common for friends to drink Turkish coffee together. After they finish the coffee, they turn over the cups. Soon the sediment settles, creating lines that Macedonians interpret to foretell the future. This is a common form of occultism, and one that Tanja encounters almost daily.

Suzana Petrovska is a staff member with Campus Crusade for Christ who understands the battle Tanja faces. Suzana is also Macedonian.

The two women met at Saints Cyril and Methodius University in the capital city of Skopje. Tanja had made a decision to follow Jesus at age 16, but it was at the university in 2002 that her relationship with God began to grow.

Suzana and Tanja first met at a prayer time organized by a group of American missionaries who came to Macedonia for a year. A part of Campus Crusade's U.S. Campus Ministry, the group of eight came to tell students about Jesus and develop a Macedonian Christian group on campus.

There are benefits to short-term teams like this. Often they are effective in helping launch a new Christian organization and fostering its growth. As foreigners, they can tell people about Jesus unabashedly and gather interested students. But there are drawbacks to such teams.

"It's very difficult for students to establish lasting relationships with people who are here for a year or two," Suzana says. "It is important for a [Macedonian] missionary to be involved in peoples' lives for a long time."

Since meeting Suzana, Tanja has learned how to tell other Macedonians about the hope she has found in a personal relationship with God. The first person Tanja reached out to was her younger sister, Daniella, who also chose to follow Jesus. Tanja now leads two Bible studies and is planning to finish her studies in education, and then possibly go on to study theology.

In 1990, the first full version of the Bible was translated into Macedonian. Eight years ago began the first focused effort to initiate conversations about Jesus with college students in Macedonia. Three years ago, only short-term teams led the ministry; today, there are seven Macedonian staff members like Suzana.

Scott and Jen Mathews are American staff members on Suzana's team. In spite of their commitment to live and work in Macedonia long term, they realize there are many things they cannot do as well as a Macedonian.

"Tanja is spiritually mentored by Suzana, someone who speaks her language—not her language with an American accent or her language with a lot of effort," Scott says, "but someone who speaks with her culturally and understands what it's like to live here in Macedonia."

The long-term goal of Campus Crusade missionaries surpasses the simple translation of American-style worship into another language. They want to introduce men and women to Jesus and teach them to follow His lead. Fully aware of their country's styles and customs, people like Tanja and Suzana can most effectively reach the people of their country.

Campus Crusade has built its ministry internationally on this premise. Of the 26,016 staff members worldwide, only 4,854 are Americans like Scott and Jen. The surprising majority—81 percent—are indigenous staff members like Suzana. And like Suzana, they long for their fellow countrymen to find the truth that empty Turkish coffee cups cannot supply.
—Angie Bring

God restored Laura and Adam Brown's marriage. Now they help others.

Adam Brown was at the end of his rope. He had lost his job, bill collectors were calling, and he was responsible for his wife, Laura, and their newborn daughter, Madeline. One more night of fighting with Laura was too much for Adam to handle.

"Please don't go. We can make this work," Laura cried, barring the door with Madeline in her arms.

"I don't love you," Adam replied. "I don't want to be a part of this marriage. I don't want to be a part of Madeline's life."

Laura wouldn't move from the door. So Adam grabbed her by the shoulders, threw her into the kitchen and left.

As Laura drove around town looking for Adam, she cried out to God and sang to Madeline: "He who began a good work in Daddy, He will be faithful to complete it."

Adam returned after a week, but four months later he brought Madeline to Laura's workplace. He again announced he was leaving. Reconciliation followed, but the same cycle occurred three more times in the next year. Finally, Laura agreed to take Adam back only if they would go to counseling.

Nine months of counseling helped give Adam hope for their marriage, but for Laura it was an awakening. "I realized I didn't trust this man and didn't love him," she says. "But I continually reminded myself that I made a vow before God and there was no way I could break that vow. I felt stuck."

Then one of Laura's co-workers told her about a three-day marriage conference called Weekend to Remember. Broken and hurting, the Browns decided to attend the conference sponsored by FamilyLife, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.

"Some of your marriages will be changed this weekend," one speaker said the first night. Laura was skeptical, but those same words brought Adam hope. "I was ready to pay attention," he says.

The next morning the speakers explained how to become a Christian. Although Laura had been a Christian for many years, for the first time Adam understood his need for Christ. That day he dedicated his life and marriage to the Lord. "We prayed together and it was incredible," says Laura. "We realized we were trying to do everything on our own, but we could never fix it. It had to be God changing Adam's heart and giving me hope again."

That night they went to their favorite restaurant and talked for hours. "I'll never forget looking across the table," says Laura, "and feeling intense love for this man. Twenty-four hours before, I didn't love him at all. I knew it was God giving us a fresh start."

The Browns quickly applied what they learned at the conference. They began praying together every day, planning date nights, and communicating openly and honestly.

As Adam proved his trustworthiness, Laura learned to release the grudge she felt against Adam. And together they learned how to build a relationship focused on God. "God [used to be] like a piece of luggage on our roof rack," says Adam. "When we learned to trust Him, we gave Him the steering wheel and said, 'Take us anywhere.'"

Eventually God led the Browns back to where the change started. Today Laura and Adam work full time with FamilyLife. They regularly tell their story to encourage other couples to attend FamilyLife marriage conferences.

Laura remembers that night looking for Adam and singing to Madeline, wondering what God would do to complete His work in Adam. "Looking back, we can see God's fingerprints all over our lives," she says.
—Sabrina Beasley

Adapted from the January issue of The Family Room, FamilyLife's online magazine at www.FamilyLife.com/familyroom. ©2004. All rights reserved. Used by permission. For more information about FamilyLife, visit www.familylife.com or phone 1-800-FL-TODAY (1-800-358-6329).

Rock music bounces off the mountains of Tajikistan several times a month, echoing back to the talented performers in a stadium full of people. The six-member band New Life was once a group of non-Christian military members. Then they met Campus Crusade for Christ staff member Sasha Kogi.

Sasha had been showing the JESUS film in the streets, but he wanted to reach even more people with the message of Christ. So he hired the military band to perform concerts where Sasha presented the gospel. Concert after concert, the band members couldn't help but listen to Sasha's passionate message.

Eventually, each member of the band accepted Christ into his heart. Vocalist Avan Hakimov became a Christian eight years after he joined the band. Their concerts draw crowds ranging from 2,000 to 16,000 people.

Since 1998, the Tajik Campus Crusade ministry has grown from zero to eight staff members.

"Our vision is that every person would know the gospel of Jesus," says Sasha, "and that we would be able to send disciples to the rest of the world."
—Becky Hill


Ohio
Student Venture

Carrie Brown thought, I go to church. I sit in Sunday school. I kind of know what the Bible says.

Lynn Bynum, one of Carrie's field-hockey teammates, asked her to join a girls' Bible study after practice. She really didn't want to go to it; practice had been long. But then again, Lynn was her ride home.

Carrie and a handful of other girls piled into Lynn's car and drove a few blocks to a Caribou coffeehouse. After grabbing something to eat or drink, they settled around tables to talk about God.

For the weekly study, Lynn utilized the Bible, athletes' devotionals and books like The Case for Christ. Lynn's idea to reach out to her team first came through her involvement with Student Venture, the high-school ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.

"What I learned is that everything in the Bible is applicable," says Carrie, a senior, as she reflects back on the study.

Where Carrie used to see merely a study hall, a class discussion or a weekend party, she now sees spiritual opportunities to talk with fellow students about God. The Bible has opened her eyes.
—Angie Bring


Cuba
Medical Strategic Network

Though the U.S. government bans most Americans from going to Cuba, medical professionals involved in Campus Crusade for Christ's Medical Strategic Network received an exception. About 60 physicians and nurses went on a medical mission trip and explained the gospel to 700 Cuban patients, patients' families and hospital workers last November.

Dr. Greg Bonnen (left), a neurosurgeon from Houston, met a seriously ill Cuban neurosurgeon. During a conversation, Dr. Bonnen asked if he believed in God. The Cuban said he did, but didn't understand why God allowed suffering.

"He appeared to be seeking, but was struggling with the natural question of why God allows bad things to happen," says Dr. Bonnen. He recounted some of his own hard experiences, and how he gave the burden to God. The Cuban became more interested. Dr. Bonnen told him about Jesus; the Cuban accepted Him as his Savior. Excited, he introduced his wife to Christ.

In all, 450 Cubans indicated decisions to accept Christ during the medical mission trip.
—Jennifer Abegg

Visit www.GoMETS.org or call (909) 794-4232 for more information.


Tonga
Community Ministry

Fusi Laukau expected good results, but not like this.

The 47-year-old staff member with Campus Crusade for Christ in Tonga had presented the Four Spiritual Laws booklet, which explains how to have a relationship with God, to a classroom of students last fall. Half of them indicated first-time decisions to receive Christ.

These were seminary students at Sia'atoutai Theological College.

In the small South Pacific island nation of Tonga, more than 95 percent of the population claim to be Christians. But that doesn't mean they have a relationship with Christ, says Fusi. "The people in Tonga think Christianity is about working very hard to attain goodness," she says.

Fusi (above, at right), who doesn't have a seminary degree, has used her Campus Crusade training to teach an evangelism class to all incoming students for the past eight years. The only other Tongan staff member, Loscena Sagai, is also a guest professor and teaches another Campus Crusade basic: discipleship.

This past year, the seminary cut all visiting professors but Fusi and Loscena. Evaluations showed their classes are a student favorite.
—Chris Lawrence