Sophomore chemistry major Jenny Mack was bitter at God when she first came to Colorado School of Mines and got involved in Cru, the name for Campus Crusade for Christ there. Grappling with her father's death from gallbladder cancer in 2004, the 19-year-old Christian wanted to be involved with other Christians. But when a Cru leader requested she tell her faith story to the group, she got angry with God and told Him about it: "I said, 'I don't know why You'd ask me to do this, I don't even like You,'" Jenny recalls.

But there was hope for Jenny (left, with her father) from among Cru's more than 100 members, which make it the largest student group on this 3,900-student campus. Now a public research university, Mines started as a school for miners in the late 1800s with a focus on assaying gold and silver. Today, the institution has expanded to include petroleum engineering, earth sciences and applied sciences. What's more, Mines has the highest admissions standards of any university in Colorado. But what this elite school doesn't have is a local Campus Crusade for Christ staff team. Cru is student run.

"You have a bunch of self-professed nerds boldly declaring that they will be a counter-cultural force on the campus," says Eric Heistand, a Campus Crusade staff member who mentors the Cru leaders but is not based at Mines. And who are those leaders? "Basically," he says, "if you are faithful, available and teachable, and have a desire to have a personal ministry among some pocket of people on campus, you're a leader."

Eric says this simple leadership model results in students "reaching out to the Ultimate-Frisbee team, the gay/lesbian/bi/trans group and more." This year Cru served a Thanksgiving dinner to over half the international-student population. "They're aiming to have every international student on campus attend next year," Eric says.

As for Jenny, she now says God is using other Cru members to teach her about His character: "God has been showing me His love, which I really struggle with understanding. I've been learning how to apply what I've been learning, and I'm doing better spiritually than ever before."
—Matthew McDaniel

Steve Smith didn't want to go to Africa.

The NFL Pro Bowler and Carolina Panthers wide receiver had never been on a mission trip and didn't want to leave his family. But as he began to pray, he sensed God leading him to go.

So Steve traveled to Togo and Nigeria in March with Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, along with 11 other people.

In both countries, Steve (left) was surrounded by poverty and trash, without comforts like consistent running water and electricity.

In Togo, Steve played soccer with kids on a dirt field. For a moment, he wasn't a successful NFL star, but just an ordinary man willing to spend time with some kids. Throughout the trip, he communicated his faith to people multiple times and he also helped show the JESUS film to a crowd of 400.

The trip profoundly affected Steve; he began to see how God could use him beyond his status as a professional athlete.

Now back in the United States, Steve has been re-energized in his faith.

"Steve is now taking his position as a spiritual leader on the team with a lot more urgency," says Mike Bunkley, Panthers chaplain and an AIA staff member.

Already, Steve is thinking about going on another trip with AIA. "I got more out of Africa than Africa got out of me," he says.
—Tricia Allen

Dr. Malcolm Hughes examined the 10-year-old Thai boy's eye and grew increasingly concerned. The injury to the eyelid was severe, potentially blinding, and he needed treatment right away. Because Malcolm was a general surgeon and not an eye- care specialist, they needed to travel to the nearest city to seek further treatment.

Malcolm (left), who has owned a medical practice for more than 20 years, volunteered his skills with a team of 30 Australians, including several other Christian doctors. Together on a four-week mission trip to Thailand and Cambodia, they partnered with Global Aid Network Australia, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. The team's goal was to offer medical treatment for the villagers and show the love of Jesus. It was a sacrifice to take so much time off of work, but Malcolm had high expectations.

Especially in situations like the injured Thai boy's, Malcolm's knowledge proved invaluable.

While riding in the car to the eye clinic two hours away, Malcolm started a spiritual conversation with the boy and his father. He related their physical need to their spiritual need, explaining that although the boy suffered a minor injury, he could experience grave results: blindness. This is similar to the grave results of our sin: separation from God. Malcolm explained that just like he would pay for the boy's eye to be fixed, Jesus paid for our sin by dying on the cross.

The father was struck by the thought, and he prayed with Malcolm and indicated a decision to follow Christ. The boy also listened intently. Because the translator is also a church pastor in the area, he offered to help the father grow in his newfound faith.

Throughout the trip, Malcolm treated about 30 people per day. Malcolm and his team not only provided physical healing, but they also offered spiritual healing to thousands of patients.
—Michelle Toy

More than 40 years ago, Campus Crusade for Christ founder, Bill Bright, was convinced that God could use a young illusionist named André Kole to proclaim the gospel.

Since then, André's stage show has mystified hundreds of thousands in 79 countries; millions more have witnessed his talent on television.

Now 70, André (left) does about 20 shows a month while in the United States, and spends his summers doing international tours. "On a good week, we'll see about 1,000 decisions for Christ," he says.

To check André's tour schedule, visit www.andrekole.org or call 1-480-968-8625.
—Matthew McDaniel



Georgia

David Mustard was surprised by the random e-mail in his inbox. A former student wrote to him with spiritual questions and felt Dr. Mustard had the answers. Admittedly, David didn't remember the student, named Matthew, but he promptly replied.

David (left) is an acclaimed economics professor at the University of Georgia. A member of Faculty Commons, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, David is also respected for his Christian witness among colleagues and students.

Especially in the classroom, David makes his faith known. "I tell my students, the most important thing you need to know about me is that I have a personal relationship with Jesus," he says.

Although eight years had passed since David had Matthew in his microeconomics class, his former student turned to him when grappling with his spiritual beliefs. "I want Christ in my life but I don't know how to go about it," Matthew wrote in the e-mail. "I just wanted you to know that you've helped me out even more than a class."

Several weeks after sending his e-mail reply, David received an unexpected telephone call from Matthew. After David talked with him for nearly an hour, Matthew committed his life to follow Christ.

David continues to be influential among the hundreds of students who sit in his classes each year.
—Michelle Toy


Keynote

Laura Piscitello was devastated.

Her father, 52, had died suddenly of heart failure. "My dad taught me how to sing," says Laura, an intern with Keynote, the music ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.

She began telling his story as a way to communicate the gospel through concerts with blue sky nine, her acoustic rock band. The band performs across the United States and sometimes overseas, often relating stories about God from their own lives.

Although the grief is still fresh for Laura (above, with her father), talking about her dad is a powerful way to relate her faith to others.

After a concert at the University of Texas Pan American, Laura learned that one student, Erica, had a relative who had died the day before. She could identify with Laura's pain and indicated that she had prayed and received Christ.

"It's been really cool to see such a terrible thing be used for good," says Laura.
—Tricia Allen


Student Venture

Where can teenagers turn when they want to learn about God? An evangelistic Web site geared toward teenagers, www.meant4more.com, is sponsored by Student Venture, the high-school ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Since 2005, more than 203,500 people have visited the site. After clicking on "Is it possible to connect on a personal and relational level with God?" more than 5,230 teenagers indicated decisions to follow Christ and 2,689 more asked questions or offered comments.
—Michelle Toy