In September 1984, I met a compassionate, red-headed woman who taught algebra. Originally, I was on the road to nowhere when it came to numbers. Mrs. Stough believed in me and met me every day for over a month at lunch. A love for math was ignited!

By the middle of my freshman year, I was one of the top Algebra students. My geometry math teacher nominated me as Los Alamitos High School Student of the Month, and I was selected. I loved school and I knew I wanted to teach high school math as a career!

I applied for and was awarded a $20,000 college scholarship. That may not seem like much now, but it more than covered four years at UC Irvine.

Time to fast forward. My college years were ones of spiritual growth. I weekly volunteered in my church’s middle and high school youth groups. While immersing myself in numbers at UCI, I loved my weekly, on campus discipleship group, where I was nurtured, pruned and challenged in my walk with Christ. Here I first learned to share my faith. My heart continued beating for young people, but now, not only for their math skills, but also for their heart for God.

One day a friend shared with me what her younger brother was doing on his high school campus. It sounded much like our campus ministry at UCI. Wow! Over the past few years, I was considering more how I could do campus youth ministry full time.

I continued tutoring math eight hours a week and taking math courses. I had two opportunities to work in the math department at LAHS, and at a nearby middle school. How surreal it was sitting on my teacher’s pedestal teaching a course I had taken four years prior. I loved teaching math, but discovered I never got to address issues of the heart with students.

Wanting to know more about high school campus ministry, I learned more, visited campuses, prayed, and talked to others. Eventually, I saw God’s hand in my life as He graciously gave me a heart for young people and a desire to teach and instruct. He showed me the power of people in my life. He equipped me in ministry. And, He used my youth pastors to call me into ministry. All the pieces were fitting into a beautiful mosaic.

After much prayer and mental battle, I returned the $20,000 scholarship with interest and finished my fourth year at UCI. I was uncertain I could fulfill the post-grad teaching commitment the scholarship required.

Was I crazy? Possibly. God doesn’t call us to the pretty and perfect. We are often called to the unknown. About this time, God gave me a verse. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.”

I’m glad I listened to His voice and followed!

Family Stuff

• Pray for our family as we desire to live out the message of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Pray that Greg and I would rejoice in the both the good and bad and that Hannah and Ethan would see and follow. We all encounter “trials of various kinds.” Please pray that we would handle them graciously, with loving spirits and joy in our hearts. This could be so transforming.
  Pray for Kristie and the kids as Greg travels for a week.
• On weekdays, the hours of 4-6 p.m. have become very difficult for Ethan as he “crashes” from his medication. The experience can be very disruptive. We are in our final steps of getting ready to begin a new therapy for him — Neuro/bio feedback. Prayerfully this will enable us to completely eliminate his medication and the side-effects. (The educational benefits don’t outweigh the side-effects). Please pray God’s provision for us to begin the therapy.

Thank you for your partnership to reach teenagers and college students with the good news of Jesus!

In a few weeks, Kristie and I will celebrate 19 years in ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ (soon to be Cru)! Wow, that sounds old. There is much to be thankful for. God has taken our meager offering and mustard seed faith and multiplied it to His glory and for His purposes. In February, I will graduate from a Cru leadership development track which was a terrific experience. It bolstered my confidence, affirmed my strengths and helped me navigate weaknesses. Already, there are hints of new possibilities for greater leadership in the ministry.

Over the last 19 years, He has provided financially in ways that defy explanation, yet I feel we are at a crossroads. We are about 40% toward our short-term goal of $1000 in new monthly financial support by the end of January. Our longer-term goal is three times that. Do we continue to persevere with inadequate funds or is God moving us into a new faith journey? We don’t know.

Ethan has a fantastic imagination I think a story is constantly unfolding in his mind. He continues to struggle in school. He takes a medication that does help him focus in class, but it’s not a good long-term solution. Kristie pours hours and hours into him and has for years. He often resists, compounding the problem. She’s weary! So, do we homeschool, have him repeat a grade, or just let some things slide, hoping it will all work out in the end? We really don’t know.

Where are we? Trusting God in the in-between. The map is not as clear as we would like. But we want to be open and ready as we lean into Him for each next right step.

Thanks for praying for our family and our ministry!

It was an amazing time for students as they entered into communion with God. Here are some highlights:

On the “graffiti praise wall” one student wrote, Thank you for being the Father I always wanted but never had. Some students wrote on rocks as they laid their burdens down on the altar. One rock said, I won’t find anyone that will ever love me for who I am except for God. Another student wrote, I am struggling with having a broken family. I worry about my life.

At many prayer stations, students were able to release sin, unforgiveness, worry, and fear and then be still before the Lord. Students wrote their fears on a card, attached it to a helium balloon, and released the balloon into the air.

One boy shared that he knew about prayer as a Christian but really didn’t know how to pray. This weekend changed that for him.

Please pray that that Lord would protect and provide for the students. Many may face discouragement and defeat from the enemy’s attack. Pray that they would continue to commune with God in prayer now that they are home. Pray for movements of prayer to spring up on their campuses. Pray for revival in their personal lives, at their schools, and in this nation.

Family Stuff

Please continue to pray that we would trust the Lord as we seek Him to provide. We are asking God to raise up up 10-15 new partners ($1,000 per month) by January 31, 2012. This is less than half of what we need to be adequately-funded.

Praising God for the 7 women He’s provided to join with Kristie in prayer as she leads the Mom’s in Touch prayer group for our local elementary school. This is a huge blessing!

To define this year in one word, “loss” comes to mind quickly — small losses and big losses beyond what seems normal. Emotionally, I (Kristie) prepare my heart for more. In it, God is showing me eucharisteo — life-filling gratitude — the practice of which is exercised in recording blessings, one by one. Everything is a blessing, the good and the bad. And yes, I will count all the losses as a blessing too. God is always good! I want to learn this more and for our family be characterized by this.

Thank you for praying. Thank you for giving to the Lord. You are an active part of reaching teenagers and college students with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Libby | Senior Staff Member >>> A ten-year staff member, Libby started making cards for friends while assigned to the University of North Texas. One of those friends recognized her talent and suggested that she try graphic design. She started taking design classes and switched to a full-time design role in our Austin regional office. In her spare time, Libby likes to find old junk that can be renovated into something new and beautiful. She also enjoys drawing, photography, typing on a vintage typewriter, city life and a good meal with friends. In August, she transferred to Orlando so she could work in a bigger  creative team environment. “I’m looking forward to working with people who can mentor me and critique my work. Also, the office has a great coffee bar!”

JP | Intern >>> JP,  or James Peter if he’s in big trouble with his mom, grew up in Chicago and graduated from the University of Iowa with a major in Cinema. As a student, he made a new video every week for the UI Cru ministry. Cru played a such vital role in his spiritual growth that he felt compelled to invest himself in the mission.”It seemed silly that I should not give back a year of my life. Working at Headquarters also helps me see Cru in the big picture.” JP is looking forward to the personal and professional growth that the internship program offers, but he’s also excited about a team environment with others who follow Christ. When asked what he misses about Chicago, he says “I love the seasons, it’s messing with me that I should be wearing a sweatshirt in September and it’s still so hot in Orlando!”

Micah | Intern >>> Micah is returning for a second year internship. He graduated from Highline Community College near Seattle, Washington with a Visual communications major. He grew leaps and bounds in his first year and has a humble, teachable heart. He likes the variety of projects that the Lab offers. He particularly enjoyed being able develop and integrate his illustration skills into his graphic design. So what motivated him to return for a second year? “I really like the LAB team. It’s a great place to grow as a designer while making a difference by doing work that contributes to the kingdom of God. In the year ahead, I hope to grow my design skills and grow in my relationship with the Lord.”

Family Stuff

As you may know, I’ve been working on expanding our financial support team this year. Progress has been slow and the reality is that we don’t have the funding we need to sustain us long-term in ministry. If God has a new chapter and a new journey for us, we want to be open and ready to follow. But for now, we are trusting Him in these areas. Will you pray with us?

• We have about a dozen new contacts in the Orlando area. Pray that we would find favor in their eyes and that God would lead many of them to partner financially with us and help us meet new people.
• As a milestone, we are asking God to raise up 10 new partners ($1,000 per month) by January 31, 2012. This is less than half of what we need to be adequately-funded.

Thank you for praying. Thank you for giving to the Lord. You are an active part of reaching teenagers and college students with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Going to where lost people are is in Campus Crusade for Christ’s DNA. So in the midst of this party atmosphere is Big Break, a one-week mission experience that gathers students from colleges and universities from all over the country. Students spend the week growing in their walks with God, exploring biblical truths and learning how to talk to their friends about their faith. Each day, students hit the beach and share the gospel with other students.

Greg’s team created all the “Get Salty” (Matthew 5:13-16) theme graphics and materials for the four one-week events. Please pray that the love and truth of Jesus will be boldly proclaimed each week! In one day alone, students had 1,787 spiritual conversations and shared the gospel 542 times. Twenty-seven people placed their faith in Jesus!

This is the graphic look that is applied to all the conference materials, signage and video. In case you’re wondering, that’s a salt-shaker in the fish’s mouth!

Family Stuff

• Ethan’s extended EEG came back normal which means he is not experiencing absence seizures. This is good news, but we’re no less puzzled about what’s going on with our little guy. Please pray for continued wisdom and discernment for what the next steps should be.



• Greg was one of 22 people at Campus Crusade for Christ’s headquarters selected for a special one-year leadership development track. Please pray that he will be open, humble and ready for what God has for him on this journey!

Through your prayer and financial support, you are part of reaching middle school, high school and college students with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for giving to the Lord through our ministry!

Clusters of teenagers came tumbling into the quiet church youth room from the gym. With them came noise and energy that brought the room to life. Settling them down, Danny, the youth pastor announced that there was a special guest speaker as part of the Cypress Church’s missions week emphasis.

Three time zones away at our home in Orlando, Kristie skimmed her notes a final time as she prepared to speak about God’s passion for lost people. Then, like a scene out of Star Trek, Kristie’s face flashed live up on the screen in the youth room via internet video chat!

Kristie engaged with the group right away asking rapid fire questions that had the room buzzing. A camera gave her a view of the audience of middle and high schoolers. The kids had fun walking up to the camera to answer questions. Kristie went on to teach about God’s love and passion for those who are spiritually lost from Jesus’s parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and lost son in Luke 15.

She also cast a vision for reaching their campuses for Christ.

“My prayer is that there is a unique application for them wherever each student is in their spiritual journey. Perhaps a student understands God’s great love for them in a new way, or perhaps God is calling one or two of them to leave a spiritual legacy on their campuses. I’d love to coach them in leading an outreach at their schools.”

The session ended with prayer for spiritually lost friends God placed on their hearts and minds. As a tangible reminder to pray, they wrote their friends names on smooth stones.

Through your prayer and financial support, you are part of reaching middle school, high school and college students with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for giving to the Lord through our ministry!

Family News

Remembrance: In January, Greg’s grandmother, Corinne Wight, passed away unexpectedly. Her home-going is bitter-sweet as we will miss her presence but know she is with the Lord. Please remember our family as we grieve the loss of our dear mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and sister.

• February 21, Ethan will undergo a 24–48 hour EEG at Arnold Palmer Children’s hospital in Orlando. The EEG could detect momentary seizure activity which is difficult to catch. Something is going on with our little guy, and affecting his ability to learn, remember and function independently. Would you ask the Lord to reveal any activity if it exists? Pray too, as he and Kristie are in a little room, and on a bed for up to 48 hours, that they will have fun and not go crazy!
• Ethan learned to ride a two-wheeler bike! Greg worked so hard with him before his California trip. It requires so many skills that come hard for him: balance, reaction time, eye coordination and muscle strength. Celebrate with us!

“The worldview of the average student grows increasingly irrational, abstract, and eclectic. And most of the time, they don’t even know it. This combination (non-biblical worldview plus lack of self-awareness) can be a huge barrier to the gospel. How can we overcome this obstacle in order to communicate the gospel clearly and effectively?

“Imagine a new evangelism tool: a deck of playing cards addressing the issue of worldview, turning this evangelism obstacle into an open door for the gospel. That is the beauty of Perspective.

“Perspective provides a disarming approach to a spiritual conversation, allowing others to share their perspective about five important topics: Nature of God, Human Nature, Meaning of Life, Identity of Jesus, and Source of Spiritual Truth. In each category, participants choose the card that best represents what they believe, and then they tell you why they believe it.

“Perspective allows you to come alongside others in their spiritual journey. And, as you ask questions and listen well, you’ll find an abundance of opportunities to talk about Jesus, share your perspective, and invite others to respond to the gospel.”

Imagine the thousands of conversations that will take place over a deck of Perspective cards! Your prayer and financial partnership has enabled Greg to contribute art direction and conceptual development to this exciting new tool that will point students to Christ. Thank you!!!

• Purchase a deck!
• perspectivecards.com

Family News

Ethan recently became a Cub Scout and he loves it! Here he is selling popcorn at WalMart to raise money for the pack. Greg also took him on his first scout campout and he had a blast launching soda bottle rockets, firing a giant sling shot and shooting targets on a Nerf gun range.

Prayer Requests

• We thank God for the two friends Hannah has made in her class. Thanks for praying. We’re thankful that she is not afraid and freely tells her friends at school about her relationship with the Lord. May God protect her sweet, faithful, honest, loving, God-fearing, hard-working heart.
• Kristie feels beyond herself between almost daily insurance fiascos and Ethan’ s ongoing home-therapies and homework. Please pray for her to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and trust God. “I feel very frustrated and impatient. This is not from the Lord. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. May God give me the strength to walk in his perfect design, desire and promises for me.”
• God has set before us several challenges. May He give us the ability to walk though them with an eternal perspective and our eyes focused on Him, not the circumstances.

Ever since Caleb, a high-school sophomore in Jacksonville, Florida, went to FastBreak, he has been reading his Bible every night. He deeply wants to be a man that God can use on his campus and in his family.

Recently, when Caleb’s 25-year-old sister, Alexis, was visiting from Georgia, she stepped in his room at 11:30 on a Saturday night and found Caleb reading his Bible. She had questions about what he was reading, which led to a great conversation. Caleb found himself saying to Alexis, “the words in the Bible aren’t going to make much sense if you don’t first become a Christian.” He had a Knowing God Personally booklet by his bed and said, “Let me show you something.” As he read the booklet to her, page by page, God opened her eyes and her heart to what Jesus said in the Bible. Alexis prayed to receive Christ with her little brother that Saturday night and began the most meaningful relationship she will ever experience in her life.

This experience has encouraged Caleb in his walk with God and he shared about it to all his friends at a Student Venture meeting. Caleb’s heart’s desire is to be a man that God can use for His glory, and because of Student Venture he has the faith and the tools to make that happen.

Family Stuff

• So grateful for our daughter, Hannah, who turns 8 on March 18th. What a delight she is. She is growing into a precious little girl with a sweet heart for the Lord. It is wonderful to see her be herself among public school friends and share her heart for the Lord without realizing that many people would be trembling to say what she says.
• Praying for wisdom and timing for a 2.5 day EEG (brain wave scan) for Ethan. We’re trying to catch absence seizure activity. These are tricky to catch. Logistics of this testing seems quite challenging, along with being confined to a bed for 2 days.
• Praising God that our insurance will cover 30 sessions for Ethan’s Vision Therapy. Please pray his eyes will learn to work together. He is seeing double, not only with both eyes, but in his up-close single eye vision. Pray that God would use this therapy to work though many struggles we are dealing with.
• Pray for perseverance, as we need to get Ethan back in OT (therapy to develop fine motor skills). There are always many insurance battles to fight and it can become very overwhelming and defeating. Pray too, that Kristie can be a creative and loving OT in the meantime. We are praying that Ethan would be able to write clearly by this July 2010.

“One of the things that has changed how I act at school and what I do there, is the amazing opportunity I had to go out and share my faith. We went door-to-door collecting cans of nonperishable food items for the Second Hand Food Bank. Then, we would started conversations using a short survey on things related to church and God.

“Every time I have ever done this, the results were mostly “No thank you” or “I’m already a Christian.” So, going into this outreach, my attitude was very indifferent and I knew nothing would happen.

“I went out with three other people. We approached a house and Shaylyn, a senior in high school, answered the door. She donated a bag full of cans and immediately she was very welcoming and we jumped into a conversation.

“Together, we read through the Connecting with God booklet, which explains the gospel. Right from the start she was very interested in what I had to say and she opened up about her story. She was so amazed by the fact that God sent Jesus Christ to die for her, and saved her from all her sins. She was in awe that she was created with value and worth.

“After talking with Shaylyn for about forty-five minutes we got to the fourth point in the book. At the bottom of the page there is a picture of two circles. The first circle shows self is on the throne and Christ is outside the life and the second circle shows Christ is on the throne and self is yielding to Christ. I asked Shaylyn which circle best represents her life. She said, ‘Most definitely the first circle.’ Then I asked, “Well, which circle would you like to have represent your life?” And she replied by saying, ‘Definitely the second!!’

“She was really excited to begin her relationship with God. Right then, she prayed the prayer along with me. As I was praying with her, a smile came across my face. It was like God saying, ‘Katrina, my daughter, I am so much more powerful than you think I am.’ Right then I realized that it’s not through my own strength that I can reach people, but through God’s, and God’s alone
“Since then, I have been taking opportunities during lunch to talk to people who are eating by themselves. Or passing by people in the hallway, even if I don’t know them, and asking them how there day is going. Or telling the administrators how much I appreciate what they do. I don’t do these things as good deeds or to make myself known. But I do it simply to give all the glory to God, and to show people the everlasting love, joy, and peace I have found in my Father, Savior, and Best Friend, Jesus Christ. My purpose, even if I am an everyday, 14-year-old girl, is to be the salt and the light in this lost, dark world!”

Family Stuff

• Pray for God’s provision of our monthly financial support need.
• UPDATE: After two roofers unable to determine the problem, Greg was able to find the source of the leak and reapir it himself.
• On February 4, Ethan told Kristie that he wanted to be Jesus’ friend forever! Kristie and Ethan prayed together and he began New Life in Christ.
• While his vision is 20/20, Ethan is having problems with his eyes teaming together. So we think he sees double at close distances among other things. We’re putting him in a 36 week vision therapy program that we hope will train his eyes correctly.
• We also had Ethan evaluated by a neurologist as we think he may be having momentary seizures. We get the results later in February.

Early last week, I got to speak to 16 members of the Talawanda freshman football team. I told them about my athletic career in high school and how I always hoped sports would bring me lasting meaning and satisfaction, but it never lasted. I then explained how some friends in college explained to me how a relationship with God through Jesus Christ was the only thing that would satisfy me. I think the team was shocked that my past success did not satisfy me. They asked lots of questions about my life back then. At the end of my talk I explained how they could begin a relationship with God. Five of them prayed to receive Christ! Praise God!

The team talk was part of a pizza party outreach for the team. Eight weeks ago, the head coach asked me to spend 30 minutes with the team every Tuesday at practice. I gave short talks on topics like motivation, character, and teamwork. I also had trivia questions and team-building exercises to help the teammates bond together. The 22 guys on the team have really warmed up to me and seem to enjoy Tuesdays when I’m there. God has provided this unique opportunity to build relationships with the guys and share Jesus with them at the outreach.

There are two more weeks left in the season, so I will continue to go to practice on Tuesdays. Then I will challenge the guys to meet with me on Wednesdays after school so that they can continue to learn about Christ.

Family Stuff

• Pray for God’s provision of our monthly financial support need.
• We just discovered a roof leak and water damage in our house. We appreciate your prayers as we get the situation soundly resolved!
• Pray for Ethan’s heart, that he would be “good soil” ready to receive the seed of God’s Word.
• It seems like the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year season gets more hectic every year. Can you relate? We would like to bring simplicity back into these important celebrations. Please pray for us!