Posts from the “Prayer Letters” Category

Gospel Doodles

Posted on October 25th, 2017

Gospel Doodles Can you follow this diagram? It’s a bit complicated, and that’s the idea… Malisa spent the last four years pouring into Grace who spent her senior year as an RA on Hannah’s floor.   Hannah committed her life to Christ at Fall Retreat last year. Malisa and Grace met up with her and helped her grow in her faith. This year she encouraged others to make that same commitment.   Jason, one of the guys in her small group committed his life to Christ at our Fall Retreat this year. Jason has been involved in our movement all his years of college. But he thought the Fall Retreat during his senior year would be a great place to commit his life to…

A Letter in 3 Photos

Posted on September 10th, 2017

1. The Lord blessed us with a precious girl: Genevieve Kay Ellis. She was born on July 12, 2017 and weighed 10 pounds! Malisa and I love seeing her smiling face in the morning, and her two older sisters, Sydney and Eliza are doing a great job caring for her – even as they experience their own Copernican revolutions. 2. The Lord blessed us with a house for ministry. This means that for the long run, we get to stay close to college students in Boston. You know what an influence students in Boston will have after they Graduate. And you know that they need the Lord. We moved into 87 Stowecroft Rd. almost 3 weeks ago. The house is just 1.5 miles from…

Getting the Big Picture

Posted on August 15th, 2017

Getting the Big Picture Perhaps it’s having a great teacher who tells amazing stories (like Dan Carlin in his Hardcore History podcast). Perhaps it’s learning about individual people so that you can imagine yourself going to that time and place (the way they do in Adventures in Odyssey). Perhaps it’s when you travel to a place where amazing things happened in the past (like a battlefield). Or perhaps history comes alive for you when it’s your history (learning the history of your town, or ancestors). This summer, all of that collided for Malisa and me when we took a church history survey class as part of our ongoing spiritual development with Cru. It was so helpful to get a big picture overview of the…

Sending Spotlight

Posted on August 1st, 2017

Sending Spotlight My friend Monica just graduated from Northeastern University. Over the last several years, it’s been a joy to watch Monica move from choosing what she desires to trusting God for what He desires. This has been especially true as she trusted him this year with her job search. Last week, we met up just before her dad arrived from Guatemala to help her make the 21-hour trek to St. Paul, Minnesota where she will be working as a communications director for the Girl Scouts. She’s excited to be working for an organization that develops young women. Thank you for helping send women like Monica to have an impact after graduation. She is a woman who loves Jesus, loves others, and is going…

Win, Build, Send

Posted on June 10th, 2017

Win people to Christ I stood on a chair 31-weeks-pregnant to snap the picture below. It’s a small sampling of seniors in college that we have journeyed with over the last few years. One of those guys is Danny. Danny was standing in the cluster of other seniors proud to say He had been connected with Cru during college. Danny has heard the Gospel over and over and over. He has found a safe place to explore what he believes within the Cru community on his campus. He has been around for four years at BU and continues to consider and ponder the truth of Jesus but the penny hasn’t dropped yet. Would you pray with us that Danny does start following Jesus One…

Win, Build, Send at a BBQ

Posted on May 16th, 2017

Win, Build, Send at a BBQ A highlight for Brian and me continues to be having students into our home and yard. That is no exception even in the pouring down rain. A few weeks ago, Brian had invited a group of guys over for a BBQ in our back yard to celebrate the end of the semester. And then the heavens opened so He grilled in the pouring rain. I came home with my kiddos to a dining room table full of graduating seniors and our all-star sophomore, Sam, who Brian has been discipling this year. They were all smiles as the salmon, chicken, and steak tips rolled off the grill. It was sweet to hear little bits and pieces of the conversation at…

How do you talk to people about Jesus?

Posted on March 18th, 2017

“How do you talk to students about Jesus?” That’s the question a friend of mine from church asked Malisa and me last weekend. As I told her some stories of God at work, she was in awe. But really, I told my friend, there’s nothing awesome about what I do when I talk with students about Jesus. All the awe goes to God that changes people’s lives. But maybe it would help you if I walk through briefly how I talk to students about Jesus. Where are you at in your thinking about Jesus? A couple weeks ago, I asked you to pray for our “Luo Pad” event where we cut fabric for women’s personal hygiene products to be sent to refugees and others…

“Jim” sees God’s light break through

Posted on March 17th, 2017

While visiting Hope House during a spring break service project, “Jim” shared about his experience that week. Jim looked up at the stained glass window bringing light into a dark room. “God is at work in my life. Shining in.” He sketched this picture to illustrate that his heart has been dark, but now God’s light is shining in. He held up his drawing to the stained glass window and then snapped this photo. Would you pray that Jim does experience the light of Christ and start following Jesus? Loving our Adventurous Lord,

Luo Pad Prayer

Posted on February 18th, 2017

Update: Here’s a short video of our students at work at the LuoPad event Would you help us on Friday? This Friday, as a part of Cru’s Justice Week, we’re going to help make re-useable feminine pads to distribute to refugees in the Middle East and beyond. If you’re in Boston on Friday, we’d love to have you join us. If not, we’d love you to pray for this outreach. On Friday from 3-9pm, we’re hosting a drop-in service project at Park Street Church where students (and you if you’re interested) can come and cut out the pieces of “LuoPads.” LuoPads are washable feminine pads that are part of a “LuoPack” of women’s hygiene items (6 LuoPads, 2 pair of underwear, a washcloth, washing…

What are we trying to do in Cru?

Posted on February 12th, 2017

What are we trying to do in Cru? “Oh, not very much…we’re only trying to change a person’s whole reason for existing.” That’s what my friend Bob Francis used to say. In all the years Malisa and I have been working with Cru reaching college students, we’ve realized that there is a critical moment when a student or staff person gets to share the gospel and when we get to see students’ lives changed for all eternity across the table from us. Everything we’re trying to do in Cru here in Boston revolves around helping our staff and students have more conversations that can change their whole reason for existing. We call these “Gospel Conversations,” and we want to have lots more of them.…