Finding Jesus at Disney World

We hope the story below encourages you. The Disney Team story is one example of how Cru teams are reaching the world. Your support is helping to change lives globally as people encounter Jesus, grow in faith, and are mobilized to share His good news.

Cru has a unique and powerful ministry team dedicated to reaching thousands of college-aged young adults from around the world who work at Disney World. Here is one recent story:

Jia* (name changed) moved from East Asia to the US and was connected with a Cru staff member for two years. When she relocated to Orlando for a job at Disney, she was connected to Cru’s Disney ministry team (picture of the team to the right). 

Though open to Jesus, Jia had not yet made a decision to follow Him. One evening, frustrated, she confessed, “I don’t know how to connect with God. I’m trying, but I can’t.”  

A staff member shared how Jesus alone restores our relationship with God. Jia read the prayer from Honor Restored (a version of Knowing God Personally). When asked if she meant it, her emphatic reply was, “Yes!” Tearfully, she added, “I’m so emotional, and I think it’s because I’m feeling God’s love.”

It is a joy to see the world reached through Cru, right here in Orlando.

Prayer Requests:

• For the Lord to move mountains in two coaching situations Leslie is overseeing.
• Continued wisdom and the Lord's strength as Lelsie is planning an all-day MPD workshop (March 31st) for staff in behind-the-scenes roles. Pray God would be glorified and the staff encouraged. She'd continue to see that God is bigger than her planning and human efforts.
  

Our work impacts a believer in Central Asia

 

Thank you for your continued prayers and partnership. As you know, we serve in the Capacity Ministries of Cru. While "Capacity" sounds technical, it simply means we provide the systems, structures, and healthy leadership that make ministry possible in complex environments. But systems don’t run themselves—people do. And that is where our specific roles come in. The End Result:  Sasha’s Story: To understand our work, look at the impact on the field. Sasha (name changed), a young man in Central Asia, lives in a region where sharing the gospel is dangerous. After seeing an online ad and watching segments of the JESUS film, he drove five hours to meet a team of believers. There, he heard the Word of God in his heart language and believed. Despite being beaten by his clan for his new faith, Sasha refused to renounce Jesus. He returned to the believers who led him to Christ, finding discipleship and care. Our Role:  Sasha met a missionary because that missionary was sent and sustained. That is the work you enable us to do every day within Capacity. Sending (Leslie):  Before a missionary can reach someone like Sasha, they must get to the field. I (Leslie) am responsible for the Ministry Partner Development (MPD) function for missionary staff in Capacity. I coach, train, and equip these staff members to be fully funded and financially faithful. My goal is to ensure they are mobilized quickly and effectively so that financial lack never hinders the gospel. Sustaining (Mike):  Once on the field, staff need resilience and healthy leadership to survive difficult environments. I (Mike) serve to lead care initiatives for U.S. staff. By developing training for supervisors and creating systems for staff care, I help ensure that the missionaries supported by our infrastructure are resilient, cared for, and spiritually healthy. The Connection  We may not meet Sasha face-to-face, but our fingerprints are on his story. Leslie ensures the staff member is funded to be there; Mike ensures the team is healthy enough to stay. When you partner with us, you are not just supporting "operations." You are fueling the engine that sends and sustains laborers for the harvest. Prayer Requests Leslie and a group of leaders are planning a MPD training day for all of US Capacity (200 staff).  Pray for wisdom as there are many facets (virtual-technology- and in person), Content would be well received and applicable to our staff.  Praise & Praise:  February Leslie will be going from a marriage retreat with Mike to a MPD Coaches week long training.  Pray for Mike as he single parents as Leslie is away.   Praise: In December a staff woman of 50 years has reported back to her assignment after a season of raising support being coached by Leslie.

December 2025 Greeting

Amidst the rush of Christmas, I’ve been meditating on one simple, powerful word found in our carols: Come.

From the deep longing of O Come, O come Emmanuel to the joy of O Come, All Ye Faithful, this word is a profound invitation—an expectant, personal welcoming of our Sovereign Savior.

God’s coming to earth as a baby, Jesus, changed the trajectory of humanity forever. His arrival was the fulfillment of ancient prophecies, offering us freedom, deliverance, and rescue. This miracle of Christ coming down to us is the center of our hope and the driving force of our ministry.

May you experience the full joy and expectant peace of Jesus this Christmas season.

Thank you for your faithful partnership.

The World Cup – An Eternal Opportunity for YOU!

The world is about to stand still, and it's not just for a game – it's for an unprecedented opportunity to share the light and life of Jesus! The World Cup is coming in June and July of 2026, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With an estimated 5 billion people engaging with this global soccer tournament, it's a moment we, as followers of Christ, simply cannot miss. This is a chance to tap into a global conversation and introduce countless individuals to the hope we have in Him.

You might be thinking, "Soccer? Sports? That's not for me!" But this is bigger than sports; it's a strategic moment for global evangelism. Consider the Super Bowl, which draws 125 million viewers. Now, multiply that by 12 – that's how many people will watch just the final game of the World Cup: 1.6 billion! Over five weeks, 5 billion people will be engaged. This is where the world is, and you, our dear partners, have a unique chance to meet them with the love of Jesus, extending the reach of the Gospel far beyond what we can imagine.

Your Living Room: Your Mission Space – A Micro-Outreach with Global Impact!
We believe that your home can be a powerful mission field, a local hub for global outreach. Imagine inviting your neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and friends into your living room to watch a game and, in doing so, creating natural, accessible opportunities to introduce them to the love of Jesus. How easy is that? Ministry in your living room! This is an accessible and natural way for you to engage with those around you, making a tangible difference right where you are.

How YOU Can Prepare to Get Involved:
Cru is actively creating a special digital and physical kit to equip and empower you to have spiritual conversations and share your faith during this incredible moment. Our goal, in alignment with Cru's global vision, is to mobilize 100,000 believers and 10,000 churches to utilize this opportunity, and that includes you and your church family.

While the kits are still being finalized, we want to encourage you to begin preparing your heart and home.

A Vision for Hearts: Cultivating a Heart for God and Others
This initiative is not just about the World Cup; it's about cultivating a lifestyle of sharing your faith for the rest of your life. We encourage you to take a few minutes to ask the Lord who the five people are that He is putting on your heart – those individuals you can intentionally pray for Him to move in their lives over the course of this year and through the World Cup.

Let's trust the Lord to see what He will do through this incredible outreach, as we all play a part in His global mission! To sign up to stay informed, go to: http://www.victorybeyondthecup.com/.

DEATH, a reality check

Death is an unavoidable reality, it will happen to each of us. Since Oct. 18th our family has known 12 people that are no longer alive. Among them were Mike’s former roommate, a woman we did ministry alongside with at church -- Mike knew since his early 20s, a childhood classmate of Leslie, our son’s classmate’s father, a young child of fellow adoptive parents, Mike’s childhood Boy’s Brigade leader. All but two we know are believers -- people who had a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. Grief has been a heavy, dark cloud over our minds and hearts these past months.

One specific relationship has had immense-lasting residual effects. Ms. M, was a therapeutic provider (play therapist) for one of our kids. Her unexpected death was like a sucker punch. We’ve known her and saw her weekly for two and half years. Ms. M was an immense blessing and answer to prayer as she worked tirelessly with our son. She has a son, the same age as ours, that she’d often speak about with our child. What continues to cloak my mind is her spiritual reality upon her death. Ms. M from what we know, didn’t know the Lord as her Savior and Lord. It’s haunting to think she’s eternally separated from God. I wonder on occasion what opportunities I missed in sharing
my faith in Christ with her.

“All mankind is sitting on Death Row. How we die or when is not the main issue, but where [we] go after death,” said Billy Graham. God gives life eternal to those saved by Christ, as He conquered death. The New Bible Dictionary has this to add regarding death, “For those who are apart from Christ, death is the supreme enemy, the symbol of our alienation from God the ultimate horror. But Christ has used death to deliver people from death. He died that believers may live [eternally]… Heaven is the abode of God and those closely associated with him.” Christ conquered spiritual separation from God for eternity. One of the deaths was Mike’s former roommate, Stan.

Processing these many months has left me with a newfound ache for the Lost. At another level it has hit our family hard as Ms. M is another loss for our son who has already faced so much loss in his decade of life. Add to that three additional people we are close to, have a cancer diagnosis.
These deaths: friends, parents, classmates, elderly and the like have brought about the brevity of life that it’s easy to take for granted. We (Mike and I) are in the vocation of life and death matters. It is a humbling yet weighty place to steward.

 

Year in Review of Cru's Digital Strategies One of the ministries of Cru is focused on how to use our internet presence to share the gospel and to continue to enhance people’s walk with the Lord. Here are some of the things that happened in 2024.

6,000,000 Total Visitors Our main website, cru.org, had 6 million global visitors! The team creates and edits articles, studies and resources available on the site. The top five countries with the highest viewers were the U.S., India, the Philippines, Nigeria, and Egypt. The site reaches nearly every country in the world, including those “closed” to the gospel 65,000 Monthly Newsletter Subscribers We provided discipleship and evangelism resources to 65,000 Cru Newsletter email subscribers three times every month.

9,600 Evangelism Series subscriptions We created a series for people to learn how to share the gospel and their testimonies. Nearly 9,600 subscribers have joined us to more effectively get the Good News to more people. 13,680 Christmas Devotional Subscriptions We created a 7-day Christmas devotional series to help people connect with Jesus through Scripture, thoughtful reflections, and guided prayer. More than 13,000 people joined us through email, PDF and YouVersion.

11,600 Holy Week Devotional Subscriptions Our 8-day Holy Week devo series had 11,600 subscribers on YouVersion. The series discusses the events leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection and the significance for us today. 10,750 Easter Guide subscriptions We created a truth and reflection guide for people to understand how Jesus’ resurrection changes everything.

This is a small fraction of the kind of work that we support in our roles. Leslie presently is coaching a staff person on this team to get her full support raised to engage even more in this work. Mike provides leadership for the overall care of all the employees within this department. "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now..." — Philippians 1:3-5, NIV

Christmas Greeting and Photo Card

As Christmas approaches, it conjures up a myriad of emotions.  For me, the hustle, bustle, externals and present challenges cloud my thoughts this season.  Yet, I desire to soak in the fundamental meaning to this season.  In reading a devotional about The Heart of Christmas, I was struck afresh with the teaching in Matthew chapter two about the wise men following the star.  The story -- the three wise men followed a star that led them to Jesus.  This baby was one who would change the world forever.  There wasn’t a palace for this future king to be born in, rather a manger.  Imagine the three wise men’s expectations upon finding this prophesied child.  

Author, John Maxwell, writes his excerpt in On This Holy Night; “Every one of us has had times in life when we’ve followed a star.  Everything looked so promising, but we were to find out at the end that we were in a stable… Sometimes when you follow the star it doesn’t lead you where you want to go… Strong Christians see God in both the good and the bad.  The mature believer sees God not only in pleasures and palaces but also in the barnyards and stables of life.”

I know 2024 has been trifling for some, others faced loss of hopes and dreams or even loss of a family member. While others still may have had a jubilant year.

My prayer is that you can cling to the fact “God is somewhere in this.”  Even when we don’t have answers to our “whys”, in faith, an act of obedience we declare His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Like the wise men thousands of years ago on that dark night, followed the star that led to a baby -- the Future Savior of the World, a humbling experience that no doubt changed their lives.