Adam Huss stumbled onto a great opportunity.

The 23-year-old had recently taken a job as an intern with a church near Jacksonville, Fla., to work with the local youth.

Two weeks into his role, Adam was helping serve watermelon to the freshman football team at a local high school through an event sponsored by Student Venture, the high-school ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.

At the event, Adam struck up a conversation with the coach. "What can I do to get on the field with you guys?" asked Adam, who used to play linebacker and defensive end in high school. Much to Adam's surprise, the coach invited him to the team's practice.

For the next two weeks, Adam came to each after-school practice—running drills and helping mold the freshmen into better football players. Soon Adam knew many of them by name.

Also during that time, Ken Vensel, who is an elder from Adam's church and a staff member with Student Venture, asked Adam to help out with an evangelistic event with the football team.

After practice one evening, 38 of the 40 players showed up for the event, which included free pizza. Adam, whom many of the players now called "Coach Adam," kicked things off. Then Ken explained to the students how they could begin a relationship with God, using a colorful flipchart. Twenty-five of the players indicated decisions to follow Christ, and 31 said they wanted to attend a weekly Bible study.

"I was ecstatic," says Adam, who is leading the Bible study with the team. "To have that many players be interested in Jesus is amazing."

And it fits right in with Adam's purpose with the church. "My job is to represent Jesus to these kids," he says. "In this case, the doors have been wide open."

To get involved with Student Venture in your community, visit www.gocampus.org or call 1-877-GOCAMPUS (462-2678).
—Chris Lawrence

The need was great; the workers were few.

That's what Steve and Terry Morgan discovered when they and their four kids moved to Mexico to help with a Campus Crusade for Christ ministry to college students in 1995. There were eight Mexican staff members working on a campus in Monterrey. But compared to the task, much lay ahead.

"The need is huge," says Steve, 45, who began directing Campus Crusade's ministry in Mexico in 1999. The country has more than 3 million students and 850 universities, he says. And more than 50 percent of the population is under 20 years of age, according to Operation World, an international mission almanac.

Yet growth takes time.

When they arrived, Steve and Terry began working at the University of Veracruz in Xalapa, a mountainous college town of 500,000 in central Mexico. They focused heavily on evangelism, often giving leadership talks to classes, which included an explanation of how to begin a relationship with God. Steve was asked to give the talks to all incoming freshmen. The ministry soon attracted students, and some made decisions to follow Christ.

By the next year, the campus ministry expanded and then had a presence in four cities. The workers gradually increased too: More Americans moved to Mexico, and by 2000, 12 Mexicans had become staff members.

Alejandra Peredo, 28, who became a Christian as a student, joined Campus Crusade in 2003. As the ministry has grown, so has the optimism. "We are dreaming about having spiritual movements at each university," says Alejandra. "God can do that, and we are seeing part of it happen now."

Today there are more than 75 workers on campus, including 40 Mexicans. The ministry has a presence in 12 cities on 25 campuses, with more than 400 total students involved. They also send mission trips to three different countries.

"The combination of Mexican and American staff working together has been really powerful," says Steve.

Steve relishes the success, but keeps perspective. "There is danger in patting ourselves on the back," he says. "Our vision is for every student. We have a long way to go in Mexico."
—Chris Lawrence

A good movie is known to stir an audience, but not like this.

This past summer, a team of volunteers with Campus Crusade for Christ in Kenya showed the JESUS film to a warrior tribe in a remote region of Transmara.

Notorious for wielding spears and swords, the Masai people are nomadic cattle raisers who live in isolated places. Many have never seen a movie—or even an automobile.

More than 100 Masai warriors, called Morans, gathered for the showing of JESUS, which is based on the Gospel of Luke. When it was shown on the big screen, some confused it with reality. "They thought the people on the screen were real human beings," says David Sonye, the national JESUS film coordinator for Kenya.

Some warriors probably thought the people were from a nearby tribe. They spoke the local dialect; the Roman soldiers wielded spears and swords.

When the movie neared the crucifixion scene, many of the warriors grew irate. Here was a good man who wouldn't fight back.

"Let's defend this Jesus," said one of the warriors, as several moved toward the Roman soldiers on the screen. In a flash, a warrior hurled a spear, which tore the screen in half.

"It spoiled the whole crucifixion scene," says David. The team immediately shut off the projector and calmly explained it was only a movie. Fortunately, the team had a spare screen, and the showing resumed.

The movie proved more than entertainment; 30 of the warriors indicated decisions to follow Christ. The following day, five showed up to hear more about Jesus. "Which is very impressive," says David, "because Masai are usually too busy with their cattle during the day."
—Chris Lawrence

The principal called his friend Armand Morsen in desperation. A group of high-school boys in Paramaribo, Suriname (a small country in South America), had become so disruptive and rebellious that their teachers could no longer control them.

"They didn't want to listen to their teachers anymore," says Armand (at far left), who leads Campus Crusade for Christ in Suriname. "They didn't want to do their homework; they didn't want to pay attention in class. Most of the parents couldn't control their kids anymore, and one of the guys, Robby, was even beating his mother regularly."

So Armand came to school and began teaching the 14 boys the CrossRoads curriculum, a character-based strategy using Jesus as a model.

After a few lessons, the boys' behavior began to change. Robby stopped beating his mother and became motivated to study. Armand saw a change in each of the boys' lives.

"Some of them said the most influential lesson was when they realized that God made them unique," says Armand, "and that they were special because of that. It motivated them to go on."

At the end of the school year, all but two from the original class of 30 graduated to the next grade.

Seeing the dramatic change in the boys, the other teachers requested the CrossRoads curriculum for their classrooms, and CrossRoads has spread to other schools.
—Becky Hill

The popular producer of children's Bible training materials, DiscipleLand, now offers a special look into the JESUS film. Called "My Big Screen Adventure," the 12-lesson curriculum leads kids ages 6-12 on a trek around the globe with Dee, Cy and Paul as they show JESUS, the popular movie based on the Gospel of Luke. "It really is an adventure for the kids," says Flip Amon, a staff member with The JESUS Film Project®. "It exposes them to Scripture, the life of Christ and to international cultures." To find out more, visit www.discipleland.com/ba.phtml.
—Chris Lawrence


New York

Gerta Yzeiraj had applied to five colleges, but her friend convinced her to apply to one more—The King's College, connected with Campus Crusade for Christ.

A high-school exchange student from Albania, Gerta had slowly learned more about Christianity. Just before she had to give a final decision about college, Gerta accepted Christ and decided to attend King's, located in the Empire State Building in New York City.

Her parents, not yet Christians, came to visit when Gerta was a senior. "They grew up during communism," says Gerta. "My dad especially was a child of a secular society where God was not even in the picture."

But they had seen changes in their daughter, and Gerta wanted them to see the college that had contributed to the many differences in her life.

"I have seen nothing but good things as a result of her conviction to follow the Christian faith," says her father.

When he visited King's, Skender Yzeiraj was amazed at the friendliness and hospitality of the students and faculty.

Tears came to his eyes as he saw the environment surrounding Gerta. He quickly agreed that Gerta's younger sister Erisa should go to King's as well: "From Gerta's experiences, academic success and then my visit there, getting Erisa into King's became almost a necessity for us—a must-do thing."

For more information, visit www.tkc.edu.
—Becky Hill


Michigan

On February 4, Athletes in Action will host the Super Bowl Breakfast, an NFL-sanctioned event where the Bart Starr Award is presented to an NFL player who exemplifies strong character and leadership. The winner is chosen by his peers. Scheduled the day before the biggest NFL event of the year, the annual breakfast provides AIA an opportunity to proclaim the gospel. This year's event will be held in Detroit. For more information, visit www.superbowlbreakfast.com or call 1-800-416-9473.
—Chris Lawrence


Arkansas

Jason and Trisha Weber are raising three children who came to them through foster care. Since they can't afford to adopt all 70 million orphans in the world who need homes, they did the next-best thing. The young couple moved to Little Rock, Ark., to work with Hope for Orphans, a part of FamilyLife, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.

Hope for Orphans links couples with agencies and Christian foundations that might help cover some of the expenses for Christians who can't afford an adoption. Hope for Orphans also offers "If You Were Mine" adoption workshops in which they explain the process and the biblical foundation for adoption, and give resources. Hope for Orphans also offers resources to help people get an orphans ministry started in their church.

Visit www.familylife.com/hopefororphans or call 1-800-358-6329 for more information.
—Jennifer Abegg