Checking In and Summer for Students

    Hello friends!  I don't know about you, but the last few months with COVID have been just a blur for me.  Our family is hanging in.  Our girls were sad to not get to have in-person closure with their friends and teachers, especially as both "graduated" from their respective schools this year - Zoe from Middle School and Sophie from Elementary.  But, that said, they've been handling the challenges of this COVID season about as well as can be expected.   I'm trying to treasure the gift of extra time together rather than count the days until it's over (with more success on some days rather than others :).

Zoe with her 8th grade graduate sign

Sophie taking a virtual painting class from her art teacher

 
   

On the Cru front, our normal summer offerings for students were all canceled this year.  Instead, we've created some virtual opportunities for them, one of which is the "Summer of Theology,"  a 10-week small group topical Bible study on the basics of Christian theology (the Trinity, the Incarnation, etc).  Students go through material on their own, then have a Zoom group discussion once a week led by a Cru staff person.  More than 520 students have participated!  The organizers keep adding extra waves and small groups because so many keep signing up.
    Here are a few quotes from staff leading these discussion groups:

• "It's amazing how just keep going through the material and showing up to our calls even though they don't have to {i.e. they could be doing something else with their time}."
• "As a staff person who works in an office and doesn't get much time with students, this has been so refreshing."
• "I can really see how Summer of Theology is laying a spiritual foundation for the next 2-3 years of student leadership."

    Pray that the Lord will use this unconventional summer to draw these students closer to Himself and that, as a result, He would use them to minister to their friends and family in what is a very hard season for so many.