Lebanon is a country where religious turmoil is par for the course. Few countries are like it, where allegiances to four main religions drive wedges through the government, through the university campus, and even through families. It’s a country that has not been able to elect a president in the last two years or collect trash from the streets in the last eight months, yet is home to two of the top five universities in the Arab world. It’s a collision of the deeply familial and religious Near East with the liberal exchange of ideas of the West.
And the college campus is the ultimate place to see that played out. Two girls sit next to each other in class – one with no skin showing outside of her face and hands, the other in a mini skirt. Two guys hang out in the cafeteria – one who will never touch alcohol in his life for religious reasons, the other still working off his hangover from the night before. A student sitting on the stairs is a Muslim at home, but an atheist on campus. Religious ideologies are debated every day on campus – sometimes publicly, sometimes silently. And Cru’s commitment is to champion the gospel of Jesus Christ in the middle of all of that.
In September, I was asked to lead the next two Cru Summer Missions to Lebanon. I was excited by the opportunity to invest in Lebanon and to lead American students in sharing the gospel with Lebanese students. Cru in the SC Lowcountry views university campuses in Lebanon as an extension of us here, and we are committed to being a part of what the Lord is doing there through praying, giving, and going.
I’ll be working with three other Cru staff in leading a team of 8 American students for a little over 5 weeks, May 27th-July 2nd. The team will spend its days on college campuses starting conversations, building friendships, and sharing the gospel. Our hope and prayer is that our team would engage in numerous significant spiritual conversations, gain a deeper love for the people there, and effectively serve the long-term team in their strategic goals in reaching universities with the gospel.
And I want to invite you to be a part of that. Between plane flights, lodging, and meals, I need to raise $4,225 for this Summer Mission by May 15th. It’s a big number, but I’m confident that through the generosity of partners like you, God will provide what I need to serve in Lebanon. To be a part of reaching that goal, would you prayerfully consider making a gift of $500, $250, $50 or some other amount that God would put on your heart?
If you do choose to partner with me, you can make a tax-deductible check out to “Cru” and send it to the address below. Or, you can give online at https://give.cru.org/0606304 (my name will not be displayed for security reasons). Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have.
Further, would you pray with me as the summer approaches? Pray that God would prepare me and my team to share the gospel boldly, that He would prepare Lebanese students to receive the gospel with joy, that we would be a blessing to the long-term team, and that our team would be protected through our time there.
Thank you for considering how God might call you to partner with me in reaching Lebanese students for Christ this summer.
Love,
***In order to protect our team and our friends in Lebanon, please do not forward this letter or post on social media without my permission. Thanks!
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