A blog post I wrote in August 2015 but never posted –
I had no intentions of jumping on the “I can’t believe its been # years since my first day of college classes” bandwagon, but sitting here on App’s campus I can’t help but join on the fun.
Over the past few months I’ve been sharing the importance of Cru and the impact that a Christ centered community can and should have. College students are at a crossroads in their lives and during those 3-4 years will make decisions that affect the rest of their lives.
What didn’t hit me until today is that in a span of 5 years the population of a university is completely different. The reality is sinking in that when my friends graduate next Spring I will know very few people on any university campus.
For those of you who don’t know I graduated from NC State but had the privilege of going on Clearwater Beach Summer Project in 2013 and gaining wonderful life long friends all over the country. Needless to say many weekends that fall were spent in Boone reuniting with project friends.
Two years ago sitting in the same exact coffee shop I’m sitting in today I would have seen already accidentally run into multiple people I know. It was weird to realize I wouldn’t be running into some of my closest friends from here. Feeling very old, most of the people I know are already gone.
Talking with a friends’ parents last night they mentioned sometimes you can’t understand what Cru does until it affects you personally. I truly can’t say thank you enough to the Cru staff and students of NC State, the mid-south region and now the staff in Portugal that I get to work with. You have forever made an impact on my life, and I hope I get to pay it forward to others. Shout out to Hilary Schofield and Taylor Mestas and our ever evolving Bible Study for showering the love of Christ on me despite my failures. #DBSP12 #CBSP13 #isfportugal14 My life is forever changed by each of you.
When I come home from Portugal next year life will look very different. I won’t be making trips to the university to visit friends. I’ll be making trips to their new towns to visit them in their new jobs. We won’t all gather together in Greensboro for winter conference. Sleepovers will be few and far between.
But on those rare occasions where we push the pause button on life to come together it will be beautiful. It already is.
What’s even more beautiful is in the midst of all the change and transition one thing remains – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Students will come and go but the need for students to hear about the love of God will be here until the day Jesus comes back.
So friends that are in college or involved with Cru (Agape), enjoy every moment of it. Don’t waste time looking back or wishing it away. Let the love of Christ shine through you daily and always, always, always be ready to give an answer for why you live the way you do. You never know the impact you could have on a random stranger or how God is going to use these years in your life for much greater purposes. ❤
Just Going for God 