March 2009

A Movement of God in Hungary

“I used to look at the students in Cru as ‘Cru Freaks’ and thought that evangelism was pushy and ineffective. Now I’ve seen God used me in evangelism and I’m excited to be a part of it back on campus.”

This a statement from Adam, a recent transfer to EMU, on the last night in Budapest, Hungary. Adam was not alone with these thoughts. Many of students who went with us to Hungary had very little experience in talking to others about their faith. After the week all of them had shared their faith many times and done it in a cross-cultural context.

God has opened incredible doors for ministry in Hungary. For many years, Campus Crusade for Christ has run a program called “Youth at the Threshold of Life”, a character-training program that points people to Jesus Christ as the source of wholeness in life. This program has the sanction of the Hungarian government and has opened doors for Campus Crusade on university campuses.

We were able to do programs in many university classrooms throughout the week. I was a part of a group invited to speak about the U.S. political system, and for the first time on staff, I directly used my undergraduate degree in Political Science! After giving our presentation we were able to break into small groups with the Hungarian students for discussion. In one class we discussed the concept of the separation of church and state, which allowed me to easily transition to talking to them about my faith in Christ.

One evening in the largest dorm on one university campus we ran a multimedia outreach about commercials . Because of a scheduling mistake we ended up having the event in the common lounge, giving us high visibility and helping us to have over 50 Hungarian students in attendance. During the outreach one of our students shared his story of how he changed from being someone who ridiculed Christians to being a Christ-follower.

Another avenue of outreach throughout the week was having personal conversations with students on many different campuses around the city. In most cases we would have an opportunity to talk about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Above, Zach, a freshman from U-M, and a Christian Hungarian student share with another student at the Technical University.

Financial Update—Hungary and Southern Asia

Thank you to those who were able to help support my trip to Hungary! I still have to raise around $1200 to cover the remainder of my trip to Hungary and my upcoming trip to Southern Asia (March 15-25). Realizing that there is great uncertainty in the economy, I ask you to prayerfully consider whether God might lead you to help support me for these strategic trips. If you would like to give please use one of these options.

1. Send a check made out to “Campus Crusade for Christ” to:

6403 Oakbrook Dr.

Ypsilanti, MI 48197

2. Send an extra gift with your normal contribution (if you are a regular supporter)

3. Go to http://give.ccci.org

Search for Nate Ardle

Follow the instructions to give

www.ardle.org

Staff Account #0484633