Esme, a freshmen at MIT, connected with our ministry through her
roommate, Sherry, who is a follower of Jesus. Learning of her curiosity about Christianity I arranged to meet with her.
Like many college students today, Esme grew up in a home where
her exposure to Jesus was almost non-existent. She attended church only
on Christmas and Easter, and did not know much about the Bible or the
Christian faith. But she was attracted to our Cru community at MIT and now really
desires to know more about God.
After we walked through the gospel story, Esme
said she wanted to place her trust in Christ but still had some questions. A
week later, Esme attended the Cru Fall Retreat and said it was the first time she realized that God works not only in “big, miraculous ways” but also in numerous small and individual
ways. It was not long before she and her roommate, Sherry, began hosting a life group in their own dorm
room!
When Esme and I met again, we looked at a tool called “Backstory”
that walks through the larger themes of the Bible including intimacy, betrayal,
pursuit and sacrifice. It was clear as we discussed various Bible
passages that Esme now has a deeper understanding of Jesus, the gospel
and God’s grace.
When I asked her, “What does the image of the
cross mean to you?” she replied, “It used to
just be a symbol of Christianity, but now when I see it, it makes me think of the greatest sacrifice ever
made –– Jesus died for us though we did nothing to
deserve it. It was
our sin that He paid for.” She also said, “I know everyone needs Jesus,
and that includes me.”
Esme is very close to giving her life to Christ, but she says
she is nervous about “what’s on the other side” and what it means to give up
control of her life to God. Yet she recognizes that God is pursuing
her: “I know God is communicating with me because if I didn’t happen to
be roommates with Sherry, I never would have gotten involved in this group.”
Esme is but one of several answers to our prayers
for more non-believers and seekers to get connected with our community and draw near to Jesus. Several freshmen like Sherry have invited roommates and
friends to participate in our events and life groups, and it is thrilling to seem them starting to
understand the gospel and embrace Jesus!
Would you pray that Esme would continue to seek after Christ and
embrace Him as her Lord and Savior?
*This entry was written by Kim Swanson, Cru staff, who has walked with Esme on her spiritual journey and continues to meet with Esme on a regular basis.
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