“Being so deeply involved with Cru taught me a lot about servant leadership and the value of community. I had the joy of leading a bible study with Gretchen and got to bond with an incredible group of women, soaking in God's word and sharing His work with one another. Those relationships have stuck with me for years and have since reminded me of the power of ripple effect. The encouraging and challenging conversations we had in that group led to breakthroughs and triumphs in the years to come, and it was because we had community to walk together in Christ. I've seen this type of fellowship play out in other seasons of my life since then, and I believe I've been able to find it because of what community meant to me in college with my Cru small group.

Another thing is missions. I went on a summer project after my second year of college (my first big overseas trip ever), and the experience of going out into the world with a heart of ministry inspired me to follow the path of international development when God called me into it. Had I not taken that initial leap into serving with Cru overseas and trusting the Lord with the outcome, I would not have been set on the path I'm on now - and it would have taken a lot more convincing to get me to move across the world to do nonprofit work in the third world alongside many different organizations, both church-based and secular. Stepping into missions is challenging and scary; it takes more faith than jumping out of a plane sometimes, but once you've trusted the Lord with your future and surrendered your dreams He takes hold and brings a much greater plan to fruition. Cru summer project was just the beginning of an epic life of chasing His purpose to the ends of the earth and finding beautiful examples of relationship, ministry, and steadfast faith.”

— Carly Althoff (Serving with Journeymen International in Rwanda)

“After coming back from a mission trip in Cuba with Cru, I was left forever impacted because of the authentic move of God I encountered there.   Seeing people so enthusiastic and ready to accept the gospel really excited me, and ignited the passion to share the love of Jesus with the people in my everyday life.  I’ll forever remember this trip because I’ve never seen the Lord move so mightily in such a short period of time! “

— Nick Alvarado (After a Filters of Hope Missions Trip with Cru)

“Cru at North County has given me my best college experiences and has grown my relationship with God significantly. It gave me opportunities to build long lasting relationships that I hold so dearly today and challenged me to bloom out of my stem.”

— Vanessa Gomez (Cuesta North Class of 2019)

“In Cru I learned that I could trust Jesus with my whole life. Even through the stress of college and discovering who I was, I was able to find a community of believers who were just as passionate about wanting to make change in the world and bring the hope and love of Jesus to those hurting.  Cru gave me the opportunity to go on a mission trip to the Middle East and that was where God showed me his huge heart for ALL people.”

— Megan Wong (Cal Poly Class of 2018)