Jeff
I grew up in Southern California in a town called Perris. My aunt and uncle started taking me to church when I was in 1st grade, and it was there that I learned that I needed Jesus to go heaven. Of course, every 1st grader wants to go to heaven, so I soon prayed a prayer inviting Jesus into my life.
It wasn’t until college, however, that I learned how to walk with Jesus, depend on His grace and His Spirit, and began to see how He affected my entire life. Previously, my focus was on a being a good person and worldly success, and Jesus wasn’t a huge part of my life. I had my own small, self-centered dreams and aspirations (though they seemed large to me, and probably to the rest of the world as well). Toward the end of my freshman year at UCLA, however, I got involved with Campus Crusade for Christ (now called Cru). Their title said it all; they were all about evangelism, which scared me. However, I felt welcomed by the group and I stuck around. For the first time in college, I had a community and a sense of belonging, and this among peers who actually lived out their faith.
Eventually, I got involved in a bible study. I started reading the bible every day for the first time in my life. As I got involved in leadership, I began to see how God could use me to impact others. I saw Him using me to solidify younger students in their faith and bring many non-Christians to trust in Jesus. God showed that His purposes for me were much bigger than I could dream up on my own apart from Him. It slowly hit me: if the Gospel is true, eternity is real, and Jesus is the answer to all of life’s biggest issues, why wouldn’t I give my life to make sure that as many people possible are able to hear about Him? I sensed God was calling me into full-time vocational ministry with Cru.
Since graduating from UCLA in June of 2005, I have served with Cru full-time at UCLA, UCI, UC Davis, Sacramento, and also as a finance professional for our region. With other students and staff, I’ve attended and helped lead short-term mission trips in South Africa, New Jersey, New Orleans (Katrina relief), Santa Monica, and Inner City LA. I love my job, and I’m so thankful God grabbed hold of my life and saved me from my way of doing things.
I met Cameron while helping lead a group of students on a mission trip to South Africa in 2010. She was one of my co-leaders. After closely living life alongside of her for 6 weeks, I loved what I saw and couldn’t help asking her out. After dating for about a year, I proposed in August of 2011 and married her on January 7, 2012.
We have two children, Abby and Hattie (pictured above).
Cameron
Even though I was a Christian before college, it wasn’t until my freshman year that I began to really grow in my faith. During my first quarter at UC Davis, I began attending a Cru Bible Study where I realized that I had been striving for my self-worth through grades, extra-curricular activities, and even my religion. It was also through this Bible study that I realized apart from Jesus, my strivings are meaningless.
As Jesus became the center of my life and His truth penetrated my heart, changes began to occur. The Lord gave me a desire to share my faith with other college students and called me to start taking steps of faith. I began by leading a freshman Bible study, then went over seas to South Africa and then led a trip to South Africa (where I got to know Jeff). As a junior at UC Davis, I asked God how I should invest my life for Him. I realized that not only had God given me a heart for ministry and a desire to be used by Him, but He had also used my experiences to equip me for full-time Christian service with Cru.
I am so excited to be developed in ministry and work alongside Jeff as we see the amazing things that God alone can do! I am also passionate about working with college women and seeing them grow into who God has made them to be. And overall, I’m thankful for the Lord’s grace in allowing me to serve Him.