Reaching college campuses today so that every student knows someone who is truly following Jesus! Ella Koskinen | Zagreb, Croatia

Although many students in Croatia would identify with traditional religion, one comment from a student struck me. I asked her, "Do you feel like you know anyone who is truly following Jesus?" She said, "No."

Her experience is not uncommon. There are roughly 70,000 students at the University of Zagreb. Many of these students are "churched," but few have truly experienced God's saving grace and been transformed by Him!

University is one of the most influential times in the life of a young adult. I experienced that first hand as God met me in my college years in transformative ways! I am forever grateful for the Cru staff who met me where I was at and encouraged me in my walk with God.

Matthew 9:36-38

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Since 2021, God has been impressing on my heart the need for laborers. The question I continued to face over the past few years was: the harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few, so am I willing and able to be sent? The answer is YES!

My desire is that every student in Croatia knows someone who is truly following Jesus and that they themselves would experience God’s saving grace and the joy and freedom found in life with Christ!! He promises us abundant life; I want my Croatian friends to live in that truth!

Because of this, it felt clear to me that the Lord was leading me to join full time staff with Cru to serve in Croatia!

Cru is a global missions organization that seeks to captivate hearts with the gospel, transform lives, and launch men and women into a lifelong adventure with Jesus Christ. We are committed to reaching the 200 million students of the world with the Good News. We like to say: win the campus today, win the world tomorrow!

As a missionary with Cru, I will engage with students in their faith journey. We desire that students would know Jesus personally, grow in their faith, and go to the world so that others may know. This takes place through evangelism and discipleship with the vision of students being sent out into their sphere of influence as Christ-centered laborers for a lifetime!

I am excited that the Lord has led me to join this ministry! It is a joy to invite people like you to partner with me in the Great Commission as we share the gospel with students in Croatia.

If you have questions, please contact me at ella.koskinen@cru.org!

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