Cross Training is a conference held for InterVarsity students from Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The students have the opportunity to participate in various tracks, ranging from making a first-time commitment to Jesus Christ, to sharing the gospel through evangelism, to in-depth Bible studies. Between six and seven hundred students attended the conference this past fall.
Emily attended the conference with seven other students from the InterVarsity chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Two points the leaders made stuck with Emily as she returned to campus with the hope of growing closer to Jesus. First, Christians are all created for God’s glory, to do his work and glorify him. Second, Christians can do nothing apart from Christ, as it is written, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” (John 15:5, NIV).
“I realized that to truly bear spiritual fruit, I must be in Christ and allow him to work through me at all times. I must give my whole life over to him,” Emily said. The Cross Training weekend conference helped Emily realize the importance of spending time with God in prayer and study of the Bible every day.
What Emily learned from the conference parallels what she is learning and studying in the InterVarsity Bible study group she attends on campus. In that study, the students discuss their union with God and the need to surrender their lives to him. Emily had realized during Cross Training 2003 that before she could share God’s love with others, she needed to spend daily quiet time praying and studying God’s Word. As Emily experiences her daily quiet times with God, it becomes easier for her to share his love for all people with them.
Emily hopes to have a career in nursing. She would like to be a nurse in a delivery room and work with newborns. She says, “My Father has shown His love to me, and I want to help newborns and show God’s love to my brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God.”
