WHEN STAFF KIDS GO GOOD

Maybe it was the up close and personal view she had being a staff kid as a toddler or just a desire to be different from Mom and Dad, but Allyson Davies saw Campus Crusade for Christ as a non-option going into college. "I grew up around CCC. My parents were on staff with Crusade until I was 2½. But we always had staff people come and stay with us and went up to Ft. Collins every other summer to visit their friends. Joining staff was the last thing I thought I would do when I was growing up, in fact before I went to college I had decided not to get involved in Crusade."

Allyson, 2nd from the left, and her amazon CRU crew from KSU

You could say that Allyson's ministry philosophy was unlaunching movements anywhere. But the Lord was faithfully working in spite of her reluctance toward Campus Crusade (a.k.a. bad "attiCRUdes"). It started with a friend sounding a spiritual wake-up call during her teen years.

"Being a Crusade kid I heard the gospel at a young age and accepted Christ at 4 years old. But in high school I wanted to be cool and put my faith on hold. My friend Amber called me out on it when I was a junior in high school and she said, 'Allyson, you say that you are a Christian, but what are you doing with your faith?' That question made me really think and ask the Lord to change me. I didn’t really start walking in my faith until my freshmen year at UNC when I got involved with CCC, something I vowed I would never do. Obviously the Lord had a different plan." Allyson not only got involved with Campus Crusade at UNC but came on staff with her double major in Journalism and Speech Communication in 1999.


Allyson's first stint on staff started as a bicentennial baby born December 29, 1976 in Cincinnatti, Ohio, where her parents were on staff with Athletes in Action. Like most staff kids, she moved with her parents when they were reassigned to the Westminster and Broomfield area. Here she has spent most of her life. "I would say the three biggest influences on my life are my mom and dad, who continually point me to Jesus and look for opportunities to tell their friends and neighbors about Him, and my sweet Grandma Davies who walked closely with Christ until the day she died and had a huge impact on the lives around her. There are so many staff friends and friends who have had an impact too."

About the only time Allyson was not partying in the Colorado high life was her first staff assignment in Manhattan. But after spending her first 6 years at Kansas State she boomeranged back to Colorado where she has been the Great Plains International STINT/Intern Coordinator for the past 2 and a half years. "The two things I enjoy most about being on staff are that we get to see people’s lives change as they come to Christ and grow in their relationship with Him. And I love all the sweet friends the Lord gives me to work alongside. I think the thing that is hardest for me is that we have to say goodbye so much. I knew that when I came on staff but it still is hard."

"I think one of my favorite ministry memories took place when I was on summer project in Puebla, Mexico in 2002. I was just ready to go home from campus, but the Lord told me to have one more conversation. He led me to a sweet girl who was already a Christian, but immediately after I talked to Edith, Xanath came up and Edith shared the 4 Laws with Xanath. Xanath came to Christ and then the two of them brought 3 friends to our follow up appointment. And at least 1 or 2 more gals came to Christ. It was just so cool to see God work."


A ministry lesson/perspective God has taught me over my years on staff: I think the biggest lesson I have learned is that my intimacy with Christ is literally the most important thing in my ministry. I have to choose to walk in the Spirit and choose to spend time in prayer and the word every day if I truly want to live the life God has called me to.
Allyson Davies
GPI Office
Boulder, CO


When Allyson is not connecting laborers to the worldwide harvest or bringing fun and cheer to the GPI office she has a plethora of activities and interests she engages in. You can scroll through those in her profile section and find she has learned another secret to ministry- keeping balanced and rejuvenated. "We have to take time to rest and be refreshed in order to invest our lives well. It doesn’t do anyone any good when a person who is burned out tries to keep on going."

PROPER PRAYER PERSPECTIVE
A friend of mine shared this with me a few months ago. Many times the key to effective prayer is not in the frequency, the specific ask, or even the fast. It starts with aligning our heart to His as revealed in His Word. Consider these thoughts from "Prayer- A Conversation With God.":

I asked God to take away my pain.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
2 Corinthians 12:9

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
Her spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.
2 Corinthians 4:18

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
Romans 5:3-4

I asked God to give me happiness
God said, No.
I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.
Proverbs 3:5-6

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
2 Corinthians 1:9

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
John 15:5

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you true life so that you may enjoy all things.
John 10:9-10

I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said...Ahhhh,
Finally you have the idea!
John 13:34-35

-Bert