This year I came to Ohio State wanting to be very involved. I was already integrated in Mount Leadership Society when I arrived on move-in day, but I wasn’t sure where to even begin searching for the other organizations I would want to be apart of. During the involvement fair I went to the different categories of booths that I knew I was interested in- but wasn’t sure which club was the fit for me. When I got to the faith-based area of booths, I talked to many clubs and was thinking of joining H2O. However, a friend on my floor was going to a church service that Sunday night for CRU and invited me to go with her. There’s always fun in company so I went with her. Once we were heading out I realized there was a large group of people from my dorm and scholars program that also attended this event. It is called RealLife. Here, I found such joy, interest, awe, and beauty. I LOVED it. That night I felt something amazing and I couldn’t wait to go back. This is when I decided I would be a part of CRU.
At this point I knew I wanted to join CRU, and honestly just thought that included going to RealLife every Sunday night- which was okay. Luckily for me, CRU is so much more. After the first week I got connected with a small group within the club and this group became my group for bible study every Tuesday night. They all live in my dorm or are involved in Mount. It helped that two of the girls were two of the best friends I had made up to that point, and we were instantly welcomed in. Then, as if this wasn’t enough, we were told of another smaller group within CRU, called the Freshmen Leadership Team (FLT). My friends and I, who were freshmen, decided to go to the first meeting and loved it! We got to know other freshmen in a smaller setting, play games, and pray together. I also loved our leaders: two high school sweethearts who are now married. Once again, I was very happy with how involved I was getting within CRU because of how important my faith is to me. However, we then found out about a fall retreat within CRU. Instantly I wanted to go because I love the outdoors and the idea of getting away from campus to worship God was so appealing. It was impossible for me to imagine how amazing this time would be for me.
The CRU fall retreat was probably the best experience I have had since coming to Ohio State (and that is saying a lot because I LOVE it here and have already made so many great memories and had so many great opportunities). During the retreat, we got time to worship our God with such community, have alone time with Him, enjoy nature, and take a break from the stress of school. We also got to make more connections with people in CRU and get closer with those we already know. I cannot describe how beautiful it felt to worship with everyone through song because of CRU’s amazing band. And as if it couldn’t get any better: we had the opportunity to hear from Mike Erre as a speaker to learn more about our faith. He was indescribable. I truly can say he was the best speaker I’ve ever heard. But overall, CRU fall retreat was just an amazing time to worship the perfect God we have and I will forever cherish this memory and the opportunity I was given to join CRU and the outstanding community that comes with it.
