Skip to main content

Hey Friends!

 I survived my orientation and my first staff retreat. Our retreat was at a beautiful ranch in Whitewright, Texas. Whitewright is not necessarily known for its scenery, but I was pleasantly surprised. I say this because my high school is just fourteen miles down the road in Leonard. It was fun to share small-town Texas with my metroplex companions. My retreat consisted of playing board games, worshiping and encouraging each other before the semester begins. I left feeling refreshed and ready to work.

My apprentice team at orientation.

This is a photo from an impromptu trip for snowcones on the retreat.
August is packed with reading the Old Testament. The apprentices and I will spend eight hours Monday through Friday reading, along with taking an online class. I am ready to immerse myself in God's Word like never before. One of my goals throughout this apprenticeship is to become more scripturally literate. After almost two weeks of studying, we will finally get to go meet people on campus. I am ready to see what God is doing at UTD and be a part of His work. Pray for the incoming students.

Thank you guys so much for making this apprenticeship a reality. Thank you for your encouragement, prayers and financial support. I am grateful to be able to grow during this next year and serve students going to college. If you made a pledge to support me and haven't started giving yet, please go to anyfocus.org/donate to set up a recurring gift.




Comments

  1. Kelly SchlitzAugust 8, 2018 at 3:30 PM

    Hey Emily! I am stoked to have you as an apprentice this year. It was fun getting to know you a little better at our retreat!

    I am praying for you and the rest of the apprentices as you begin your Old Testament studies. Get ready to learn a ton about our good God!
    Love you!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

August Update!

  This update is full of prayer requests and news! Let’s get started.  I just got back from our summer staff retreat with our entire staff team. One of the key parts I want to underline is: we have not had our entire staff together on a retreat since my apprentice year. Our staff has boomed in size because we are taking on nineteen apprentices this year. Nineteen. It’s exciting to experience a surge of new people and to see our team grow. I had a strange moment during the retreat where I realized some of these apprentices were students when I started back in 2018. Now, I get to partner with them in reaching our campuses this fall. I guess that’s what happens the longer you work at a place.  One of the most exciting updates I have is that we will be pioneering five new campuses this fall. Each team is focusing on a different campus. One thing that has blown me away during my time in FOCUS is how the Lord has worked on community college campuses. I remember visiting a Colli...
1 comment
Read more

May Update!!

Greetings! Hello team. I have delayed writing this update. I believe that is because anytime I sat to write, a wave of nostalgia and grief came over me. My time with FOCUS has been the vehicle of all my favorite things about my life. It was my first job out of college. FOCUS is where I was raised up into a mature leader through multiple opportunities like seminary classes and many books. I met my husband and had a baby while doing this ministry. I have had the privilege of befriending and mentoring many students; some of whom have become pastors themselves.  These are just a few of the blessings I have lived while working with FOCUS. Your generosity and your care for college students made these beautiful things possible. I hope you see this transition as a celebration of life and ministry. Thank you for all your kind words and ways you guys have personally connected with me in this time. Thank you for seeing the college campus as something worth investing in for the kingdom.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

April Update!

Our 2024-2025 UTA Leader Team!!! We have five more weeks to go!  March flew by. Did it for you? This past month was jam packed with small groups, people getting discipled and many students making decisions to follow Jesus more closely. This is the time of year where the rubber meets the road for many students. There's just something in the air. People know they have little time left before summer. It's the perfect time to encourage someone, or challenge them. I know for myself and all my other pastors, we are in the thick of those conversations. Be praying that students make decisions that will help them walk more closely with Christ. Pray that the summer won't rob these students of what they've learned this year in ministry.  I want to start by saying thank you for supporting me in campus missions. I wanted to share a big life update with you all. At the end of May, I’ll be transitioning off FOCUS staff. This decision has come after a lot of prayer and thoughtful conve...
Post a Comment
Read more