Emily's Ministry Updates

Here’s a little update:  On Giving Tuesday, We reached our goal to raise 36,000 dollars !! That also means FOCUS received matching funds from generous donors. Isn’t that amazing!! Thank you for all who gave and prayed to make this possible.  Anyways... I wanted to start with a photo of my core playing games. God has brought a neat group of girls who enjoy to be around each other, what a blessing!  The semester is winding down. Our students are prepping for finals and I am adjusting to this season. Campus ministry has its seasons; the fall semester consists of being busy at the beginning because of welcome week and its followed by a slower season as the semester wraps up. I am still getting time with many of my regular girls. It’s been sweet reflecting on their semesters with them.  November was packed with some fun events. I got to preach a sermon on Ephesians. I attended a student-led thanksgiving feast called focusgi...

Hello again, it’s time for your ministry update.  I feel like I finally feel into the swing of everything in October. I have my bible studies in order. I figured out how to organize our Thursday service. We are good! Ministry has been going well at UTA. I have been doing 5 studies: each with unique conversations to be had. I have been blessed to be able to enter into such different places in people’s walks. I have a girl who never read the Bible. Two other girls who are at pivotal spots in their faiths. Do they fully trust the Lord and give themselves over? I feel like that question is something we all have to ask ourselves… every day! Pray for these girls and that they will come face-to-face with Jesus. Pray for wisdom and discernment.    I want to give an update for some girls I ministered to last year. In October, we had a leadership conference. This is where we invite students with leadership potential and listen to different speakers. ...

Happy Fall! I had to start with this photo. I love how the guy at the top is raising his arms up in victory. At fall camp, we had a chant competition. This team, obviously, won. I can’t stop marveling at the differences between the end of August and the end of September. Ministry has truly begun to blossom; this shift in ministry matches our new season. I am excited to share all that is happening.  At the end of August, I really didn’t have a feel for what my small group would look like. I had no idea the people God would bring. The first two weeks of August were packed with meeting girls, but you never know who will stick. I was nervous about my small group because as I met girls on campus, many were not able to come to my time. I had to give that desire of having an impressive, larger group to God. My mindset had to switch to being faithful with whatever I was given. But in typical God-fashion, He provided more than enough girls to join our group.  ...

We made it through August! What has ministry looked like for me? August was marked by the many game nights hosted at my house. It has been such a blessing having a spacious house to have people over. It has also been a blessing to have roommates who are a part of the same ministry. Together, We understand how important it is to get people off campus and invite them into your space.  I know those nights will be sweet memories one day; there’s nothing like the chaos of having eight girls passionately playing Skip-Bo in your living room while trying not to burn the popcorn in a dinky microwave.  More about August: it ended with UTA’s big welcome weeks. I was on campus for both lunch and dinner most days, trying to meet new students. It’s an exciting time because you never know who will stick. There are so many new people everywhere! Those first two weeks remind me of the passage about the harvest being plentiful and how there are few workers. UTA has 40,000 studen...

Hello again! I hope everyone is having a great summer. This blog is going to be short and sweet. I will have many more stories to tell when August is through.  July was slow but restful. I’ve been adjusting to life in Arlington. After another month there, I can tell you about several fun places to eat and I now can drive myself home without my GPS. We are making progress.  I just got back from our UTA staff retreat. It was surreal because a year ago I was going on a retreat but as an intern; this year, a full-time staff member. It’s sweet how God works. Thank you so much for making this year possible by supporting me. I am excited for what God will do on campus.  Be praying over Welcome Week and the incoming students. Pray that we have the energy and strength- Welcome Week is two weeks packed with events on campus. These weeks are important because these interactions can and will turn into friendships. You never know who God will put in your life. It’s fun ...

Let me just jump to the exciting news:  Emma got baptized!   I had the honor of getting to see her get dunked! So praise God! It was sweet seeing her family support her with this decision. I am so proud of how God has been growing her over this past year. She really has a heart for reaching out to her friends and family.  I went on several adventures this month. I went to Six Flags which I feel is a right-of-passage for anyone living in Arlington. I also went on a trip to a local water park with some girls.  I am proud to say none of us left with sunburns; I was diligent about reminding everyone about sunscreen. It was a lot of fun being able to meet girls from the ministry while hanging around water slides.  I’m thankful June has come and gone. It was a month full of adjustments with me moving to Arlington. I am still on the journey of learning the town and the people. God has been faithful through it all, even though it’s been tough at ...

My apprenticeship is over! We have made it to the summer! Thank you so much for making this season possible through your support and prayers. I have not had time to fully reflect on what this year has meant to me, but I can say I have enjoyed being able to join in on what God is doing. The pace on the college campus is fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was welcoming incoming freshman and inviting them to play board games. It’s amazing how God can turn a casual conversation during a game of Uno into a meaningful friendship. Just thinking about welcome week makes me excited for my move to Arlington. Be praying for that transition over. So speaking of Arlington, I wanted to share about the leadership conference we went to called SICM. The trip was awesome and I was able to bond with students from different campuses. Students from UTD, UNT/ TWU, and UTA were there to learn how to outreach to their campus and learn small groups. I was able to spend a signific...

Happy May! Can you believe it? We are so close to the end of the semester. My apprenticeship is coming to an end. I think now is the appropriate time to officially announce that I am staying on another year with FOCUS. I will be moving out to University of Texas in Arlington in the fall. I am excited to serve at this new campus and join into what God is doing there. Just begin praying for that transition over to a new town with new people. I have already had the opportunity to meet some students from that community who have been incredibly sweet and welcoming. Here’s a cool God thing: one of my friends from MSU is actually a part of UTA’s FOCUS. Looks like God was already planting people in Arlington before I had even considering going there. Below is a goofy photo of their leader team. Now, imagine me somewhere in this group. April went by so fast and I think this was because I was looking forward to Easter. Early on, I made plans to bring stud...