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January has come and gone! Hello, February. 


Something I am learning about campus ministry is the seasons. The fall is exciting and the possibilities feel endless. You are able to daydream of who will stay and who will raise up. It’s exciting to imagine what God will do and He was sweet last semester. I see this in the ladies I met with on a weekly basis. The fall, I was getting to know them and hear their story. With spring upon us, I feel this season is one of growth and challenge for me and my ladies. I am able to build upon the relationship that was made in the fall. I can see the comfortability that comes with a semester together. I also see the places in myself that I need to give over to the Lord specifically with patience and trusting His timing. 


Be praying for the different girls I meet up with. Pray for God’s wisdom for me. Each girl has their own situation and with each at a different place in following Jesus. I have felt burdened by some of the situations I have heard my students being in. Seasons have been on my mind because of this. Pray that God can be bigger than some of my students’ complacency. On another note, there has been growth recently too!



I wanted to highlight one of my students, Min. She has become a dear friend of mine over this past semester. She has been studying the bible with me since fall. She has been a humble, excited reader of the Bible while doing our one-on-one. She was able to come to Winter Camp and it seems God really is becoming more evident for her. Be praying for her to continue learning more about Jesus. 



You already know what camp means... a bunch of people packed into one place. 

We had our annual Winter Camp this past month over MLK weekend. It’s such a special weekend for me because this is the camp I first interacted with FOCUS. Who would’ve thought I would end up being on FOCUS staff? Not me! Anyways, the camp is at Sky Ranch and all eleven of our campuses come out. We had over 650 students this year.

I was encouraged because some students from my alma mater, Midwestern University, were there. They were students who knew me back when I interned over the summer for a church. It felt very full circle to have them there. This camp was formative during my college years, so to share it with my MSU friends was important. Especially, since they went to the same college ministry as I did. I was reminded as a college student that I was a part of something bigger even though I was in Wichita Falls. Forgive me that the photo is a little out of focus.




Just a reminder and an invite: FOCUS is having their annual Spring Showcase February 29th. This event is raising money to send students up to a leadership conference called SICM ( Student Institute of Campus Ministry) in May. It takes a whole village to get our students up there because of airfare. So that's where this event comes in. Please consider coming out to our showcase!





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