Emily's Ministry Updates

  I am shocked at how quickly the semester wrapped up. I realize I feel this way each December. You would think I would expect this after several years of doing this. Thanksgiving is the yellow light of the semester; we slow down before the semester comes to a halt. My students are cramming for their finals and so desperate to be home for a break. Pray that they will make the most of their time with their friends before returning. Pray for the people in our community who are still deciding to make Jesus lord.  I want this update to be some highlights and a couple of prayer requests.  The first highlight is the Tarrant County Community. Our students have really grown close to one another. It often feels like a little family meeting. They have been amazing and flexible as Graham and I figure out what’s going on. We have had students step up and lead. One of our student leaders did not go to our training in May. He has been seriously wonderful. He got up and shared a poem ab...

 So, my favorite month is finally here. Yay November!  (Everyone send me a birthday card).  October has been one of my favorite months so far this semester. Maybe it's the weather finally cooling down or the fact I got to visit one of my favorite churches this month. October has left my cup full to the brim. I am in awe of God by the beauty I'm seeing in nature and the many sweet people He has blessed me with. I hope you too can reflect on God's goodness as you read my update from this month.  There has been a lot happening at Tarrant County College. This is the campus Graham and I are leading together. We had three students get baptized in October. Of course, this was incredibly meaningful for our students who made the decision, but I found it wonderful seeing our community surrounding them. My apartment was full of students wanting to support their friends make this huge decision. After each baptism, we had people pray over the newly baptized person. I was obviousl...

  Hello Fall!   September has flown by. I have tons of good news. So we’ve had two baptisms this past month. Wow. Wow. Isn’t that the best? Two ladies decided to make Jesus Lord. Pray for these ladies as they continue to seek and make Jesus known.  (I realized I do not have a photo from the second lady's baptism.  She is in blue shirt that says "children"). Pray for these ladies. Pray they will be serious about their faith and make a difference where they go. Since I"m asking for prayer requests, continue praying for the students we are interacting with who are not following Jesus. I have been blown away by the number of students attending our small groups who do not call Jesus Lord. I have had two conversations with different leaders who are thinking through how to best love their unbelieving friends. I feel like God is moving and moving people into meaningful friendships. Pray that he will use us to love the people around us.  This is a picture from our fal...

  How do I even begin? August was awesome. We just finished our first week of welcoming new students onto campus. We helped freshmen move in on Saturday and then we were on campus the rest of the next week. UTA and TCC both hosted events to kick off the semester. I want to walk you through my august as a campus missionary!  I had the most exciting start to August. My dear friend Hailey got baptized and I got to do it. I am so happy she made this step in her faith. She is an amazing leader on our women's side. What's more college ministry than baptizing someone in an apartment pool? She was surrounded by family and friends. It was special seeing everyone come out to celebrate her. Baptism is cool for many reasons, but I found myself moved by how it unites us with the believers who came before us.  After that, we moved into time preparing for school to start. Graham and I split our time between TCC and UTA. We were able to train up our leaders on both campuses for...

  Hello again! Summer has come and gone. We wrapped up the last few days of the month with covid. I was a tad thankful for the reset. For anyone who knows campus ministry, August is the fast-paced beginning of the year. There's a lot I'm looking forward to, but it is crazy. Pray for us as we go out and move the freshman in (Ahhh, it's been so hot). Pray as we have new leaders step up. I'm excited about how they will rise to the occasion. We also have four new leaders at Tarrant County College. Pray for them as they partner with Graham and me for year two on the campus. Anyways, here's what I've been up to.  I am continuing my one-on-one bible studies with people who are in town. I have had the pleasure of meeting with a lady from TCC named Amelia. We meet during her lunch break and it is seriously so sweet. We catch up and then do our bible study. I am excited for what she will do in the fall.  Graham and I both had the honor of attendin...

Hey! We made it back from Italy.   I still cannot believe we got to go. We are incredibly thankful. The weather and the pasta were hot. We praise God we made it back in one piece.  I wanted to share a more reflective update this month. One of my favorite parts of my job is doing one-on-one studies with students. I love reading the Bible and creating space for people to think through God's word. Our series this summer at our services is actually over our study. We are teaching the heart behind the lessons. Our one-on-one study is called "Focus on Jesus". It's about eight-nine lessons (many people take whole semesters to go over it). We cover different biblical concepts and well, help people focus on Jesus.  The first lesson is called "Words of Life". There we talk about how we view scripture and what we expect to get out of it. This, to me, is such an important place to start. We talk about what biases we might bring and how we should come to the Bible humbl...

Summer is here! I am blown away that I have made it through my fourth year of campus ministry. Thank you guys so much for supporting me all this time. Wow. It seriously amazes me. Your support has allowed me to bring Jesus to college students in DFW. Thank you for investing in consistency on the campus. I have seen the fruit in choosing to commit to staying over years. I have gotten to invest in girls through their graduation. Isn't that crazy? Jessica graduated!!!  I am in awe that we get to do this together. Thank you for seeing the value in investing in college students. My hope is that these students will make Jesus Lord and change their workplaces, future families, and the church. I really believe our students leave FOCUS equipped. I sincerely, want to thank you.  Anyways, May was awesome. Graham finished his apprenticeship. He is officially a FOCUS pastor. That's exciting. He is committing for three years, so we will continue ...