Below Freezing Baptism

Happy Snow Day!

Of course, January would end white and icy. Graham, Waldo, and I are holed up in our third-story apartment. Pray, we figure out when to take our dog out in this weather. Waldo doesn't really want to put his paws on the ice and I can't blame him. While the month started off restful, the end of the month was full of activity fairs to meet new students. Graham and I were constantly printing off flyers and buying candy to prepare. We got a lot of free lunches, so I can't be too mad. Be praying we meet students who want community. The spring can be awkward for students because they assume everyone has friends except them. Pray they have the boldness to overcome that. 

We had our annual Winter Retreat this past month. A short story time: this retreat was my only interaction with FOCUS before working with them. This is where I learned about the ministry internship and saw this amazing community in action. I had never seen so many young people praising Jesus before. It is where I caught the vision of wanting to make disciples on campus. It is surreal for it to be my fifth year on staff. Anyways, I love seeing the retreat through my students' eyes. Many of them have told me something similar. They were inspired by seeing students from other campuses worshipping and serving each other. We zip-lined and played games. 

Here is a photo of all the campuses together. The campuses represented: UTD, SMU, Collin College, TWU, UNT, UTA, Richland, TWU Dallas, and our newest, Tarrant County College. 

Here's our Tarrant County group. We are just throwing up random hand signs. Our school does not have one. This is both Southeast and Northeast campuses. 

And here is UTA. One of my favorite things about this campus is how many of our TCC students plan to come here. Which was the whole purpose of planting at the community college. God has been so faithful. He really led us to the place He wanted us. We are giving students the opportunity to plug into campuses and immediately find community. 

Now. Here's the neatest update: My friend Jalen baptized a student in FREEZING water. This student is an international student. I would describe his faith as a sprint. He is passionately pursuing Jesus. His passion is infectious. He explained that he had been curious about God for a long time. It wasn't till he heard of Jesus and Jesus's character that he realized he found the true God. Be praying for him and the adversity he already faces. Pray he will be strengthened and will feel loved by our community. 

This photo does not do justice. We had so many people there to watch. We all prayed over him and sang a song of worship after. 

We filled two hallways to watch our friend be baptized. This photo is of my friend Jalen sharing about the man about to be baptized. Sharing about his character and his devotion to Jesus. 

Thank you so much for your support of this ministry. I feel so blessed to be able to work FULL TIME and meet with students. God is so good and faithful. We don't always get to see the seed grow, so it is a sweet gift when we do. God has been calling many people to him. Thank you that I get to partner with you.