Emily's Ministry Updates

Happy Thanksgiving!  I thought I would include a glimpse of our Halloween party last month. I love getting to wear goofy outfits for Jesus.  Above is a photo from our TCC core. God has been kind to us this semester. We have a really great group of people. This is us playing uno after our lesson was over. Our students hang out each week after our core. The sense of community among these students has been ministering to me. TCC has gone through many changes. This is sort of the typical experience for a community college. Students leave after a semester or a year. This can lead to a culture of students not wanting to invest in organization since they don't plan on being around for long. I have been so encouraged that these students want to spend that extra time together. I am also excited that several of these students want to transfer to UTA next year. I thank God for this. The whole goal of being at TCC is that we can be a bridge for students to have instant community at their ...

 Fall Camp 2024! We are back! Well, I've finished my first, full month back to work. A consistent thought that has passed my mind is how do people do this without support? I have found myself praying for those people because my eyes are now open to all that comes with having a new baby. We are so lucky to have the support we have. We have amazing babysitters and our families have been great. I have been humbled by the new limits I have. Who would've known a baby would assert herself so quickly? Apparently, she can't just nap everywhere. I now have the opportunity to invite students and friends into these sacred spaces. The spaces where all I have is the energy God has generously given.  October was overall great. We had our annual fall camp. We worshiped and we grilled. We threw a neon dance party the Saturday night of camp. Students had a blast. During camp, we always have the planned times for students to get to know each other. We call them "walk and talks". I ...

 Happy Fall! Here's Bonnie meeting some of our guys at our fellowship meeting.  Guess who is fully back from maternity leave? Me! The last week of September I came back to work part-time. I am thankful for my time of recovery and bonding. I cannot believe three months ago we brought Bonnie home. She is doing so well. She is an amazing sleeper. It has been fun bringing her to our service for students to meet. Graham is passionate about giving his guys the opportunity to hold her. Many of the men express that they have never held a baby. Graham wants to change that. For the ladies in the ministry, she is the babydoll everyone wants to pass around. Continue praying for Graham and I as we juggle parenthood and ministry. Pray for Bonnie as we enter into the winter. Pray for her health and that she keeps safe and healthy.  My first week being back was me reorienting myself with staying out late and campus. I am back to all the meetings. Pray for me that I will have eyes on wher...

Above is Bonnie and I visiting the first service of the semester. She was very popular.  Guess what? Ministry is off to a fabulous start. The 24-25 school year has begun and our student leaders have been killing the game. We survived welcome week and all that entails. FOCUS hosted several events and attended all of the campus-hosted events. Graham planned a glow-in-the-dark capture the flag night. We hosted a trivia night, a petting zoo and held an united worship event with multiple campus ministries. Of course, Bonnie and I did not many of these events. The triple degree weather simply was not suited for a fresh newborn... and her mother. This year has reminded me the powerful truth that God is always working and moving to accomplish his will. He is with me while I take a seat back with baby, and he is also with our students as they proclaim his goodness. I have been partnering through prayer!  Below are a bunch of photos from this past month. These photos tell the story bett...

 The Summer has come to an end!  Above is a photo from our last summer FOCUS. It's pretty cool seeing so many students from across DFW coming together to worship while school is out of session.  Of course, Bonnie and I were not in attendance. We have been making the most of a maternity leave. We have been traveling to see her grandparents when Graham is at these late night events. It has been a blessing to share these early weeks of her life with friends and family. As August begins, we are anticipating the chaos of Graham being on campus for welcome week. August is always a sprint as freshman move in and our staff attends all of the events on campus. Pray Graham is able rely on God as he juggles dad life and campus pastor life. Pray I advocate for help when I need it since welcome week is full of long days.  We started off the month with our annual staff retreat. Bonnie and I attended for one day. We ended up leaving early. We are just new to this whole traveling wi...