Skip to main content

June Update

 

I thought I would start with this photo of me. It cracks me up. I was serving tacos at our end of year party, and this photo was snapped. Wouldn't you want to see that happy face as you were handed tacos? 

The summer is here! I have already been reaping the benefits of a slower schedule. I am thankful my last month of pregnancy is during this time. While I am still meeting with students, it is in a much slower pace than the school year. I am helping plan what I can before Bonnie arrives. FOCUS will host services over the summer open to all of our campuses to come and worship. I have been on the team planning hangouts after the service. Our goal is to help students make friendships across the campuses. We are optimistic our students will enjoy these creative events since we have historically just gone to restaurants afterwards. Who doesn't love saving some money and meeting new people? 
Graham was a part of the team who went up to Washington for our annual leadership training (SICM). We sent the most students we have ever sent this year: 155 students from all of our campus ministries! We are praising God because we had our biggest turnout post-covid. Think about that. Many ministries are still feeling the effects of COVID and the hit on their attendance. The photo is a tad blurry, but this means our campuses have 155 students on fire for Jesus. Pray they will be lights on their campuses come this fall. 

For our ministry personally, UTA send fourteen students to SICM this year. This was an even split between guys and girls. This is an answered prayer for our ministry specifically for the men who went. You guys would know how often I asked y'all to pray for God to bring us men who can lead. These seven guys are really great. Pray they will continue to grow their faith over this summer. Pray for the ladies too! 

For TCC, we sent one student named Israel. He is great and sincere in his pursuit of God. I want to call on all prayer warriors because this next year we are anticipating the biggest shift yet on that campus. Not only will the year start off with me on maternity leave, many of our oldest, foundational students are now transferring this upcoming fall. We do have seven-eight students who will still be around, but they vary where their walk of God is. Pray God will inspire some to live as disciples.  Pray for the others to grow in boldness and help us fill needs. This summer, one of the other pastors at this campus is doing a prayer walk weekly at TCC. I plan to walk alongside her till I can't no more. Pray God will use us on this campus how he sees fit. 
The guy on the left of Graham is Israel! They studied the Bible together this past year.

Some of what has been going on: 

Here is a glimpse of the send-off ceremony at SICM. The students pray over each campus and pray for God to move this upcoming fall. 

Here is Graham and some of our UTA guys. 



Here is Graham being a bird whisperer. 
Here is some of our students out to eat in Seattle!

Now what you've been waiting for... Here's me very pregnant at a baby shower. 


Shoutout to Tenth and Broad for hosting a shower too! It was very special celebrating with the church I attended while in college. These women were incredibly generous to our little family. 
Thank you for your prayers and support. Pray for us as our world is about to change dramatically in just a month. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

August Update!

  This update is full of prayer requests and news! Let’s get started.  I just got back from our summer staff retreat with our entire staff team. One of the key parts I want to underline is: we have not had our entire staff together on a retreat since my apprentice year. Our staff has boomed in size because we are taking on nineteen apprentices this year. Nineteen. It’s exciting to experience a surge of new people and to see our team grow. I had a strange moment during the retreat where I realized some of these apprentices were students when I started back in 2018. Now, I get to partner with them in reaching our campuses this fall. I guess that’s what happens the longer you work at a place.  One of the most exciting updates I have is that we will be pioneering five new campuses this fall. Each team is focusing on a different campus. One thing that has blown me away during my time in FOCUS is how the Lord has worked on community college campuses. I remember visiting a Colli...
1 comment
Read more

May Update!!

Greetings! Hello team. I have delayed writing this update. I believe that is because anytime I sat to write, a wave of nostalgia and grief came over me. My time with FOCUS has been the vehicle of all my favorite things about my life. It was my first job out of college. FOCUS is where I was raised up into a mature leader through multiple opportunities like seminary classes and many books. I met my husband and had a baby while doing this ministry. I have had the privilege of befriending and mentoring many students; some of whom have become pastors themselves.  These are just a few of the blessings I have lived while working with FOCUS. Your generosity and your care for college students made these beautiful things possible. I hope you see this transition as a celebration of life and ministry. Thank you for all your kind words and ways you guys have personally connected with me in this time. Thank you for seeing the college campus as something worth investing in for the kingdom.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

April Update!

Our 2024-2025 UTA Leader Team!!! We have five more weeks to go!  March flew by. Did it for you? This past month was jam packed with small groups, people getting discipled and many students making decisions to follow Jesus more closely. This is the time of year where the rubber meets the road for many students. There's just something in the air. People know they have little time left before summer. It's the perfect time to encourage someone, or challenge them. I know for myself and all my other pastors, we are in the thick of those conversations. Be praying that students make decisions that will help them walk more closely with Christ. Pray that the summer won't rob these students of what they've learned this year in ministry.  I want to start by saying thank you for supporting me in campus missions. I wanted to share a big life update with you all. At the end of May, I’ll be transitioning off FOCUS staff. This decision has come after a lot of prayer and thoughtful conve...
Post a Comment
Read more