March 2023 Update: Spring Tiiiiimeee

 March

Spring Tiiiimee

I dont really have anything super noteworthy that happened this month, so enjoy some random moments from it!

These are the girls in my core! From left to right we have Inny, Zaili (my co leader), Laiya (who is actually from another campus, Jasmine, and Acacia!) 

Here are some UTD students at an after event. If theres one thing UTD students will never say no to, its an excuse or reason to dance! 

This is a photo of me and my beloved friends...2 of them are on my support team! From left to right is Angel (an incoming FOCUS apprentice friend from dance) Renee, and then Goodness and Rachel who are on my support team! We are a group of peers that come together to read spiritually focused books, be confessional with each other, and be intentional and close spiritual friends with each other.

This is a photo of our UTD Worship Team! We had a jam session where everyone traded instruments as we sang a few of our most popular songs. We have a really talented bunch! 

This is our annual partnership with our sister ministry in Bellingham, WA. We have now named it Spring Outreach Week (S.O.W). For 4 days the students from Bellingham spend their spring break to come and do outreach on our campus. The UTD team plans what we will do and then we invite our UTD students along to come and partake with us. We did a series of activities that allowed us to gauge the state of the students hearts and minds on our campus.

Email or text me if you have more questions about exactly what we did. 

The Washington students :) 

Me preaching on social media!

Thank yall so much for your generosity and kind hearts. I am so thrilled that I get to do this work, and its all because of you! 

How can I be praying for you?

415-933-3877

February 2023 Update: RELEASE!

 February

RELEASE: A Showcase to Celebrate and Honor Black Art 

Happy Black History Month! 

As I have repurposed my outreach hours from table outreach to Black/African Descent specific outreach, our team has come up with ideas to do more effective cultural outreach. From there we have birthed BLISS: Black Lives In Soulful Solidarity! It was created for black students in the FOCUS community  as a space to be seen, connected with, and celebrated. 

 I told my friend Renee that I was gonna try to put on an open mic for Black History Month, and she said to me "Why dont you make it a full experience? Like a showcase to celebrate black art?" I WAS SHOOK!! She took my idea and maximized it into what we ended up calling RELEASE! 

At RELEASE we had performances of poetry, singing, dancing and drumming by Bandan Koro, Kickin Brass Band (New Orleans style). Two of my Dallas Black buddies even made an appearance and performed as well! From professionals to students to members from our family of churches , it was a HUGE turnout and people (and I) were blown away by the talent that showed up that night. It was a night to remember and I'm so glad to get to do it again next year! (This time instead of planning everything myself, I will bring a team of people in earlier so that I can delegate! Coordinating, emceeing, and performing all in the same show is very unideal 😅). Check out the photos below! 

The Program 

The Venue

The turnout!

Bandan Koro African Drumming and Dance Ensemble 

My Dallas Black Friends 

Students singing the Negro National Anthem! 

Me dancing 

 Two of my Beloved Supporters, Garvin Williams and Bekwele Wodi 

me emceeing 

My Dallas Black friend Claude and his pianist Blake

Kickin Brass Band

2nd Line Parade

Stay tuned for next year!! 

Thank you so much for your support and generosity and for those of you that came out! 

January 2023 Update: Staff/Winter Retreat!

Here are some highlights of what has gone on for the month of January!

January

Staff Retreat

One of the cabins we got to stay in! 

This is footage from a Sabbath exercise that we were doing. We were "playing and praying with God." Sabbath is a practice we as God's people practice to remind us that the world keeps spinning without us, and that while we are asleep, the Lord is still at work. We rest because...even He rested. We rest because it is a gift to know that we are taken care of by the creator God who knows that we are but dust. I pray that you find time in your life to Sabbath weekly and let God pour into you so that you can pour out to others.  

Games and food as usual 😌

Winter Retreat (formerly known as Winter Camp) 

Winter camp is what we do at the top of the spring semester to welcome our students, from all campuses, back from their winter breaks and get them reconnected with each other and pump them up spiritually for the school year. We spend 4 days and 3 nights at a camp site where sessions of teaching and learning time are sprinkled in with lots of free time for outdoor activities and opportunities to bond with friends from first semester and make new ones from other campuses. 

Our theme for Winter Retreat this year was 1 John we talked about light and life and what it actually is.  We talked about what it meant to be truth tellers, to actually love our neighbors, to live in the light, and how all of that is true, eternal life. We alternate between years of hiring a guest speaker and having our very own FOCUS staff do the speaking. This year it was the pastors of FOCUS and what a talented and blessed group of ministers we have on our team! 

Zipline anyone?

Its not camp without s'mores 

Pictured here is me and Renee after the dance class we taught! This will definitely be a keeper at the winter camps to come. What a great turn out it was!

I am so thankful for your generosity and willingness to financially contribute to my ministry. None of this would be possible without you!

Please let me know how I can be praying for you!

415-933-3877