September
It’s September! It would be nice to say "its fall," but get real...this is Texas and we all know that its hot until the middle of October. Core's have begun, FOJs, have begun, and Fall Retreat is behind us. For the new people on my support team you will hear these words a lot, so let me take some time to define it:
Core: Core is what we call our small groups. It, unlike most of the words in FOCUS, is not an acronym, but we call it core because our small groups are the "core" of what we do. We seek to be a ministry where we have life-on-life relationships and our small groups are where we are able to make that happen.
FOJ: FOJ is our one-on-one bible study called Focus On Jesus. Its a 10 week study designed to make the individuals who are studying it come face to face with Jesus, themselves, and a decision: Will you call Jesus Lord or will you not? I know that that seems a little intense, which in all of the right ways it is, but at the same time you are faced with the overarching question of "who do you say I am?" we are also building a deep spiritual friendship with the people that we are studying with. FOJ is my personal favorite because it is this study that brought me to the decision to follow Jesus as an adult. FOJ was where I actually intentionally read scripture and spent more time with it than I ever had. It was through learning the person of Jesus and being in relationship with the girl I was studying with that caused me to decide that Jesus was worth a try. FOJ never ceases to bring me face to face with Jesus, every week, several times a week, with the different students I get to study with. It is truly one of the most transformative experiences across the board for many people in our ministry. FOJ continues to be the place where people are changed... not because there's magic to FOJ, but because the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart : )
Fall Retreat: This is also not an acronym, but Fall Retreat is a 22hr camp that we put on for our students early on in the year so that they can deepen their relationships with each other and God. The hope with Fall Retreat is that everyone in each person's core would come and have these experiences with each other and get some good momentum to become close friends. We do things like play games, do crafts, participate in outdoor sports, worship and take communion, learn from each other with our student testimonies, and then have one big sleepover in the bunkhouses with our cores! Fall Retreat is short, but packs a punch for helping people feel connected to our ministry and to each other.
I think its safe to say that the year is off to a great start, and the revival that our staff prayed for over the summer is definitely springing up in some really sweet ways. Cores have been bigger than ever, freshmen have been more excited than normal when asked if they want to do FOJ, more and more new faces are showing up at our Friday Night Fellowship each week. God is at it again with drawing hearts and minds to him. Praise God!
Thank you so much for your support and for your belief in what FOCUS is doing at UTD. I am so thankful to each of you for being on my support team. Enjoy the photos below!
My first core!
This is Shayla and Myla. Imagine two quiet, more closed off girls, suddenly becoming chatter box besties at the mention of a video game called Red Dead Redemption 😌. And then I want you to imagine me now joining them every Friday to play said video game… #campusministry lollll…Only the Lord knows!
Us gamer girls at Taco Bell
We (which really means, I) even made us a lil chant 😂
Fall Retreat Group Photo!
Worship Session @ Fall Retreat
Fall Retreat Recap
Thank y’all so much for donating to my ministry this year. I could not and would not be able to have fun with students like this if it weren’t for your generosity!
How can I be praying for you? Text me! 415-933-3877
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