Hey I've Got Some Cool Updates!

My peer team, doing their best to act normal. From left to right: Aaron, Alex, Drew, a loaf of bread, Ivan, Jacob, Bekwele, Trent's head, Nate

Sometimes, God calls you to grow in something that seems exhaustingly mundane and un-spiritual. Sometimes, God calls you to do things that don't seem fun, efficient or the way you would choose them. But if it's God's directive, it's good!

Right now, I'm dealing with the fact that the biggest thing God is calling me to do is be a healthy, well-functioning adult. When I decided I was sure God was calling me into ministry, I pictured the problem with me ministering well being a lack of prayer, a lack of knowing God, hard-heartedness, or the Enemy. God is teaching me more than ever that a HUGE part of my heart being in the right place is being responsible for negligence and giving Him the most basic structures and habits of my life. I'm pretty convinced that had he been alive in our day, the apostle Paul would have been a huge advocate of using an online calendar/planner. So that's where I am- a young minister who has been taught love (and still wants to grow in that a lot!), but is seeking to grow into the maturity of full-time ministry shoes. 

Big News!

This long-term ministry thinking is important because I have recently decided to stay on staff with FOCUS for [at least] another year! While my apprenticeship was in Denton at the University of North Texas (UNT) and Texas Women's University (TWU), I will be transferring back to UTD (The University of Texas at Dallas) next year. This is exciting because UTD was my alma mater! I love the students and staff in Denton, but UTD is where God taught me to have a heart for college students, and it is a school I know much better:)

This photo was taken of me during my first year as a student leader with FOCUS at UTD. Ah, to be 13 years old again. (I'm actually 19 in this picture, but I look like I'm 13)

Spring Showcase 2018 is TOMORROW!!! As a reminder of what Spring Showcase is- every year, we send our potential student leaders to the Seattle, WA for a week-long conference called the Student Institute of Campus Ministry, where they learn how to be missionaries and disciples on their campuses. In order to help students pay for this conference/trip, we do a show/art sale every year called- you guessed it (probably)- Spring Showcase! This year, we're doing 2 shows- a 3pm matinee and a 7pm show, with an art sale in the middle at 5:30pm. They will all be at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrolton. You should come! The New York Times calls it "the preeminent entertainment fundraiser of our time."*

*they don't. they don't know who we are 

Prayer

• Pray for our students to continue to grow closer to God and one another! 
• Pray for continued patience and direction for our students and leaders- it's often easy to coast the last few weeks of the school year, but finishing well is so vital.

Thank you so much to everyone for their prayer and support. You're taking part in God's work to build His Kingdom on these college campuses as much as we are.