Take me back to November!

Hello ministry partners! I hope that each of you had a great Thanksgiving and that you were able to spend some time with your loved ones. November was a great month for ministry and I’m so excited to share that with you!

Our core girls are becoming such great friends to one another! I have been so encouraged by how many times they have mentioned hanging out with one another outside of core, and how positively they speak about one another. We have been hosting movie nights, thrift store runs, and hangouts after core that have been so special. Even during core, they have opened up so much and we’ve had the opposite problem now of them talking a little too much and getting us off topic, haha! In core, we have been talking about all sorts of things like prayer, gratitude, and this past week we talked about how to rest well. I am blown away by how much Zoe and I have been able to step back and let them run the discussion themselves!

We had an event called Pizza Theology where students from all of the campuses that FOCUS is a part of came together to learn about the topic “How to Think Like a Christian”. One of the main things that stood out to me is that as Christians, we are not only free to think, we are also expected to think. College students are at such an important time in their lives where they begin to think more deeply about what it is they believe and why. In college, they will get the opportunity to dive into their career plan and learn more advanced topics. I have been challenged to believe that if we are willing to take our career plan and academics seriously, then we should also be willing to learn just as much (if not more) about our faith. I’m so thankful that we are able to have events like this where the students can start to think more critically about what it means to think like a Christian, and start practicing that in their lives!

This semester, UTD has allowed so many more in-person events to happen on campus. As a result, we were able to put on an event called “Everything’s Bigger in Texas!” where we set up giant inflatable games and invited students to come and join us! It was a blast, and I got to meet some new students and invite them into our community. It was so fun watching new students have a ton of fun and get away from their studies for a little while haha.

Last week, the girl core leaders all got together to have dinner and celebrate the semester. There was a time of sharing where we went around and talked about something that God has grown them in throughout the semester. It was incredible to hear how God moved differently through every single one of them, and made me amazed at how big God is that he is able to meet everyone where they are and not just leave them there, but help them grow and mold them into who He knows they can be. I am so encouraged by our leader team and I am so thankful for each of the girls who chose to step up and be willing to serve. Praise God!

This past Tuesday was our Keep FOCUS Growing fundraiser. It is so exciting to announce that we met our goal!! I am seriously so in awe of how God moves through people’s hearts to generosity, thank you so much for all of you who gave towards this campaign. I am so excited to keep showing you how God will use your donation to keep FOCUS growing on our campuses and to others!

Finally, I leave you with a short testimony from Sandra, who is in my core:

“Hello, my name is Sandra! I’m from Waco, Texas. I am currently a freshman healthcare studies major on the pre-med track! Before moving, I set the goal of taking college as an opportunity to start over and begin to full-heartedly live my life in Christ. Being a part of Zoe and Andreas core and attending FOJ with Andrea has helped me do just that. We have learned about the meaning of friendship, God’s character through the bible, and personally, I have learned the consistent love and grace of God when your mind is consistently set on Him. I also have gotten to experience genuine and uplifting friendships with the girls in my core which has helped make UTD feel more like home! A few prayer requests include: motivation when I’m drained with school, and peace and reassurance when I feel anxious or stressed.”