We are Christ's Ambassadors!

Hello everyone, I hope you are staying cool in this hot weather, there is no doubt now that it is summer!

This month, I have been trying to spend intentional time with the students who are in town for the summer! It has been really neat getting to interact and get to know students outside of the school semester because I have found that they are not as preoccupied and stressed about their classes (haha). It has been really life-giving to be able to enter into deeper conversations more quickly with these students. At the beginning of the summer, I asked God that he would grow me in prayer, specifically in praying for other people. He has definitely been answering my prayer through conversations with students because they always give me something to pray for them for!

One particular student, who will remain nameless for the sake of privacy, mentioned to me that they have been having a pretty tough time with their parent because they do not approve of their involvement in our ministry, and has strong opposition towards Christianity in general. It can be challenging to know how to respond to situations like this in a way that is gentle and encouraging, especially because family conflict can be so sensitive. However, I was reminded that God can work through all situations to reconcile us to Christ, including whole families. In 2 Corinthians 5:15-21, it says that  “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” Please join me in praying for this student as they continue to represent Christ to their family, and that one day, they would come to an understanding of who God is and what He has for their lives. And Praise God for this student who is bravely choosing to honor God in their life even when it comes between them and their family.

Every summer, our staff spends a significant amount of time building our leader team for the following year. It has been so special getting to meet up with students and share with them how God could use them this coming year on campus to show people who He is! I have been spending time with two of the students in my core this past year, Savannah and Portia, and have been encouraging them to pray with me to see where God could move through them this year. It is so funny because I think back to my sophomore year of college and being asked to consider leading core the following year and the overflow of doubt and concerns that came to mind. I remember being encouraged by a staff member to remember that “God’s power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9), and now I get to use that Scripture to encourage students who were just like me to step into the year with faith and trust that God can and is willing to use what little we can offer and turn it into something good!

So far, both Savannah and Portia plan on leading core this next year! I am so excited!!

This summer, our ministry has been participating at UTD’s orientation organization fairs, where incoming students come and learn about the different organizations on campus. Each fair, we have had two students working our table and talking to freshman about who we are and what we are about. Please pray for each of the students that we meet, that we would do a good job of making them feel welcome and that they would come onto campus ready to dive into community. I personally know of a student who will be attending UTD from my high school, and I am super excited because she will be the only student from when I graduated that is coming here!

On a fundraising note, I am currently at 82% of my goal for this coming year! Thank you so much to each of you who are praying and giving generously towards what God is doing on campus. Still, I hope to reach 100% by the end of next month and could really use some references! If you know of anyone who might be interested in investing in students at UTD, please let me know!

Love you each and I hope you are having a great summer!

Love, Andrea