Hallelujah!

Hello everyone! I hope each of you is having a lovely spring season so far. I am sending this email out a little earlier than usual, but I wanted to make sure and send it soon because…

I got engaged this past weekend!!! I have been dating this really sweet guy named Will for a little over a year now and we have decided to get married! God has been so good to us and has blessed us and guided us throughout our dating relationship with the help of many of our mentors and friends. Many of you may never have met him, so I wanted to invite you to join us this Saturday for a come and go engagement party happening at my house. The details are below, but I’d love to see you there if you are free and in town! Funny enough, Will and I met in FOCUS, so each of you have played a part in our journey, by caring and providing for me in order to continue being at UTD! Don’t worry though, Will is 25 so the age difference is minimal hahaha.

This month has also been full of different kinds of celebrations! So many students have decided to get baptized, it’s been such a sweet season watching students make decisions to dedicate their whole selves to Jesus. Through this season, Titus 3:3-8 has been repeating in my mind, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”    Every week at The Grove, we have a section of our service called Community Time where people can submit photos of them living life in community. Throughout the year, there have been numerous students submitting photos of them finishing Focus on Jesus, our one on one, student led, Bible studies. Through many of those studies, students have decided to follow Jesus and get baptized. One of the girls who got baptized this month is named Mina. Mina is a freshmen who we met at the beginning of the year, and she joined Nyellie’s core and studied FOJ with Nyellie. I had the opportunity to meet with Nyellie last year and study FOJ with her, so it’s been so sweet watching her take up the call to make and mature disciples. I now get to see her pour into new students and continue the great commission! What a joy!!!

Please pray as we finish out the semester, that we would do it well! That our students would be fired up to continue developing their relationship with God over the summer, especially for those leaving town that might not have as much access to a community of believers they know well. Please pray that those students find a community! Please also pray as they finish out their exams, papers, final projects, presentations, etc. that they would continue to work hard to honor God as students!   I praise God for every one of you! I pray a blessing over you. Love you each! Andrea