February update



Hey, everyone!

It's been a little while. I can't wait to tell you what's been happening in our ministry since my last update. But first, we have our first student testimony to share with you from SMU. This is really exciting because FOCUS at SMU is new this year and already a handful of people have found their home through FOCUS Canterbury (the SMU name for FOCUS). Here is Candice's story.



Outreach:

As the Spring semester starts at Collin we deal with a number of transitions. We encounter a whole new group of students who decide to start and our ministry experiences a second wave of interest. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, we host a formal outreach to meet new students, and if they're interested, we invite them into our lives and to FOCUS. It's hard for our staff to tell from the inside to see if there is any fruit, but after reflecting on it, we have experienced new people who are excited to learn more about Jesus, more people who are attending our Thursday Night Fellowships, and more people who are interested in our one on one discipleship studies. The best thing, however, is that they're interested in the fulfilling relationships Jesus has to offer. The success doesn't come from numbers, it comes from relationship. Some even more awesome news from the outreach? The Central Park campus of FOCUS (McKinney) is now offering a coed core! This is amazing news due to the fact that Cody, Ryan B., Austin, and Ryan H. just started doing outreach there in August.

Coed Core in McKinney

News:

I have a couple of transitions to announce for y'all, but fear not! They are exciting changes. The first one is that I got engaged a few weeks ago. I'm so excited to finally tell you all! It was in Whole Foods while family and friends hid upstairs. Grant, my now fiance and I met in Denton after he did the FOCUS apprenticeship. He asked me out 2.5 years ago after church one day, and we have been together ever since. I am so excited to spend my life with him. And yes, you are all invited! 

The other news is that Ryan Bristow and I got asked to consider moving to Denton FOCUS. While I am sad to leave Collin, I am excited to return to my alma mater as a campus missionary once again. The week before I got asked to go, I was praying and for some reason I thought about how our staff are called to other campuses. In that moment, I felt God impress upon me that he had plans like that for me too. At first I didn't believe it (area of weakness for me), but then I got offered the chance to go and I knew this is what I was being called to. I am comfortable here in Plano, but we never grow when we're comfortable. Please be praying for Ryan and I's as we transition. I will not be leaving Collin until June. Never fear! I will not be far away, and I am still with our FOCUS staff! 

Prayers:

Please be praying for the lost on our campuses, and for God to be healing those suffering with anxiety! 

- Shayla



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