Shayla's Ministry Blog

Merry eve of Christmas eve, all! I meant to write sooner, but an upper respiratory infection got the better of me the last week. I believe I'm on the mend, though my sweet husband is on the couch in a DayQuil nap, if you could spare prayer for better health as we are supposed to travel tomorrow, we will gladly accept. I've been reflecting on what to tell you all about. There's lots of good news and prayer requests as always, but I will do my best to make this blog a little more personal than usual. But first, our monthly student testimony comes from a girl from Richland College. I have a special place in my heart for community college students, as I think they are a unique battleground for Christ. Please read Sayuri's story! Keep FOCUS Growing update: A lot of you prayed, and gave to this fundraiser. Every year we have done this fundraiser, God has blown our minds through his people's generosity. Our most recent number that I know of was $92,425. I seriou

Happy Holidays! I say that because technically I can't say Merry Christmas yet because Thanksgiving hasn't happened. So for now, let's pretend we are all waiting to listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. Can you tell I'm really excited for Christmas? I've said Christmas three times already. Anyhow, onto some good news! Our student testimony this month comes from a sweet, humble guy named Johnny. I've known Johnny going on my 4th year now. We were so blessed to have him at Collin, and still super blessed to have him at TWU. This guy is an encouragement, and I hope you take some time to hear his story! Keep FOCUS Growing! (KFG) Our annual fundraiser for our non-profit is upon us! FOCUS is a small non-profit funded by people like you. We operate on a shoestring budget, and every year for this fundraiser (and other fundraisers), God blows us away with generosity from so many! We have this fundraiser to help cover staff costs including salarie

Hey, all! It's been a bit since I've updated y'all. I want to start off by saying thank you for your prayers, relationship, and financial generosity to us. Since the school year has started, we have seen a lot more receptivity to people attending our ministry, and developing relationships than in the last year. It's been busy, I've met so many girls in the 6 weeks! I definitely can see how the Lord is working in his people in Denton, and it's possible because his goodness and your prayers. SO, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Here are our two student updates from September & October: Core: This year, I am leading core again! It's been a couple of years, but core is the "core" of our ministry. This is what we call all of our small groups that are typically lead by student leaders (corefas). I've been co-leading with an art student named Ashley. God has been really sweet to me to get to lead with her, learn about her, and

Happy August, all!  As summer winds down and the school year gears up, I just want to say thank you to those who continue to support me, and to those who are new who joined my team! The longer I do campus ministry, the more aware I become of the need for partnership in prayer, financial generosity, and relationship for the campuses. It's such a diverse place to be and an exciting arena to tell people about Jesus. As we enter the school year, please take time to ask God to soften hearts, and for boldness in all the campus ministries to tell people about Jesus and be friends with whom are willing.  And now for my favorite part: an update! This time it's from an alumnae, Chelsea Davis. I was actually in FOCUS at the same time as Chelsea at UNT, and over time we have formed a neat relationship. Please take time to read her story. She is a smart girl who loves God and loves people.  Welcome Week: Okay, those of you who have been with me for a long time know that W

Happy summer, y'all! I am so excited to fill you in on things that have happened and things that are  happening  this summer with FOCUS. I always look forward to summer with the slower pace, more flexibility, and of course our Summer Focus Fellowship meetings. I love these because I get to interact with everyone from all the campuses, staff and students included. Our June and July student testimonies: SICM: SICM was amazing. Every year is, but every year is a little different. Thank you for praying for our students who got to go up there and learn more about discipleship. I have seen these students take initiative over the summer with meeting new people. I have seen them carpool together to drive 45 mins to Richardson for our fellowship meetings. I have seen them initiate bible studies. So thank you for partnering in prayer for them and this opportunity to learn more about God and who God wants them to be.  Our Denton Crew at SICM Heather: Heather is a sw

Hey, hey, hey, it's *Justin Timberlake voice* May!  Before I jump into to everything that is to come, I wanted to thank you for all of your prayers, support, and generosity. I specifically want to point out Spring Showcase. This is something that we labor over for months trying to plan and execute so that our students can go to SICM and encounter God in new ways, and be equipped to share the good news of Jesus on their campus. Spring Showcase was a success, and we couldn't have done it without your support. Thank you!  My sweet friend Ana performing with her Dad at Spring Showcase This month's student testimony is from one of our very own Denton students. His name is Steven, and he is seriously sweet as can be. I've gotten to see Steven overcome shyness and share and minister to others on Friday nights, he makes himself available, and allows guys in his life to confront sin, which he mentions in his blurb. I hope you are ministered to by reading h

Hey, everyone! Happy Spring! Speaking of Spring, I wanted to tell y'all about Spring Showcase one last time. It's only a week away, (April 6th) and I am so excited about what it's for. Every, year we send a bunch of students to Bellingham, Washington to be trained in the art of campus ministry. The conference is called SICM (Student Institute of Campus Ministry), and SICM just celebrated 26th year of training people. When I was a student at UNT, I was invited to SICM in 2013 with people who I would eventually work with on our staff, and with people who would become my best friends. All of these people are still on mission today. It was there that I caught a vision of what practical and biblical mission could look like on a college campus, in the workplace, and how to invite people into being transformed by Jesus. SICM is a unique gift that keeps on giving. This is a bad picture of me on the right, but a good picture of everyone else in this photo at SICM 2013. The gir

Hey everyone! Happy March! I just wanted to start off by saying how thankful I am for all of you. Y'all have been so wonderful at responding to prayer requests for our students, and I can honestly say I'm seeing some real heart change from the Holy Spirit in our students lives. Thank you for being faithful in your support of campus ministry, and more than anything your prayer is the most vital part of it. Speaking of heart change... this month's student testimony is from Evan at Richland College. I don't know Evan personally but I have seen him around a lot and it's cool to hear more of his story and how God has impacted his life. Take a peek: Pizza Theology: For this semester's pizza theology, we had our staff teach through Exodus. Rhett and Abbie from our UTD staff, Jalen from our UTA staff, Laurence from our SMU staff, and our very own Kristen from Denton staff did an amazing job leading our students to learn more about God from the Old Testam

Hello, all! Happy February! I am so so so happy that I and most of you live in Texas right now, because that means we are escaping the polar vortex currently. I literally am not even a little prepared to deal with weather like that. It's one of the blessings I have been counting lately, our fair weather. What are the small blessings you've been counting lately? As always, we have our student testimony for the month! I actually know this girl, and met her last May at our SICM conference in Washington. I have gotten to know her story over the last six months and I'm so encouraged by her spirit of perseverance, and service to our ministry. Nicole's story is powerful. Quick note: In her testimony, she mentions that she met a girl named Shayla at TWU. I am not the Shayla she is speaking about. She referring to another girl that was involved in our ministry last year, and I'm thankful God used that girl to reach out to Nicole. Winter Camp: This year, we had ove

Hey, everyone! I hope your Christmas was a wonderful time celebrating the birth of Jesus with friends and family! As sad as I am about the Christmas season ending, I am excited for the new semester which starts very soon. I think the Lord is going to do something big this semester, but before I get into that, I would like for you to read about Timothy, a student from our UT Dallas campus. Have a peek! Staff Retreat: Every Winter, our entire FOCUS staff from all over the metroplex gets together for a 3 day retreat to meet, and discuss various things that help us prepare for the new semester. This Winter Staff Retreat was perhaps the most thought provoking one I've attended so far. We read The Life and Narrative of Frederick Douglass. It's about a former slave who fought tooth and nail to learn to read so he could  eventually escape the horrific slavery of the South and be free. This was a freedom that he prepared for years to execute, while suffering through some of the wo