November 2024

Keep FOCUS Growing is Underway! 

$77,000 in Matching Funds Pledged for Keep FOCUS Growing 2024!


Make a gift now to keep us reaching new students and expanding to new campuses


Denton FOCUS Friendsgiving

It's an annual tradition in our Denton FOCUS community to have two cores plan a Friendsgiving. It gives students a chance to take ownership in the community, plan ahead, host, be thoughtful, and onboard other students in the community to contribute, celebrate, and to love one another. 

Samantha and I 's core co-hosted with Michael and Jaxon's core (our group from Fall Retreat). Michael led us a in pastoral thought, someone from each group prayed for everyone, we ate, laughed, and played games together. Very thankful for our little communities that form within our big community. 

Here's some photos! 

My back porch filled with students eating thanksgiving food. We went around sharing a favorite Thanksgiving memory and got to know each other better. 


A very intense game of Fishbowl, everyone's favorite game to play in college. I believe we were on the charades round. 


Other photos from November: 

Sweet Aileen reading her senior epistle. She became a Christ follower in college after Claudia, a now alumni, studied scripture with her and told her the good news about Jesus. It's been 5 years! Claudia will graduate from TWU this December as an education major. 

Leo, Keelee, Gordon (from UTD FOCUS), and Madai. I was hanging out with some students and they decided to be cool and put on bandanas and embarrass their girlfriends behind them. 

Rikk Watts, a passionate Bible Teacher with his PhD in NT Theology, did our pizza theology seminar over Judges and some of 1st Samuel. What a gift to have him teach us more deeply about scripture!


Thank you for praying and giving. God is doing so many cool things on our campuses!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

June 2020 update

Image
Happy summer! Man did it get HOT all of sudden. I honestly don't mind the scorching heat, I would pick that over the cold dead of winter any time. I'm excited to update y'all, it's been a while. I want to start off with our May and June student testimonies. The May student testimony is actually really sweet to me for a couple of reasons. Markia is the younger sister of my friend Cierra. I met Cierra in FOCUS in 2013 when we were both students at UNT. When I found out Markia was going to TWU, I knew I wanted to study the bible with her and befriend her. She has been a consistent blessing to me and the people around her at TWU! When Markia and I were studying the bible together, I remembered the summer of 2015 I volunteered with our church family's Teen Camp. I remembered that Markia and I actually did a walk and talk and prayed for each other at that time about friendships and the future. When we both remembered, we were both like "Whoah!". How cool is ...
Read more

March 2024 update

Image
Hey, everyone!  This month, I want to feature one of my ministry partners and FOCUS alumni, Adam Chaibainou.  Adam was a freshman at Collin College the first year I started working with FOCUS full time back in 2016. He went onto UTD, did the FOCUS Apprenticeship, and is now a high school English teacher. He and his wife Clarissa are good friends of Grant and I as well and they've partnered with me in ministry, just like you.  Last year, Adam released a self-published book called I am a Child of God . He's also teaching in the public school system and the school administration decided to use his book for recommended reading. In his book he shares his deep grief, pain, and God meeting him through other people like his grandmother, his friends and mentors in high school, and college ministry (FOCUS).  In his own words:  "A few years ago, I transitioned off of Focus staff as an Apprentice and into the world of education. Since then, I've worked as an ...
Read more

April 2024 update

Image
Hey, all!  I'm excited to update y'all on the last month. First up is our student testimony from UTD. Take a peak and read Darreyl's story.  2nd to last peer team meeting in early April! I took these pictures as we had to "seek shelter" when the tornado siren went off. Luckily, the siren was short lived. Peer team is when Reagann and I come up with spiritual enrichment and development for the student leaders we meet with. We were reading through an article by Lewis Smedes on the Power of Promising. We were also laughing a lot together.  Our last peer team meeting ended with a prayer and group hug! What a sweet group of girls God gave us to faithfully lead and love like Jesus this year. They made such a special impact on our community and campuses.  Playing disc-golf with my homie Grace. She and I have facilitated core together this semester. I've loved us getting to be friends! She's done a fantastic job handling lots of challenges this year and remaining ...
Read more