Monday, September 5, 2016

WOW!

WOW!  It's Labor Day, and that means I and the rest of the UTA team are finally catching our breath.  We just finished the Maverick Stampede (two weeks jam-packed with welcome events, including the first day of classes and our first FOCUS meeting of the semester) and God has shown that He is working at this campus.  I wish I could tell you about all the amazing things I've seen and heard in the past couple of weeks, but I would have to write a novel!  I'll just give you a few highlights:


UTA Student Leaders ready to help with move in

Our UTA students have shown a tremendous enthusiasm and dedication for campus ministry this past month. They helped new students move into the dorms, invited them to play games and eat together, and some have already had the opportunity to share about their faith in Jesus!  FOCUS wouldn't function without student leaders who take on the responsibility of ministering to their peers, and I am in awe of the incredible young people who have chosen to take on that responsibility this year.

Cooling off with water balloon dodgeball on the second day of class
Much of our outreach during the first few weeks of school is making new friends and having fun together.  The other staff and our student leaders attended many dance parties, BBQs, and other campus events with the goal of meeting lots of new people.  We made connections, got phone numbers, and invited people into our community throughout the week.

Girls' Game Night

This year, I will be a Corefa again!  It's been a few years since I've had the chance to facilitate a Core, and I'm excited to see how God works in the girls who will be gathering together every Wednesday night.  Pictured above are the girls who came to a game night hosted by me and Renee (my Co-Fa).  I'm praying that they will come back this Wednesday night for our first Core and that they would be open to learning what God wants to teach them!

Our first Thursday Night Fellowship

Last Thursday, we celebrated our first Thursday Night Fellowship (TNF) of the semester.  Over 100 students packed into a meeting room in the University Center to worship Jesus together and hear preaching from the scripture!  Some of those students signed up for FOCUS at their orientation, some saw a poster or sign on the campus advertising our organization, but most were invited personally by someone who purposefully met and befriended them this week.  God worked through those one-on-one interactions to bring this group of students together in His name.  Please pray with me that these students would come back to TNF and join Cores so that we can continue to call them to become disciples of Jesus.



Finally, I would like to invite you to our 20 Year Celebration!  FOCUS has been making disciples on campuses around DFW for 20 years now, and I think that's worthy of a celebration!  If you are excited about the work God is doing on our campuses through FOCUS, please plan to join us on October 8 for this celebration!  And please let me know if you plan to come.

As always, thank you for your prayers and support!  I am so encouraged to know I have a team like you supporting FOCUS at UTA.