A New Horizon...

What a whirlwind of a month! It has been incredible getting to be back on campus, getting to hang out with new students, and getting to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of college students. Thank you all for being a part of this year with me and for letting me be on campus throughout this year! 

Staff Retreat

Right after our new year kicks off, our entire staff team goes out to a camp in Glen Rose to be together in the presence of God. That time is seriously so special to me and helps me continue to have a vision for what God is doing on all of our campuses. Each day we had worship, a message, and time to talk to God and each other about what we feel like God is laying on our hearts. This year, the theme of staff retreat was “The Heart of Ministry:__________” where some of our pastors preached on this like God’s love, abiding in Christ, Service, Transformation, and Sacrifice. Through each session I was continually reminded that ultimately the heart of ministry is to look more like Jesus. I am so excited for all that God is doing on all of our campuses and cannot wait to see what this year is like! Would you join me in praying for all of our campuses this year and that ultimately they would reflect the heart of God?

Welcome Week!

At UTD, we have 2 welcome weeks that we call the Weeks of Welcome (WoW). During these weeks, FOCUS hosts an event a night which creates a crazy jam packed two weeks. We meet hundreds of students each year and get to be a group of people that welcomes them to campus for the first time! During this year’s WoW, we got to host events like Line Dancing on the Lawn, Retro Recess, and Rizz Class that help people make friends and find community here on campus. The goal of all of these fun events is to create community on a campus that is continually voted in the top ten loneliest campuses in the nation! Our prayer is that these students would know that they have people on campus that want to know them, already love them, and want to show them Jesus. Would you join me in praying for all of the students we met over the last two weeks? Specifically that they would be interested in what Jesus is doing on campus and would find community during their time in college.

CORE!

Each new year, we build a new small group, which we call cores, with girls that have been in our ministry and new girls that want to be in our ministry! I had my first core of the semester this past week and I AM SO ENCOURAGED! The girls that came were all super excited to be there and when asked what they would like out of core, all said that they wanted friends who are like-minded! I really do believe that God has placed them together for a reason and I cannot wait to see their friendships form throughout the year. My co-fa (co-facilitator), Sarah, is so awesome and loves people so well! I really am looking forward to this year, these girls, and all that God is going to do in all of our lives. Would you join me in praying for unity in our core, that it would be a place of fellowship and friendship, and that God would move in big ways in all of their lives?

Thanks again for joining me in ministry this year and for being so supportive of all that God is doing at UTD! Your prayers and support have been so apparent and appreciated!

Until next time,

Jessica :)

P.S.Can you find Waldo this month?