What a Friend I’ve Found in Jesus

 It is crazy that October is over and we only have 2 months left of 2024. This school year has already been full of sweet blessings from God, and I am so excited for all that He is going to continue to do this school year. But, I wouldn’t get to even be a small part of what God is doing without the prayers and support from y’all, so thank you so much again for continually joining me in ministry! 

The Grove

The Grove (formerly known as Friday Night Fellowship) is our weekly large group meeting where we come together as a community and get to worship, fellowship, and listen to a message together. We consistently have had 190-200 students each week come and experience the Lord together, which has been so sweet to watch Christ-centered friendships be formed.  Over the last several weeks, we have been going through the Book of James and it has been a blessing to our students and staff alike. We have gone over topics like gossip, growing up, knowing and doing God’s will, and the dangers of wealth. Each week, I have been left with lots to think about and what it really means to follow Jesus in a world that can look quite opposite of that sometimes. It has been cool to see some of the girls in my ministry start to wrestle with these questions as well! Would you join me in praying for all the students that are coming to The Grove, that they would continue to be eager to chase after the heart of God? 

Christian History

One of my favorite parts of this job is the ability to keep taking classes for the sake of learning more about the Heart of God. This year, I am in a Christian History class with some of the girls that I did the apprenticeship with and I am loving it. So much of what we consider World History is intertwined with the Church and it has been so fascinating to learn about what the history of the Church has been and how that continues to affect us today. Weekly, we have been listening to lectures by professor Sarah Williams and the way that she explains our history keeps me captivated. This class has been so eye opening to the highs and lows of Church history and has had me thinking a ton about denominations, traditions, and how we engage with the past to help us understand the now. Getting to learn about all sorts of things is one of my favorite things to do, so this class has truly been so incredible. Would you pray that the things that I am learning continue to open my eyes about the heart of God?

Baptisms

We are only 2.5 months into the year and we have already had so many baptisms! It has been incredible to see people continue to give their lives to Jesus and publicly proclaim what He has done. One of the people that got baptized this last month is a sweet girl that was in my core a few years ago, Rylee. God has transformed Rylee’s life over the last 2.5 years and it has been so sweet to get to have a front row seat into what He is doing. When Rylee was in my core, she really had no interest in following Jesus or getting to know His people. During her sophomore year, she said yes to studying the bible with Andrea, one of my co-workers and good friends, and decided to give Jesus a shot just a few short months ago. While in prayer, she felt God tugging on her heart to make a commitment to Him and got baptized that night! I got to study the bible and baptize her twin sister, Kayla, over the last couple of years and getting to see Rylee also say yes to Jesus made me cry. Would you join me in praying for Rylee, and all of our other students who are on the fence about Jesus, that they would see Him clearly? 

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. Waldo was in the Getaway pictures last month! Can you find him this month?