Much to Celebrate

MERRY almost CHRISTMAS, YOU GUYS!

    It's getting very close to the end of the semester, so we had to have our last in-person core right before Thanksgiving. We reflected on the year so far and I was touched by how these girls expressed so much gratefulness towards what I call our "little pocket of community" (or our core). They talked about how thankful they are for the friendships they've made here and for a place to experience Jesus together. This was encouraging to me because that really is the vision of FOCUS coming to life- bringing students into an environment that loves God deeply and loves people well. I've seen each of these girls grow in how they think about and live out their faith in Christ. I'm sad to have an extended break because of the pandemic, but we will continue to meet virtually in December.

Sam and I  started this fire for s'mores by ourselves with no instruction.
Are we ridiculous for doing so? YES.
Am I very impressed with us? Also YES.

In other news...

    I AM ENGAGED! 

    (Eeeeeeeekkk!!)

    For those of you who have never been introduced, this is Austin! He is thoughtful, servant-hearted, and such a goofball. He also is involved in campus ministry with FOCUS. He leads and loves on other students so well and I am ecstatic about calling him my husband one day! The Holy Spirit has taught me so much about being a selfless disciple and a faithful friend through Austin. 

Love you, pal!

   

 

    And here's something sweet to bring the conversation back to ministry- This wonderful girl brought me flowers and a card to say congrats on engagement! 

This is Thu. I'm studying FOJ (Focus on Jesus, a one on one bible study) with her this year. She grew up in a Buddhist home, but is exploring Jesus right now. She's great. I can't wait to tell you more about her!

Student in the Spotlight: 

    It has been so neat and refreshing studying the Bible with Thu because she's seeing so many stories about God through a fresh lens. I often breeze over familiar passages of scripture, numb to the impact they may have, but Thu is reading a lot of these stories for the first time. My favorite thing is when she told me that she found a lot of hope in Jesus and the things we talk about in core- AND SHE MEANT IT. It was so convicting to me. I don't know how often I sit and experience the hope Jesus offers because it's just my norm. Thu's hunger for the word of God is life-giving to me and I am so happy to call her my friend. Pray that God continues to work in/through this relationship.

PRAY PRAY PRAY:

•  For the students in our ministry going home to hard family circumstances and/or isolation from Christian community over the holidays. Pray for our leaders to love on them well from a distance/virtually.

• For the book clubs, scripture readings, and fun events we have planned virtually over the break. Our pastors have thoughtfully prepared things for our students over the next month or 2 that we think could really serve them. I'll be leading a book club!

• For Austin and I! Please pray that we are selfless and honoring to our friends, our families, and God as we wedding plan. Pray that we are doing things now that set us up for a successful, godly marriage.

Seriously appreciate you guys!

God Works Through Friendships

Another Month, Another Blog!

October was an incredible month in ministry. I can't wait to share all about it.

    To start, we had our Fall Park Day. Typically we have a Fall Camp around this time of the year where students will spend an entire weekend at a retreat center to worship together, play games, and make new friends...but this year with Covid in the mix, of course we had to change some of that. UTA put on a single "Park Day" instead of a weekend retreat where we incorporated a lot of the same ideas. We spent a whole Saturday at Mount Lebanon in Cedar Hill and I was SO encouraged by the fruit that came from this. Six girls from my core came (plus Sam and myself) and it was so clear that this event was impactful to each of them spiritually and relationally. They shared with me after about how the mini-sermons and some of our student leader's testimonies convicted and encouraged them in their own walks with God. It was also evident that our whole community at large felt more connected to one another and got to taste the goodness of real community and build deeper friendships within our ministry. God is so good for the clear weather he provided for us to be able to be outside for most of the activities. The indoor activities we cautiously approached with masks and, PRAISE GOD FOR 0- I REPEAT, ZERO- COVID SCARES in response to this larger event!!!

Here's some pictures from Fall Park Day!

An exciting game of volley ball, if you couldn't tell

    The community building continued amongst my core throughout the month. These girls have eagerly pursued relationships with one another. They hang out multiple times per week even when neither Sam nor I facilitate anything! It is so clear that God is moving in this group and is using our ministry as a platform for his work. I hear about conversations they have about Jesus with each other when their curiosity is stirred in our core or in our Thursday night "Deep Dives". My personal highlight within our small pocket of community would be our trip to the pumpkin patch though! It's such a simple thing, but God really did use this gathering/field trip as a time for Sam and I to communicate love and friendship towards these girls. It also gave them a space to practice those things for themselves. There was a difference after our little adventure in our next core- girls began to share more deeply and more personally than ever before, and I think that's because they felt loved, safe, and accepted in our group- the way I think Jesus' presence makes us feel.

My beautiful core, my sweet friends!

Student in the Spotlight!   

    For the next few months, I've decided I'll share about a different student I've gotten to have a personal relationship with. This is Melina! 

    Melina and I are studying FOJ. She has been so hungry for God's word and truth. She has been humbly seeking guidance in multiple areas of her life and I think the Lord is really using her humble attitude and teachability to mold her to look more like him. I adore spending time with her and I think God has given us a really special friendship. I asked her if she would tell me what's been impactful to her about FOJ so I could share it with others and she said, "how vulnerable I can be...Throughout my life I truly struggled with opening up to people but having FOJs with Taylor have been really helpful towards my spiritual and mental health. I also love how we both have this big love for Jesus!" This girl is the sweetest and God is doing work I cannot even begin to take credit for. He has been so strategic in aligning our struggles. I've been able to minister and speak into Melina's life by sharing truths God has pointed me to in my own hardships.

    I'm excited to share in the future about the work God is doing in other girls!

Prayer:

• Over my one on one studies with Melina, Sarah, Vanessa, and Thu
• For our last cores to be impactful and for our ministry to be thoughtful and creative in loving our students while they're at home! We won't really see anyone after Thanksgiving until January
• Safe travels/healthy bodies as people go home for Thanksgiving celebrations
• For my teaching certification tests! I plan on taking them in December and am still deciding if I want to go into teaching after this year or if I want to stay in ministry for a little longer- so please pray over that decision too!

Here's our monthly student testimony. Read and pray please and thank you!

    Thanks a ton for reading and supporting me financially, in prayer, and with your words!

 

 

Fall Update!

 

Hi sweet friends and family!!

   Well here we are, 2 entire months into my apprenticeship!!! I can't tell if these months have gone by really fast or really slow...but either way, they have been so good. First let me introduce you to my core because that's where I currently am seeing God's hand at work the most. Cores are small groups of men or women that come together to worship, share life, study scripture, pray, and build deep friendships. 

Here are my girls!!

                            

    They are the BEST. And that's actually not even all of them. This picture was taken at my 2nd core and we have 3 more students who have started coming since! Mine and Sam's core is made up of 7 freshmen girls, 1 new Sophomore girl and 1 senior who is returning to our ministry- it's quite the group. I am so glad the Lord put our community in front of these women! I also get the opportunity to meet up with a few of them one on one to study the Bible  I've been so in awe of the questions these girls bring. God is clearly doing work behind the scenes that neither Sam nor I could do. 

Thank you so much for praying for me, my core, and the F.O.C.U.S. ministry at large- God is answering abundantly!

We now do "Deep Dive" in place of Thursday Night Fellowship (TNF) and we have been able to reserve a room on campus that fits about half of our ministry! So we rotate each week who gets to watch in person (socially distanced) and who watches from online. The arrows point toward one of our pastors, Austin, giving a sermon.

    I adore my core and I see God moving there, but I also think God is doing quite a bit of work in my own heart personally. I can't pin down one single theme that God is currently emphasizing in my life, but I can see a bunch of smaller things God is doing to further mature as a disciple. 

    One thing I'm learning about and actively growing in is assertiveness. I've learned that my natural tendencies are to people please, avoid conflict, and always be polite...but how often in the gospels is Jesus just polite? Of course I don't think it's always bad to be nice, but let's take a real look at how Jesus lived- he said some very controversial things, stepped on people's toes and often offended people! He called people to hard decision making points. Do I look like Jesus in that way? I realize to the reader who cannot see the fullness of the work happening in my heart right now, this maybe seems concerning, but Jesus is making me into someone who can be assertive and confrontational when necessary out of deep love for God and care for his people. This already has had challenging, but rewarding implications within some of my closest relationships.

Here are a few other things I'm learning about, growing in, and experiencing: 

1)  How to be a better spiritual friend and disciple maker- not just in college ministry but in all spheres of influence I'll have in my life. What are good questions I can ask? How do I approach people with sincere care for them and their relationship with God? 

2)  My identity and value to the Lord that's not based on my thoughts or feelings about myself, nor is it based on any of my efforts, accomplishments, or failures. Truth about who I am comes from God and his word alone.

3)  HUMILITY. Can I be honest with people and with God about where I'm at even if that means they see my imperfections? Will I choose to ask questions or say things that might make me look foolish? Will I serve without expectation of recognition?

    I look forward to sharing more about the above and other things not mentioned that the Lord is doing inside of me right now. I know there's a lot happening in my heart and mind this season, and it's hard to recognize it all, but I am confident that the Holy Spirit is heavily using this time to shape me.

How you can pray:

• Continued growth and maturity amongst the women in my core and wisdom for Sam and I to be able to foster that; also for our core to be a genuine group of friends in life-transforming, loving relationships with one another!
• For my own intimacy with God and leaning into what he's teaching me and how he's healing me
• For all of the current apprentices in F.O.C.U.S. who are busy and tired- that we would manage time well and be re-energized by God's spirit, people, and rest!

This month's student Testimony:

Thanks for reading and praying!

   

    

    

First Month - His Hand in Unprecedented Times

HEY EVERYBODY!

Hannah and I tabling outside the UTA library,
interacting with the students who pass by!

     Wow, I cannot believe it has been a full month already! Where did the time go? I'm not sure, but God has really been using it. First off to my readers and supporters- THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS over Welcome Week at UTA! Prayers answered ten-fold, let me tell you all about it: Just about each night of the past week or so (beginning with August 22nd and still happening), we have been having informal hang outs (outdoors and masks required) on campus. We have been throwing frisbee, playing volleyball, and making crafts while inviting new people in to join us. It's incredible how many have been receptive to this invitation! We have been able to befriend so many students here. I believe this is partly the result of COVID-19 and the desperation people are feeling for social interaction because of it, but I believe even more so that this is due to God's spirit working in hearts all around us. We even had to split up our core-fas (our student leaders) around campus because too many students that we had met and invited showed up- what a blessing of an issue to have! (Don't worry, we were able to keep people in small, socially distanced groups!) I am beyond excited to share about the students who choose to stick around and invest more time in our ministry. I eagerly await the fruit that comes from new students being actively discipled by our returning students and staff members. Keep praying over those sweet souls we've recently encountered and are pursuing right now!

     We also had our first TNF (Thursday Night Fellowship) this past week. We will be live-streaming every Thursday night at 7:30 so that students can tune in either from their home, or from a location where we have a small watch party. It was definitely not quite the same to worship with only our UTA staff members, and a couple of students who lead worship, but nonetheless, GOD IS MOVING.
     

First TNF! Filming and streaming from the Northeast Church.

     That's actually something he has been teaching me a lot about. I've been reading in the Old Testament quite a bit lately and it seems that time and time again, God works through an unexpected person or situation- like how Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers and actually ends up being a powerful political figure in Egypt, or how David commits adultery and murder yet God still uses his bloodline to bring up the messiah, or even how such strange, possibly even mentally ill people were prophets God used to speak his word of judgement and hope through, and there's so many more things I could list! Then on top of that I am getting to watch first-hand how immensely God is blessing campus ministry in these unprecedented times- first by a wildly successful fundraising season, not just for myself but for the FOCUS staff at large, and then all of these people showing up to our casual hangouts, eagerly responding to our invitation into Christian community! I mean, seriously God?! He truly is bringing beauty out of ashes. "God works through the unexpected" is definitely a statement I would have agreed with a few months ago, but now it is written on my heart after experiencing a season such as this one.

     Things are really just getting started, but I do not doubt I'll have more specific and awesome stories to share in my next posts as the school year gets rolling.

Prayer:

• Over mine and Sam's core! We will start Tuesday September 1st and will meet every Tuesday from here on out. Pray for girls to experience community that models the kingdom of God and for Sam and I to be faithful disciple-makers.

This is my co-fa, Sam. We are so excited to lead core together this year. We haven't always been close friends, but she has been great about seeking to know me more through intentional questions. I'm excited for our friendship and how God will use us to minister to women in our core this year.

NEWSFLASH: I am going to start including testimonies from FOCUS students at the end of my blogs to celebrate what God has done in our ministry and encourage those of you who support me or FOCUS with real examples of how your contribution is making a difference for God's kingdom!

Deanne's Prayer Requests:

• For our pastor's to have wisdom and perseverance to minister in these unprecedented times
• For our university and college administrators- that they can make both a safe and positive environment for students in the decisions they make.

Thank you so much for reading, praying, and supporting!

Let's Get Started!

Hi readers/supporters!!

First, know that I am SO thankful that you are reading this! It is such an honor to have your attention  for a minute and I am incredibly eager to share with you what I've been up to and what God is doing.

I just completed the first week of doing my apprenticeship with F.O.C.U.S. and man has it been a long, but very rich one. College courses have not yet begun for students on the campuses we minister to, so right now the apprentices have just been learning...and learning...and learning more! We have read from Genesis to Joshua in the past week while also listening to Iaian Proven's lectures (from Regent College) in addition to having our own class discussions (shout out to Brandon and Victoria for leading those- they have been great!). It's been a pretty hefty work-load, but I have already gotten so much out of my experience. I have been challenged (and will continue to be) to think about and wrestle with parts of God and things in scripture that make me very uncomfortable, but I know this is valuable and I am deepening my understanding of God's goodness. I also am so glad I get to do it with such a sweet group of people by my side.

Here's the apprentice ladies:

First Day!

We've only really known each other (apart from some Zoom interactions) for about a week, but I am already so excited for the fruit these relationships will produce. Having this small group to walk through this season will be such a blessing.

Side note: We also got ordained this week! It is encouraging and empowering to be a woman in ministry.

Just Reading Away...

I also wanted to say- even though I have only been doing this for about a week, my preparation began long before that, especially considering fundraising. For those who don't know, I have fundraised my salary for this year to be able to do my apprenticeship with F.O.C.U.S., but I would imagine many of you reading are actually supporting me, so 

   
                          THANK YOU!!!

I have been so in awe of God's goodness and provision for me through the generosity of His people. I hit my fundraising goal and even got to increase my budget a bit because of how generous people were. WOW. I still can't get over the fact that so many people have demonstrated love for me and to God's kingdom work by giving financially. 
To my supporters: Y'all are incredible and I cannot begin to express how thankful I am. Your generosity has made me more generous.

Can you believe I wrote so much and it's only been a week? I look forward to sharing about this next month with you all! Here is the biggest thing you can be in prayer for right now:

• WELCOME WEEK! This is a time where we typically meet new students who are moving in and fresh to campus. It's a great opportunity to invite people into loving, Christ-centered community, but this year is going to look very different due to the challenges Covid-19 poses, so please pray for our wisdom in going about how we reach students in these times and for receptive hearts as we invite people into friendship!