July Update!

 Hi friends and family! I hope you've had a wonderful summer with your loved ones and those around you! Thank you so much for your support this past year, and into the new semester ahead! The school year is quickly approaching, and I am so excited about all that God will do this year in our ministry!

Summers with the apprentices!

Pretty soon we won't be called apprentices anymore which is very bittersweet! Here is a photo from the very end of June that I didn't get a chance to include from last month's blog. I am going to miss this team so much, but so thankful that we have already pre-set up our sabbath dinners for this next semester. Even though things will soon ramp up with all our schedules, we will still get intentional time checking in on how we're each doing, and seeing what God has been doing in our lives!

Markia's Wedding!

Last blog, I mentioned how one of my close friends of mine, Rian, who is in our ministry got married. Equally as exciting, so did another one of my close friends who was not only in our ministry with me, but someone I grew up with in the teen ministry from the churches that support the FOCUS ministry! So it's an understatement to say how special it was to celebrate yet another one of my friends who I have done so much life with. Largely through FOCUS, I have gotten to see God at the center of my friendship with Markia and the same is true for her relationship with her now husband, Caden! Something I thought was really unique and God-honoring about their wedding was that instead of having dancing, they chose to do a time of worship! During the worship, I kept praying for those at the wedding who may not know Christ and just hoped that God would plant a seed in their life. I wouldn't have thought to pray this if not for this super neat time of worship!

 Here is a photo of some of our apprentices that were at the wedding, and Jessica (in the purple) and I  were in the wedding together, which was really special! 

Here's a photo from our bachelorette trip to Houston for the wedding! All of these girls have been a part of the FOCUS ministry previously which is so meaningful to have experienced learning what Godly friendships should look like, as well as getting to hold onto them even after college, into new seasons such as marriage!

Going away brunch for Amelia!

Amelia was in my small group last year, and we became really sweet friends! Soon she will be leaving for a study abroad trip to Spain for a year! She got to drive up from Houston to come to our fellowship gathering and stayed over at our house afterward. We stayed up late getting to catch up on her summer, and got brunch together with our roommates as a send-off the next morning before she left. I will miss her greatly, as she has been such a good friend to the people in our ministry, and been a great example of persevering in her faith despite hardships! However, I know God will take care of her in Spain, but prayers for her safety and that she would be brought Godly community are so welcome!

Owen's birthday party!

Owen turned one! Reagann (in blue) is Owen's mom, and is on staff with FOCUS. She was my supervisor this past year, so I got somewhat of a front row seat in her life this past year. I would meet at her home weekly as she would listen and love on me well, as I navigated what ministry life is like. She pushed me to look more like Christ by identifying ways I could grow, but mostly encouraging me in the things she saw in me that I may have not seen in myself which was so meaningful to me. Reagann, as well as Darby on our Staff both had babies this year, and taught me so much about how to love and serve in ministry even when the seasons of your life shift. Ministry is not easy, and neither is navigating being a new mom, but they both did such an awesome job balancing those major changes with such grace. They also showed our students a great example of the kind of parents they could become one day who put God at the center of their lives. It was the sweetest thing seeing these babies be loved on by so many students in our ministry, and gaining a vision for the life they could have following God and being surrounded by community when they grow up hopefully in FOCUS!

Summer FOCUS!

This was a few weeks ago at our fellowship gathering. The sermon from Darby that night was titled: "Embracing Limits" and resonated deeply with so many students including myself. In ministry and with life in general, it can be so easy to want to do it all, but God has given us limits to remind us of our humanity, and inability to be the ones in control of our own life. This takes regular surrender and willingness to let God take the reign of our life. Along with, inviting regular rest into our lives, trusting in God to sustain us. Something that Darby ended her sermon with was asking Becca on our staff to come up to sing a song over us that followed with this same theme. I hope these lyrics resonate with and bless you. I also encourage you to reflect on the ways in your own life that you struggle to embrace limits, and ask God to help you in this because we are not meant to carry it all alone, and praise God for that!

Licensing Ceremony!

Each year we have a handful of our Staff members re-committing their length of time working for our ministry or committing for the first time! This allows them to make public commitments to our students to lead in a way that honors God and his people well! I would love for you to view the live stream using the link above if you have the time!

Student Testimony!

Thank you all again for your continued prayers, and generous support towards my ministry!

Blessings and peace,

Keanna