May blog!

 

Hi friends and family! We have sadly completed the 2024-25 school year, and many of our students have returned home, though some are still around for the summer fun! Thank you so much for supporting me throughout this entire year! It's such a blessing to get to share with you all what God has done throughout the year. He has been so faithful to work in and through our ministry this year! The kingdom has advanced on the Denton campuses this year because of your support!

End of year party!

At the end of every year we do a party for the students in our ministry! We meet at a nature park, where they can swim in the lake, play yard games, and then we always have a time of honoring our seniors, and student leaders! It's always a bittersweet event, but a great way to reflect on the Lord's goodness with one another! This is most of the girls in Murphie (back left in glasses) and I's UNT small group! I've led many small groups over the years, and God moves powerfully in each one. However, there are certain small groups that stand out more than the others, and this one was one of those for sure. Every week each of these girls were just so joyful to come and encourage one another, share vulnerable areas of their life, excitedly share areas where the Lord was working in their life, and stay for various activities afterward where we could grow even closer to one another.  It truly was such a special year that I won't forget!

We had a great turnout, and a majority of our ministry came to close out the year!

These are some of Cassy (in the hat) and I's TWU small group members with some missing. TWU is my alma mater, so getting to work at both TWU and UNT campuses this year has been super sweet! I was primarily at UNT last year for ministry, but I love the chance to be apart of what God is doing on both campuses so that I can get to know the different groups of students in our ministry even better! One thing I loved about this small group specifically was how inquisitive many of them were. There were many small groups where Cassy and I would ask questions to the group, but then many of them would have follow up questions to allow for even greater group discussion on the topic of the night which was so fruitful and encouraging!

We always have a time of worship at our end of year party! A lot of the songs were centered around giving thanks to God, and allowed for a time of communal gratitude to the Lord with one another which is always a highlight!

The best part of the event that was unique to this years end of year party is that we had three baptisms! Something that stands out to me from this ministry year is that we've had more baptisms than I think ever before! The Lord truly is moving powerfully on our campuses, and students are continually wanting to renew their lives in Christ which is the best part of working in campus ministry! Getting to see the spiritual transformation of young people after God's heart! In this photo, a TWU student named Glenda was being baptized by our student leader, Chloe who studied the bible with her this year!

UNT Emerald's dance performance!

         In the UNT small group that I co-lead with Murphie (back left), we have two girls, Emily (front left) and Pilar (next to her), who have been apart of the dance team at UNT this year. They had an end of year performance that we got to go to as a small group to support them! It was a really neat show, and we are so proud of them! I'm always amazed when students are able to balance school work, jobs, ministry events, and clubs because it is not easy to do! I also love getting to witness the different talents that the Lord gives His children! 

                                                                                Shayla's peer team!

In our ministry, our student leaders meet up on monday nights either with the whole team of student leaders for a meeting, or just in our individual "peer teams" which are like small groups led by a staff member who meet in the same small group of girls throughout the year. This year I helped in Shayla's peer team preparing the meals, leading a small portion of the night, and facilitating conversations. Our peer teams are a chance for our students to grow in vulnerability with one another on different life, or ministry hardships they may be having from leading their own small groups. I love getting to come together and know our students on a deeper level, and help speak into anything they may be going through. All of these girls except one are graduating and moving out of our ministry, but they have been vital leaders in our ministry for many years now, and I will miss them greatly!

End of year hangout!

With my UNT small group, we got together one last time before the girls went back home for the summer to close out their finals week. We shared a giant Pizooki (Pie-shaped cookie with ice cream) at BJ's with one another. We talked about our favorite memories from the year, summer plans, and goals for next school year. 

Apprentice hangout!

Although none of us are apprentices (interns) in the ministry anymore, this was our original team from last year, and we used to do monthly dinners together to catch up on ministry life, but we hadn't gotten a chance to meet in several months. It was so sweet getting to reconnect with one another, and be an encouragement to each other throughout the different hard things going on in our lives or ministry and share that with one another. David (directly behind me) recently got married, and hosted us at him and his new wife's apartment, and it was great getting to see wedding photos, and hear about how newly wed life has been! Part of my love for ministry is that my coworkers become like family, and I will cherish that always!

Fashion show!

Diana (in the middle), just graduated as a fashion major at UNT. For her senior project, which is a rigorous assignment they spend many sleepless nights on for the entire year, is something they have to do in order to graduate the program. Diana designed each of these pieces that we are wearing! We got to walk at a runway event as well, which was a lot of fun! Diana has become a really good friend of mine, and has loved on the students in our ministry for four years incredibly well, and she is known for her joyful presence that she carries! I could not be more proud of her hardwork. Most importantly she has such an encouraging love for the Lord. The fashion industry is not vey kind to those who highlight their faith in their work, but Diana was bold enough to showcase her clothing pieces to reflect her faith journey! Even down to the details you can see that she has even laser-printed different bible verses on every single one of our clothing tops to emphasize Christ being on display! Diana is just one example of how the students in our ministry use their majors and focus their careers on not how successful they can be, but on how God can be the center of all they do, which is just amazing!

2025-26 School year!

If I haven't gotten a chance to share yet, I am continuing in campus ministry! I am currently in the midst of my fundraising season, and looking to partner with more people to reach my goal! If you are able to personally increase your giving, or know of anyone who would be interested to hear about campus ministry, please reach out and let me know! I would also love prayer as I reach my goal!

Student testimony!

Thank you all so very much for your generosity the entirety of this year!

Blessings & peace

Keanna