May blog!

Hi friends and family! Happy summer! I pray that it would be filled with lots of family time and time spent soaking up the sun as well as God's goodness!

                                             Sicm(Student Institute of Campus Ministry)

                     The biggest part of this month every year is our ministry at large putting on our yearly leadership conference in Washington State. Focus has a long standing partnership with a campus ministry there called CCF(Campus Christian Students) where we have modeled a lot of our ministry values after. We send those of our students who have been faithful, available, initiative, teachable, and have a clear heart for God and His people to learn what it means to be a leader in Christ. It's always just an incredible time because you're surrounded by almost 200 students who are fully bought into God, and value knowing him more deeply and are open to being stretched in new ways of how God wants to use them to bless others now that others have done that for them. Our Denton students specifically just really stand out this year in their hunger for God. An example of this is that several of them organized a time during a lunch break they had to share their testimony's for the whole group. This was completely on their own, and not something they had to do, and they could of chosen to play sports games during their break, but chose to proclaim what God has done in them instead, which is just a great picture of the neat students we have who will be leading this next school year! 

Every year we take a whole day to go out to do evangelism on several of the Washington state and some Canadian college campuses. This is after having a session on what evangelism is and why it matters the previous day. This is a photo of them getting instructions for the day before prayer and being sent out in pairs! Most of them have never engaged in this before this point, so getting to hear their takeaways of boldness and pushing past fears and hearing their excitement about sharing Christ with people is so awesome!

Another huge highlight of this trip is that our students and staff stay in homes that are hosted by various families that are connected with the church that CCF is apart of. The hospitality of these families that take in so many of our students, making meals for them, showing them neat areas of the state, etc. is clear evidence of God's love and selflessness towards us that was evident to me from our host couple pictured here. They took so much of an interest to get to know us and what God was teaching us through the sessions, and even how much they cared to share about their own lives and how God had moved in us was so special to have. 

                                                                      Baptisms!

                    Our very last time with all of our students before many of them leave for the summer, we put on our first ever type of service that we called "washed". It was meant to be an opportunity for any students who had really experienced growth in the Lord to have the opportunity to be baptism before our whole community! We had about six baptisms, and they got to share testimonials of what Gpd did in their year in themselves and in the people who poured into them which was so encouraging! All of them got to be baptized by the student leaders who had directly met with them in a one on one bible study for about ten weeks where they really get to know the person, lovingly challenge them in their faith and share in deeper friendship. We had a time of worship as well as a way to give God all the glory for all He's done and continues to do powerfully in the lives of so many college students who were willing to choose God over their year instead of other empty things that don't sustain us.

                                   

          One of the baptisms got to happen at our conference in Washington since this student, Laighton and her family live there and they were able to be there in person! Also, this was at the very beginning of the trip in front of the whole group of 200 students which was just a neat way to have our students get excited for the kingdom work that God had in store for the rest of the week!   I have been so blessed to know Laighton this year, anyone who interacts with her leaves her presence more joyful and aware of God's love because it is so evident about who she is, and she is always sharing that which is so neat. She is apart of the music program at UNT among several others who have been in our ministry this year, and this is so exciting because an area of campus like that can often solely be focused on their purpose being in their skill or what they can do, and many of them are apart of a music program bible study every week that they encourage their friends to come to! God is giving us more and more doors on campus to connect to in ways we haven't gotten the chance to before. Please join us in prayer as we seek to do that in other groups of people of campus  we have yet to really interact with: specifically sports teams, and greek life!                                                 

                                   

One of our other students got to be baptized after a church service that we had so that her family could make it. I've gotten to spend time with Amyiah over the year getting to know her, and the things she has left behind since knowing Christ, and she just radiates Jesus!

                                                       Corefa end of year party!   

                        

        Every year we do a celebration for our student leaders to thank them for all they have done in the countless hours they spent meeting with so many students both one on one and in the small groups that they lead. The best part of this event we do is the sharing time we have over what God did in their year, or how God worked through someone around them. It's so sweet getting to hear many stories that I had no idea of how God was working in certain students lives', but it happening in big ways in each and every one of them. 

                               

         These are the girls (minus two) who were in my peer team this year which is where I got to directly mentor them in thier co-leading pairs on how to lead their small groups well. Each of them I've gotten to create a sweet friendship with alongside mentorship, and have grown so much as leaders!

                                                                    Graduations!

            So many of the students that I've gotten to know for several years of their college journey graduated this spring! Something so neat about working in ministry for three years now is that I have gotten to see almost their entire time in college, and all the ways he has shaped them, and how differently they are from when I first met them. The neatest thing about campus ministry to me is how quickly you get to see people say yes to God and really dive into knowing more deeply with their whole lives. In general college is such a transformational time of maturity, but specifically seeing a students spiritual maturity be transformed through their surrender is a way that God reminds me how clearly He is at work in bringing those into His kingdom and being blown away by the power of God around me, but also in  me as these students cause me to personally reflect and challenge my own faith and deepening with Christ.

                                                Fundraising for the new school year!

I am officially in the midst of our yearly fundraising season. I am about 30% of my goal that raises each year. If you know anyone from your church, family, or friends who you think might be excited to want to partner with me or even to hear more about campus ministry and how to be praying, please reach out to me! Your current support has been so meaningful, and I'm so thankful for your willingness to support me

                                                            

                                                                          Student Testimony!   

                                                         

Thank you all for your immense generosity and support towards me and in God's ministry with college students. 

                                                        Blessings & Peace,

                                                                Keanna