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Our 2021-2022 UTA Leader Team. What a great group of students.
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Howdy! It is finally May and I have some exciting ministry news to update y'all on. I want to start first by honoring our student leaders, otherwise known as our Corefas or Core Facilitators. This group here is who makes our ministry possible year after year. These are full time students, sometimes working full or part time jobs, volunteering 20ish hours a week to serve God's Kingdom on their campus. We as a 9 person staff team could not possibly meet with and host cores for as many students as there are available at UTA, and these fine young men and women stepped up into that discipleship role.
You would be blessed to meet any of these disciples, as God is really maturing them while they mature others. This is probably my favorite part of campus ministry. We get to meet new students year after year, befriending them, teaching them, casting a vision for their life as a disciple, and then seeing so many of them step up to what God has called them to. I know I grew so much every year I was a corefa in college. God is good because He uses new, challenging, and extremely growing experiences for His Kingdom. Not only have all of the students pictured here matured in their faith, but all of them have gone out to bless even more students, resulting in a larger umbrella of the Good News being seen. God is good in the ways He works, so be praising Him for all the relationships He has formed this year through this team.
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| Always gotta have a funny picture |
Speaking of Good News, I wanted to share some pics from a recent baptism I got to attend. This is Harrison Wijaya. He is my friend from Collin College back in 2018, and he is going to graduate from UTD this semester! We studied the Bible together and I had the immense honor of walking alongside him as he grew in his faith that year. He has since then been an active leader and disciple, both at Collin and UTD. He is a friend to many and is quick to seek wisdom through mentors and Scripture. Praise God with me that He decided to get baptized recently. Let us also pray for him as he steps out of college life into full time work, that he may listen to the Spirit's call for him, and continue to do mission work wherever he goes.
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| Harrison and I after his baptism |
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| Harrison, and the three other students who got baptized, praying together. |
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| Harrison, Johnny, Sion and I. We were all in core together 2017-2018 back at Collin. |
As April comes to a close, so are most of my classes. We have been taking many courses, but the most prominent of each semester has been reading through the entirety of the Bible. This semester we read through all of the New Testament, some articles along the way, and listened to an entire college course lecture series from theologian Rikk Watts from Regent College. Not only did we get to learn remotely through Rikk Watt's fascinating lectures on the New Testament, but he even offered to do a Q&A every Monday morning with us for an hour. We have been very blessed to have these connections with Regent and with him.
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| A poor quality photo of Rikk zooming in with us for class Monday morning. |
I will close out my blog with some photos of various events that I could tell you all more about in person. Thank you for supporting me in this year of ministry and for potentially a couple more. Be praying for our students this summer that they will continue to mature in their faith, and not recede into old habits. Be praying now for the incoming freshman for the Fall. We have a lot of preparation to do for next School Year!
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| A Men's breakfast I put on with my co-pastor, Austin, and friend, Matt. We wanted to connect the men of our church with the guy students from FOCUS by providing them with a free breakfast. Lots of fun. |
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| Last photo of our Core from UTA. We spent the night reflecting on how God has moved in our lives this year then writing encouragements to one another. |
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| This photo means a lot to me. I was a part of an art market in Arlington recently. Luke, the one closest to me, is one of our corefas this year. He is very out going and a go getter. He came with some other students, all of them wanting to support me, bought some shirts, then immediately changed into them for a group photo. It was a very sweet gesture and I love seeing elements of Jesus in our students actions like Luke's here. |
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| TCC put on a Samba performance/lesson. Many of our students partook in the class. They are on the left side of the photo near Emily. Very fun memory for the year. |
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| This is my TCC guy, Colton, learning to Samba. I love how he is beginning to branch out and be more bold. We have been talking a lot about how he can grow in vulnerability so he can reach his fellow students and coworkers. I think simple things like this are a sign of growth. Also it is a very funny, awkward photo. |
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