Hi y’all’!
 |
Ashley, myself, Tirzah, Maria, and Amber nursing Sarah! This was such a
fun and sweet group to work with this year on the TWUD campus! |
Happy end-of-the-semester for my school friends! This past month has felt relaxing compared to the whirlwind of a month in March, so there is not a whole lot to share event-wise. However, this month has been surprisingly full of bittersweet moments for me. With the end of the semester, we wrapped up our Friday Night Fellowship (FNF) meetings and Cores, as well as our weekly leader meetings. We celebrated at the end of the month with a party that included a sweet ceremony honoring our corefas and graduating seniors, as well as yummy cake, dancing, and fun. At each of these events, I realized that it was my last time getting to do these things with the FOCUS community at UT Dallas. The sad thing is that I completely took each of them for granted until the event/meeting was wrapping up. That is where bittersweet came in.
 |
| TWU Dallas girls at the End of the Year Party |
 |
| We had our last leader meeting at a park near the school! |
The idea of leaving this community I’ve known for the past few years and moving into a new phase of life scares me. However, I know that my community isn’t stopping when I wrap up my apprenticeship or move an hour away. God has graciously given me a community that encouraged me to build wonderful, deep friendships that last beyond the boundaries of place and time. So although I will no longer have the time to hang out with friends on the whim, and will have to make a deliberate effort to make plans to drive down to Dallas or schedule time for phone calls, I will continue to maintain these friendships. This is the power of God’s love in our ministry and our lives!
 |
| Our Leader Team for Dallas |
One of my favorite verses this year comes out of the story of three of God’s people being thrown in a blazing furnace in Daniel 3 (I highly encourage you to read it if you have time). In fact, I think it has been my wallpaper on my phone for a good portion of the year. Each time I read it, I’m challenged in my level of trust in God and obedience to God. This year, a prayer of mine has been, “God, if it is your will for me to move to another school, then please close all other doors and opportunities for me to not be obedient to you.” That requires a level of trust from me that I’m not naturally comfortable with. Which is why I chose to hold onto this verse as a truth of God in my life. “And if not, He is still good.” So although I can praise God that I’m not being thrown into a burning furnace, I still resort to questioning His goodness in terms of meeting my personal wants and desires. But I want to grow in obedience to the Lord, and instead of prioritizing my wants and needs, I want to prioritize His plan, regardless of what it will look like for me. In my life, that looks a lot like repeatedly surrendering my will, plans, and pride at the foot of the cross, and embracing God’s will for my life joyfully.
 |
2 of my sweet roommates that I got to build
amazing friendships with this year! |
 |
The girls I got to spend the year with in Peer Team!
|
So with that said, I am excited to share with you guys that I will be enrolling in graduate school at the University of North Texas in the Fall and moving up to Denton, TX at the end of the summer. Along with excitement, I am also slightly nervous and unsure, but I know that God is so good. I am looking forward to being in a new community, having new roommates, attending a new church, and getting to grow in my trust in the Lord even more!! Along with going back to school...because I kind of love school. Please be praying for a smooth transition back into school and into this new environment!
 |
| TWUD reppin' at the Rangers Game |
But before I go back to school, I am going to continue working on staff with FOCUS for the summer! This will look like a lot of coordinating incoming student orientations for Dallas and Denton, planning summer outreach and Welcome Week for Dallas, Summer FOCUS on Thursdays, continuing to meet with girls from TWU-D, and other various tasks. I’m so excited to be able to continue working on staff for two months - especially because it will allow me to continue meeting with girls at TWU-D and get to know people in Denton before I move up there, in addition to it being a ton of fun. God has generously opened these doors for me and I’m excited to continue to trust Him in that! With that said, I will continue to fundraise support for these two extra months - please prayerfully consider continuing to support me over these remaining months on staff before I return to school. If this is something you are interested in or are willing to do, please give me a call or send me a message. I would love to talk!
As always, thank you for remaining steadfast in your love and kindness, and for praying over this ministry. Please let me know how I can be praying for you. I love you all a bunch!
 |
| The staff I got to work with this semester! |
One of my favorite verses this year comes out of the story of three of God’s people being thrown in a blazing furnace in Daniel 3 (I highly encourage you to read it if you have time). In fact, I think it has been my wallpaper on my phone for a good portion of the year. Each time I read it, I’m challenged in my level of trust in God and obedience to God. This year, a prayer of mine has been, “God, if it is your will for me to move to another school, then please close all other doors and opportunities for me to not be obedient to you.” That requires a level of trust from me that I’m not naturally comfortable with. Which is why I chose to hold onto this verse as a truth of God in my life. “And if not, He is still good.” So although I can praise God that I’m not being thrown into a burning furnace, I still resort to questioning His goodness in terms of meeting my personal wants and desires. But I want to grow in obedience to the Lord, and instead of prioritizing my wants and needs, I want to prioritize His plan, regardless of what it will look like for me. In my life, that looks a lot like repeatedly surrendering my will, plans, and pride at the foot of the cross, and embracing God’s will for my life joyfully. 
