Wrapping Up the Semester

Thank You! 

I mentioned in my previous blog that we were launching our Keep FOCUS Growing Fundraiser. This fundraiser is super important to the long-term viability of our ministry. With over 30 staff members at 11 different campuses, our ministry has many administrative costs to keep us running. But, more than that, we are passionate about being in the position to move when God calls us to. The Keep FOCUS Growing Fundraiser allows us to spend money on outreach on our campuses, invest in new campuses if God leads (like our SMU ministry!), and invest in the future of our ministry.

Thank you so much for you generosity! Thanks to you and your generosity, we were able to end our fundraiser early! And, we exceeded our goal! Our goal was to raise $50,000 this year, we exceeded our goal by over $14,000! That's amazing! God has been so gracious to our ministry!

Wrapping Up the Semester

December ended up being a jam-packed month! At the beginning of December, we asked Jeremy Bergstrom to lead our students and community in an advent service. Jeremy is a big reason why our ministry is even allowed to operate on the SMU campus, so it was super cool to have him lead the service and get some time with our students! Our goal was to invite our larger community to take part in our SMU community but to also prepare for the Christmas season. I tend to get carried away with all the things I need to do in December, so I really appreciated the chance to start my month focused on Christ. I think our students and community really appreciated it as well!

We wrapped up our last Core and one-on-one Bible studies for the semester and celebrated with a Christmas party combined with Richland College, UTD and TWU Dallas.

A Little Time in the Snow

Some of my family went sledding (we didn't last long in the cold)!

Most of my immediate family does not live nearby. Our family is stretched across 4 different states so getting time all together is hard to do! But this year my immediate family was able to be together for a slightly delayed Christmas in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Though it was so cold (in negative temperatures most of the time!), I'm so thankful for the flexability to work from a distance for a time and to spend the holidays with my family. Thank you for supporting my minstry and work with FOCUS!

January Student Testimony

Graham Spencer
Collin College
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"FOCUS showed me what a real relationship with God is. Coming from a Christian private school, I thought I understood God pretty well but I didn't have a relationship with him at all. Through the example of my Corefas, staff members, and just so many other students, I saw what it means to earnestly seek God. One of my favorite moments from freshman year was a talk with my friend, Pedro. We were good friends at this point in the year, and I had become pretty vulnerable with him. We got into a serious conversation about our current walks with God, what that looks like, and why. After poorly answering how my relationship with God was "pretty good", Pedro really pushed my ideas of why I was Christian. I ended up realizing most of my faith was blindly following the laws God had given us, and not really seeking him out. Pedro then opened up to me that he had struggled with the same problem early on in his faith. I'm beyond thankful for Pedro and so many other friends like him who have spurred me on in love. Before FOCUS, this community, I was living half the life I am now. Now, I am living life with God, not just for him."

Prayer Requests:

• Winter Camp is this weekend! Please be praying that our students would radically encounter Jesus this weekend! Please pray that deep friendships would be solidified and that our staff would have the stamina to minister to students this weekend.
• Please pray that our students would be outreaching in their classes and purposeful in their friendships this semester!