At Mass one day, the gospel reading began with Jesus saying, “Not everybody who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but rather only those who do the will of my Father.” Having been struck by this, I took a moment to ask the Father what His will was for me without thinking even remotely about jobs or vocation. The Lord answered me plain and clearly: “Do FOCUS.” 

So, here I am! A FOCUS missionary serving at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI. You will often find me at St. Albert’s (our Newman Center), at a coffee shop, or on the campus talking to students! Jesus has changed my life, and I want to share my story with you! Come find me at Michigan Tech, and I would love to share it with you! 

I entered college confused, lonely, and misguided. I sought fulfillment in what could not fulfill me, and I sought happiness in what could not make me happy. The fulfillment and happiness that I was experiencing apart from authentic friendship and love were merely illusory. Faith played no big part in my life, and consequently, I worshiped many idols including politics, athletics, and the opinions of others to name a few. My soul was being torn apart, and I had no peace. I lived in darkness lying to myself and to God about the reality both within me and outside of me. Nobody really knew what was going on inside of me, and I didn’t want anybody to know. 

God is Beauty. God is also Truth, and so the truth is beautiful. God is also the light of the world, and He heals us by bringing the truth to the light. I immediately encountered this when I began seeking out faith in college. The Lord met me where I was at and spoke to my heart. I had never heard anything so beautiful, challenging, and inviting as the Lord’s voice in my heart. God knew me, for he says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jer. 1:5). He knew the inner struggles of my heart when nobody else did, not even myself. Moreover, God is Love, and He is a loving Father. He has compassion and He desires that I experience true love, peace, joy, and eternal life. I was far from Him, but he was close to me illuminating my darkness with light. During my freshman year of college, I began to see the truth about myself and the world around me in a way that I hadn’t before. I was confused and ashamed. I was still lonely. But! Jesus is intimately united to his Body, that is, the Church. Accordingly, He placed intentional and authentic friends in my life who were filled up on His love and the Holy Spirit. Having been filled on the Bread of Life, they were able to love me in an extraordinary way that nobody else could. It was ultimately their friendship and love that drew me ever closer to God and gave me an authentic encounter with His Church. They walked with me when I was lonely, and they suffered with me when I suffered. They loved me unconditionally even when I was hard to love. Through their love, they won me over to Christ. My life was changed by Jesus Christ through His servants: they cared about me because He cared about me. Now I want to do the same. 

As a missionary, my greatest desire is to lead all students to Christ. I believe that the truth has the power to set people free, and the truth of the Gospel has given me so much freedom; my life has been transformed by Jesus, and I want to bring this joy to others and introduce students to the life-changing message of the Gospel. In His ministry on earth, Jesus humbled Himself to meet us on our level, taking on our humanity, and spent most of His time investing deeply in a few. I look to Jesus own example to find the best method of reaching the world. I’ve been constantly amazed by the different souls I’ve encountered on campus and the incredible work the Holy Spirit is performing in these souls and mine. 

When I answered the call to join FOCUS, I made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners to help me through this mission. If you are interested in partnering with me, please let me know of the best way to reach you and I will schedule an appointment. I’d be honored to share this mission with you.