I am in my first year of my FOCUS mission and have been sent to UMass Amherst! This placement will draw me out of my home in the west into the northeast and I am very eager to begin this journey that the Lord has called me to. We see Christ in the Gospel of Matthew invite the Apostles to leave behind their nets and follow him for the sake of leading others to an encounter with our Lord by way of evangelization and the proclamation of the Gospel. In my life, the Lord is calling me to a similar commitment to leave behind my “net” and follow him. I know that the Lord will bring me through much transformation in my time serving in Massachusetts and I cannot wait to encounter these students on campus!

I grew up a cradle Catholic and my parents were faithful in going to mass every week and receiving all of the sacraments of initiation. However, in my freshman year of college, I fell away from the faith for a time, immersed myself into the empty promises of the world and thought that there was no off ramp for me to come back to our Lord. Despite my deprived state of living, God the Father did not forget me, and through the indelible mark on my soul by way of my baptism and confirmation, The Spirit of the Lord called me back to his Church in a radical way and I have not looked back since my reversion in the summer of 2020. In the remaining years of my undergrad, I involved myself with FOCUS through bible study, discipleship and FOCUS Summer Projects. I was also heavily involved in my community at Arizona State, which was pivotal in my own human, spiritual and intellectual formation. In one way or another, we are commanded by Christ to go on mission, and this is the way he has called me. I do not know the road ahead, but I know that many have gone before me, and it is now my turn to play a small part in the continuation of salvation history.

The call to mission is never done without the support of others. As a FOCUS missionary I rely on the spiritual and financial support of Mission Partners to help me reach students on campus. I would love to share more about the mission of FOCUS and how the Lord has impacted my life. If you would so desire to prayerfully and financially join this great mission with me, please do not hesitate to reach out and I would love to set up an appointment with you!

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” Matthew 28:19-20.