Meet my team! Krysta Ann (with Baby John Thomas), Daniel, Sofia, Elizabeth, and myself! (Placement Day 2024)

I am honored to serve at The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) for a second year on mission. Oklahoma holds a special place in my heart because of my time living there while working at a summer camp 3 years ago; now that I am serving as a missionary, it holds an even more special place. I am happy to be back in the community, blessed continue immersing myself in it, and excited to serve all students that God’s placed at UCO!

I graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2021, then started my Master’s at Texas State University in 2022. I joined FOCUS during the Summer of 2023 and have been serving at the University of Central Oklahoma ever since.

I will never forget the first time I felt it. It was my first time moving away from my family into my own apartment hours away from home to start my Master’s of Education in College Administration. I had finally arrived to the place where I wanted to be. All the desires I had to help people, advance my career, achieve more academic recognition, and finally become “someone” in the world had finally been fulfilled. Yet, this all culminated in me sitting alone on my couch, wondering what the ‘next’ thing that would make me happy would be. I refused to believe that all my desires came down to loneliness and hopelessness. This was one of the most challenging nights I’ve experienced.

By the Grace of God, the next morning I realized I had two choices. I could either stay on my bed and continue going down a path of empty promises, or I could go to mass. That day, I was invited and welcomed with open arms. Soon enough, I met FOCUS missionaries at Texas State University. At first, I just wanted to hang out and have fun. I saw Jesus as a vending machine, and I hoped that by checking the right boxes, saying the right prayers, and doing the right actions with the right people will give me the happiness I longed for while still being able to do whatever else I wanted. Praise be to God this was not the case at all.

One morning after a life-changing Confession, I saw the FOCUS team praying in the chapel during Eucharist in Adoration at 9:00am. I remember being so mad because I could not logically understand why anyone would waste an hour of their day praying in front of what I thought to be an empty room. I remember screaming inside of my lungs hoping for someone to tell me that there had to something more to life. It was at this moment that I realized that I was never meant to find some-thing, I made to find Some-One. By getting involved in bible study, discipleship, SEEK, and developing virtuous friendships, a prayer and sacramental life, I realized that everything in this life is meant to lead us to a deeper relationship with Christ. Therefore, nothing that I did mattered if it did not lead me closer to this purpose. I realized that nothing that I did for a student mattered, no amount of education, orientations, events, mentoring, or advising mattered, if they did not know who Jesus Christ is. Therefore, I made the difficult decision of withdrawing from my master’s degree, my internship at Texas State, and become a FOCUS missionary.

My hope is to bring the Gospel, a message of Hope,  to all people I encounter by my witness and testimony. I hope to be able to deeply invest myself into the lives of my students. I hope to lay down my life for them, for there is no greater love than to lay down one man’s life for his friends (John 15:13). I hope to show students that nothing will ever fulfill, but someone can; that is our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Building latrines during our mision trip to the Dominican Republic in the community of La Jaguita, Spring Break 2023)

God has given me the privilege of dedicating my entire life to bring the Gospel to the students, the people, and the community at UCO as a Catholic Missionary. He has convicted me of His great commission so greatly that I decided to withdraw from my master’s degree program and from my previous job to be a full-time missionary with FOCUS. He has also given me the privilege of going on this mission with people who love and support me, both spiritually and financially. These people are my mission partners, and they have become part of my family and community over the past year I have been on mission. I am very grateful for them.

I believe that whenever someone joins my mission support team, they aren’t simply offering their works, prayers, and sufferings of each day; they are offering their very beings. They are offering Graces for the Kingdom of God which, with the Holy Spirit, will renew the hearts of countless students. None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for your support, and I would love to invite you into mission with me at UCO! Please feel free to contact me if you would like to talk to me about joining me on mission. I appreciate your generosity and taking the time to read my story. Know that you are loved, and that I am praying for you.
Phone: (956) 510-2631
Email: [email protected]

(My students and I at SEEK23 in St. Louis, Missouri)