I will be serving at Northern Illinois University until December 2026. After four years attending NIU as a student, I am excited to have the opportunity to introduce our new FOCUS team to the campus! NIU has an amazing community of faith, and I cannot wait to invite more students to share in it.

When I first started college my faith life was hanging by a thread. I was raised Catholic; however, I was slipping away from the faith. I started to live a double life, I would attend church events and FOCUS bible studies, but my heart wasn’t truly focused on knowing Christ. Returning to my dorm it felt like I was leaving faith at the door. I don’t know how much further I would have strayed if it weren’t for Thomas.

Thomas was one of our FOCUS missionaries, and he pushed me to build up my faith. Every January there is a massive Catholic Conference called SEEK. Thomas would invite me to SEEK maybe 2-3 times a month. I knew I wasn’t living faithfully in my internal life, so I told Thomas no just about every single time he asked me. Winter break arrived and I was back home. Thomas called me about a week before the trip. “Alex, we have an open spot for the SEEK trip. It’s entirely paid for; all you have to do is show up. Are you interested?” Well, I couldn’t say no to that. I realize now that in this moment God was speaking through Thomas. He knew what I had been through, and He knew where I was headed. I reflect on that call often and hear Gods earnest plea to restore my relationship with Him. All you have to do is show up. At that moment in time, that is all God wanted of me. He wanted me to be present with Him in a radical way. That is exactly what happened on the trip.

I joined a group of my fellow students, and we headed off for Saint Louis Missouri. At first, I thought it would just be a fun little vacation that wouldn’t change me much. Over the course of the conference, God deconstructed the wall I had built up to keep Him out. Through the speakers and their earnest passion for serving God, I was confronted with a series of serious questions. Was the path I was heading down good for me? Would it bring me joy? Would God want my current lifestyle for me? I knew the answer to all these questions was a resounding no.

At that moment my double life became clear to me. I couldn’t pick and choose when I allowed God into my life. I had to make a decision to pursue Him or turn away from Him. After returning from SEEK my life was changed. God, working through Thomas, had turned the thread that held me to my faith into an unbreakable cord. My heart was reconfigured to Christ, and though I am not perfect, my goal from that day onward has been to pursue Christ as faithfully as I possibly can.

Through the support of mission partners like you, I can go out and help college students like Thomas helped me. There are many students out there waiting for Gods call, a call to live deeper, more joyfully, and radically different from what the world offers. Together, we can allow God to use our voices to reach them.

I have seen firsthand the incredible feats God has accomplished through FOCUS. Please pray that He continues to do such works through me. Thank you for your prayers and support!