I’m a first-year missionary at Valparaiso University in Indiana!!  GO BEACONS!  I can’t wait for the many ways I will encounter our Lord on campus, especially through the young women He invites me to walk with.

Entering college in the fall of 2021, a relationship with our Lord was the last thing on my mind. I came to get my degree in Biology and run cross country and track, period. I had grown up in the Catholic Church from my youth, but regarded God as someone who was only needed when I didn’t find myself in control. I didn’t think that my college experience would be any different until I was encountered by a FOCUS missionary.

I was immediately captivated by her genuine curiosity and love for me, gentle pursuit, and the virtuous manner with which she lived. Each time I found myself injured and unable to compete, I was drawn into deeper friendship with her, those at the Newman center, and for the first time, our Lord. I didn’t realize how hungry I was for relationship, especially with my Father who I found out knew me, loved me, and called me His beloved daughter.

Eventually, I was invited to SEEK, a national FOCUS conference for college students. There, I was convicted by the reality that as a Christian, I had a responsibility to share with others that they too were made for relationship with Him. Immediately, the Holy Spirit placed Totus Tuus on my heart, an apostolate started by Pope Saint John Paul II that sends teams of missionaries to teach God’s love through Mary to the youth of a diocese. With very little understanding of Totus Tuus, I said “yes” and signed up for the summer of 2023.

I quickly realized, however, that Totus Tuus required regular public speaking, teaching, leading others in prayer, and corralling little kids — all of which I was terrified of and not skilled at. Realizing I could no longer rely on myself, I surrendered this mission to the Holy Spirit, praying that He take control and provide for that which I could not. Every day of mission I made this prayer, and every day of mission He was faithful. Looking back at that summer of Totus Tuus, I saw how our Lord did what I deemed impossible through me and how He had used FOCUS to lead me there. With a greater zeal for souls and desire to magnify His glory through my littleness, I was then able to give an even bigger “yes” to becoming a FOCUS missionary.

However, my “yes” cannot be possible without yours. When I answered the call to join FOCUS, I made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners like you to help me accomplish our Lord’s work at Valparaiso University in Indiana. If you are interested in being on mission with me, please let me know of the best way to reach you and I would love to schedule an appointment.