In His Great Commission, Jesus Christ tells His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations.” This year, I will be responding to this command as a Greek missionary at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana! Geaux Tigers!My team! (left-right) John, Luke, Lucina, Josh, Taryn (and Charlie), Jake, Fisher, Kelley, myself

Growing up, I had always loved the gospel and the story of Jesus Christ. However, I often found it difficult to live an imitative lifestyle. I would attend church occasionally and read my bible when I found time, but I was not truly devoted to being a disciple of Christ. 

My freshman year at Auburn, I became enthralled with college party culture, halting the already dwindling relationship I had with the Lord. The deeper I sank into this lifestyle, the lonelier I felt. At some point in the year, while attending a history class, I became interested in the history of the Church and began to read about the beliefs and teachings of the early Christians. I was later invited to a Catholic mass by a friend and grew in conviction of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. As I continued searching, I reached out to a FOCUS missionary named Mary Wilson, expecting to find someone who could answer my questions about the Catholic faith. What I found was so much more.

My missionary didn’t simply teach me about Catholicism, she chose to invest in me as a person.

Week after week, she met with me, patiently listened to my questions, opened Scripture with me, invited me into authentic Christian community, and challenged me to pursue a deeper relationship with Christ through prayer and sacraments. She celebrated my victories, encouraged me through my struggles, and showed me what it looked like to live the Gospel with joy and conviction. Rather than treating me as another student on campus, she made me feel known, loved, and worth investing in. Through her accompaniment, Bible studies, countless conversations, and most of all God’s grace, I was received into the Catholic Church and discovered the joy of living as a disciple of Christ.

After this, another FOCUS missionary, Paige, continued walking with me during the next stage of my journey. She challenged me to go deeper in my prayer life, encouraged me to grow in virtue, and showed me that following Christ means continually saying “yes” to Him every day. Looking back, I realize how profoundly both of these women shaped my life. Mary Wilson helped me to make Christ the center of my life, and Paige taught me how to continue walking with Him faithfully.

College is an exciting season, but it can also be one of the loneliest and most influential times in a person’s life. Students are making decisions that will shape the rest of their lives: what they believe, who they will become, and what they will ultimately live for. In the midst of those questions, many students simply need someone willing to walk alongside them. God placed two different missionaries in my life at exactly the right times. Looking back, I can confidently say that two women who said “yes” to investing in one college student changed the trajectory of my life forever.

Being walked with in intentional friendship completely changed my life. Today, my prayer is to extend this same gift of missionary discipleship to the students at Louisiana State University. 

It is a great joy to invite you to join my mission team through spiritual and financial support.

Your generosity makes it possible for me to meet students where they are, build authentic friendships, open Scripture with them, and walk alongside them as they grow closer to Christ.

In 2 Timothy 2:2, St. Paul writes:

“What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well.”

This simple verse reveals God’s vision for transforming the world: one life faithfully invested in another. Someone invested in me. Now I have the privilege of investing in college students who will spend the rest of their lives sharing Christ with others.

When you partner with this mission, you’re doing far more than supporting one missionary or one campus. You’re investing in a work whose impact extends far beyond what any one of us can see. The students reached today will go on to influence others in ways known only to God.