We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.
Hi! My name is Emily. I’m a FOCUS Missionary.
“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you.” -Pope St. John Paul
After serving on campus, I am excited to continue serving this mission as support staff through the accounting department! My own heart is being transformed in the process, and it is an honor to be on mission with you to reach college students and the whole world for Christ!
I am grateful to have been raised in a faithful family, yet knowing about Jesus was not enough to keep me from buying into the lies of finding happiness and peace apart from Him. I was living the college experience I had always wanted: I had great friends, the sorority experience, the job I wanted, and was living the college dream. But, during my junior year, God encountered me through a FOCUS Missionary when my heart was experiencing an insatiable ache and need for hope. A friendship with this missionary was not something I asked for, but it was the greatest gift I have ever received.
Because I was drawn to her joy and came to trust this missionary, I responded to her invitation to start praying for 30 minutes every day in the chapel, and it was here that Jesus encountered me in His Eucharistic presence. I came to know Jesus and to understand that the missionary’s love for me was a small taste of the ocean of love that Jesus has in his heart for me. I experienced that am so deeply known, pursued, chosen by a God who has a plan for my life. My desires began to change, and I slowly stopped desire to live in mortal sin. I received His love and gentle mercy that allowed me to believe that I could begin again in any moment and that life could be abundant and joyful.
A love like this demands a response, and I decided to make Jesus the center of my life, to follow Him with all that I am and to stop putting my identity in what others thought of me, my appearance, my successes or failures, or any of the things that were leaving me so empty.
This invitation is available to all of us personally, and God is inviting us today to surrender everything and follow Him. He loves us and meets us exactly where we are at. He knows how broken we are and how many times we have failed Him, and He would die on a cross and rise to save you all over again today. All of your sins are like a small drop of water in the burning Sun of God’s love and mercy. You are His child and precious gift, and He wants to bring you home to Heaven.
When I answered the call to join FOCUS, I made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners to help me through this mission. I have been blessed with the most amazing people who have journeyed with me as I serve on campus. If you are interested in partnering with me, please let me know of the best way to reach you and I will schedule an appointment. I would be honored to share this mission with you!
We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.
By building genuine friendships, we meet students on a deeper level.
We teach students how to share the gospel, who in turn teach other students how to pass it on.