God has called us to serve the college students of the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, TX. We are entering our fourth year of ministry and have been thrilled to see all the growth on campus so far. But how did we get here?

Evan’s Story: I grew up in a loving and devout Baptist family, but I became disillusioned with faith in high school and in college considered myself a nihilistic agnostic. I coasted through most of college, lacking a strong direction in life, until a pretty significant breakup led me to ask the deeper questions in life. At this crucial time in my life, the Holy Spirit inspired me with an intense thirst for knowledge about faith. Through prayer and study, I came to know the truth of God’s existence, which led me to investigate and later to join the Catholic Church in November of 2018. Quickly afterwards I felt a call to share the Gospel by becoming a FOCUS missionary and I was sent to Jacksonville, FL for my first year on mission.

Katie’s Story: I encountered God during a sixth-grade summer camp, but I struggled to integrate my newfound faith with my daily life. I was used to “going through the motions” but didn’t make the jump to a profound conversion until later in high school. On a senior retreat I gave my life to Christ, embracing His call for me to place Him at the center of my whole life. I went to school at the University of North Texas and met some FOCUS missionaries my first week on campus. They invited me into a bible study, into discipleship, and into their mission of winning that campus for Christ. I began to lead a bible study and walk with women in discipleship that year, and I’ve never been the same. Sometimes, it takes living mission to understand that it’s what you’re made for. By the time I got to my (super) senior year, I knew that the natural next step would be for me to take the gifts I had received in college and give them back to other students who were also struggling to integrate their daily lives with Christ’s plan for them or who had never encountered Christ at all.

We first met at the Catholic Center in college at the University of North Texas. Evan was in the middle of his conversion to the Catholic Faith, and Katie was in the middle of finishing school and having no idea that a beautiful relationship was about to start. When we began dating, Evan applied to be a missionary and we had to discern at that time – was God calling us to be a family on mission? What would that look like? Was it possible?

With God, all things are possible. Now, after four years, there’s nothing else that we would rather do. It is an honor to serve God in this way, especially as a family. As missionaries, our greatest desire is to lead all students to Christ. Our lives have been transformed by Jesus and we want nothing more than to bring this joy to others and introduce them to the life-changing message of the Gospel. In His ministry on earth, Jesus humbled Himself to meet us on our level, taking on our humanity, and spent most of His time investing deeply in a few. We look to Jesus own example to find the best method of reaching the world. Our family has been constantly amazed by the different souls we have encountered on campus.

When we answered the call to join FOCUS, we made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners to help us through this mission. We’ve been blessed with the most amazing people who have journeyed with us as we serve on campus. If you are interested in partnering with us, please let us know of the best way to reach you and we will schedule an appointment. We would be honored to share this mission with you.