I am excited to be serving at Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska! Go Wildcats! I cannot wait to see how God moves on campus and in the lives of the students I will have the privilege of serving.

For years, I searched for a love that had already been given to me.

Ever since I was little, I believed that who I was, as I was, was not enough. I thought love was something I had to work for. If I could become more successful, disciplined, or “put together,” then maybe I would finally be worthy of it.

That lie took root deeply in my life and eventually led me into years of battling eating disorders. What began as an attempt to lessen my pain became an exhausting pursuit of becoming someone I believed was more worthy of love. No achievement felt like enough. No amount of control brought peace. Even when I reached the goals I thought would finally make me happy, the emptiness remained.

My healing did not happen in one dramatic moment. Rather, it was the slow and steady work of Jesus removing the scales from my eyes. He freed me to recognize that His love had been surrounding me all along, especially through the people He placed in my life.

The nurse who held me and cried with me as I broke down was a glimpse of a God willing to enter into my suffering and weep with me. The gentleness and grace of my family showed me a love that remained even when I pushed it away. The tenderness of a priest close to me revealed the Heart of a Father who was not ashamed of me or waiting for a better version of me before He drew near.

I began to realize that it was Jesus loving me through them.

Just as Jesus restored sight to the blind man, He restored my ability to see love. He gave me new sight to look back at the same memories and recognize that He had been there all along. He gave His love a face, a voice, and an embrace through the people who entered into my suffering and remained there with me.

That is why I am a missionary.

I know what it is like to search for your worth in places that can never satisfy. I know the exhaustion of striving to become “enough.” And I know how radically a life can change when someone chooses to know you, walk with you, and lead you to Jesus.

I want to accompany students who feel unseen, who believe they have to prove themselves, or who are searching for fulfillment in anything other than God. Just as Jesus used the love and presence of others to help me recognize Him, I want to walk with students so that they, too, might discover that “the happiness [they] are seeking, the happiness [they] have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth.”

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve God alongside you in reaching the hearts of Wayne State students! Your support is far more than a financial gift. It is a direct investment in the lives of young men and women who are searching for Jesus. Because of your generosity, students will have the opportunity to encounter and fall in love with Christ.

I am excited not only to share stories of how God is moving on campus, but also to get to know you personally. I would love to hear how I can be praying for you and your family, celebrate the joys in your life, and walk with you through whatever season God has you in. This mission is only possible because of faithful partners like you, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to share it with you.

I am honored that we get to labor together for souls and for the growth of His Kingdom!