Josh’s Story:
Born and raised in Eugene, OR, I graduated in 2016 with Masters of Arts in Teaching; however, upon hearing the call from God to serve Him through FOCUS I decided to forgo a teaching job to become a FOCUS Missionary; now serving for the Digital Campus Team! I, and my wife, Jess, a former FOCUS missionary, and our young sons, John, Charles, and Andrew, live in Edmond, OK and love having the opportunity to serve students across the country and world and walk alongside them into a deeper encounter with the love of Jesus Christ!

I am a cradle-Catholic and was blessed to have my parents provide me with 14 years of Catholic education. However, my personal faith became reduced to just another subject in school; I understood the ‘what’ of the faith, but not the ‘why’; I believed in Jesus but I didn’t belong to Him. I went on to college where I played two-years of college football and joined the fraternity, Sigma Chi, and soon enough I was heading down the road of the 80% of Catholics who leave the faith by the age of 23*. I fell into the college culture that is yearning for authenticity, meaning and identity, but failing to find it out in the world. After suffering a football-injury I transferred to Oregon State University where I completed my Bachelor’s in Kinesiology.

*Faith in flux: Changes in the Religious Affiliation in the U.S. (Pew, 2009)

While at OSU I was invited to a retreat put on by the OSU Newman Center, there, for the first time, I experienced the truth, goodness and beauty of my Catholic faith. After that I drastically dove deeper into my faith, serving as Outreach Coordinator, leading retreats and sharing my experience and faith with the students on campus. I’ve always had a passion for coaching (I coached high school football for 3 years) and upon receiving my Masters in Teaching I was blessed with a few job opportunities to teach and coach in Eugene. However, after being invited by a FOCUS missionary to SEEK 2017 in San Antonio, I experienced first-hand the Universal Church with hearts on fire for the Lord. Having never been exposed to something so fulfilling, I realized that everyone needed to know just how much they are loved by God the Father. Although I had some awesome, “sure-thing” opportunities back at home, I felt that God was calling me to something greater, that He needed me for something greater.

“The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” ~Pope Benedict XVI

In order to serve full-time, and be the most effective missionary the students, and the Lord, need me to be, we need partners to join us in mission, standing by and supporting us financially and through prayer. Jesus and His disciples relied on the generosity of others to fund their own ministry and it’s an honor for us to partner with you to do the same and continue the mission today! Christ has charged us all with His Great Commission, and while we give by going, He implores you to go by giving, and join our support team!

By allocating a portion of your monthly tithe, you can participate in one of the most exciting, expanding and essential Catholic outreach programs in the world through a tax deductible gift that supports my full-time missionary work. You are an essential part of this mission, and we are grateful for YOU!