God has called me to serve at the University of Akron in Ohio! Go Zips!!

The Team: Thomas Shaw, Brendan Parisot, Meghan Spangler, Kayla Hartman

I walked into the Newman Center on my campus, Drake University, as a soul looking for Jesus.

I knew so much about Him through my upbringing as a cradle Catholic, but did I know Him? Barely.

What did Jesus do? He pursued me.

How did He do this? Through the FOCUS missionaries and students on campus.

As I was leaving for college, I knew that I wanted to continue to grow in my faith. I was told to go to the Newman Center on the first Sunday and find the FOCUS missionaries. So I showed up, and the missionaries were there also. Over the course of the next 4 years they walked with me as I grew from an overconfident freshman who was searching for Jesus to a young woman who embraces her identity as a daughter of God. This growth happened through the authentic friendship of students and a few FOCUS missionaries. Jesus pursued a deeper relationship with me than I thought was possible. Through intentional invitations to spend time with these new friends and grow in my relationship with Jesus, my world changed. After coming to know Jesus on a deeper level, the only response I can give in return is to serve Him. The way that He has called me to do this is to serve college students on campus and invite them into a relationship with the God who created them and loves them dearly.

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’ve 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’d be honored to share this mission with you! You can reach me at (515) 729-6414 or by email at [email protected]