Hi my name is Maria! God has called me to serve at McNeese State University, in Lake Charles, Louisiana!

Team McNeese! Meggie, Mateo, Luke, Emma Lea and Augustine!

English:

When I moved to the United States from Colombia, God brought my family and I to San Isidro Catholic Church where I encountered Jesus for the first time and realized that the Catholic Church was truly alive. My first semester of college at Florida Atlantic University, I knew that I wanted something more but it seemed as though no one was striving for the same things and I felt alone. I started to try to fill up my days as much as possible and tried to fill up my life with what I thought would make me happy. Although I was doing so much I felt alone and like I didn’t know who I was. My junior year of college the Lord called me to start seeking Him more. This is when I joined a FOCUS Bible study and was introduced to my missionaries at FAU and by His grace I realized that the only thing that would make me truly happy was Him, and that my identity was as a daughter of God. I started meeting so many people that like me were seeking Him first and encountered an alive Catholic Church at SEEK24. Throughout the semester I also met so many people whose lives had been changed by Jesus through the missionaries on campus. This is when I realized that I wanted to be His vessel spreading His Word and I wanted to allow Him to work through me so that other college students can encounter Him too.

Español:

Cuando me mudé de Colombia a los Estados Unidos, Dios nos trajo a mi familia y a mí a la Iglesia Católica de San Isidro, donde me encontré con Jesús por primera vez y me di cuenta de que la Iglesia Católica estaba realmente viva. En mi primer semestre de universidad en Florida Atlantic University (FAU), sabía que quería algo más, pero parecía que nadie se esforzaba por las mismas cosas y me sentía sola. Comencé a tratar de llenar mis días tanto como fuera posible y traté de llenar mi vida con lo que pensaba que me haría feliz. Aunque estaba haciendo tanto, me sentía sola y como si no supiera quién era. En mi tercer año de universidad, el Señor me llamó para que comenzara a buscarlo más. Fue entonces cuando me uní a un estudio bíblico de FOCUS y me presentaron a mis misioneros en FAU y por Su gracia me di cuenta de que lo único que me haría verdaderamente feliz era Él, y que mi identidad era como hija de Dios. Empecé a conocer a muchas personas que, como yo, lo buscaban primero y, en SEEK 24, conocí una Iglesia Católica viva. A lo largo del semestre, también conocí a muchas personas cuyas vidas habían sido transformadas por Jesús a través de los misioneros en FAU. Fue entonces cuando me di cuenta de que quería ser su instrumento para difundir Su Palabra y permitir que Él obrara a través de mí para que otros estudiantes universitarios también pudieran encontrar a Jesus.

When I answered the God’s call to FOCUS I also accepted the responsibility to find a team of people that prayerfully support me not only financially but also spiritually.  I’ve committed my life to bringing Christ to college students, walking with them in faith, and forming lifelong disciples. This mission is only possible through the generous support of mission partners like you. Thank you for considering joining me in this important work.

I’d be honored to partner with you, if you are interested in joining me in mission by joining my support team or you would be interested in learning more about mission please contact me, I would love to share more with you!