I have been called to serve students as a first-year missionary at Belmont University. I cannot wait to see all the ways the Lord will move in Nashville this coming year!

I look at the last five years spent at the University of Kansas, and I see nothing but Christ and His relentless pursuit of me.

I started my time at KU as the high-achieving perfectionist type, crippled by a fierce self-reliance and a deep fear of others’ opinions of me. At this point in time, I was unable to articulate what my Catholic faith meant to me beyond a Sunday obligation and a vague hope for life beyond the grave. I wanted to believe that my faith had more to offer me, but I had a hard time reconciling where a Good and Loving God fit into the reality of my story, and so I remained lukewarm in my faith.

Everything changed my junior year, when I found myself surrounded by friends who were living lives consumed by an authenticity and a purpose I hadn’t seen before. As they invited me into their lives and began to share their faith with me, it became apparent to me that they had something I didn’t—they talked about Jesus as though they knew Him, and I realized it was because they had a personal relationship with Him. The story is far from linear, but through the witness of authentic friendship, the Truth of the faith, and a great deal of wrestling with the Lord, I surrendered my “yes” to Him. I had no idea how much power that little “yes” held, but that one word has completely transformed and resurrected my life. 

The college campus is not the only place in need of the Gospel, but I believe that it is one of the most desperate. It is the place students come searching for identity, belonging, purpose, and direction, and I believe the Gospel proposes the one path that truly satisfies. Encountering the Gospel on the college campus had the power to change my life, my friends’ lives, and the lives of the women I had the opportunity of walking with during my last two years at KU, and I know that the Lord is not done yet. I have great confidence that the Lord is going to continue to use the power of the Gospel on the college campus to draw His sons and daughters back to Himself.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith…For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith by faith; as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.”

Romans 1:16-17

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. If you are interested in partnering with me, please reach out personally either by phone (913-219-4252) or through email ([email protected]) and we can schedule an appointment—I’d be honored to share this mission with you