Jake and Mikayla Avard

“Nothing can be compared to the great beauty and capabilities of a soul; however keen our intellects may be, they are as unable to comprehend them as to comprehend God, for, as He has told us, He created us in His own image and likeness.” -Saint Teresa of Avila

SUPPORT Jake and Mikayla Avard

Where We serve

We serve at Texas A&M University in College Station. Mikayla is a full-time missionary, while Jake is part-time, also known as affiliate. This is our second year serving at A&M and with FOCUS. It is such a joy to be apart of both this great school and ministry!

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Our Story

Mikayla: I was raised Catholic, and had encountered the Lord in many ways growing up. However, it wasn’t until college that someone had walked with me and helped me understand how to truly live out the Gospel. That someone was a FOCUS missionary! With God’s graces, I formed a prayer life along with many other life changes and became a missionary myself! My desire is to help impact students just as I was impacted through FOCUS. Jesus changed my life! How could I not spend all my time being apart of His mission!?

Jake: I was raised Baptist, but after deep discernment, entered the Church at Easter Vigil 2023. Jesus in the Eucharist was what mainly brought be into the Catholic faith. I joined a FOCUS Bible study my junior year of college, and was accompanied by the missionary who led it. I work full-time, but still have a love for mission, so I volunteer with FOCUS as an affiliate!

We both graduated from Texas State University, where we met our freshman year. Mikayla was a part of the dance team there, the Texas State Strutters, and Jake was in the Christian fraternity on campus known as BYX.

We got married May 13th, 2023, began our first year with FOCUS, and welcomed our first little one, Lucía Marie, in March, 2024! The Lord has graced us in many ways through mission and family life.

Your Impact

Jesus thirsts for every soul, and the impact on just one soul on campus is worth more than we can imagine! (Luke 15:7) But through the grace of God, the support of our mission partners, and both of our efforts in ministry, almost 100 students’ lives were impacted in our first year at Texas A&M! This number is taken from the amount of students who have attended Bible studies, discipleship, SEEK, a Father’s House retreat we hosted in College Station, and more. We could not devote the amount of time and effort to this mission without the support of our mission partners!

As you go on mission with us through your support, we are impacting these students lives together! Your prayers and gifts are crucial to this mission, and we are so grateful for any ways you can contribute to us sharing Christ’s love on campus!

SUPPORT Jake and Mikayla Avard

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FOCUS brings the joy of the Gospel to colleges and parishes across the United States (and beyond)!

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Know, Love and Serve God

We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.

Build Virtuous Friendships

By building genuine friendships, we meet students on a deeper level.

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Teach Others to Share Christ

We teach students how to share the gospel, who in turn teach other students how to pass it on.

Host	Retreat Type	Start Date	End Date
Tulane University	Way of the Disciple	09/05/24	09/07/24
University of Nebraska Lincoln	The Sanctifier	09/13/24	09/15/24
Parish Outreach	The Father’s House	09/16/24	09/18/24
Kansas State University	The Father’s House	09/20/24	09/22/24
University of Delaware	Rec	09/20/24	09/22/24
University of South Carolina – Columbia	Rec	09/27/24	09/29/24
St. Francis University	The Father’s House	10/04/24	10/06/24
Nicholls State University	The Father’s House	10/04/24	10/06/24
Northwestern State University	The Father’s House	10/11/24	10/13/24
University of Memphis	The Father’s House	10/11/24	10/13/24
Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville	The Father’s House	10/18/24	10/20/24
Ohio State University	The Father’s House	10/18/24	10/20/24
University of Dallas	The Sanctifier	10/24/24	10/26/24
Central Connecticut State University	The Father’s House	10/25/24	10/27/24
Universidad de Monterrey	The Father’s House	10/25/24	10/27/24
California State University – Fullerton	The Father’s House	10/25/24	10/27/24
Sts. Anne and Joaquim, Fargo, ND	Way of the Disciple	11/01/24	11/03/24
University of Krems	Men’s	11/01/24	11/03/24
University of Mary	The Father’s House	11/08/24	11/10/24
DePauw University	Rec	11/08/24	11/10/24
Philanthropy Engagement	Way of the Disciple	11/15/24	11/17/24
University of Passau	Rec	11/21/24	11/23/24
Texas A&M University	The Sanctifier	02/07/25	02/09/25
FOCUS Greek Southeast	The Father’s House	02/14/25	02/16/25
FOCUS Greek Midwest	The Father’s House	02/14/25	02/16/25
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	The Sanctifier	02/14/25	02/16/25
FOCUS Greek Southwest	The Father’s House	02/21/25	02/23/25
Wayne State University	The Father’s House	02/21/25	02/23/25
University of Illinois-Chicago	The Sanctifier	02/21/25	02/23/25
Queens College of the City University of New York	The Father’s House	03/07/25	03/09/25
Nicholls State University	Way of the Disciple	03/07/25	03/09/25
Grand Valley State University	The Father’s House	03/28/25	03/30/25
University of Northern Iowa	Way of the Disciple	04/03/25	04/05/25
University of Nebraska Lincoln	The Father’s House	04/04/25	04/06/25
Arizona State University	Men’s	02/07/25	02/09/25
University of Nebraska at Kearney	Rec	09/27/24	09/29/24