We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.
“It is Jesus you seek when you dream of happiness. He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you.” Pope St. John Paul II
I am serving my first year on staff at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for me at UTC!
During my four years at Clemson University the Lord radically transformed my heart for Him. Even as a cradle Catholic with the best intentions of pursuing my faith in college, it was very hard to get involved my freshman year in the midst of covid. When I returned to campus for my sophomore year something had changed. Four Focus missionaries had joined our campus ministry. I quickly became involved thanks to a loving missionary who pursued me well in friendship, and after forming a relationship with me, invited me into greater relationship with the Father. It was through daily Mass, prayer and bible study that my fire for the Catholic Church began to reignite.
While things like daily Mass were being added to my weekly schedule, I was still living a college life far from Jesus. As we discussed the parable of the Prodigal son in bible study, I related deeply to each of the sons. In some cases I felt like the younger son, far from the Father, and knew I needed to return to Him. And on the other hand I felt like the older son who had been loyal to the Father but only because he was trying to earn the Father’s love. Both of the sons had it completely wrong, the Father gives His love freely. And I was wrong as well. It was time for me to make Jesus the center of my heart and stop living a double life.
Saying “yes” to the Lord my sophomore year lead to my “yes” to leading a bible study for younger students and ultimately to my “yes” to joining staff with Focus. It is only through the Lord’s constant pursuit of my heart that I was able respond to His radical love for me. It is my hope that through my role as a missionary I will be able to invite my students into the same intimacy with the Lord that I learned to seek during my time in college.
When I said “yes” to Focus I also said “yes” to fully depending on the Lord in everything, spiritually and financially. I am blessed to be able to invite you on mission with me through the gifts of your prayers and financial support. It is because of mission partners like you that we will be able to fulfill the Great Commission on campus. If you are interested in supporting me and hearing more about my mission, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Please pray for me and be assured that I am praying for YOU!
We encounter God in an intimate relationship through daily prayer, the sacraments and the Scriptures.
By building genuine friendships, we meet students on a deeper level.
We teach students how to share the gospel, who in turn teach other students how to pass it on.