Samantha Pichardo

Howdy!

My name is Sam and I’m a FOCUS missionary!

Where I serve

I am absolutely stoked to be serving my first year at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa! It’s an honor to serve the students at Drake alongside my awesome teammates. Let’s go dawgs!!

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Meet the Team (from left to right): Me, Lexi, Bridget, Efrain, and Matt

My Story

Going into college I felt confident that I had everything in my life that would make me happy. Very quickly, the reality of transition set in and I began feeling incredibly lonely and isolated. Yearning deeply for peace and a sense of belonging I latched onto worldly comforts like success in athletics and the party scene. The tension in my heart not only persisted but grew significantly. As I walked around campus at Benedictine College I was struck by the joy and peace so many of my classmates exuded. I wasn’t sure what drew me about their life but I knew my heart was touched and I wanted what they had. Though I had grown up Catholic and knew a fair amount about the Church, I had no idea that  Jesus desired a personal relationship with me!

For a majority of my college years I continued to wrestle with this tension. Although He gave me the grace to live in freedom from previous bad habits, I continued to live in a lot of complacency. Going into my senior year I was met with several unexpected difficulties. I found myself in a state of complete poverty and with no other place to run for comfort I finally surrendered myself to Jesus in all of my discouragement, frustration, and heartbreak. I committed myself to daily prayer and the sacraments and the Lord met me in my poverty with the greatest richness of love imaginable.

When I think of my time in college I rejoice at the redemption Jesus has brought to my loneliest and most difficult moments. He has tenderly revealed to me my identity as His beloved and to be filled with this truth enkindles a fire in your heart to tell others. So, here I am! No words can describe the way Jesus has changed my life but His love is constantly transforming me and He gives me the gift of being able to share that with others! Let’s go be saints, friends.

Your Impact

By accepting the Lord’s invitation to serve as a FOCUS missionary I have the honor of inviting others to join me in living out the Great Commission as well. Our mission is to reach the world with the Gospel and this work is far greater than me. For this reason I need partners to join me on mission, both spiritually and financially. If you are interested in hearing more about how you can partner with me, please let me know the best way to reach you, and I will be sure to schedule a time for us to talk! I’d be incredibly honored to share in this mission with you!

Feel free to contact me at 417-231-5102 or [email protected]

Find other missionaries

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

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