Samantha Pichardo Barron

Samantha Pichardo

“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life”

St. John Paul II

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Where I serve

I’m absolutely stoked to be returning to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa for my second year on mission! Let’s go dawgs!!

My Story

Going into college I was fairly confident I had everything in my life that would make me happy. However, as time went on I began to feel incredibly lonely and isolated. Yearning deeply for peace and a sense of belonging I sought out worldly things like athletic success and the party scene. The ache 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 I saw in many of my classmates. I wasn’t sure what drew me about their life but I knew I was cut to the heart and wanted what they had.

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

When I think of my time in college I cannot help but rejoice at the redemption God has brought to my loneliest and most difficult moments. He has tenderly revealed to me my identity as His beloved daughter and to be filled with this truth enkindles a fire in your heart to tell others. So, here I am! 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]

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If you have any questions or need help setting up your gift, please contact us at [email protected].

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

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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