God has called me to serve my first year at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga! My mission is to accompany college students as they navigate some of the most formative years of their lives. College is a time of searching, a time when students ask life’s deepest questions: Who am I? Does God exist, and if he does, what does it mean for me? My hope is that students at UTC and all over will come to know that the longing written on every human heart can only be fulfilled in God. Grateful to be a part of my father’s business!

I was raised in the Catholic Church, but for a lot of my life, the faith was something I inherited rather than something I personally embraced. I attended Mass because it was expected of me, yet I had not encountered Christ in a way that transformed my heart. When I entered college, I found myself searching for meaning in places that could not satisfy. I lacked virtuous friendships, made poor decisions, and did not understand what it meant to live a life revolved around Jesus. During college, suffering entered my life in a way I had never experienced before. It exposed a restlessness that had long been hidden beneath the surface. I felt like something was missing, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. Yet even in my wandering, God was pursuing me. The command of God was engraved on my heart, and beneath every desire for happiness was a deeper longing for Him. I did not know it then, but every restless search was ultimately a search for my Heavenly Father.

In my brokenness, I returned to Mass, and it was there that Christ encountered me through the Eucharist. I began to understand more deeply the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and the mystery of His presence in the breaking of the bread. What once appeared to be a ritual became an encounter with the one who had given Himself completely for me. The living God. I realized that His love was not an abstract idea or a distant promise. It was personal. Personal and sanctifying. Even before creation, long before I ever sought Him, He had been waiting for me. After this, I started attending daily Mass and started spending more time in prayer. My heart was gradually transformed, and my faith became my strength and peace. Through the Newman Center at UTRGV(The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley), God blessed me with faithful friendships that challenged me to pursue holiness and to live for something greater than myself. Christ met me in my suffering and revealed that redemption is not found by escaping the cross, but by allowing Him to carry it with us.

I still struggle, as every person does, but I am no longer the same. Jesus has given me a peace that circumstances cannot take away and a joy rooted in His love. The Lord who found me in my weakness continues to call me deeper into relationship with Him and into a life poured out in service to others!

When I said yes to serving with FOCUS, I also said yes to relying on mission partners for both spiritual and financial support. God has not called me to this mission alone! He has invited others to share in it through their prayers, sacrifices, and generosity. Although I will be serving on campus at UTC, my mission partners come on mission with me. Every conversation, Bible study, and encounter with a student is made possible because of their partnership. In many ways, I become their hands and feet on campus, accompanying students as they encounter Jesus Christ and discover the life He created them for. Thank you for considering joining me in this mission!

Please know that I am praying for you as well. If there are any intentions you would like me to pray for, I would be honored to do so.  Please also keep my team and me in your prayers as we seek to serve the Lord and the students He entrusts to us! 

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