These last couple months have been especially busy, but we are starting to wrap things up for the holidays. Next week the UTD students have the entire week off for Thanksgiving and a fall break. Then we're back for less than 3 weeks before Christmas break. We only have 2 more Friday night meetings, a Christmas Party, and a special Christmas devotional. The cores are finishing up their last 2-3 times together as well. I'd ask you to
pray that we can make the most of these pivotal weeks and not get distracted from the opportunities the Lord has given us by exams and the impending holidays.
With the 20 Year Celebration last month, I've been thinking about how thankful I am for that original FOCUS group that I came into as a freshman. It was certainly different in a number of ways, but Dave Drayton and the leaders he raised up had a HUGE impact on my life and on the lives of so many others. I got my vision for campus ministry there, made so many friends, and laid the foundation for my adult relationship with God. Those were blessed years, and they are still bearing good fruit!
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| Only a fraction of the old crew could make it that night, but it was wonderful to see each and every one of them! |
So Many October and November Events!
I wish you could hear all the students talking about them!
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| The Friday night before Halloween, we had our FNF service before a costume party. Students brought friends and the service included a meditation on the faith and art of Vincent Van Gogh. |
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| We had a special guest lecture in place of one of our Friday night meetings at UTD. Daniel Rangel came from Ravi Zacharias Ministries to talk about sexuality. His talk was aimed at pre-Christian students |
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| Peter and Sarah taught a class on campus about Jesus and Politics in the lead up to the election. |
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| David Knebel from CCF in Washington State flew in to teach our Pizza Theology on Hearing God's Voice. About 450 students showed up for 4 hours of teaching! |
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| We had our annual Leadership Conference. A couple hundred current and potential student leaders came to learn about growing their inner life with God. |
Student Testimony
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| Sierrah Martinez (Junior, Texas Women’s University, Nursing) |
"Last fall, I started to seek out a deeper relationship with Christ. I never thought that by seeking out that relationship, amazing things would happen. In the spring, I was a transfer student and very new to the Denton community, but as soon as I got in touch with FOCUS I felt at home. From the very beginning, I was amazed by the warmth of the community and amazed by the sermons about God’s work. It was easy to show up to core and Friday Night Fellowship at UNT and just sit and listen. The more I listened the more I realized that God had a bigger plan, and FOCUS showed me that.
"When doing my FOJ study and participating in outreach, I learned that I was created to be a disciple as a testimony of God’s love for me. He pulled me out of the darkness and into the light so that I could be an example of Him, and I am thankful everyday for that. Through FOCUS, I have learned and experienced for the first time what community is like and how important it is. I have made friends who have invested in me from the moment I met them and my friendships are continuously growing. Through FOCUS, I have been able to set goals for myself that reflect God’s will and from that I find peace because I am saved."
Thank you for your financial gifts, you friendship, and your prayers. For you parents and grandparents, thank you for sharing your young person with us. God is doing cool things through our partnership on campus.
