In The Thick Of It...

Today finds us basically in the middle of 14 days of daily events at UTD as thousands of new students show up on campus last week and this week. It's going so well! This group of student leaders is FANTASTIC so far. They are passionate and excited. So many of them didn't really grow up in serious Christian homes, so they aren't burdened by the sense that Christian leadership is something they ought to do. Instead, they are excited about what others did for them in years past and want to be that kind of blessing to a new class! It reminds me so much of John saying "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). 

The scripture we reflected on as a team right before our first freshman outreach event was 2 Corinthians 3:12 - "Since we have such a hope, we are very bold!" And bold they have been! I've already had a number of new students, even multiple non-Christians, thank me for what FOCUS did their first week in welcoming them and giving them the opportunity to make friends and have fun. One student told me last night that he has just looked forward everyday to the next FOCUS event. 

Peter, who co-directs this ministry with Mandy and me, sent out this encouragement in Slack to our core leaders after the second day, and I think it paints the picture well!

Yall are killing it at these events! @Brooklin Moore is just meeting girls left and right, she said she was scared yesterday. But you’d think she had been doing this for years and years. I heard yesterday that @Janice mun said “it’s time to pounce” and got some girls that already said no to joining a game. You can’t say no to Janice. @Felipe Cardozo taking the initiative and bringing his own soccer goals to bring in the soccer boys. @Gavin Cox , @Ava Golisano , and @Claire Mullen I see y’all pushing yourselves to meet more and more people and have good conversations with them. I mean, there’s so many of you to name. But I saw a team that has the vision and worked together. We were vastly outnumbered today and yet when I was walking around you all spread yourselves out so that somebody was in every group. None of this huddling together because it’s comfortable. Nah, y’all are kicking butt and getting numbers. We may have been spread a little thin, but we were spread evenly. With all that, keep coming out! I’d estimate that between yesterday and today we’ve met about 700 students and I bet over 1,000 have been invited to join. Less than 2,000 students have even moved into these dorms. Literally half the dorm population has had their first day shaped by us. That can change not only an entire individual’s experience of UTD, but it changes the very fabric of UTD itself. That this is what FOCUS is about, this can be what UTD is about, and hopefully people see that this is what God is about. He’s working on this campus through you and me, and we’re so excited to have them join him. Y’all are awesome, can’t wait for more nights spent on mission together!

Classes started today, so be praying for these students to keep that same spirit of love and boldness as they encounter their classmates and professors this week!

Some Pics So Far

This is our FOCUS staff of pastors for this year. They are spread out over 14+ campuses loving and students and sharing the good news of Jesus!

Freshmen move in over 4 days, and each evening we had a large outdoor hangout with lots of games and activities. Hundreds came each night to make new friends!

Every day of move-in week we had a table with cold waters, campus maps, and Christians waiting to walk new students around campus to help them find their classes! I've made a number of friends over the years through this simple event, students and alumni who got connected through that simple act of kindness.

All of the freshmen eat in the dining hall, but it's expensive for people without a meal plan! One of my donors gave $800 for our pastors and key students to be able to eat in the dining hall over and over, typically sitting with a student who is by themselves and then inviting more and more who come in to join. It's a culture changer and one of our most successful outreaches! Of the girls in this picture, only one is a FOCUS student (Ella, giving the peace sign, is one of our women corefas this year. I got to mentor her in leadership during her freshman year last year. She's great!)

One of my personal projects this year for Welcome Week was planning a new event called UTD Olympics because UTD let us reserve all three Galaxy Rooms during this week for the first time in over a decade! For those of you who remember Valentathlon, I took a lot of inspiration from that. It was...chaotic lol. But the students had a blast! We had 200 students come and participate. One of the freshmen girls came up to Mandy at the end and said, "Now THIS is the college experience!" Haha!

Another one of my key roles is teaching a Bible class along with Andrea, one of my fellow pastors. The event was called "A College Level Look at the Bible: Unpacking the Book of Jonah." 80 students came to a 2-hour class in the middle of the afternoon Saturday! They were SO ENGAGED. Asking and answering questions both during and after. And a lot of those students have been talking to me at every event since.

Student Testimony

Kathryn is a great young lady, and I'm getting to study the Bible one on one with her boyfriend now, who recently became a believer. Thank you for praying (and paying) for this all to be possible!