Wow! Beginning of Year Ministry Recap

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
    where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of joy.
You crown the year with your bounty,
    and your carts overflow with abundance.
12 
The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
    the hills are clothed with gladness.
13 
The meadows are covered with flocks
    and the valleys are mantled with grain;
    they shout for joy and sing.
-Verses from Psalm 65


Hello, friends!

    A lot has happened and I've been terrible at keeping up with my blogs. Thank you so much for all your love and support throughout it all! Here's a rundown of early school-year happenings.

First Week:

    


    Welcome week is the first week of school where we make a big push to meet students and invite them to friendships with us and with Jesus. This year had a few extra unexpected challenges and hurdles to overcome, but just like this student in the lower picture, God gave us the strength to jump over them with room to spare. We met many amazing students who were interested in friendship! One event that was particularly exciting was a board game night at my church nearby, where we invited both students from campus and church members to come and meet one another. We had a great turnout, and for some students it was the first time they were inside a church building. It was energizing for our church as well, getting to play silly games with crazy college students. Thanks Wylie Northeast!

First TNF:


    Looks like we're just going to have some low-quality photos today. And that's ok. This here is a picture of our first Thursday Night Fellowship (TNF) of the '22-'23 school year. If you were around last year, you might remember that we met outdoors last year for our first TNF. Hot, buggy, and hard to hear. Don't worry, at least we still have spooky vibes at this location because it is across the street from a graveyard. That's because this year, the East Plano Fellowship church (and by extension the Holy Nativity Episcopal church that shares it's building with EPF) is letting us use their building for our weekly large-group meetings! Having TNF off-campus, and in an actual church, will give us some opportunities that we didn't have previous years. Thanks EPF and HNE!

First FFD:


    One of the new opportunities we have in our new location is the ability to have food! So about once a month, instead of a regular TNF, Collin Focus gathers for a "Focus Family Dinner", where we'll eat together and have some students share their testimony rather than having a longer sermon. Neat!

Marriage:


    Yay! Alex and I had a great wedding. I'm so thankful to get to partner with her for the rest of our lives. May God fill us with his Spirit and continually make us one with each other and with Him. I'm also so thankful for all the friends God's given us! You, reading this, thank you for being my friend. Whether you were at the wedding or not, I know you are here for our marriage. We certainly need you!


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