David's August Update

Find out what pleases the Lord.

-Ephesians 5:10

Hello, friends!

    If you're new to my support team, welcome! If you've read (or just looked at the pretty pictures in) several of my update blogs, welcome back! It's time for my recap blog for August. Thanks so much for being part of God's blessing me, and God's blessing the students on campus.

New School Year:

Alex wanted an awkward "first day of class" picture, and whether you wanted it or not, now you get it too.

This semester, I'm taking just one class (Intro to Humanities) in order to be considered a student and get access to areas like the campus gym and campus events. I chose this humanities class based off the recommendation of one of Focus' student leaders, who told me it's a great class to openly discuss religion.

I asked many local establishments for donations in preparation for Welcome Week. I was blown away with how many that were so generous! This is a thank-you note to Starbucks, thanking them for providing us with an introduction for students to develop a friendship to Jesus and thus be broken out of the prison of loneliness. Torchy's Tacos and Einstein Bros Bagels were also very generous.

The first week of school, we were on campus every day meeting students from 9 til 3. On some evenings, we put on events to invite students to and create fun memories. One student generously volunteered her home and pool to host an awesome pool and ice cream party. There were around 30 students that came! I'd guess that a little less than half were FOCUS students from previous years, and the other half were new students, looking to make friends. Keep praying that these students find a friend in Jesus, as well as friends in their Spirit-filled classmates.

On Thursday, we had our year's first TNF (Thursday Night Fellowship). More than 100 students came from across the Collin campuses: some to worship together, and others to just check out faith, community, and Jesus. Last year we were blessed to met at a church off-campus, but this year we are blessed to be back on the Plano campus!

New Student Leaders:

I hang out with Andrew (left) and Ugo (center) at a Chipotle. This year, we'll be leading a core (small group) together! They are both leading core for the first time this year, and so far they have really impressed me with their initiative, excitement, and love for God and people.

New Staff Team:

Every year, Focus staff goes on a staff retreat before the start of the school year to regather ourselves in preparation for another year of ministry. This is a picture of most of us during a meal time. This year, there are 10 new apprentices on the broader team learning to do full-time college ministry, 5 of which are on the Collin team (which is the team I am on). I'm so thankful for these ministers as well as those that have been on the team for a number of years. They are the best coworkers I could ever ask for.

Prayer/Student Testimony: