July 2024 - One Year In!

July 25, 2024

July 2024 - One Year In!

Girls Bible Study over the summer!

Hello friends, family, & prayer warriors!

Thank you guys so much for your support on this journey of doing campus ministry! When I think of each of you and your faithfulness in praying and supporting in any way you can, I feel deeply humbled. I experience the love and kindness of God through each of you.

July came with 2 significant anniversaries - July 8th was Kazayet and I's one-year anniversary of marriage and July 31st will mark the one-year anniversary of doing campus ministry full-time with FOCUS.

What a year it has been!

Adjusting to marriage and to the life of a campus missionary has simultaneously been the epitome of joy and the lightning rod for growth (through some very trying and challenging circumstances).

It has been a year full of celebration and bliss (students coming to know Jesus and as a result, their identity and worth in Him) & heartache and pain (as divisiveness threatened the unity of our community and some students chose to walk away). God's kingdom certainly has come down to earth! Yet we wait with deep yearning for it to come in its fullness, when all wrongs will be made right and when every tear will be wiped away.

I thank God for the ways He has used this past year to expose areas of sin in my heart and mold me more into His image. Marriage and unexpected late-night phone calls from students both have a way of bringing to the surface selfishness and entitlement to what I perceive as "mine." I am learning how to live in the way of Jesus - taking on the likeness of a servant and recognizing that my life is not my own.

A Meaningful Moment from this Month

One of our students, Samy, started coming to FOCUS around this time last year. She came from a Hindu family, but stiff-armed all religions because they seemed to her to cause more destruction, divisiveness and hate than anything else.

A good friend of hers invited her to FOCUS and because of their friendship, she gave it a chance. She was shocked to walk into an atmosphere not of hate, but of love and unity. Looking around the room of over 300 students, she was shocked that people who were so different from one another could be so unified.

Samy was introduced to me in August and we started studying scripture together one-on-one over the past school year. Through experience a Christ-centered community that showed her the love of God and learning about God's character, she decided to surrender her life to Him!

Samy's decision to follow Jesus has been a difficult thing for her family to accept. Despite some challenges, Samy has been extraordinarily brave, gentle, and loving toward her family.

Last week, Samy's mom came into town to visit. Three other students and I got the chance to go over and spend time with her mom!

The night was filled with laughter and storytelling. Samy's mom got to see the dynamic Samy had with her Christian friends and we got to observe the deep, life-long love of a mother toward her daughter. It was priceless.

Samy texted me the next day sharing that her mom repeatedly mentioned the love she felt and observed that night.

All I could think of was John 13:35 - "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples: if you love one another.”

Prayer Requests

Please be praying for students like Samy who have become disciples of Jesus this past year. Pray for their relationship with their families, wisdom on how to interact with their families, and deep roots to follow Christ through the ups and downs of life.
Pray for students who are transferring out of Dallas College (community college) to other universities this fall. Please pray for a smooth transition, that they continue to pursue the Lord and that they find a Christian community at their new schools.
Dallas College school starts August 24th! Pray for us as we go out and connect with new students!

Thank you guys! Much love,

Veronica

Getting to meet the families of our students reminds me that the work we are doing has ripple effects beyond the students themselves. Left to right: Kaitlyn, Quincy, me, and Jincy (the 3 of them are Dallas College students!); On the left hand side: Samy and her mom!