December Ministry Update

Dear ministry partners,
Happy new year!! The start of something new calls for reflection on the old, and I'm so grateful for your support this past semester. Together we'll see what God does this spring!!

Christmas Parties

This month was full of fun! To start, we had a party for our student leaders, complete with goofy gift exchange, to thank them for their hard work. We had a blast playing games and fellowshipping, and ended the night with a few of us trying ultra spicy peppers (we survived). 

Next we had a Christmas party/worship night for the students! It was a great outreach tool. We had two students from McKinney come who've never participated in our events/small groups before. They had a blast! All of the Collin small groups were able to bond and build their teamwork skills as we competed to make the best blanket fort. My prayer is this poises us for deeper relationships and conversations this coming semester.
Two of our leaders at the student leader Christmas party! They are both the sweetest. We ate lots of nachos and played Ticket to Ride.
Here's our igloo fort! We may not have won the competition (it's hard to beat having a video game inside your fort) but I think we did a pretty good job.
Our small group inside the igloo!
We had a lot of fun :) This girl saw Christians worshipping for the first time and really enjoyed it!
Being goofy :D
Our staff! A couple of us couldn't come so we got student "look-alikes" to stand in (the green and blue shirted guys).

Small Group (Core)

We didn't have a regular meeting this month, but I was able to hang out and get to know some of the girls better this month. Some of them have begun sharing deeper issues and trauma they are dealing with, and while my heart aches for them I know God is working through their circumstances. I can see him opening their hearts and I pray they learn he is their true comforter. 
My roommate's dog Toast loves to welcome newcomers and help them feel comfortable.
He does a great job!
My boyfriend threw a birthday party for me, and two girls from small group came! I'm so glad I got to share those sweet moments with them, and that they got to witness healthy and festive Christian community.

What's Next for This Semester

First of all: Winter Camp! Several people from our small group are signed up, and hopefully a few more will be able to go. This will significantly jumpstart group bonding, and we will hear great teaching surrounding Life to the Full. Our students are very excited!

This semester the apprentices start our New Testament class, featuring lectures and 900 pages of background and theology. I'm ready to dive in!

My co-leader Austin and I are going to try a Tuesday night small group (at a friend's apartment) in addition to Tuesday during lunch (on campus) this spring. We hope this will be a better environment for students interested in exploring faith more deeply, as it eliminates some distractions.

As always, we'll be doing outreach events and meeting lots of new students each week. Coffee was a big success in the fall, so we'll continue that and maybe try some new ideas!

Prayer Requests

  • For 2 girls from small group facing very tough issues internally and externally. They are not believers; pray they find hope and power in the Lord.
  • For Winter Camp (January 14-17), that students will grow closer to God and each other.
  • For our new Tuesday night small group to foster deeper relationships and conversations.
  • Wisdom for me and my co-leader Austin to apply what we've learned about our students and campus to this new semester.

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