It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas: December Update

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am so thankful for you and your consistent support. 

December was such a special month. I am excited to share it with you!

Outreach Booth: Fuel Up For Finals! 

Keanna (the other apprentice in Denton) and I got the privilege of organizing an outreach booth with school supplies and snacks to bless students on campus during their final exam weeks.  We passed out goodie bags, met students, connected them to our ministry if they were interested, and got to take any prayer requests they had. We got plenty of help from students currently in our ministry, as they helped us assemble our supplies and meet people on campus! So thankful for them. 

I haven’t previously had a lot of experience doing outreach, but this was so refreshing and encouraging to me. I was glad to engage with people and encourage them in a stressful time. I also enjoyed learning all about what people were up to and was pleasantly surprised by how many were open to sharing what they wanted prayer and support for.

Another pleasant surprise was I got to meet two girls, named Jackie and Kalisha. They were so bold and joined my core the very next day, and they are excited about being known and experiencing Christian community! God is so good!

FOCUS Christmas Party

Meet some girls in my core: Jackie, Kalisha, Me, Keelee, Emily, Lindsay, and Samantha!

Every year, we celebrate Christmas with a party at the end of the semester! This year, our theme was a Formal Christmas, so everyone got dressed up to celebrate. We got to sing worship songs in a Christmas Liturgy, play Christmas Trivia (also known as Christmas “Tree”via), enjoy delicious foods, and celebrate with a mini dance party! We had a blast. 

My core playing Christmas Trivia!

The Denton Staff Team

Worship Night

The students decided to host a worship night in the midst of their final exams! It was such a sweet opportunity to connect with them and connect with the Lord. I am so encouraged by them: in a stressful time when it may have been tempting to spend all their time studying, they decided to recenter on Jesus and encourage each other. I love this group of people!

Apprenticeship Classes

We officially finished three classes this semester: Old Testament Foundations, Spiritual Leadership, and Evangelism. They were so insightful and I thoroughly enjoyed them, they have been one of my favorite parts of the apprenticeship. 

Also, all ten of us apprentices gave our very first sermons this month! It was a chance for us to share how we have experienced the Gospel, the good news of God, in our own lives. I am still processing my own story and what everyone has shared, but I left simply overwhelmed by the goodness of God. 

Keep Focus Growing Update

The latest update for donations raised for our KFG Campaign is…. drum roll please… 

$46,300! Thank you so much for your continual generosity, it blows my mind. God is doing big things on these campuses, and with your help, we will be able to continue to bless students on campuses for years to come. Thank you!

Student Testimony

Prayer Requests

- Pray for the students over their long winter break, that they would stay safe and continue healthy habits during their time away. Also pray for comfort and peace for those who have harder home lives or those experiencing grief.

- Pray for our upcoming annual Winter Retreat in early January! Pray that the students would consider attending and that they would have an impactful and spiritually replenishing time at retreat.  

- My twin sister Sarah and her husband David are expecting their first child in January! So exciting! Please pray for their health and wellbeing as they enter this new season of parenthood. 

As always, if any of you have any prayer requests, I would be honored to lift you up in prayer. 

Please feel free to leave a comment or personally contact me, I love you all so much! 

I hope you all have a blessed holiday season and cherished time with loved ones. Stay warm!

With love,

Cathryn