A Multitude of Grace
Hello friends! It's that time of month again! March seems to have gone by in a blur, but as I sit down to reflect deeper on it, I am marked by how rich in grace it has been. Our God is full of goodness and his kindness has not been far off.
This month, in our New Testament class, we have read several of Paul's epistles. What has stood out to me in his letters to the different Christian communities has been the overflow of Paul's gratitude toward his friends and partners in ministry. I read these epistle introductions in a new light as I think of my own depth of gratitude for your partnership in the ministry of spreading the aroma of the gospel at Collin College. Philippians 1:4-6 especially stood out to me -
"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people."
I echo Paul's thanksgiving and prayer as I think of each of you and your love for God and your care for college students during these last seven months! Your generosity has been felt in real ways and I my prayer is that you yourselves experience refreshment as you hear about the fruit of your partnership!
Our monthly gatherings have been a great source of blessing this year! It seems that each week there are new faces. We are currently reading through Mark. In my time with students, they often tell me how the weekly reading has stirred their hearts to think of faithful living in a new way. It reminds that the word of God is living and active. Recently, a student shared about how she has been diligently following along in our Mark series and how she appreciates our reading of God's word. A weekly prayer that I have is that the gospel would grow and flourish in their lives and bear fruit.
Before spring break rolled around, my small group got to spend a Saturday afternoon exploring downtown McKinney. It's been such a joy seeing this group of girls become real friends to each other. Getting to do life alongside this group has been such a blessing.
This month I have also gotten to spend some bonding time with my fellow ministers and dear friends- Eileen and Adriana. Their mentorship and support have been instrumental to me during this apprenticeship season. They have modeled so well what it looks like to love like Jesus loves!
Another favorite highlight from the month was our small group's painting picnic! In addition to the fun painting, the beautiful sunset, and the wonderful weather, a moment that stood out to me in our time was when we got to play a question game and take our conversations to a deeper level. This group knows how to rejoice and also how to comfort and speak life into one another.
This has been further experienced as we have continued making our way through the book of James. Each week, students are eager to share their reflections. Let me tell you - this book is RICH in convicting messages about how to apply the teachings of Jesus to practical living. We often go over time sharing thoughts and encouragements which is a great joy!
Looking Ahead
As I wrap up this blog, I want to share a few more special notes from this month-
Impact Week
This week we have had a group of students from a ministry (Chi Alpha) in Bellevue, Washington come to Collin during their spring break to serve alongside us in a week of outreach. There have been such incredible testimonies from special encounters that I am looking forward to sharing with you in next month's blog!
Full-Time Staff
I am also so thrilled to share that I have recently accepted a position to stay on as a full-time campus minister with the Collin FOCUS team once my apprenticeship wraps up at the end of this May! I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I've had to do campus ministry this year and am so excited to continue in the next school year. Your partnership in this has been a great encouragement. Thank you so much for your investment in the vision of campus ministry and the ways God has been at work in the lives of students at Collin College! My hope is that you would get to feel the joy of hearing how the seeds you have helped to plant are sprouting!
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