Back at it!

 Hello again everyone! The slower pace of summer is officially over, and we are officially back into the crazy life of college ministry!

August is one of our most impactful months of the year, and there is a lot of prepping and training that we go through to be prepared to meet students on campus. I got to participate in renewing my commitment to work another year in this ministry, and then all of us pastors went on an staff retreat to prepare our hearts and minds for this semester. I'm so blessed to be working along side these people, even as we each go to our own designated campuses. 

(Here's all 50 of us Campus Pastors and Apprentices)

 

The first two weeks of college are pivotal in meeting students and being on campus as much as possible. The more people we meet these first two weeks, the more likely they are to stick around and get involved. These people are desperately wanting to make friends, figure out who they are, and decide what they want to do the rest of their lives. They are most open to friendships at the beginning of the year rather than later on when they've already settled into a rhythm at school, and that's why these past few weeks have been crazy! I've had conversations with over a 100 girls, and I've been so impressed with how welcoming and open our core-fa team has been. 

Here's our first Thursday Night Fellowship of the Year. We usually have 70 people show up. There were 120 people there that night! It's not about the numbers, but I just love knowing more students are experiencing the goodness of God:

There are tons of funny and weird stories I could share about this past month, but I would never stop typing if I told them all. If you ever wish to hear more about ministry, please know you can always reach out, and I will do my best to answer any question. 

I am incredibly thankful for each of you, and I hope you continue to see God at work in so many ways and places. 

Prayer requests:

• Please pray for every Core this year. Those are our smaller groups of men and women, and I pray for each person to be poured into and grow in their understanding of scripture and living a life for Christ. 
• Please pray for my team here at Arlington. That we continue to be unified and working hard to bring the Kingdom to UTA. 
• Prayers for my back and left knee. I don't normally put personal prayers in here; however, I've been in more physical pain lately, and that is affecting how quickly I can make it to appointments and carrying things around campus. For context, I have scoliosis, and the curve of my spine puts more pressure on my left knee than my right. Overall, prayer is always appreciated. 

Thank you!

-Emily

Here's a picture of my holding my friends pet snake, Toby! He was so much more friendly than I thought he'd be.