April! Finishing Strong!

 Hello everyone!

I am writing this during the sliver of sunlight that God is providing us today. Really this month, at least it is starting to feel like. Maybe I should be taking advantage of this bit of sun to go outside, but I guess the schedule of my day reigns supreme. Overall, April has been a really bittersweet month for me, ministry wise. During April, you start to see everything wrap up. My FOJ's that started in the Fall are coming to an end, we are starting to plan all of the 'end of year' parties, and everyone is talking about plans for the summer. But with all of these endings, I am just reminded of the year of growth in so many different relationships between these guys and God. Just trying to reflect on our small group from the start of the year to now is so crazy. Going from a group of guys who didn't know each other at all to one that looks to include each other, love each other, laugh and encourage each other - words are hard to capture it, but I hope you all see the vision. 

More importantly, I hope you all know that this year, these relationships, these bible studies, these baptisms, these hearts unfolding like a flower to the love that God has for them, wouldn't be possible without the support and kindness that you all have shown me. Thank you for being part of this ministry with me. 

Sunset photo from Lake Havasu, AZ. I got to travel there this month, where Brandon, Kole, and I slept outside on the sand for four days.

Photo from our 'Encouragement Core'. 

As the year wraps up, one of my favorite things to do in our small group (called core), is to spend a day giving each other encouragements. I love the verse in Hebrews 10 asking us to "consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other - and all the more as we see the Day drawing near". The word "consider" here, to me, implies some level of thoughtfulness. I'll ask my guys "well, when is the last time you sat for a while and intentionally thought about how you can move someone towards love?". With a group of 30 freshmen, that usually gets you a lot of "uhms" and blank stares lol. After the awkward silence, I pull out a lot of paper and we start writing end of the year encouragements to each other! Encouraging people really can be unnatural and uncomfortable at first, especially among young guys who only talk about basketball and instagram reels. But as we move into the summer, for many away from Christian community, I think these papers can be strong reminders of the relationships built this year. Here are some of my favorite highlights that I got on my own sheet...

"I could never forget you Paul, no matter how hard I try". 

"I hope that you go through life knowing that any room is happy that you walked in".

"Thanks for inviting me to core. Even though I hardly show up."

With these that may be more humorous to read, there are tons that are so kind. I hear so much degrading and crude humor said to and about other people on campus. We have to go out of our way to be a positive, encouraging light. Something about that just attracts people, similar to what Luke says in Acts 2:47 that "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved". What made that community so attractive? From the rest of the passage, it sounds like how they treated and acted around one another. 

Photo from six flags! Logan, the guy second from the left, is getting baptized next week alongside another guy from our core. Jackson, the guy in the blue, is on the UTD baseball team and hit his first college homerun a few weeks ago. Huge fans of both of those guys. 

Me, Felipe, Omar, and Carson eating after watching an intramural soccer game.

At the intramural soccer game cheering on our team! These are some of my favorite nights in the spring. So many people from our community come line the fields. We probably had close to 80 people gathered at the fields this past week. 

Two-stepping fundraiser event for students going to SICM.

As May approaches, so does our trip to Washington for the SICM Conference (Student Institute of Campus Ministry). We have a ministry in Bellingham, Washington that we have been close to for decades. Each May, we travel there for 10 days of deep dives into scripture, God, and time with students to consider what ministry in their own lives looks like. This year, Carson, Logan, and Omar are all going. This is a very purposeful trip that leaves a lot of room for God to stir in their own hearts. Would you please be praying for safe travels and that God does something new in the lives of these students? We leave May 16th and come back the 26th.

Every week after church, we go out to eat with the students who attend. FOCUS is supported by a church out in Garland called Northeast Community Church. It is cool to see the church exist in such a diverse culture and age range. This is just half of the restaurant!

Hindu temple in Frisco

Since August, I have been meeting with a student from an Indian family that is Hindu. Throughout the course of the year, we have been meeting every week both at church, in core, and one on one to study the Bible. If you ask him now, he will say that he is Christian, but naturally, there are still tons of questions and family concerns. Throughout this process, I realized just how little knowledge I had about other cultures and religions. This month, I have met up with an older man who grew up Hindu in India, but where he then learned about Jesus and began to fiercely devote his life to Jesus instead. He works with the ministry group called the 'Navigators' and has spent many years doing ministry overseas. After meeting with this older man a few times and asking and learning a lot, he actually invited me to visit a Hindu temple with him. We went to one that worshipped a god called Hanuman, the lord of strength, discipline, and courage. Walking in, I was the only white person, the obvious person out of place, and just silently walked around and listened to Mr. Apu explain to me what was going on. It was an experience I will not forget, and this relationship with Mr. Apu is helping me expand my world's perspective to see new places the Gospel can bring transformation.

Super exciting news, but my brother Vince is engaged!!!!! Big moves on his part. 

This was a long blog post, but there are so many things I want to share with you all. Some days I can't believe I get to wake up and do this full time. I am excited for three more years. The songs of the month are "Another like You" by Bethel Music and "Wrong About you" by Israel and New Breed.

With love,

Paul