Called to Mission

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." -Jeremiah 29:11

I felt God's call to FOCUS back in November of 2010 just one month before graduating from Colorado State University. I had been involved as a student in FOCUS since my junior year, but had not really taken on a leadership role until August of my final semester. I had no idea the capacities to which God would call me and use me for until I had fully committed my will to His. When I actually took a step back and thought about answering the call to be a missionary with FOCUS, it made perfect sense that this was exactly what God had been leading me and preparing me to do with my life. 

"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." -John 10:10 

Like many college students, I was allured by a culture of "freedom" and fitting in during my first couple years at CSU. I found it extremely difficult to maintain my Catholic faith that I had been raised with due to the friendships I was forming and the lifestyle I thought I was supposed to have to make me happy in college. What brought me back was becoming involved with the Catholic campus ministry at CSU. A few months later, I joined a FOCUS Bible study, attended FOCUS national conference in Orlando, and was surrounded by a community of individuals who were striving to live out their Catholic faith in the college world. FOCUS helped me realize not only how to live my faith, but WHY I wanted to live out my faith.

“Things were in God’s plan which I had not planned at all.” -St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (aka Edith Stein) 

This is why I chose to serve God in this radical way for the next couple years of my life: so that I could give back to others in the same way that I had been given the gift of really coming to know my faith and the beautiful people who are living lives in Christ. As a first-year missionary, I am excited to be serving at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota! WSU is a brand new FOCUS campus as of this fall 2011, so it will be quite the adventure for our FOCUS team of four who are serving the students of this beautiful Minnesota town. Go Warriors!

"Some give by going, some go by giving"- Blessed Mother Teresa 

I am so blessed and honored to be partnering in this mission with my amazing network of mission partners. Without your prayers and support, this mission would not be possible. Therefore, I am committed to truly keeping you "in the loop" on the fruits of OUR mission. 


My promise to you is this:

• A new update at least every two weeks (and hopefully more frequently!) on the happenings in the mission grounds of Winona, MN (with pictures!)
• Quarterly newsletters mailed home to you
• Prayers for you and your loved ones on a regular basis
• Correspondence on what is going on in your lives back at home (if you want to fill me in!)

Please e-mail me or call me with any and all prayer intentions or life-updates you may have. Your lives are very important to me!  

Thank you for all that you do, and God bless!
 "I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me...in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God."- Philippians 1:3-11

Yours in Christ,

Emily