...For My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is Light

 Hi to all my partners and more!!


Hope everyone had a good holiday season! 

December was seriously a reflective and restful month. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support, especially now going into the New Year and semester with students. Overall, this past month has been full of wrap-up's, settling down, and reflections in preparations for this new semester. While nothing major or new has been happening in ministry as of lately, I still am so excited to share with you the exciting memories, sweet moments, and impactful messages God has been putting on my heart. 

As students wrapped up their semester, I had the chance to get time and catch up with several the girls in my core (small group) that I normally wouldn't get to. We also had our last TNF for the semester, which was bittersweet and fun, and even had our Collin FOCUS Christmas party! In the first weeks of December, I ended up getting sick, so I genuinely don't remember much of what happened during this time frame. However, what I do know and remember is that God really is at work in this community, and the fruit of friendship and intentionality could really be seen within these last few weeks of school for the students.


Some students have been leading a prayer group before TNF every week, and luckily, I got to grab a snapshot of it before they finished!

Alejandra, one of the girls I study FOJ with, and I went on a walk before finals. We found a really cool scavenger hunt left in the woods. 

This is one of the guys in my core, Ryan! For the Christmas Party, our core dressed up to the theme of the Grinch. Hopefully, you can tell I'm Max.

Here's David and I's core at the Christmas Party!


In finishing up our own apprentice classes for the semester, we were given the assignment to write and present a sermon called "This is My Gospel" (to which I emailed the recording of to my ministry partners). Basically, this sermon was to get at the good news of the Gospel, and how it has impacted our own lives personally. Rather than just saying 'Jesus is my savior', we were to reflect on how exactly he has been that. 

Therefore, writing this sermon definitely wasn't easy. However, it left me really understanding fully, for the first time really, the influence and pursuit God has had on my life since day one. We were to come up with three different points to talk about, to which I was lost for what to say or do. How do I sum up the impact God has had on me in three points? 

Initially, I had what I thought were these really solid ideas to talk about, but when I decided to actually journal through each topic and let God speak into them, he took the writing process in a completely different direction than what I had intended. This led to a sermon that really cut me to my core in really understanding the Gospel in my own life. It may not be as powerful to everyone else, but God used this process of writing and presenting as almost a declaration and revelation to me that he really does love me-despite how much I might question it at times. 

Throughout the course of a week, the other apprentices and I ended up giving our sermons to each other, our senior staff, and a few of our teachers, and it honestly was such a bonding time. With there being so many of us, I have personally found it hard to get to know each person on an intimate level. However, these sermons provided a glimpse and window into each of the personal struggles and hardships of the apprentices. Which, to me, makes me deeply appreciate this group and each individual even more. 

On top of that, after the whole week of presenting, we as staff got to go on a 2 week break, which was so life giving! I genuinely love this job and working with students, but it was nice to get some time to intentionally rest and spend time with friends and God outside of work. 

At first, not going to lie, it really was a struggle to relax. I felt anxious and had this deep innate feeling that I needed to keep working in order to prove something. However, out of confession, prayer, and solitude with God, he eased my heart and showed me what slowing down with him really looked like. This is something I typically struggle with in any kind of break, even during school. Yet, consistently, during this time, he kept bringing me back to the passage in Matthew where he promises light burdens and easy yokes for all those in need of rest.

Which brings me to the heart work God has been doing in my life this past month. Accompanied with the idea of rest, I've been reading the book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, and, honestly, this read has been so convicting and needed all at the same time. On top of that, God has been challenging me in balancing my schedule more and living a slower, more content life instead of being so rushed and concerned about my productivity. 

So, moral of the story-God has been teaching me and desiring for me to learn how to slow down and live a life where I'm truly abiding in him. And where this has been a tough and long lesson to learn, it has been such a fruitful and needed one. 

These lessons make me so excited for this semester, mainly because it shows me personally how God is at work in my own life and calling me into a deeper sense of maturity. Therefore, how much more is he calling these students into that! So far, already, I have been seeing the students in my core initiate with each other and even seek to hold each other accountable to things-which is something they wouldn't have done back in September. One particular student has been seeking to take Jesus so seriously recently, which genuinely blows me away because he was someone who you wouldn't have thought that of back at the beginning of the semester. However, I guess that really goes to show that God uses the unlikely, and it will always be the ones you least suspect!


Here are my sweet roomies at the Gaylord. We got dressed up and went out to BJ's beforehand as a roommate hangout.

Break also consisted of a lot of walks and birdwatching for me! Here's a red shouldered hawk I found.

Here's a photo I got when I went on a walk with Alejandra!


Here's a photo from when I went on a walk and talk with God one day.

Here's Connor and I at the Trinity River Audubon Center. This place has been on my bucket list for years now, and I'm so glad I got to go with him over break. 

Again, thank you all so much for your support. Getting the opportunity to do this apprenticeship wouldn't have been possible without you, and it really means the world. I am head over heels in love with this job, and the work God is getting to do on these campuses is highly due to the resources and prayers of you as my partners contribute. 

So, with that, Happy New Year! Here's to what 2022 holds! I'm so excited to tell you guys all about what God is doing this next semester.

Love, Orion


Prayer Requests

Mainly, if you guys could be praying for Winter Camp, that would be amazing. Winter Camp is our all campus winter retreat that usually occurs before the new semester for students. However, with COVID cases on the rise, some things are in the air about whether we will have it. At this moment, we're still expecting too, but if you could be praying for the health of the students and staff, and that this could be a thing we are still able to do. Winter Camp has been so pivotal for so many students over the years, which is why it's personally a big deal to me to get to do it this year, especially with not being able to last year.

Also, if you all could be joining me in prayer for those being affected by COVID currently. I know with a rise in cases several families that had to miss out on Christmas and other holidays affairs because of it, but also, this has led to the push back of semesters starting for some schools, and may even affect how some students start if they have to be in quarantine. 





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