Back at It Again!

 Hi to all my ministry partners and more!

First off, can we just acknowledge that we're already through the first month of the year?? How CRAZY is that! This already tells me that this is going to be a fast paced semester. But anywhooooo...

January was full of so many up's and down's-in ministry and even in my own life. However, God really was so sweet and good to remind me so abundantly of his good works and truth in my life. 

Ministry

This past month, we had the opportunity to go to Winter Camp, which was such an impactful time for us as staff and for the students. Winter Camp, for those that don't know, is a weekend in which students from all the campuses that FOCUS is established at get together and worship, fellowship, and learn more about God. Due to a rise in COVID, we were a bit iffy if this was going to actually happen this year, but praise God that we did get to have it.

This year, we had Rick Watts, a professor from Regent College, come speak. Ultimately, we just asked him to speak about whatever was on his heart, and dang, he really came prepared. Over the course of the weekend, Rick talked about the Gospels as being history before just being theology because Jesus was a real person who drastically changed the world. He drove the point home about how the Gospels have already won, regardless of if people call Jesus lord, because of how Jesus' ideas and teachings have deeply impacted society today. This in itself was so interesting to me because it genuinely makes Jesus so tangible to everyone despite their background. However, I'm just paraphrasing, and if you're interested in hearing more about what Rick talked about, feel free to check out the audios on the FOCUS website!

While also at camp, I had some really impactful conversations with students that really left me amazed at the power of the Spirit. One girl I've been meeting with all last semester finally came to the realization of how she wants to know God on her own free will versus the idea of God and Christianity that others throw onto her and expect out of her. While from afar this wouldn't seem like a big deal, to me this left me in tears because I had been praying and waiting so long for her to realize just how much she bought into the world's idea of her. I also had another student open up to me about some of the patterns and struggles she had fallen back into over break, and where she could easily fall into shame, found herself instead wanting to live in the light and love of community. Which, again, left me crying and remembering once more that God has these girls in my ministry WAY more than I ever could. 

Here's a photo I got one morning when there was frost all over the ground! It really was so cool being immersed in God's creation.

We also had a pinata at camp. The students had a great time with this activity.

Our core! Not everyone who came is pictured here because they had to leave, but it really was so cool having as many people as we did come from the Collin Wylie campus.

Being back on campus with students has also been such a fun time! Immediately coming back from Winter Camp, the students started the semester and we had our first core (small group). David and I had the idea for them to come up with goals for themselves as a group, and I don't either of us were prepared for how excited they were about that. What initially we had planned to spend 10 minutes on, we ended up spending 30 minutes discussing because they all had such amazing ideas. Eventually, they came to the conclusion that they wanted to have worship cores once a month, hold each other more accountable to speaking up and sharing thoughts during our core time, and wanted David and I to create roles for different people in core so that they could have ownership of it more. I honestly was stunned at how purposeful and intentional these goals were. 

Evidently, this isn't all of what happened this past month with ministry, but I do feel like these were highlights that really encompass the idea that God really is at work here. FOCUS at Wylie Collin has been growing exponentially and that is because of the support and prayers from each of you. So, thank you so much! These students have really blown me away this past month, and I'm so excited to see what God continues doing in their lives this semester. 

Personal

On another note, this past month started out a bit rocky emotionally. Three of my roommates had COVID, and I ended up testing with a false positive a few days before Winter Camp. So, I was pretty over quarantining, and, not going to lie, was acting a bit like a brat because of it. During those 2 weeks of having to miss out of big group activities, and having to be patient with my tests and the advice I was being given by others, God taught me a lot about his steadfast love and hope. Personally, I think I'm someone who can easily give into anxiety and feel out of control a lot. Yet, even when things were hectic and very much out of my control, God kept reminding me that I was okay where I was and that he did delight in my care and well-being, and though I felt alone during that time, I really wasn't. Even more so, I also learned about myself that I truly am an extrovert and thrive off of being around people. So, praise God that my job literally is meeting with people.

I also have been learning a lot about my emotions this month, and how my emotions, despite how deep they might be, are a reflection of God and his character. In past, I would struggle with feeling a diversity of emotions, and even struggle with just identifying them beyond the normal 'happy', 'sad', and 'angry'. However, over the years, God has widen my emotions from a small puddle to a river of diverse feelings and experiences. Only lately has it felt like he's been deepening that river into a canyon, where my emotions feel so big that it's almost scary. Lately, my pastoral supervisor has been talking with me more about how it's okay for me to feel these things, and to allow myself to so that they don't take me as much by surprise-and even more so, aren't a discouragement to me anymore. Emotions make us more like God, and that's something I'm having to consistently lean into.

Finally, on another note, I'm engaged! Within this past month as well, Connor, my boyfriend who also is doing the apprenticeship, proposed to me in the most sweet, haphazard, us way of doing things. So, wedding planning has also been something I've been adjusting to and trying to figure out, but I'm honestly really grateful for community in helping us along the way. 

Ronnie, one of our teachers, took us apprentices out for breakfast during break!

Connor and I are engaged!

Again, thank you all so much for all your support, prayers, and encouragements. It really means the world to have you each caring so much about me, college students, and the work God is doing on these campuses. Hope you all are staying safe, and please feel free to reach out if you have any prayer requests!

Love, Orion

Prayer Requests

• SICM, the Student Institute of Campus Ministry, is a conference in Washington that we invite students to every year to train and to gain skills and knowledge about what it means to evangelize and lead those on their campus. Currently, we're in the process of inviting students. So, prayers for the planning process and our annual fundraiser for this, Showcase, would be appreciated!
• Wedding planning and that I and Connor find ways to use this as a time to serve and care for others. 
• My 1 on 1's with students this semester and that they really are just prompted by the Spirit to know how deeply they are loved by God.