Winter Retreat was Awesome!

Have we thawed out yet? I hope y'all are well and stayed warm this week! 

Winter Retreat

Right before all the ice, we had Winter Retreat! There were about 800 people in attendance, pictured above. This is my favorite big event we do, a whole weekend dedicated to connecting with God as the year begins. This year, we had Marty Solomon speak. If you haven't heard of his podcast, the BEMA podcast, I highly recommend it. At retreat, he talked about the story of Genesis and has an inspiring way of bringing the story to life. If you want to listen to the talks, here's the link.

The talks, the worship, and the many many walk-and-talks all culminated to such sweet and fruitful conversations. I think students are more eager to learn the story of Scripture - the story that, as Jesus followers, is now ours. They have caught a glimpse of the story God has been weaving from the beginning. What grace that we all get to be a part of it! Many I talked to want to learn to trust the story, to watch for how God is working things out even in the midst of suffering.

Owen got to participate in a dance class! We plan lots of fun activities, like dancing, improv, and crafts so the students can have fun and make friends.

My peer team this year. From left to right: Caitlynn, Glenda, Cassy, me, Mary, Chloe, Stephanie. Each of them have been such a blessing to me and I'm grateful to work alongside them on campus!

As a fun throwback, this was my core at winter retreat in 2016! I was a sophomore here, crazy what God has done in ten years!

UNT, TWU, and NCTC pictured together.

UNT

And TWU!

Bonus snow pics!

Prayer Requests

- I would love your prayers regarding my personal financial support. Jon and I are navigating some financial shifts and I'm hoping to fundraise about $500 in new monthly support. While fundraising mid-semester can feel a bit daunting, I'm choosing to trust that God knows our needs and will provide.

- I talked with a number of students at retreat who are in pretty tough circumstances. They're facing intense grief, anxiety for their families, processing past abuse, and more. Would you pray for these students to trust God and the story He's writing?