"But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth." Exodus 9:16
Thank you so much for all of your prayers for Focus, our year-end student conference! Both weeks were a success! I had the privilege to attend part of the conference to assist our Media team. This allowed me to get just a glimpse of the excitement of these two weeks. Here are some of the highlights...
Each week, students had the opportunity to spend deeper time with the Lord through daily teaching, worship, and fellowship after finishing up another school year. It is truly such a sweet time to reflect on the Lord's goodness and work he has done this past school year. I had the chance to catch up with some of the Muhlenberg students I had discipled and it was so amazing to hear how they have grown in their faith and are seeking out how to image Christ wherever they go.
For many students, the highlight of the week was on Wednesday when we heard from 3 inner-city missionarieswho shared about their ministries to the homeless (Hope Rescue Mission, Reading PA), sex trafficking victims (FREE, Morgantown, PA), and restoring communities through home repair and youth programs (The Philadelphia Project, Philadelphia, PA).
DiscipleMakers desires to see students equipped to go out and share the gospel to the ends of the earth - which can even be in their own communities to love the "harassed and helpless" (Matthew 9:36). As our "Faith" core value says "God asks us to see things from His point of view and then to act on them. It's not enough to see His truth ourselves; He calls us to make every effort to influence the world around us for Him." These missionaries were able to share in that vision and encourage students to think about how they can influence their world for Christ.
Frank Grill from Hope Rescue Mission spoke about the many people he has met through the ministry, many who have come from poverty, prison, and hard situations. Yet, he highlighted how the greatest form of poverty is spiritual poverty. He challenged students to "see with God's eyes" and to consider how they have been gifted and serve the Lord in that way. He really hit this home by saying "If we really do know God...and if God is really working in our heart...we are compelled to take action in a positive way for God's kingdom".
Andrea McHenry from FREE shared stories and practical applications about identifying and helping sex trafficking victims. I was encouraged by students' desires to combat this issue through more than just helping victims, but also through educating their friends and classmates. They even realized they can pray for the trafficking suppliers who are in just as much need of Christ as each one of us.You can listen to all of the workshops and other sessions on the DiscipleMakers website.
We also had Pastor Curtis Dunlap from Epiphany Fellowship Church in Philly and their worship band, DOXA lead our main session that evening. Before Curtis preached, a DM staff interviewed him about his experience as a black Christian in America and in the church. It was a sobering, yet powerful time as this brother shared his hurt and hope. Pastor Dunlap challenged us to see that racism is not merely a social issue, but a Gospel issue! I highly encourage you to check out his interview and teaching.
Check out the highlight reel to catch a glimpse of the excitement!
Prayers & Praises
Praise God for the week students had at Focus! Pray that the students would live out all that they learned as they head off into the summer and even into the next school year.
Pray for our summer student interns (like Pauline) coming next week. Pray that the Lord would prepare their hearts for the summer, use this time as a way to deepen their relationship with Him, and that many students would be reached at Penn State while they are here.
Pray for me as I have gained more responsibilities in the Headquarters to do my work excellently and balance my time.
I'm very thankful for you, dear friends, as it is only through your support - both through prayer and financial giving - that makes this ministry possible!
I pray for each of you, and I'm grateful for your continued partnership in ministry. Please let me know how I can specifically be praying for you, too, by replying to this email!
Technology Note:
It has come to my attention that some of my newsletters have not been received! Be sure to check your SPAM folder if you are experiencing this, and add my email to your address book to prevent this in the future! I send an update out each month, so be sure to look for my next one!
Missed one of my newsletters? See all previous newsletters here.
or many students, the highlight of the week was on Wednesday when we heard from 
We also had Pastor Curtis Dunlap from 
