August Ministry Update - Campus is alive!

     Hi everyone! This is my first blog post! I am a couple weeks into the apprenticeship program and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. Between apprentice classes, staff meetings, and outreach events, I have stayed busy. Collin College doesn't start school until August 26th, but I have gotten to help out with some of the events for incoming freshmen at my alma mater UT Dallas! Here is a picture I took at one of our "Welcome Week" events:

    We have also spent some time gearing up for the upcoming school year at Staff Retreat! It was such a great opportunity to meet the team I'll be working with this year and to learn more about campus ministry from people who have been doing it for a while. We did devotionals as a staff over topics like abiding in Christ, transformation, sacrifice, and God's love for us in preparation for the year ahead and spent a lot of time worshiping Him in song and in 1-on-1 conversations. Here is a picture of the FOCUS staff from campuses all across the DFW area!

    I am also super excited to get to take classes with the rest of the apprentices who are serving God though vocational ministry these next 10 months. Our first day on staff ended with a licensing ceremony where we committed to being campus missionaries for the upcoming school year in front of FOCUS students from all the FOCUS campuses. Since then, we have been reading through the Old Testament, following along with a seminary textbook, and listening to some seminary audio lectures as we go in addition to campus outreach! Here is a picture of us apprentices on our first day (from left to right - CK, Alex, Paul, me, and Madison):

    As for the Collin ministry, things are ramping up! We will be having a Collin Leader retreat this weekend (August 23-25) to talk about the details of campus ministry and prepare for our own Welcome Week the following Monday, so please keep us in your prayers this weekend. I am excited to meet the rest of the student leaders and get off on the right foot for the upcoming year! In the meantime, I have gotten to spend time with Pedro (left - this picture is from his citizenship ceremony, hence the red, white, and blue), my supervisor and the assistant director of the Collin team, and Gio (right), who I will be leading a Bible study with this upcoming year. They are both awesome guys and I am sure you'll get to hear more about them as the year goes on!

    Please be praying for students as they start their school year at Collin, UTD, and beyond. I have been asking God to put campus ministers in the right places at the right times - that students would open up their hearts to Him even with start-of-school stressors. The verse I have been thinking about with this starting school year is Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." 

    I am so excited for how He is going to move this year and am grateful that each of you is willing to give and be a part of it. It is such a blessing to these students that God is putting shepherds and spiritual leaders in their lives when they need it most. Thank you so much for being a part of His mission both in prayer and financial support! It really is making an impact!

    If you have any friends or family who would like to be added to the mailing list, please let me know! I would be happy to get them connected. You can also view a browser version of this email at mick.mcafoose.anyfocus.org, along with any past blog posts I’ve made (this is the first one, so it may be a little bare for now). Please feel free to reach out - I would love to hear from y’all. Again, thank you for supporting me and God’s work at Collin College. I can’t wait to tell you more as the year unfolds!

In Christ,

Mick