Welcome to my Ministry Blog!

 Hello!

Welcome to my blog! I am so pumped to have you on my team as a ministry partner through prayer and/or finances. Every month, I will be sending out a blog that recaps my ministry experience for that past month so that you can stay up to date and be encouraged by what God is doing on campus! I will also include a couple of prayer requests at the end so that you can join me in lifting up our ministry to the students at SMU. Thanks again for partnering with me in this amazing work for the Lord!

The Beginning of it All

I am excited to announce that on August 1, 2021, I officially started my campus ministry Apprenticeship with FOCUS! I was licensed to be a minister with the 18 other apprentices that are joining staff last Sunday evening at our licensing and Commitment ceremony (picture below).

All of the Apprentices for the 2021-2022 school year.

Thank you to everyone who could tune in to watch! Making commitments to the community and to God helped prepare my heart for the start of the school year and for everything He has in store. If for some reason you were not able to watch it live or would like to rewatch it, you can click the link below:

https://fb.watch/7eHghiHk86/

If you would like to read along or just read what we committed, linked below is the program.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dumiCbiSyRjTZDYFzEnBsZlEN1QsDB0b/view

Staff Retreat

The day after our licensing and commitment ceremony, all of the Apprentices had our orientation and then went straight to the FOCUS staff retreat in Bridgeport, TX. We spent Monday through Thursday in fellowship with each other and with the Lord, centering our hearts on Jesus and encouraging one another for this upcoming school year. I had such a blast building friendships with staff from the 11 campuses we currently are on (increasing to 16 this year as we pioneer 5 new campuses!). As a staff team with over 50 people, it can be difficult to connect and build relationships with everyone during the school year, so taking these days to prioritize God and each other is so important to stay cohesive and united throughout the semester. 

Becca (another Apprentice) and I matched on accident at Staff retreat!         Claire (left), and Alex (right) are living with me this year and also are doing the Apprenticeship!                                                                                             

Some of the highlights of the week were playing hours of water volleyball in the pool, participating in guitar hero and karaoke in the evening, and spending time in God's beautiful creation with my newfound friends. We also spent time worshipping as a group and reflecting on Galatians 2:20 and how it should shape us and our ministry for the year:

    "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Gal 2:20

Reflecting on Jesus' sacrifice and the areas I need to crucify in my life reshaped the way I thought about going into full-time ministry; it was humbling to realize that just because I have the title of a minister doesn't mean that I am better than or more selfless than anyone else. I must be even more aware of the sin that is still in my heart and bring it before the Lord so that He can continue to form me into His image. Praise Him for the work He has done already in my heart!

What's Next 

This upcoming week, I will be joining over 200 students and staff at Camp Eagle outside of San Antonio, TX for our student leadership conference, SICM (Student Institue of Campus Ministry). This is such a special week for our students who are new to leadership to learn how to effectively minister through leading small groups, doing outreach, and building deep, spiritual relationships with the students at their campuses. I attended SICM after my first year in college and it had a significant impact on my three years as a student leader at UTD, so I am excited to see how it will empower the students attending. 

                                           My roommate, Alex, and I during our SICM trip in 2018 in Bellingham, WA

After SICM, we will start having events on campus to meet and connect with students! Please be praying that God will empower all of our student leaders and staff with the Holy Spirit to start building relationships with the students we meet during the next couple of weeks. The first month of college for campus ministry is the most important for casting our nets wide on campus, so be praying during this time for our work to be fruitful and impactful. 

Thank you again for your partnership and for taking the time to read my blog! You should expect monthly updates from now on around the 1st of each month. I'm so excited to continue to share what God is doing in the lives of college students!!

In Christ,

Siena