April Update

April flew by way too fast! I can't believe we are one week away from our end of the year banquet.

Though it's been fast, there has been a lot of exciting things going on around here. On the first of April one of our girl corefas got to baptize a student (Stephanie) that she has been studying with. Stephanie is one of the neatest girls in our ministry and is definitely known for her sincere love and care for others. She made Jesus her Lord in front of a group of about thirty of us from FOCUS and we are all so excited for the awesome work we know God has for her.

Also this month, Eboni and Ashley (two girls from our core) led core all on their own. For the students that start to step up as leaders in the second semester, we like to give the opportunity to experience what it is like to plan and lead a core all on their own. Ashley and Eboni have shown great dedication to our small group this year and both show a fierce love for Jesus and his people. The two of them planned a lesson on what it takes to stay devoted to Jesus over the summer break. One reality we try to prepare our students for is how easy it can be to get lazy with our spiritual walks once the summer begins. Ashley and Eboni did such a great job talking about how to maintain desire, be disciplined and diligent and continue in our devotion. It was a super encouraging experience for Courtney and me to see two girls that have grown so much over the year, take responsibility and lead other girls in their faith. Here are some pictures from that night.

I'm sure most of you remember Shu, the international student that I have been studying with this year. She attended Thanksgiving with my family last Fall and last month she was the individual who wrote our student testimony on the staff update page. My study with Shu has quickly become the most encouraging and exciting part of my week. God is working in her heart in mighty ways and the sense that He has big things for her are proving to be very true. Over the course of this semester Shu has nearly read through the entire New Testament. She is in the book of Hebrews right now and her understanding of scripture is truly mind blowing. Two weeks ago I asked her what she thought Luke 17:33 meant. This scripture talks about losing our life and gaining it in Christ. Without any help from me Shu explained what the scripture meant in the most perfect way. It gave me chills as I realized that there was no other explanation other than the Spirit's work in her life, that she knew and truly understood this scripture. Shu believes that God exists and she believes that Jesus is the son of God. The only reason she hasn't been baptized and made a decision to become a disciple is because she wants to be 100% authentic in her decision to follow Jesus. Tomorrow we will be studying rebirth and what scripture has to say about baptism. Every time I leave our study I feel like she is on the verge of making the decision. So please continue to be in prayer for her and her family as she starts to teach them about the bible and all she is learning. Here is a picture of Shu!

Not For Sale

25% of all human trafficking in the United States takes place in Texas. 

Last week FOCUS and InterVarsity (another ministry on campus) partnered together in an evangelism event to raise awareness about human trafficking. InterVarsity had done this campaign the previous year and their staff leader Lisa has a super huge heart for this topic. So we thought it would be a great way to raise awareness and grow in our relationship with another ministry.

We called the campaign 'Not For Sale' and ordered t-shirts that said that on them. Everyday of the week you could walk around campus and see 30-40 people in these black 'Not For Sale' shirts that were promoting the weeks events on the back. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we set up stations around the Student Union with stories of actual individuals that had been trafficked before. They were written out on foam board and hung around artistic photographs that some of our students had taken. Students who were walking to and from class could pass by and read the stories and engage in conversation with our students who were standing by ready to educate and tell people about the hope we have in Jesus. We had fact sheets and cards that had five practical ways that the students could help stop the injustices of human trafficking. This went on from 10am to 2pm all three of those days. So many of our students signed up to work the stations and had some really cool spiritual conversations with people that passed by. So many of the students were unaware of the injustices that were taking place even in the United States. We had a board out asking what other student's solutions were to this problem. This allowed for an easy segue into what we see as the only hope these victims and perpetrators have, Jesus. 

On Wednesday evening we had a viewing of a documentary on human trafficking outside on the Student Union steps. So many people showed up and people who were passing by would stop also to see what was going on. Thursday night we had a speaker who has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo specifically with trafficked victims. He is a lawyer at a local church and is a part of a ministry of lawyers seeking justice for those who don't have a voice. 

All in all, it was a super successful week. We were able to grow in our presence on campus, raise awareness for Human Trafficking and talk to a lot of people about Jesus. 

The semester is flying by, this next week we are having a speaker at our large group meeting. The title of his talk is "A Historian's Perspective on the Resurrection" I think it will be a really neat deal and hopefully something we get a lot of visitors for. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Student Update

So this student's story will probably be the testimony on our website's update page next month, but I couldn't resist telling you all now :)

In November's post I asked you all to be praying for an international student named Shu. Well your prayers have done mighty things in the Kingdom and I am so grateful for your faithful prayers. Shu and I met this past Monday to go through a 'Discovering Jesus' study together. Discovering Jesus is just another resource we use that is jam packed with scriptures to guide students in learning about our God and hopefully choosing to follow Him. As Shu and I caught up about how things have been going, it didn't take long for me to see disappointment on her face. She told me that because she is studying the bible everyday with different Christians her friends that are not believers have abandoned her friendship. Let's back up just one second...yes, Shu has made many Christian friends at UT Dallas (all from different ministries and churches) and with them studies the bible and learns about God on a daily basis. SO NEAT! Shu also told me that her parents are not okay with her decision to explore Christianity, mainly because of what could happen to her when she came back to China if she were a Christian. Her mother told her that her uncle (who is a police officer) would have to enforce the law on her if she came back as a Christian. "But I am an adult, and my decision is to learn about God and the Bible" Shu told me this as a response to her uncle's predicted persecution. I was so challenged by all of this. Here I am, a disciple of Jesus and what have I had to give up that is that big, for Him? But Shu, not even a Christian yet, is counting the cost and choosing Jesus. Shu has a very big heart for her country and wants to do something big for it. My prayer is that this is God lighting a fire in her heart to go be a missionary in her home country. Keep praying big prayers! God is doing something so awesome :)

Longing for your fulfilling presence
I find myself empty again

And as my thoughts fight distraction
I in my spirit, let you in

Your refining fire burns my heart
And I feel your thoughts become mine

Realization, a tough pill to swallow
But you tell me, "Hold tight," for in the end you'll shine

For I am yours, your very desire
And my character is your deep concern

Like a tree that's pruned
An unshapely bush, cropped to be your fern

So I grab on tightly
And let you take me as I am

Clinging to your promise
That the finished product will reflect you Lord, the great and mighty 'I AM'




Character change is a theme I'm seeing a lot in my ministry right now. Not only of my peers, but of myself too. Being like Jesus has become a phrase we throw around without much thought. But I've been pondering that very phrase and trying to actually imagine myself becoming like Jesus was, that's pretty hard to do. So in my time with God today I wrote this poem to describe that bitter sweet experience of God shaping and molding us.

I hope all of you are doing good and are healthy and full of joy!

<3 Jamiann

As promised...

February has come and gone and there are lots of exciting things happening around here

On the 11th we had our annual Valentathalon event. I had such a blast planning this event and seeing it executed. A team of four people including myself planned eight different relay/silly game stations for the students to participate in that night. We had everything from blindfolding boys and girls and putting lipstick on them and then making them "pin their lips" on the justin beiber posters..to pushing students in office chairs in the motion of a carnival tilt-a-Whirl. At the end of the night each team had to act out a scene of the most dramatic engagement proposal they could think up. All of these activities were to acquire tickets. At the end of the night everyone was allowed to take their tickets to the prize table and buy all of those fun carnival type prizes. Needless to say, it was great fun and we got great feedback from the students.

Also this month we got to invite students to SICM (student institute of campus ministry) up in Bellingham Washington. This is a week long conference we send prospective student leaders to every year. It is always an awesome growing experience for all those who attend and also a huge vision casting week. Every year the number of people we send grows and this year was no different. Four girls from my core alone are going and I couldn't be more excited for them.

Lastly, this past Sunday we had all campus worship night with all of the ministries at UTD. Being able to come together and worship as the body of Christ is a huge testimony to all that God is doing at here. It has been such a blessing to be a part of his work here and I am super pumped for what He still has in store.

Thanks for being amazing and being such a big part of this opportunity for me

January happenings..

Well the semester is officially underway and ministry and my schedule are finding some sort of regularity again.

This time of year is very fun as a corefa because you get to see who of those students you've been pouring into really start to step up and show the qualities and characteristics of a leader and disciple of Jesus. Winter camp was great for the girls in my core. They definitely grew closer together in their friendships, but what is better is that more and more of them are stepping up and taking ownership over this ministry and their own personal ministries. One girl that I am studying with is a sophomore and has been in focus for a year and a half now. Over the last three months I have seen a huge growth spurt in her spiritual life. She came to me towards the end of the semester ready to start a one on one bible study with a girl in our core. This semester she has taken on an additional study with another international student, is in charge of planning monthly hang outs for our core girls on the weekends, she has taken it upon herself to make sure every girls birthday in our core is recognized and celebrated at that monthly hangout and now is going through the book "The Fuel and the Flame" for the second time! The Fuel and the Flame is a book all about campus ministry and was definitely a reading that started planting a vision in my heart for what God can do on a college campus. Needless to say...I am so excited! Michelle is just one of the many girls in our core that is stepping up this semester and I am so thankful that God has captured her heart and given her a passion for people and ministry.

This month will be a quick one, we have our silly event that we hold every February called Valentathalon. This event is an awesome opportunity to invite friends from classes and anyone else to come and play silly games and participate in zany relays while spending time with other college students. I'll post some pictures for you all soon so you can laugh about the craziness that takes place.

I hope that you all are enjoying the beautiful "winter" we have been having. I'm crossing my fingers that we had enough snow and ice last year to last us for the next couple!

<3 Jamiann