Hello friends and family! I’m sorry for the delay in my updates. It has been a very busy semester and I’m excited to share it with you, so here we go!

SNOCO 2024!

February 9-11, RUF at Clemson went to Ridge Haven camp for our annual Winter Conference (or SnoCo). This was a time for our students to get away from campus and school work to focus on connecting with God and with each other.

Our speaker, Sam Taaffe, led us through the first couple of chapters of Ecclesiastes. Taaffe helped show us that our purpose in life comes from Christ and that this will bring much more joy than the lies of the world. Many of the students made connections from this text to what we have been learning in our Large Group. It’s such a joy to be able to watch my students become excited about what they are learning and the ways in which they are growing in their relationship with Christ.

One of the biggest benefits of conferences is that students grow in deeper relationships with each other. I saw many students interacting with each other that usually aren’t in the same friend groups. For our freshmen class, this was a blessing to see the older students bring them into the community.

Ministry

This semester I have had the privilege of co-leading a girl’s Bible study over Luke with my co-intern, Lydia. This week I was able to lead the girls through Luke 13. We were able to look at our calling to follow Christ through the narrow door into eternal life with Him. Our girls pointed out the intimacy that Christ shows us through His interactions with His people and the excitement of one day reclining at God’s table and feasting with Him. It has been an honor to be able to grow in leading Bible studies with my students. I, of course, have so much to learn, but God has been faithful in speaking through me and He uses all of these interactions for His glory.

I have been able to meet with 5-8 students every week for individual ministry. I have about 20 girls that I meet with, and I am happy to say that I am past the introductory meetings and we are getting into the good and the bad. I have been so encouraged by a one-on-one with a girl I met with last week. She confided in me about the difficulties in her family, but that she has been able to see the way that God is using these opportunities to grow her and her relationship with Him. She has been interested in potentially going into ministry but has plenty of time as a freshman to think about her possibilities.

Jacksonville State University

I have been so proud to watch the students at JSU thrive this semester as they are continuing a student-run RUF. They have weekly Bible studies and a Large Group. RUF is in the process of interviewing someone for the position of campus minister at JSU, so we pray that that spot will be filled quickly.

The JSU students also had a chance to go to their own SnoCo after we had ours. The students who attended were also blessed with the opportunity to spend a weekend in God’s creation and rest away from campus.

Fundraising

I am so excited to announce that I am FULLY FUNDED for the first year of the internship!! All praise and glory goes to God, but thank you SO much for your faithfulness, love, compassion, and generosity! I know I say this often, but none of this would be possible without people like you and your love for God.

Fundraising was the scariest part about doing this internship. I was afraid that I would not be able to find enough people to give to this mission, but really I was doubting God’s goodness and faithfulness to this mission that He has called me to. Each of you is proof that I was wrong in my doubts. God has proved over and over again with each of your donations and prayers that He loves me, He loves these students, and He loves the work of RUF.

I’ve been excited to be able to take a step back from fundraising and focus all of my attention on these students at Clemson. I won’t begin fundraising for next year until May, but anything given from now until then that is extra will just pour over into next year’s fundraising.

I wish there was more I could do to show my appreciation to each of you, but I pray that you can see the beauty of God’s provision in your own lives.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for the students at JSU and Clemson as they finish out the semester

• Pray that JSU will find a new campus minister quickly

• Please pray for me as I am looking at somewhere cheaper to live next year

• Praise for God’s provision with fundraising and for new community in my church