October Update!

Good day, friends and family!! I pray this newsletter finds you well! October is over and the semester is coming to a close which means it’s time for a brief update. I can’t believe how fast October went by!

Camping with RUF

On the night of Friday the 13th, twenty-four students joined the Hightower family and me on a camping trip to Cheaha State Park. It was such a wonderful time to get away from campus and into God’s creation. I was able to sit back and watch new relationships being built between under and upperclassmen. This warmed my heart so much because I’ve been worried about the underclassmen not being consistent next semester after Daniel and I leave, but I was reminded, yet again, that God is at work!

October Training

This month RUF hosted its final intern training for the year. I spent a week in Colorado resting with other interns across America and learning how to minister to my students better. This was a much-needed refresher. My intern friends are one of the biggest blessings in my life! They have been such a great source of community and wisdom for me.

We spent the week learning more about how to do ministry, how to remember to care for ourselves, and how to focus our lives on Christ. My favorite seminar from the week was over thanksgiving. All first-year interns were in a room and were encouraged to share stories about ministry so far. There were so many encouraging stories about students growing in faith and interns growing in love, but there were also a lot of stories about how hard and lonely ministry can be. The room was moved to tears and by the end of it we were all sniffling through the prayer.

This has absolutely been the best job I have ever had. God has shown me so much grace, love, and goodness through my minister and my students. At the same time, this has been the hardest job I have ever had. There have been so many moments of pure loneliness and having to hear the difficult stories of my students, but God has been faithful through the good and the bad. Thank you for supporting me through this.

Saying Goodbye

I’ve known that I would be moving to Clemson for about two months now. I’ve been so busy trying to find housing, figuring out budgeting, meeting my new staff members, and trying to wrap my head around the size of their ministry that I haven’t sat with the fact that I will be leaving. Leaving this place that I’ve called home for the past four months. Leaving this campus that took me less than a week to navigate! Leaving a church that welcomed me with open arms. Leaving a group of students that I’ve grown to love. Leaving my freshman girls who I’ve grown in Christ with. I’m leaving and I don’t think it’s really hit me until this week. I met with my campus minister today and he asked how I was feeling right now about moving. I’m honestly sad.

This past week has been my favorite week of ministry and I’d love to share some of it with you. On Tuesday I had dinner with a freshman girl who I hadn’t met with in a while. She was telling me that this past month has been the hardest month of college for her. She recently lost a loved one and has been struggling with the balance of sadness that her loved one is gone and hope in Christ. I was trying to think of ways that I could comfort her at this moment, but then she told me that even though this month has been really hard, she’s never felt closer to Christ. She was telling me the ways that she saw God pursuing her through this time and she was so excited. We talked for two hours about the gospel! Nothing else, really. About how the gospel is working in our lives, how God uses everything for our good, and how important it is to share difficult times with each other so that we can encourage one another. I left that meeting so pumped about Christ and the way He is working!

Then, on Wednesday I met with two girls at a coffee shop. We were just hanging out doing some work. I was doing my study program and reading through the book of Romans. One of my students closed her laptop, looked at me, and then pulled out her Bible and some notes. “You look like you’ve got some time to answer a couple of questions,” she said. “Of course!” I said, “I love Bible questions!” The two students and I spent three hours in this coffee shop talking about the Bible. They asked me questions and some I knew the answers to because of my study program and others I didn’t know the answers so we looked it up and learned together. I left that meeting thinking “How great is God!?”

So, I’m sad. I’m sad to leave these girls that I’ve gotten to know so well, but at the same time, I’m so ENCOURAGED! I know that God is at work in each of them. He will continue to be at work in them after I’m gone. I pray that they continue to ask questions and continue to look for Him during the hard times. None of this is possible through me. None of this is even possible through you and your support. It is all only possible through Christ! How cool that He has chosen to use each of us to do His work. To show His love. To spread His word.

Fundraising

I hope you all are as encouraged as I am. I’m gonna end this newsletter with a brief financial update. I am currently 88% funded! The Lord continues to provide! I am $6,129 away from being fully funded this year. You all have been amazing in your support, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving your money to this mission. I know it can be hard to know if your donation is making a difference, but I pray that you are able to see from the brief story above that it is! God is working through you and your generous hearts to bring His children to Himself. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming first-time givers, increasing your donation, or giving a special gift, please do not hesitate to reach out! I can’t continue to do this without you all! I would also love to know how I can be praying for you! If you have any prayer requests, please contact me!

Prayers

• Please pray for my students. That they will continue to pursue Christ and will become deeper in love with Him.

• Please pray for everyone as they go home for the holidays.

• Please pray for Clemson staff and students during this transition.

• Please pray for the Hightowers and me as we move next month.

• Praise for the ways that God is working in our students.

• Praise for the hunger our students have for God.