Three weeks ago, Clemson RUF took 66 students down to Laguna Beach Christian Retreat Center for a week of fellowship, Bible study, and fun. As an outsider looking in, it can be easy to wonder at how beneficial a week at the beach is to the growth of the Kingdom of God, but let me take a minute to describe it to you.

Monday afternoon, a little over 900 students from across the country drive into the camp, eager for the week ahead. They are welcomed by all of the different staff from their campuses, as well as the smell of a delicious BBQ and the excitement of our first Large Group. Our speaker, Richie Sessions, spent the week talking to us about the importance and transforming work of Scripture. 

Tuesday-Friday begins the normalcy of the week. Breakfast in the morning, followed by two seminars of your choice. Some of the seminar topics were “What is idolatry?”, “How to Read the Bible”, “Psalms & Emotions”, and so many others. All of these are taught by our wonderful Campus Ministers and Campus Staff.
Following the seminars, we fill up on some lunch and then spend the day on the beach or in tournaments before heading in for dinner and large group. As Clemson Tigers, our students worked for first place in many of the tournaments. Below is a picture of two of our guys who got 1st and 2nd in the Iron Mile, and our winning photo of tug-of-war!

We have the privilege of having many different kinds of students join us for SuCo, which means that many different kinds of friendships are formed. This is one of the best things to watch at SuCo. As our students are hearing the Gospel in large group and seminars every day, we get to see them live the Gospel out through their serving other campuses and the ways that they interact with each other. Upperclassmen befriending underclassmen, newer students being welcomed in by our more consistent students, these are just some of the ways that the Lord is at work!

“Going into SuCo, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I truly had the best time! The fellowship was especially incredible, and I’m extremely grateful I was able to attend.” - Lindy (freshman)

“I learned about how to decipher our individual “callings”. God does not call us into places where he has not given us both a desire and a gifting. It was incredible to see God at work in bringing students from all over the country together under the same Lord.” - Simmons (freshman)

I’m really excited and thankful to say that I will be staying in Clemson!! The Lord has been kind in giving me many great friends in the area, as well as a wonderful church! After many prayers, I have found that Clemson is where the Lord is calling me to be for now. This Sunday, I will be joining the staff at Clemson Pres as their Children’s Ministry Coordinator!! I’m so very thankful for this opportunity and that the Lord will be welcoming me into this new ministry! Thankfully, the woman currently in the role, Lucy, will be staying on for the month of June to help me get acclimated. I’ll start this next week, and then we’ll be hosting VBS! I’m thankful for these past three years of college ministry and how the Lord has prepared me for this new role. I wouldn’t be here without all of you, so thank you!

You may be wondering about what happens to my female students with RUF. All of my girls will be moving on to be ministered to by our wonderful Campus Staff, Emily Cartledge! I can’t feel more at peace leaving knowing that she will be there to love these students. She has done such a phenomenal job this past year at Clemson, and I’m excited to see how the Lord uses her! Clemson RUF will also be welcoming a new female Intern! Maggie Foster just graduated from the University of Georgia and is currently in the fundraising process before moving up here! Please pray for both of these women as they prepare for a new year of ministry!

Three years of college ministry are coming to an end, and none of it could have happened without your prayers and support. Together, we have raised just over $158,000 for the glory of God. We raised money for conferences, 10 cups of coffee/lunch with students every week, supplies for events, my rent, two moves, and so much more. Through these mundane actions and silly events, we were able to help young women feel welcome when they came onto campus. We were able to create a space for them to ask questions and wrestle with the Word of God. When I first started, I thought it would be almost impossible to raise $43,000, but the Lord has provided with abundance! So, thank you. Thank you for backing me up these three years.

What happens to my giving? All donations will automatically stop on May 31st. You won’t have to manually end your giving. My donor account will close, and my RUF email will end. If you would like to keep in touch with me, you can find my contact info below.

What if I want to keep on supporting this ministry that the Lord is still working through? I’m so glad that you asked! God’s work with college students doesn’t end when I leave RUF!! I highly encourage all of you to pray about supporting someone else in RUF or another ministry! If you are looking to find someone to support, please reach out to me! Below are three people who I think would greatly benefit from your help.

Ryan Angel is the RUF Campus Associate at my undergrad, TN Tech. If you live in the TN area and are looking to support a ministry, I ask that you consider giving to him. It is through RUF at TN Tech that I began to understand Scripture, and the Lord is still leading college students to Himself there.

Emily Cartledge is the RUF Campus Staff at Clemson. Emily just finished her first year at Clemson, teaching and guiding our young women to know Jesus more deeply. My students will continue to be mentored by her, so if you want to see these young women through the rest of their time in college, consider joining her.

Anna Ayers is the RUF-International Campus Staff at Clemson, and my roommate. She has been here four years, three as an intern and one as a Campus Staff. If you’re interested in seeing how the Lord is bringing the Gospel to the nations through college ministry, please consider giving to her. It has been such an honor to see how the Lord works through international students!

If you have any questions about what it looks like to give to these people or to any others, please reach out! Thank you again for your faithfulness in this ministry!  

My RUF email will be closing soon, so here’s my contact information if you’d like to check in or keep up with what’s going on at all.

Phone: 423-453-6249
Email: [email protected]

• Pray for me as I start this new job with Clemson Pres

• Pray for the RUF staff at Clemson as they fundraise this semester and prepare for ministry next year

• Pray for Maggie Foster as she starts her job with RUF and moves to Clemson

• Pray for VBS at Clemson. That God will use this ministry to bring many children to Him

Thank you so much for the ways that you all have loved and supported me. If you have any questions, or prayer requests, or would just like to chat, please call or text me at (423)453-6249.