Hi Friends!

 

It's June 1st and you know what that means? It means that I forgot to send a ministry update last month but to make it up to you I am sending it to you early this month! May was BUSY but filled with exciting things! 

We wrapped up our Richland cores and fellowship nights this month! Our end of the year party was filled with a lot of laughs and encouragements from students to students. I'm so proud of this years group for prioritizing community and remaining faithful to growing in Jesus. For our last leader meeting we had our corefa team write an epistle to the Richland community. At the end of this e-mail I'll be sharing Erika's epistle. Erika is one of the sweetest and thought provoking leaders we have ever had. She has grown so much and I'm very excited to have her around for another year.  I hope you find it encouraging. In other news, the Richland campus is officially opening back up and we are very thrilled to be back meeting and engaging with students! 

Summer Plans: 
We our a few weeks into our Summer FOCUS meetings and our students are very happy to be together with friends from all of our FOCUS campuses. Thursdays have been such an encouragement to me. Last week, my friend and coworker Austin shared a very moving message about Jesus liking us they way we are. I encourage you to give it a listen here the sermon starts at minute 43. 

This summer I will be spending a lot of time fundraising for the year! I'm so glad this year is looking a lot more normal and I'm hoping to meet with you all face to face. So be on the lookout for my text/phone call! Below, I'm including a graphic with my personal fundraising details. Thank you for prayerfully considering being on my team! Each of you have given me so much already and I can't thank you enough for believing in me as a campus minister. 

Here is Erika's epistle! 

"Letter to Richland FOCUS community,

I thank God for all of you thunderducks. I thank Him for how genuinely and sincerely loving and compassionate each and every single one of you are. Like, how when one of us enters the room, we greet one another joyfully with enthusiasm- it is beautiful because I believe it just shows how joyful and loving God’s kingdom truly is. I am thankful for how open we are to God’s word and wisdom. It is absolutely amazing to see how many of us have grown unrecognizable in Gods redemptive and resurrection power. Meaning, thanks to this enriching Richland community many of us have become new people with new purpose. We were able to rise and worship the Lord despite our dispositions and circumstances. Many of us could easily grow bitter and anxious and discouraged and lethargic from so many things, especially the brokenness and devastation we have seen in the world this past year alone. However, we persevere because we know God is greater all the time, and all the time God is greater. We seek Him and each other out, because we are called to love one another. And agape love, God’s love is so much more than “How are you doing?” Or “I’m praying for you”. While those things may be considerate and serve others well, agape love is full of truth, challenges, and selflessness. 

As I’ve seen with many of you and how many of you have even challenged myself, intentionality truly makes a difference. I love and thank seeing many of you be intentional, whether that was with your time, coming to TNT, being a friend, or being more disciplined, because no matter how you were intentional, let me just say that that is so inspiring and you should be proud of yourself, and I’m proud of you and love you for that. 

I thank you because it is exciting and wonderful seeing many of us get uncomfortable. It might sound ironic, but sit in this idea; being uncomfortable is necessary sometimes to grow as a disciple and child of God. For some of us, there have been many days and nights where we longed for God to break the weeks-long silence, or we spiraled wondering if any of this is worth it or why am I doing this, or we just feel like we’re running in circles. 

I want to remind you, dear friends, that God is always working and moving. He is in this community and He is with each of us. This doesn’t mean our struggles aren’t valid or shouldn’t be acknowledged; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. I dare you to bring those darkness into the light and trust that we are here and love you. You will not be ostracized or shamed, as a child, as a disciple, as a brother, as a sister. We are here, together, and God has made it this way for so many reasons. I dare you to get uncomfortable and challenge yourself and others. I dare you to get out- just get out of your head and follow where God calls and leads you- why? Cause he is working in you and with us.

Finally, fellow thunderducks, fellow friends of thunder, I want to say again, I am so thankful for you all. You are lights with my life, and you are so inspirational. With how you grow, how you’ve helped me grow, and how we grow together. Continue growing, continue being uncomfortable, and continue being vulnerable in God’s loving light."

As always, please reach out for any questions! Thank You! 

Your campus missionary,
Sandra Salvador

One of my favorite students, Sayuri! Pray for her transition to Texas Tech. 

This is Erika!

W/Claire who is going to be an apprentice at Richland next school year! Very excited to work with her!

Our first summer FOCUS indoors! Excited to worship with everyone.