Christmas Break Update

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Hello! I hope that you've been well over the holidays!

The college campuses are on break, and the FOCUS staff were also on break for two weeks during the Christmas and New Year holidays. However, this doesn't mean that we went MIA.



Before the Christmas break, we hosted a Collin FOCUS Christmas party. Each core (small group) also had the opportunity to build a Christmas blanket fort and participate in a fort contest. 


Some of the guys from Collin and I's core as we show off the comfy fort we made together. It had a twin mattress and some lights on the inside. 



The 2018-2019 Collin FOCUS staff! 
These guys have been such a loving and supportive group of co-workers and friends.



The 2018-2019 FOCUS apprentices! 
These guys are such a joy to learn and grow with. It's hard to believe that I didn't really know 75% of them when we started this adventure less than a year ago. We've grown to become some of each other's biggest fans!



The apprentices were prompted to share a sermon centered around the theme "This is my Gospel." I shared the good news of how Jesus gave me a sense of belonging and family, as well as how he redeemed my relationship with the family I was born into. 

Praise God for adopting us as His children. As I wrote last month, I'm so thankful for the family God has given me. It's truly good news to see how God continually marks us as his sons and daughters and claims us as our Father.



FOCUS staff Christmas dinner. We shared how working on staff this year has impacted us.
I'm thankful for a workplace where people look after your best interests and want you to grow as a person, not just as someone working to grow or build an organization.




Over the break Jacy and I visited her family in Kansas City. Despite having already met everyone, this was the first time I was with all of her sisters and her brother-in-law at the same time! I'm thankful for their hospitality and their love for cooking. 




Kicking off 2019, the FOCUS staff had a winter staff retreat. The retreat was incredibly restful and encouraging. We got to spend time in prayer, reflection, and fellowship with the other staff. It was so cool to see how my relationships with other staff have grown over just a few months. 



The past month proved great as a time of reflection and rest.
God showed me a lot of character growth areas, and I'm ready to give them to Him and the people I meet with.

Please be praying for this Spring semester, as our staff and students get ready to get back to the college campus. Also be praying for our Winter Camp in two weeks! Ask the Lord to continue building His kingdom and that our students will be blessed by their time and interactions at camp.

Thank you for your support! Let me know if I can be praying for anything, including those New Year resolutions!

-Alex Garcia

Comments

  1. Kelly SchlitzJanuary 9, 2019 at 1:49 PM

    Hey Alex! Looks like you guys had fun at the Collin Christmas party. Why forts though? Your apprentice sermon was so encouraging - it was really neat to hear how God redeemed your sense of identity and adopted you into his family. Praying for winter camp and a great 2019!

    ReplyDelete

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