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Lots of pics of lots of people!

Hello friends! Thanks for checking out my monthly ministry update.

For those who are new here, welcome!! Thank you so very much for your support. I pray that these monthly updates encourage you as you catch a glimpse into the many wonderful things God is doing on the college campus.

Staff Trip!

I've got lots of pictures to share from this month! As of June, I've officially transitioned from the UTD FOCUS Minister Staff to SMU's! We took a hiking trip at the Palo Duro Canyon last weekend to get to know one another better before the year starts, and to meet each's significant others!

From left to right we have me, Laurence, Sarah, Siena, Jacob, and Erin! I'll briefly introduce each of them to you! If you're more here for the pics, you're welcome to scroll past the intros. ;)

Laurence directs SMU Focus and will be mentoring me throughout the year! We've been meeting up on a weekly basis and that's already been a sweet and enriching time. I've been learning a lot from him and on the side have gotten to nerd out about board games and budgeting strategies. (Sounds boring, I know! But it's interesting!)

Laurence is Sarah's husband; she's worked for UTD Focus for years and just transitioned off this summer to have more time to take care of their new baby, Evelyn! I actually got to work with her on several projects over this last year! It was an emotional send off for the students and staff in May. I'm glad I'll still get to see her this year!

Next is Siena, the final member of our staff triad! She just concluded her apprenticeship year at SMU as I did at UTD. She was a business student at UTD and graduated in May 2021. I took several ministry classes with her over the last year and have heard her share stories about her students, but I'm excited now to get to see her in action, myself!

Jacob, towards the end, is a PhD student at SMU who volunteers with our staff in his free time! He was an undergrad at UTD and found his time in FOCUS there so impactful that he wants to do what he can to allow his peers the same experience at his new school. Also, he and Siena recently celebrated their 1-year dating anniversary!

Finally we have Erin, my fiancée! You may remember her from previous blogs. In exactly 1 week, we'll be getting married! If we have wedding pictures in time, you can expect a couple of those next month!





One of my favorites! PC: Siena



Meet a few students!

June was not only a great time for bonding with my team, but also with the current SMU students! I've started to get to know who's around for the summer, and have lots more people I'm planning to get with this coming month.

This is Anubhav! I'll be honest... I was a bit intimidated when I first saw him. He's a confident, athletic dude who's always dressed well. But getting 1-on-1 time with him opened me eyes to so much more of who he is! He seriously loves Jesus so much and is such a valuable leader in our ministry. He grew up in a Hindu family in India, and found Jesus when he did his undergrad at SHSU. He's now completing his master's at SMU and taking his faith with him onto campus.

This is Jordan! He's entering his final year at SMU, but just found FOCUS this last semester. You can't tell from this picture, but he's been adapting to a muscular degenerative disease for several years and now gets around in a wheel chair. It was such a sweet time hearing his story and how he's wrestled with his faith throughout it. I'm looking forward to playing Smash Bros and card games with him this year. He told me he's going to show me around campus and enlighten me regarding all the handicap entrances, lol. I love how lighthearted he is! He's majoring in Psychology and wants to help kids going through difficult times. Just like Erin! I'm excited for them to meet.

Meet Brenden! He and Jordan have known each other for a decade. They went to primary school together and are 2 peas in a pod. It warms my heart seeing Brenden serve Jordan everywhere they go, making sure he has proper transportation and help getting around difficult terrain in his chair. Brenden is entering his third year at SMU, with plans to go into Law School!

Finally, we have Jacob! I already told you about him earlier but wanted to include him again in this section. He and Anubhav have shared similar graduate school experiences and are going to be roommates this year!

Thank you all for supporting me in this journey! Every week I'm finding myself more and more pumped for what God's going to do on SMU's campus this year. Please be praying for the students who are getting ready to move up next month. Such an anxious and lonely time for so many who don't involve themselves with communities. I'm praying that the life found in Jesus will pour abundantly into their hearts.

I love y'all!

Your brother,
Taylor




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