New Year, Same God

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New Year, Same God  

I used to think that it was ludicrous that God is the same God today, yesterday, and tomorrow. I used to see that as a weakness. How could a God like that not change and grow over time? But my thinking was confined and ignorant. God does not change, and that is an excellent thing. God is not a human. God does not need to change because he is perfect. He is love, grace, and mercy. This is such good news to me because it means I can trust God. He will be there. He won't change. He will never leave me or forsake me. So I go into this new year knowing that it will be another year that I can trust in God's goodness and grace. And even when I don't choose him, even when I fail at my new year resolutions, there he will be waiting for me to come back to him.

2019 Highlights

2019 was a year full of new life and growth. I started the year out as an elementary school teacher in the special education department, and ended as a campus minister at UTD. I was blessed by both of these jobs, and learned a lot from both. As a teacher I learned how to multitask, how to work with a wide variety of people, and how to be flexible. As a minister I am learning so much. I have learned a lot about God's love and grace for us, sharing God with others, and intimacy with God. I hope to learn a lot more this year, and I am excited to see how God uses this job to help me grow. 

Our UTD team. So many amazing people who are great friends and co-workers.

Mid Year Sermons

At the beginning of December all of the apprentices had to write sermons sharing about our gospel. Working on this sermon was special to me because it helped remind me of all the things that God has done in my life. It was special to see the things that God has also done for the other apprentices. Although we all come from different faith backgrounds and places in life, God has revealed himself to all of us and given us new life. The topic I chose to speak about was Freedom, and while I was preparing my sermon I decided to write the following poem: 

 I am an Israelite, in chains in Egypt, 
I am Zacchaeus, letting my greed feed me, 
I am the disabled man at the pool, waiting to be healed by the water, 
I am the woman caught in adultery, carried away by my accusers, 

 Then God parted the sea and made it dry land, 
Then Jesus said I am going to your house today, 
Then Jesus asked “Do you want to get well?” 
Then Jesus said let whoever is without sin throw the first stone, 

 I headed for the promised land, 
I gave it all back 
I picked up my mat and walked away 
I went and sinned no longer 
Jesus has made me free

Christmas Party

Our Christmas party was so much fun this year. We were able to invite another ministry along side ours, and turned the party into an outreach opportunity. We started by going over the story of Jesus through Christmas songs and individuals sharing. After that, we did some Christmas Karaoke and activities. It was a great opportunity to reach out to some new students at UTD and meet people that might not feel comfortable coming to one of our larger group meetings. 








Starting Strong

It's only the seventh day of the new year, but things are up and going with campus ministry! Next week will be the start off our spring welcome weeks. We will have an event everyday to meet new students on campus. Please be praying for us as we reach out to new people and welcome them in. We will also be heading to Winter camp in a few weeks. Winter camp is where all of our campuses come together to connect with God, and re-orient ourselves to him before the beginning of this new school year.

Me and some of the wonderful Corefas I help guide!

Prayer Requests

  • pray that our students will experience God at Winter camp
  • pray that God could lead us in reaching out to new people this semester
  • pray for my fundraising efforts, and for God to lead me to people who are interested in supporting campus ministry 
  • pray that God would lead all the staff and apprentices in learning more about him 
  • pray for our student leaders who are coming back this semester 

Thank You!!

2019 was a fun and exciting year, and the second part of it was all thanks to people like you who love and support campus ministers! Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. 







Comments

  1. Heather JohnstonJanuary 10, 2020 at 5:46 AM

    Great job Hanna! Sounds like you are one busy young lady working to bring God to lots of students! I will be praying for your endeavours! Let's go 2020!

    In His Name,
    Heather Johnston

    ReplyDelete

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