Nick’s Story: While I was in college at Georgia Tech my life was radically changed. After spending my childhood dreaming to be a college football player, I was finally a student-athlete on the Georgia Tech Football Team, and I believed that my identity was built on my value as a player. My freshman year left me feeling disappointed and empty – I had achieved my greatest dream and still did not feel satisfied. Caroline, my girlfriend at the time, was experiencing her own questions of identity and had decided to return to Jesus in the Catholic Church. I was raised in a non-denominational Christian home, but she invited me to Mass with her and I experienced a profound longing to receive the Eucharist despite knowing nothing about it. I was blessed to have 2 Catholic teammates who invested in me and helped me discover my identity as a son of God, not as a football player. After encountering Christ in a profound way during Adoration at a FOCUS conference in 2017, I prayerfully decided to enter the Catholic Church during my sophomore year at the Easter Vigil. It is the greatest decision I have ever made. Upon graduating I had multiple job offers in secular roles, but I felt a gentle tug from God to go to back to the college campus and invest in student-athletes the way I had been invested in. Today, I get to form authentic friendships with many students – the same type of friendships that changed my life. My conversion is still ongoing every day as I am being pursued by the Lord and I love getting to invite students into this beautiful relationship.

Caroline’s Story:  When I was a freshman at Georgia Tech, it was easy to get caught up in the typical college lifestyle – finding my identity in academics, my sorority, and my social life. At the end of my freshman year I was shocked at how little fulfillment that year brought me despite having everything the world told me I needed.  That summer, a friend of mine who was involved in FOCUS invested deeply in me. She was empowered by a FOCUS missionary to reach out to students in her own life, like me. She loved me and showed me a life that was so much more fulfilling than the way I’d been living. Coming back to campus that fall, I knew I needed to reevaluate my priorities and I dove head first into changing my lifestyle, introducing daily prayer, and devoting my life to Jesus Christ.  Because of the yes of one FOCUS missionary who invested deeply in my friend, who turned around and invested deeply in me, I am here today. The yes of one person to God’s invitation can change countless lives. 

As missionaries, out greatest desire is to lead all students to Christ. Our lives have been transformed by Jesus and we want nothing more than to bring this joy to others and introduce them to the life-changing message of the Gospel. In His ministry on earth, Jesus humbled Himself to meet us on our level, taking on our humanity, and spent most of His time investing deeply in a few. We look to Jesus own example to find the best method of reaching the world.