I’ve been honored by being called to serve as a missionary at the University of Washington in downtown Seattle. (2022 – present)

I grew up in a practicing Catholic household, attending both Catholic grade school and high school. In those years, I learned an incredible amount of knowledge about my faith. However, there was just one problem; I didn’t know Jesus and I didn’t desire him. This problem manifested itself when I graduated high school and left home to attend Wichita State University. I joined a fraternity and quickly dumped my faith at the curbside, seeking to quench the deepest longings of my heart with what the world had to offer. I got what I wanted from the world, but it cost me my heart in the process. After a year and half away from the Church, I had an encounter with a missionary, leading me to give my faith another try. Instead of giving my life to Christ, I entered into what I call “the Catholic Hokey-Pokey”, in which I practiced my faith, while living for the world. The deep longing in my heart still cried out to me, but I stuffed it down. It was killing me on the inside.

The tipping point came in my fourth year of college, following two major events. First, a new missionary named Tyler came to my campus and he introduced me to a side of my faith that I had never encounterd. He had a deep interior life with Christ and he lived in that relationship from a place of desire, rather than duty. Additionally, he had a profound ability to dig below the surface and he saw straight through my masks that I was wearing, much to my chagrin at the time. I’ll never forget the day that he called me to go all in and how it rocked me to the core. I was still resistent until the second major event. In March of 2020, my life and everything I put my identity into fell apart. It was at my lowest point where my heart finally opened up, and I allowed Jesus in. I began to encounter the Lord in a personal relationship for the first time and my heart came alive. Soon after, I faced a decision to spend a summer growing in my faith in Colorado or stay home and put my life back together. After some close introspection, I realized that I had been living from a script that others had written for me. I took a big risk, left my job, and left for Colorado. That decision has thrusted me into the greatest adventure I could ever ask for. Not only did I discover that Christ offered a great exterior journey, but an ever deeper interior journey too. Christ called me into the depths of my heart, through prayer and silence. This has brought so much healing and joy into my life, in a way that I didn’t think was possible. That is what led me to mission and I accepted the call to join FOCUS after graduation in 2022. This is my why; I want to bring Christ to college students who don’t know their stories, who don’t know who their hearts are made for and have lost them as a result.

When I answered the call to join FOCUS, I made the decision to rely on the spiritual and financial support of mission partners to help me through this mission. I truly believe that my mission partners are with me in the fight to reclaim hearts and minds for Christ and His kingdom. If you are interested in partnering with me, please feel free to contact me via phone or email. I would be honored to share this mission with you.