The End of the Apprenticeship!


It's Over?!?!

Okay, hold up a second! Has it been ten months already? Did time just fly by?! It's so crazy to me. It feels like just yesterday as I was going through the orientation in August. Wow... This apprenticeship program has helped me grow to be a better disciple, pastor, and friend. Throughout the
past ten months, my brain was stretch with new information about God and ministry, and there was only so much I could only consume. Here's a gif that describes my apprenticeship year as a whole:
There are so many things I and take away from the apprenticeship that I can't list them all. The top two I can say were. First, the classes I took. When I was applying for the apprenticeship, I doubted if I could go through it and learn anything because of my learning disabilities. I was afraid of not meeting up to the staff's expectations and feeling left behind. I talked to Brandon Worsham over the phone about it, and he gave me enough encouragement to not feel insecure or intimidated about the classes. All the apprentices come from different learning backgrounds, and we all learned from each other through discussions, not exams or essays. Second is the relationships I developed this year. Shout outs go to the Collin staff team, Sunday night core guys, my cofa Stian Valnes, my supervisor Pedro Paz, my roommate Mark Merola (plus Harrison, Tyler, Stephen, Caleb, and Tony), my peer team, and the apprentices. I love working and learning from my fellow apprentices. They have shown me a lot what it means to fear God with love and admiration by their love for Him. Thank you FOCUS for teaching me since I first started college. Not only you became my family but you genuinely show Jesus. To Mark, Hanna, Josh, Maria, I will miss seeing you as you move on to the work field, and I pray the people you meet will see the light of the Lord through you.

What's Next?!

In case I forgot to mention from my previous blogs, I am staying on staff with FOCUS for 3 years!! WOOHOO!! Next year I will continue to work at Collin College as a staff member, and I can't wait what God has in store. 
 I can’t wait for what God has in store. People have been asking me,"What are the plans going to look like for next year for FOCUS?" We are patiently waiting to hear from our state and local governments to speak on when it's safe to start meeting again in large groups. Collin College is moving toward more normal operations for the fall semester but will be offering expanded online sections. Further information will be forthcoming (http://www.collincollegenews.com/2020/05/29/coronavirus-covid-19-faqs/).

The Apprentice Sermons & Photos

This was an excellent experience to close the apprenticeship. We got to live stream our sermons on YouTube Live and invite close friends and family to see our sermons. Every single apprentice gave a great final piece about their experience of the apprenticeship, and I'm so glad I got to witness it, and they all did a great job!













Our staff end of the year dinner! We had it outside and 6ft apart... 

.....except for this... 

....and this... BUT we're all healthy!!

My good friend Collin and I just finished Focus On Jesus (FOJ) together, and I've witnessed so much growth in him. He truly sees the story of God and understands where he fits into God's account.


Our last Sunday night core fellowship. Love these guys!! 

End of the year banquet for our students over Zoom. Funny slide shows, awkward zoom dance parties, and lots of mobile games together. 

I'll leave with this photo right here. This was our very last class with Ronnie Worsham. Such a wise, funny, kind, and loving guy I've ever met. Ronnie, if you read this, I hope I didn't inflate your ego ;). Thank you Ronnie for being an inspiration to our church body and being obedient to God's call in your life.


Comments

  1. My ThoughtsJune 12, 2020 at 11:52 AM

    I am glad you will be staying on staff! I look forward to seeing how God will continue to mold, shape, and use you!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ripples and Waves (My Final Ministry Update)

Image
As I was pondering what to write about in my last ministry blog with F.O.C.U.S, I asked God for a prompt or theme, and He responded with an image in my head of a single water drop in an ocean and seeing ripples flow across the sea. If you are not familiar with what ripples are, they are small waves or series of waves on the water's surface. They are especially caused by an object dropping into it or a slight breeze. Ripples are the instant effect of wind on water and they die down as quickly as they form, as the surface tension of the water dampens their efforts. If a wind blows steadily across a large enough patch of water for a few hours then the ripples become waves and these will not be dampened so easily. Ripples are mostly affected when the water surface is calm. By throwing the rock or dripping a single water drop into the river, you have given the water some energy. That causes the water to move around, trying to spread out the energy so it can go back to having a still, fl
Read more

A Purposeful Life

Image
  So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Full of Purpose Can you recall the first time when you discovered "the truth" from God and believed your purpose on earth is? For me, I was 18 at a summer youth camp who knew of Jesus but didn't believe why he had to die for my sins and was raised to live. A devotional study I was at that camp, educated me on what a true hero was. The truth is seeing what God's true purpose was to save all humanity. Not just the people in the past but for all generations who encounter the gospel could be saved just by believing in Jesus who loves me and died for me to live for him. My paradigm of Christianity shifted as I moved forward to my adulthood, even when I stepped into F.O.C.U.S at Collin and learned my purpose as a disciple. Following Jesus' example of what it means to be created in the image of God (or what it means to be human) starts with Jesus. Our purpose of living l
Read more

Ezekiel 11:19-20

Image
  Winter Camp 2022  " I will give them an undivided heart   and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone   and give them a heart of flesh.   Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God." Ezekiel 11:19-20 A New Heart The longer I walk and fix my eyes on Jesus, the harder it gets. He shows me weak areas of my heart that are very hard for me to fix on my own. It's humiliating to see myself as weak and I try my best to avoid hardship, mistakes, and weakness. If I try to avoid them then I wouldn't need Jesus at all in my life and would say I'm perfect, but I'm not. I can't rely on myself or follow my flesh to avoid my own mistakes. I need to admit that I am a sinner and weak and I need God to change my heart, even when it's painful. " My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever " (Psalms 73:26, italics a
Read more