How is it already NOVEMBER?!

 Hey friends! Wow, I can not believe it has already been 3 months since I began this apprenticeship journey! Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers, I truly could not do this without all of you! So much has happened since my last update, so let's dive in! 

    First, I got baptized! What a joyous and life giving experience that I got to share surrounded by some of the people who have been such an example of Jesus to me. Adriana, one of our senior staff members at Collin and one of the fastest friendships I have ever made, baptized me. Here is a picture of Adriana and I, after what I like to call my "Holy Dunk". 

    This moment was such a special experience where I got to publicly proclaim my faith and express my gratitude to a God that gave everything while asking nothing but devotion in return. I was overcome with joy as I saw people I met in Denton and my new friends in Plano come together to celebrate how far the Lord has brought me and His overwhelming faithfulness to me. It truly is a day I will never forget and I am so grateful to have been surrounded by people that God has put into my life. 

    There are so many things that I wish I could put in this blog but I am trying to keep it an acceptable length so I am going to fly over and highlight some of the big things! One event I do want to spend time talking about is FALL RETREAT! Fall Retreat is a once a year, 24-hour retreat that allows all of our Collin students to grow closer with the community and seek God with as little distractions as possible. This was my first fall retreat on staff and although it was incredible, I applaud the staff who have planned this in years past. There was so much that goes into making sure everything is in order but even where we failed or missed something, God still showed up. He revealed Himself the whole weekend and seeing our students experience, as well as experiencing for ourselves, His presence, made all of the hours worth it. What a blessing those 24-hours were, all thanks to God. 

    Finally, a few honorable mention things that I want to highlight before I end this update! We had our Wylie Northeast Church Retreat and it was so incredible to see believers of all ages come together to grow as a church family! Also, friendships during this time have been so sweet and such a testament to God's faithfulness in transition. Last, but not least, thank God for coworkers who will dress up for halloween with you then take hilarious photos afterwards! 

Prayer Request: 

• We have had so many babies born in our community recently so prayers for continued good health and for the parents as they navigate this new journey! 
• For Pedro, our Director at Collin, who just had surgery. Prayers that he recovers smoothly and quickly! 
• Prayers for health as we enter the flu and cold season! 
• Prayers for our ongoing FOJ's (one on one Bible Studies), that they would just be a time where students build deep friendships and point each other back to Jesus. 

Praying for you always! With Love, MacKenzie