"Ignorance of Scripture, is ignorance of Christ"-St. Jerome

Hello amazing Mission Partners and Prayer warriors!

Thank you for your continued support and prayers! You're in my prayers daily and I have found peace and joy knowing that I have such a great support system behind me in this mission The Lord has placed in front of me.  This call to serve at the Northern Arizona Campus has been a difficult challenge where I have experienced moments of rejection of the Church and Her teachings, a sense of relativism and apathy, and the suffering of students trying to free themselves of temptation and live not of this world, but for Christ alone.  It is a temptation of my own to believe the lie that the campus could never be won over for Christ and that His work isn't present.  However, Jesus loves me and knows my weakness and has blessed me with peace of such an amazing support system and the ability to witness growth and conversion in the students.  Seeing the students flock to the Adoration chapel, new Bible studies popping up in all different groups on campus, and witnessing 13 students choose to put careers on hold and apply for FOCUS this coming May to serve Christ in a radical way on other college campus's. These students will be attending FOCUS interview weekend November 15-17 where FOCUS and the students will discern whether this is the mission and lifestyle God is calling them to lead for the next few years.  Please keep them in your prayers and intentions!

These past few weeks Bible studies have started rolling and the students are diving deeper into God's divine word and teaching.  I have the opportunity to lead 3 Bible studies who differ in age group and all walks of life.  New Catholics, non-Catholics, devout Catholics, but most of all women who are struggling with knowing the truth of living a life for Christ but still feel a pull and desire to give into the temptations of the world.  I have been able to walk them through a 5 week study where we encounter God's work throughout the New and Old Testament.  How His mercy, justice, and love is present in all times, and how it is present and here for them now!  We are now moving into praying with scripture and how God wants to inspire us daily with His Word.  I am excited for a new transformation in their hearts as they encounter Christ in a real way through the Bible.  Please pray for these women as we begin this exciting journey!!

Thank you again and please feel free to e-mail me any specific prayer requests!

How to pray with Scripture:
Leccio Divina: Divine Reading

1) Pick a passage from the Bible.
-Great place to start is the Gospels!
2) Begin by praying to the Holy Spirit to guide you in the reading and to open your heart to what God wants to say to you through the scripture.
3) Read through once and meditate for 3-5 minutes on what the passage is actually about
4) Read through again, meditate for 3-5 minutes on a phrase that is striking to you
5) Read through a last time, meditate for 3-5 minutes on a word that is particularly striking
6) Reflect:  Why is this word/phrase so striking to me?  What is God trying to tell me through this passage?  How does this apply to my life now?
7) End by praying in thanksgiving for the scriptures and that God will guide you as you strive to take His word into your everyday life!

Start of a New Year!

I am finally writing to all of you after a very long, tiring, BLESSED Fall outreach!! My team and I have been working day and night the past few weeks, along side the Newman Center, to try and meet as many new incoming Freshman and students as possible.  It was so much fun meeting so many new people and connecting with the students I had met and become friends with last year.  I know I'm a little biased, but FOCUS and our Catholic Newman Center had some of the best events on campus, which brought over 200 students in attendance! These included underground lava cave hikes, Luau with the Hawaiian club, campus wide Fugitive (cops and robbers) in the middle of the night, and a turn-around trip to Magic Mountain Six Flags in California! These events not only brought the opportunity of meeting new people in a fun setting, but having the chance to invite students to take charge of their faith life this year and get involved in Bible Studies, mission trips, and other service opportunities within the Newman Center.  God truly blessed these events and we are starting up 30+ Bible studies this up-coming week! Please pray for the students who will be leading and attending these studies.  

As for myself, I have a busy year ahead of me! God has opened up a lot of doors through FOCUS and returning to Northern Arizona University and I can't wait to not only share in them with the students but with all of you!  I will be starting the year with 3 Bible studies which include a new Freshman study, an upper-classmen study with Junior and Senior women, and a Greek Bible study for women within different sorority houses.  I have the opportunity to lead these women in the meaning of scripture and how this applies to their lives as college students and most importantly, walk side-by-side with them on a path to learn and grow in how much The Lord truly loves them.  

I not only have the opportunity to lead the students here at NAU, but I will be leading 2 mission trips this year where the students can experience the Lord in different area's of the world and come to love him more deeply through service.  FOCUS has asked me to direct a Spring Break mission trip to Gallup, New Mexico where students and I will be working with different Religious vocations and a Catholic school on the Zuni Reservation.  I will also be leading a trip to France this upcoming July!! This is a new trip through FOCUS where students will be able to not only serve people in their Material needs but in the spiritual poverty that the people of Europe encounter.  I will keep you posted on more of the details of the trips as they get closer.  As of now, I ask you to please pray for both of these trips and for the students God is asking to attend them.  

I want to say thank-you to all you are currently supporting me on this mission and for all of the prayers! I couldn't do this without any of you! You are truly impacting the students of NAU by your willingness to give generously and to pray for them.  Thank you again and know that all of you are in my prayers!

Do not hesitate to e-mail questions and prayer requests to julie.bushaw@focus.org.  My team and I pray an hour each day together and I would love to pray specifically for your intentions.