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.