I got a Husband… And the Flu! (February/March Update)

Hello!

Sorry that is has been a while since the last update! Lots of cool things have happened :)

I GOT A HUSBAND AND THE FLU

One of the biggest things that happened was that I got MARRIED! I am now Kylie Sanchez (but will always be a Von Runnen). The events leading up to my wedding were pretty crazy. I ended up getting a cold about two weeks before in which I totally lost my voice, was congested, and just didn't feel that great. I had to take about 3 days off of work (cause how do you do a job that primarily involved talking to people with no voice??). That following weekend I was set to perform at a fundraiser FOCUS puts on every year called, Showcase (which I'll talk about later!). I was really freaked out that I wasn't going to have a voice and wouldn't be able to perform. I made it to the weekend with a passable voice and had so much fun performing. Come Tuesday, aka wedding week, I had a terrible cough and low grade fever. I went to the doctor that day and she put me on some medicine, but I continued to get worse over the next couple of days. During this time, SO many people in the FOCUS community were coming alongside Johnny and I to help with whatever they could. My friend and supervisor Mandy cooked the food for my rehearsal dinner, checked on me everyday, and set up decor for the whole rehearsal as well. My sister Jordy and dear friend Lindsey helped Mandy with these tasks, and my roommate and friend Emily got me medicine and took care of me at home. Thursday, I went back to the doctor and tested positive for Flu!! I couldn't believe it. We canceled the rehearsal dinner, and instead, a group of my friends/FOCUS family (Brandon, Jackson, Peter, Emily, William, Lindsey, Mandy, and probably others) went to Johnny's and my house and helped get our bedroom painted and settled. The day of the wedding, my family, bridal party, and coordinator Ashley went above and beyond to take care of me and make sure I had the best day! I am so glad I was not contagious the day and had gone to the doctor when I did to get on proper medicine. In reflecting on the day afterwards, Johnny and I kept going back to how loved we felt by the community of believers. It was such a hard few weeks, but in that I had never felt so loved and cared for. God's love was truly reflected to us by our church community, and we were/are so thankful! It was a beautiful day, and I could not be more happy to be teammates for life with Johnny. 💗

SICM

Every year, we send a group of students to Washington for a leadership conference. It is called, SICM (Student Institute of Campus Ministry). We have connections with a ministry in Bellingham that puts on this conference, and it is a life changing 10 days for the students who go. The trip isn't until May, but we invite students in February so that they have time to fundraise. The trip is $895 for flights, lodging, and the conference itself. If you feel led to scholarship a student in part or in full, the link is attached! I went to SICM in 2016 and can say that things I learned from that conference still impact the mission work that I do at UTD. My May update will probably have some good news from SICM!

https://anyfocus.org/sicmpayments/

I preached another sermon!!

I had the opportunity to preach a sermon at our, "Friday Night Fellowship" on the "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery" commandment. It was a very challenging sermon to prepare, as it's a pretty hefty topic with lots of different ways to go about it. I wanted to link it below in case you want to take a listen! 

https://anyfocus.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/kylie-adultry.mp3

Wrapping Up the End of the Year

April is always a bittersweet time because it means that the semester is ending! Next year I will have a different group of student leaders to meet with. Even though I will continue on in my friendships with the ones from this year, it's still bittersweet because I won't get to spend the same amount of time with them as I have this year. I have come to really know and love these 11 girls, and cherish my time with them! I will post a picture of all of us from our end-of-year party that's coming up in May! The students in our minstry have finals within the next couple of weeks, and then they enter into their Summer. Some move back home or start jobs/internships in the area. My time and how I spend it shifts to more hours towards raising financial support for the next school year. Please be praying for that transition for my students, and for me as I begin to fundraise for next year!

That's all for now! Thanks for tuning in. I love and appreciate y'all so much!