New Beginnings

Welcome to my ministry blog! My 10 month apprenticeship officially started on August 1st and there’s already so much to share!

This summer came with some pretty big transitions: graduating, getting married, and moving to Plano, TX. The season has been filled with emotional ups and downs as I’ve been learning how to be a wife, preparing for the apprenticeship, and living in a new city where I (thankfully) already know several people. Nonetheless, I’ve been shown grace upon grace from God through new friends and old, my family, and my husband as I’ve fallen short with a bad attitude or given myself over to anxiety. I have an unending list of stories that I would share on here if I had the time or space! But please feel free to ask if you want to know any specifics.

Alex and I loved celebrating our wedding day with our dearest friends!

This is the only picture I have with our entire wedding party, our officiant, and our parents. 

(My beautiful mom is hidden in there somewhere - sorry!)

In July, the Collin FOCUS staff hosted a training night once a week for students where we discussed what it means to do ministry one-on-one. We want to provide a space for people to be known and to explore God together in a friendship. At these events, I was really encouraged by the students’ excitement to simply welcome new students and make new friends. They’ve already been incredibly inviting to me and I can’t wait to get to know all of them better!

This is my supervisor, Dani. She's given me a super sweet, warm welcome to Plano.

The entire Collin FOCUS staff team spent 3 days on a retreat for quality time and refreshing before the school year begins. The weekend brought a lot of laughs, sarcastic comments, and a few tears. We also read In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen. It discusses 3 temptations in ministry: relevance, popularity, and power. This helped us examine and prepare our own hearts heading into the semester.

I’m thankful for a team where we’re not only coworkers, but brothers and sisters, being real with one another.

I’m looking forward to working alongside and learning from each one of them. 

For the first few weeks, the entire team of apprentices has been reading through the Old Testament. It’s required more discipline and focus than I’m used to, but it’s far more interesting than I remember from my childhood. Reading everything back-to-back in this way has magnified God’s faithfulness, grace, and power to me.

These are all of the Collin apprentices attempting to make the Collin Cougar sign.

They all make me laugh and are already great friends.

Left to right: me, Mark, Austin, and Adriana

Prayer requests:

• 23 students have committed to being core (small group) leaders this year. Pray for them to be bold as they enter into a season where we encourage them to cast their nets wide.
• School starts in two weeks! Pray for all of the new and returning students to the Collin campuses that they would make friends and feel welcome at school this year.
• I’m 89% fundraised!! Praise God!
• I’m still hoping for a few more donors to cover my last $300 per month. Please pray for me as I continue to fundraise.

Thank you so much for your support!

Let me know how I can be praying for you!

Jacy Garcia