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Hi, everyone! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Bailee, better known around here by my screen name, Bubbles4Jesus (at this point a slightly juvenile username, but considering I was 13 when I joined dA, it's not the worst thing I could have come up with). I joined this group as a young Christian on DeviantArt, looking to find a way to blend my faith and my passion for the arts. I was fortunate enough to join the administration team of this incredible group as a contributor a little under a year ago, and have loved the opportunity to interact with several of you, whether responding to prayer requests or viewing your art!

Here's a quick little update as to what the Lord has done in my life recently, and a very special request I'm humbled to share with you:

I graduated college about a year ago from Arizona State University, where I had the incredible opportunity to get connected with a campus ministry that literally changed my life. I came into college as a Christian, but not only was I unsure how to share my faith with others, I also didn't have a community speaking life into me that allowed me to grasp the full understanding of my identity in Christ. Because of this lack of understanding in my identity, when I moved out of my parents' house and into the dorms at a large university where I knew absolutely no one, I felt incredibly alone. When I saw the "typical college lifestyle" of drinking, drugs and hooking up, I knew that I didn't want to be a part of it all, but also felt like that was the only way to make friends in college - after all, that's how my dorm mates were making friends. Because of my loneliness, I was very tempted to step into that lifestyle and leave my faith behind me.

Luckily, before the temptation became too strong for me to bear, the Lord brought me into an incredible community. I met some campus missionaries who were a part of a local campus ministry, and through that community realized that my status as a Christian was about so much more than simply going to heaven when I die. I developed deep friendships with mentors that encouraged me to reach my God-given potential in leadership, discipleship, and evangelism. I learned how to utilize my passion for the arts for kingdom glory - a passion that started in this very group so many years ago. I made friendships with brothers and sisters in Christ who stuck with me through the ups and downs of life throughout all four years of college and beyond. I learned the importance of evangelism and discipleship, and was able to mentor younger girls and even had the opportunity to pray with several of them as they made the decision to follow Jesus.

After graduation, I felt the call to be a campus missionary, and be to hundreds of college students what my mentor was to me. I'm not going to lie to you all, though - I had a Jonah moment. For a year, I ran from that call, simply settling to volunteer for my church as I pursued a more lucrative career path in the marketplace. And while volunteering in church and pursuing a career isn't inherently bad (if you're called to it, it's the best thing you can do in order to serve the Lord!), I used it to hide from the call God was truly putting on this season of my life. I was being disobedient.

So this past May, I finally stopped running. I quit my job and joined staff with my church, and already I have felt the Lord reassure me that this is exactly where He wants me to be. It's been an incredible journey, and with thousands of freshmen moving into the dorms this August, it's only about to get more exciting!  Here's a short video I helped create that shows the heart of our ministry and the effect it's had not only in my life, but in the lives of other college students as well. This is such an important group of people to reach, not only because people statistically are most receptive to the Gospel before the age of 25, or even because 70% of high school seniors involved in church walk away from their faith within a year of high school graduation, but because establishing the future leaders of America with a Biblical foundation while in college prepares them to be sent all over the world into vocations in which they can make a true kingdom impact, from future doctors and lawyers to artists and teachers, and everything in between.

And this is where I need your help. As a missionary, I am responsible for raising my full financial support. Because our church is primarily made up of college students, who don't make much money, if any at all, our tithe does not cover the salary of our full time staff. Every member of our staff develops  partnership teams that enable them to serve as missionaries full-time on campus. I have two weeks left to raise my full salary before our focus must shift to the students on campus, and as of right now, I am not fully funded.

I need a miracle.

I'd like to ask for the help of the members of this group, if you feel led by the Lord, by inviting each of you to join my partnership team in one of three ways:

Prayer - Like I mentioned before, I need a miracle! Your prayers for my financial team, our ministry on campus, and the hearts of college students make such a difference! I send out a monthly newsletter detailing what our ministry is up to, including prayer and praise reports. I would love to send those out to you, either via email or postal mail, whichever you prefer. Please shoot me a note or comment on this post should that interest you!

Financial Partnership - As I mentioned previously, I am not yet fully-funded to be a full-time missionary. I have two weeks left to raise my full support, and people can join my team at any amount - whatever the Lord puts on their heart! I have some partners giving $10 monthly, and others giving up to $100 monthly, and every gift makes an incredible difference. If, after prayerful consideration, you feel led to give any amount, please reach out to me via note or comment. I'd love to follow up with you about how to do that.

Personal Referrals - I'm trying to call up as many people as I can to share the incredible news of what God is doing on college campuses. I'd love to call whoever you know that might share our concern for reaching college students with the Gospel to share the story of our ministry with them. Please reach out to me via note and I'd love to contact them.

Thank you all so much for allowing me to share my need with you. This group is such an incredible blessing to be a part of, and I'm so thankful for such an encouraging online community.

God Bless,

Bubbles4Jesus