FOCUS Missionaries
Part of our staff is comprised of FOCUS missionaries. They are an amazing team of recent college graduates who spend at least a year with our Catholic community here in Saint Charles. Their primary task is to lead Bible studies among the students on campus, but they also help lead mission trips, plan a variety of social activities, and they are pretty much a part of everything we do here at the Catholic Student Center.
Marie Putbrese
Hello everyone!
Leading Bible studies is one of my favorite parts about being a FOCUS missionary. It's a huge gift to be with someone when they are encountering God for the first time! I studied theology at Benedictine College with the intention of going into ministry after I graduated. While at Benedictine, I realized how formative the college years are. The choices students make in college project how they live after graduation. Many of these choices are made out of a feeling of loneliness or a desire to be loved. So often we forget that we are infinitely loved by Jesus Christ! I desire to help students encounter Jesus through love and prayer, just as I did during my time at Benedictine, and look forward to meeting you all in person!
Elizabeth Tigges
Hello everyone! So I’ve always been a practicing Catholic. I grew up going to adoration, I went to Sunday Mass, prayed every day, and I had always searched to have friends who loved the Lord and wanted to chase virtue in daily life. However, I did not realize how deeply God was calling me to go in prayer and how much he thirsted for me to hold Him at the center of my life.
When it was time for college, I chose to stay in my hometown and attend Loras College in Iowa. I found great friends who were rooted in Christ and wanted to invite me to let others know of the importance of the Gospel message. A friend of mine who was involved with FOCUS encouraged me to go deeper in prayer and glean a greater conviction to fight for the souls on Loras' campus.
While in college, I attended SEEK 2017 as a sophomore. Hearing about the goodness of the Lord and watching others desire true surrender in worship was God's way of inviting me to do the same and encounter Him deeply in prayer. It was then that my prayer began to mature and I started to take it really seriously.
After graduation, I worked briefly for a publishing company while participating in the young adult Catholic group for bible study and fellowship. Now I am so grateful that He opened my heart and gave me the graces to take the leap in trust to go make disciples of all nations!
Ryan Wesselmann
This year I will be serving as a FOCUS missionary at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. At Lindenwood, I hope to encounter students and bring them to know Jesus Christ and the freedom that comes from a relationship with Him!
I went to Catholic school kindergarten through 12th grade in southern Minnesota. Faith was always important at school and in my family, but that changed when I got to college. For about a year and a half, I left my faith behind and tried to find my way in the world. That brought lots of struggles, but thankfully, through the grace of God, some of the students and missionaries who were involved with FOCUS reached out to me and invited me back to the faith. This eventually led me to rediscover my identity as a son of God and brought the joy I was always searching for back into my life. At the end of my college career, I felt the call from God to join FOCUS and help out students the way FOCUS helped me!
Jacob Lawhorn
Hello! My name is Jacob Lawhorn and I am very excited to be serving at Lindenwood this next school year with FOCUS. I come from the great state of Kansas and graduated from KU (Rock Chalk!) I really enjoy spending time playing sports with friends (especially spikeball) and getting to know the local customs of the places I live in. Jesus has changed my life tremendously and I am stoked to share the Truth of His Love with those I meet at Lindenwood and in St Charles!