This Q&A is part of a series of interviews featuring RUF Alumni.
Let’s start off with who are you and what do you do?
My name is Missy Huss. I am married to Will. I taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade for two years and then have been home ever since raising my four children – Webb- 21, Mary Campbell- 19, Branton -17 and Maggie – 11. I am also an Independent Ambassador for Noonday Collection. Noonday is a socially responsible business that partners with artisans all over the globe to design and create beautiful accessories for women and, very soon, for men.
What college did you graduate from?
I graduated from Clemson University in 1996 with a BA in Elementary Education.
Who was your campus minister when you attended RUF?
My campus minister at Clemson was David Sinclair. He is now my pastor at Clemson Presbyterian in Clemson, SC.
What is your favorite memory from RUF?
One of my favorite memories of RUF has to be Summer Conference after my freshmen year. It had taken a dear friend the entire fall semester to get me to come to RUF. I went for the first time right before Christmas break. I started going regularly spring semester and signed up for Summer Conference that May. My memories of piling into a minivan with several of my friends and driving to Laguna Beach was just so fun!! Summer Conference really was one of the most significant and impactful introductions into what a true loving community of people looked like for me. That week at the conference felt like a defining moment in my walk with Jesus. I believe that my conversion was a long process, and God had been really working in me that spring semester in ways that I had never known. I would have said that I was a Christian in high school, and God was at work in me, but not until conference did it all finally fall into place. I am forever grateful!!
How has RUF impacted how you approach your career?
I learned in RUF that there is no secular and sacred. Because I am in Christ, all that I do is sacred and meant to be done in response to what He has done for me. Believing this to be true, I knew that if I had a career outside the home or if working in my home, both would be for His glory. I have tried to work as a wife, mother and Noonday Ambassador with this as my foundation. I also learned, while in RUF, that my value and identity are secure in Christ. My role will never be in what I do or how well I do it. This provides so much freedom and hope. It doesn’t give me license to live however I want but compels me to live in response to what has been done for me in Christ. It matters how I live, but I am not accepted on the basis of what I do or do not do, but on the work of my Savior.
What would you say to an incoming freshman?
Find your people. Find community. Find a church that preaches and teaches Truth. Remember that you are not striving to gain favor with your God, you are living in response to what He has already accomplished for you. There will be tension and it will seem unbearable at times but remember who you are. You are a child of the King and Creator of the universe. He knows you by name and He holds every moment of every one of your days close to His heart. Nothing catches Him off guard or by surprise. He is for you. You are called to be a student while in college. Study hard. Love big. Rest well. Be present. Ask for forgiveness!! You won’t have four (or so) consecutive years quite like these again. Use them wisely.