My friends! My team!
Wow. Isn't is hard to believe that its December?! The year is coming to a close and we have much to celebrate and be remembering as the students go on break and get ready for the spring. Thank you so much for your consistent support and partnership over the years. It's becuase of donors like you that I get to live out this call to be a missionary on God's college campuses.
For our November student testimony, we have Sierrah Martinez! Read below to be encouraged!
As we enter this Christmas season I've been reflecting on what it means to be a disciple during the holidays. To me, it means being a servant. There is
no time off when following Jesus. All opportunities are taken advantage of to serve, help, and give. It's what we do. I always love hearing the stories of the parents who are thrilled to see the change in their children's' lives when they come back home for the holidays. Many of these students have not seen their parents since August when they were dropped off on campus and it's always such a testament to God's faithfulness when the parents say things like, "Since when do you take out the trash?", "Oh wow, I didn't realize that you do the dishes now?!", etc.
November was full of exciting stories and things to rejoice about and I hope you enjoy the below pictures and are encouraged at what your partnership and support is going towards!
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| Our Richland FOCUS Ministry! I'm so thankful that I get to serve alongside these students! As you may notice, I haven't quite perfected where to look when I take selfies (I'm always looking off to the left...) |
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| We did a 'politics-themed' outreach event at Richland college and it was such a huge success! I loved getting to spend time with our students and watch them reach out to the other students on campus at Richland :) |
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| A picture of our outreach event at Richland college. There are many students who walk through the cafeteria who are not involved in any student organizations. It is a good place to set up our outreach displays so we can engage our fellow students in quality conversation while informing them about our FOCUS organization! |
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| Our outreach display was called "Lemonade Hour" and it was basically an opportunity for students to drink lemonade and engage one another in spiritual discussions and ideas! The students loved the lemonade :) |
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| Our students engaging one another during our "Lemonade Hour" outreach week! |
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| Joseph, Myself, and Yohan. These two students have been consistent members of our ministry. |
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| A panoramic shot of our Friday Night Fellowship! |
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| Our UTD FOCUS worship band! |
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| From left to right: Karlo, me, kale, Ryan and Stephen! These are some of my favorite dudes and it's been so great to see the Lord work in all of their lives. |
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| At our last Friday Night Fellowship gathering we had an event called "Seniors and Smores". As we prepare to graduate a group of seniors we wanted to make sure that they are thinking and praying about what God wants for them in this next season of life. Many of them will begin working full-time jobs and transitioning into new communities of faith. It's important that they think pastorally about what is next for them and that they are prepared for whatever God has planned! :) |
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| Tyronne (left) is one of the administrators at Richland College. He has been such a source of encouragement and strength for me as a campus minister. He is a strong man in the Lord and lives as a light to the campus. So thankful to get to cross path's with this man! |
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| I meet up weekly with Jeremy (right) and Josh (left). They are a pair of student leaders blessing our UTD FOCUS ministry every week. Please pray for them as they spend time with their fellow students at UT Dallas and share the love of Jesus with them. |
Our annual FOCUS-fundraiser is underway and you can donate now at: https://anyfocus.org/donate/next20/ Please invest in the next 20-years of college ministry on God's college campuses. Also, follow us on facebook, search "anyfocusministries", for further updates, videos, alerts, or posts we will have! I will be contacting you soon to touch base and share what God has been doing in our lives!
Thank you so much for your partnership and support! Please be praying for us as we plan and prepare for Winter Camp 2017! Students from all 9 of our FOCUS campuses will be coming to Sky Ranch over MLK weekend to worship and fellowship with one another and we know that lives are going to be changed forever that weekend!
I hope to hear from you soon! Please don't hesitate at all to contact me with any questions, concerns, ideas, etc. that you may have!
Your brother & campus missionary,
Sirak Asfaw
