My friends & team!
Wow, so much has happened over these last 30 days :)
My wife & I went to bed on Wednesday, August 2nd expecting a fine night of sleep when, around midnight, contractions began and the rest is history! We shortly welcomed Anaya Laine Asfaw to the world on August, 3rd 2023 at 12:57 PM! God is good!
I was looking through my early campus missionary blog posts from way back in 2013 and it is strange how time works. I feel like, in some ways, life is beginning again for me - a new era & season of parenthood is upon me & my wife. I'm excited for this new season while grateful for the last 10 years of preparation for this. I had no idea how the experiences of a decade of campus ministry would prepare me for parenthood but it seems there are universal lessons that God aims to each his people: faith, hope, and love.
"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."
(1 Corinthians 13:8-13)
When I look at Anaya, I feel a deep love for her that moves me to consider a glimpse of the love the Father has for me. Not just for me - but for all of us. When I look at Anaya I see a soul that God has entrusted me & my wife with that God has a plan and a purpose for. I get the privilege to love & care for her here & now. The college students that walk onto our campus I (along with our other campus pastors) get the privilege to love & care for here & now.
Anaya turned one month old a few days ago and it truly seems as if only a few hours have passed since she was born. I've been a campus pastor for 10 years and it truly seems as if only a few weeks have passed.
Faith. Hope. Love. But the greatest of these three are love. Love has always been there - I suppose the only difference is that I am more aware of it now than ever before. Lord have mercy on me and sustain me so that I will not forget Your love.
My prayer is that I would be faithful, hopeful, and loving as I follow my savior. That I would trust his work inside of me isn't done yet. My prayer is that I would have a simple faith to pass onto my daughter to live as if I am loved as I hope she will as well.
Thank you for your support & for believing in our mission to love college students. I hope the photos below encourage you and warm your heart a bit :)
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| Me & baby girl :) |
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| My older brother got us a blanket w/ her name on it! Beautiful! |
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| Our first core of the year! We had a fun group of guys show up for our first discussion :) Excited for many more! |
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| Our first leader team meeting of the year :) Love these students! |
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| Our first Wednesday Night FOCUS of the year! We had a great turnout :) Grateful for all of these students! |
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| We tried a few new welcome week events this year - we did an event called: Ethnic Beats & Eats! We brought in food from different cultures and had get-to-know-you activities to get students to connect with one another! |
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| Fun pic of some of the nephews meeting their new cousin Anaya! |
