Sirak's November/December Update!

This semester has been a journey. 

To be more specific, I think that every semester is a journey.  To me, the main (and perpetual, never-ending) question to ask oneself on such a journey is: What is God teaching me (on this journey)? 

There are usually two ways to answer this. The first way is to complete the "journey" (or, make It to a resting point) and reflect on what has transpired up to that point. (These "rest stops" can be voluntary or involuntary)

The second way is, in the midst of the journey, to create and facilitate "stopping-points" of your own making and purposefully ask: What has/is/will God teach/taught me as of then/now/upcoming/etc.? - you choose what to ask! (The important thing isn't what you ask - but that you choose to cease and be with God!) 

In other words - the first method is more static while the second method is more dynamic. 

Christmas break is a natural time for me to pause, reflect, and step into the first journey-reflection-option. In fact, I have a confession: In my 14 years as a college pastor, I have only recently decided to cultivate a continued practice of reflection and prayer not just when breaks (I am aware that many jobs do not have natural "breaks" baked in to their schedule) arrive - but continuously, throughout the semester - making my own rest-stops to (re)connect with God. 

This desire to pause & reflect has creeped up on me. 

Anaya is now 15 months old, and, I've lost count of the number of times friends would ask: "How are you doing? What is it like being a father? What is God teaching you?" My canned responses would be something like: "It's great! It's definitely a full-body experience! It's a journey!" The true response that I wanted to respond with was: I have no idea. I haven't stopped to ask myself those things. (becoming a new parent has introduced me to a type of exhaustion that I have not known before 💜)

Becoming a parent exposed some gaps in my life that have always been there and were calling out my name to tend to their care. Parts of myself that desire connection, care, and concern. When I do create space to pause and reflect, it's always a surprise what comes up. Questions, emotions, fears, doubts, memories, sensations, images, etc. all of it - and Jesus is right there with me to welcome it all and hold it all as I let him tend to my soul. 

This semester has been a journey. And, the more I pause to "check-in" with God, the more he colors and adds texture to my lived experience. What was routine and mundane suddenly becomes alive and vibrant. What's missing wasn't something externally - but what has been missing is an internal posture of surrender to God's hand with me and for me on this journey (of life). 

Paul writes in Ephesians 1:18: I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you. 

I interpret this text as Paul's encouraging invitation to the Church in Ephesus: wake up! God is with you! We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God! Keep going! 

As we wrap up 2024 and head into 2025 - my encouragement for all of you is the same: keep going - but don't forget to create a few pit-stops along the way to check in w/ our creator. <3 

Sloan, Anaya & I went to Downtown Garland's "Christmas in the Square"! It was fun and we loved watching Anaya interact with the Christmas lights 💙

Our Fall "Pizza Theology" was an awesome event! So many students gathered to serve and engage on our topic: "1st & 2nd Samuel". Rikk Watts, a New Testament scholar, came to share with our students and the absolutely loved it!  

Anaya has been loving life lately! She is running, babbling, eating (everything), and continually building her appetite for life & love! She loves giving mommy & daddy hugs, reads a TON of books, and enjoys running in any random direction at any given time. 

The different FOCUS male-pastors across our campuses gather bi-weekly to discuss leadership principles from "Habitudes" written by Tim Elmore. Our conversations have been rich and helpful in discerning the climate of our campuses in addition to discussing what the next step(s) for each of us are in our leadership journeys. 

Anaya doing her thing! 

My guy Meech had some car issues so we had to try to get his car right...which meant we stood In the parking lot for a while and googled "How to jump-start a car". 

Sandra led our students in a Wednesday Night FOCUS after-event coaching them in support-raising the costs for our upcoming Winter Retreat! The students were excited to engage with one another and brainstorm ways to invite their friends & family to help them pay for winter retreat! 

I feel extremely grateful for this group of students right here. Our student-leader team has been a deep source of encouragement for our staff. They show up each week with questions, ministry scenarios, and most-importantly: they show up with an open-heart ready to learn and grow. Our ministry has come a long way and God isn't finished w/ it yet! 

Joey & Veronica did a great job planning and facilitating our Christmas party. Our theme was, "Cozy Christmas" and the students showed up in their pajamas and cozy clothes! We did worship and we focused in on the theme(s) of longing and Christ meeting our needs through the Incarnation. It was a blast! 

Our students participated in a Gingerbread-house building competition. We loved seeing the students' creativity and innovation in action! I always forget that these students absolutely love competing and showing off their (unique) skills! 

I feel so grateful to work with this team! (from left to right: Sandra, Joey, Veronica, and myself!) 

She loves to sit in a metal mixing bowl and have me carry her around the house. Just thought I'd share. 

We had a great time at our Christmas party and it was a perfect end to a wild semester. Thank you for your support!

Thank you for believing in me and supporting out work on campus at Richland. I feel so blessed to get to walk with these students and serve them in my (limited) giftings and capacity. Please pray for our students as they go back home for the break - pray for their routines, their hearts, and their minds. There are too many distractions and temptations to name and we pray for them to make wise and fruitful decisions! 

Love you all! Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year :) 

Your brother,

Sirak 

September & October...In a Flash :)

My friends & team! Welcome to November! 

I do apologize that I did not have an update last month - so, for this blog post I will be combining two months together (September & October)! 

Our cores are doing well and there are some fun shifts happening in our ministry. 

As many of you know, a core value of our ministry is: 1-on-1 spiritual friendships. We encourage students to not just talk about their faith sporadically but to engage in week-to-week, committed, Jesus-loving friendships with other students. 

In previous years, this core value has been carried out and embodied primarily by the FOCUS pastors and staff. However, this year we have more & more students who are stepping up and initiating these types of spiritual friendships all throughout the ministry! We are so proud of them!

I'm noticing that the Holy Spirit doesn't need you to have degrees, fancy theological ideas, or an impressive resume to impact someone with the love of Christ. All that is required is that you're faithful and consistent. 

I see a principle at work that is hard to find words for...however, I shall attempt (continue reading...): 

For some reason, God designed (human nature?) people to be deeply impacted by their peers. For example, I (36 years old) can invite a student to FOCUS/core/etc. and say, "I've missed seeing you around, hope to see you this Wednesday!" However, if an 18-year-old is told the same phrase and given the same invitation by a fellow 18-year-old...I feel that the invitation takes deeper root inside of their heart. They are filled with a deeper sense of: "Wow...maybe I am important and loved." // "Hm...maybe I am noticed and seen..." // "Wait...I thought my presence doesn't matter...maybe I do matter?"

Peer-level leadership and influence is something that is truly beautiful and I am seeing it open up more & more right before me. Pray for our student leaders as they step into this role with other students and that lifelong spiritual friendships would emerge and thrive!

Students are being impacted and we love to see it! Enjoy the pictures below & thank you for your continued support - I feel like it'll be May 2025 faster than we can acknowledge, so let's stay connected! 

Not much to say here other than she is up, running, exploring, and enjoying life! <3 

Happy Halloween :) 

Fall Camp was a blast - here is a picture of one of our students, Caleb, sharing his story & testimony with our other students. We feel so blessed and honored to have him in our ministry. 

Feeling grateful for this fun group of students in our ministry this year! Please be praying for them as we continue to build spiritual friendships and allow God's guiding light shape and form us! 

Each week I get to meet with Karston (middle) and Bernard (right). These two guys are leading a Core Bible study on Mondays at 1pm. They've had a consistent group of guys coming every week and they've been humble, faithful, and teachable this entire time! Pray for them as they continue to grow into their role as leaders <3 

Pretty cool (and random) story: We ran into Anaya's doctor who delivered her! This OB actually wasn't our OB throughout pregnancy but she was a blessing to us that night on August 3rd, 2023 when Anaya was born! 

Thank you to the donors & friends who helped us purchase two laptops & other accessories for our student leaders! 

My evening routine <3 

Fall Camp was awesome! :) 

Veronica & Joey led our students in group-games and we had an absolute blast! 

More fall camp pics! 

Our last few Wednesday Night FOCUS meetings have been growing...and growing...please pray for us as we love & impact the students around us! 

We've been talking about taking more family pictures together! If you know of any local-DFW-photographers, please let me know! 

Happy Halloween! 

...she's growing...and growing...

Another pic of our Wednesday Night FOCUS meetings! 

Our "Sermon on the Mount" D-Class on Wednesdays has been so fun - love getting together with everyone each week :) 

Caleb - one of our new students this year has been a huge blessing to our group and I'm grateful for 

Thank you so much for your continued support and for believing in our mission to love college students! 

The year is off to a great start and we are excited for the next 6 weeks, Christmas break, and Winter Camp! 

Do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions! 

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak 

The Beginning Is Here! :)

My friends & team! 

The year has officially been kicked off and..wow...so many good things are up ahead. God was faithful during welcome-week and we had the opportunity to connect with new students that are interested in FOCUS and learning more about Jesus.

We tried a few new events and experimented with ideas that opened the door for creativity and connection. We did race/ethnic-specific events for our black & hispanic students while also doing an event for first-generation college students. 

There will be a lot of new relationships that emerge from these events! We had tables set up to meet students, help them find their classes, and share about FOCUS. I couldn't be more proud of our student leader team and our FOCUS pastors. 

Welcome week is all about faithfulness and openness. Faithfulness to who is right in front of you and openness to hearing their story and leaning in to how God may want to use you to impact them. 

There does seem to be a "shift" happening on campus. It seems as if students are becoming less interested in connecting with others, making new friends, and putting themselves out there to engage. This could be due to the role technology plays in demanding ones attention or it may be a combination of intimidation and some social anxiety? I am unsure. 

We still hope to remain faithful through the week to week experience of campus-life. God remains faithful through the cultural shifts and changes that we exist within. We love our campus and the population we serve. Pray for us! 

Our first WNF meeting of the year! We had a lot of new students who shared excitement for finding a club that they can explore their faith in during their time as a student. We feel so blessed to have them with us. Please pray for further connections and opportunities through our Wednesday night fellowship times! 

Anaya is growing & has a full day-agenda that consists of exploring the world and taking mommy & daddy along for the ride! We love her so much! 

We had an event called: "Ethnic Eats & Beats" - it was such a fun event where we got to celebrate different ethnic groups and cultures that are represented on campus at Richland. 

Feeling so proud of our students & group! We loved getting to connect with new students together and turning our Richland Breezeway into a fun place! 

Our Richland 2024-25 Student Leader Team! Let's gooo! I'm so excited to get to connect with and engage with these students this year <3 

A sneak-peak of our student leader retreat/training day. Prepping for the year has been such a fun time w/ our students. They love to laugh & engage with one another <3 

Joey organized a prayer-walk for us before the school year began and it was such an encouraging place for us to engage and connect with the campus before the year began. 

3 awesome students: (left to right) Jorge, Bernard, and Karston. Excited for them to be a part of our ministry this year. Bernard and Karston will be leading core with each other this year! 

Love these two so much :) Feels like the years are flying by <3 - trying to enjoy every moment along the way. Feeling very blessed and grateful for the upcoming year! 

Thank you for supporting & believing in our mission. It's wild to see that the students are still coming and still being drawn closer to the Father. We feel honored to play a small part in their faith journey as our paths cross at Richland. 

Please be praying for us as discern what the needs are for our campus, ministry, and student leader team. I'm excited for the year! 

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak

Every Next Step = Another First Step!

 My friends & team - 

Here we are again - and I'll get straight to the point: I am absolutely pumped for this year!

I definitely sense a fun momentum among our students and, judging by how our summer has been going, this fall we will have more students than ever before ready to hit the campus ready to connect with and love the students we will meet. 

As I conclude my first year of parenthood, my concept of time is beginning to change. 

Sometimes my friends will ask me: "Dude, what is it like being a dad??" or "How do you feel, man?? She's growing so fast!". When I am asked these questions, I typically respond with a simple: "It's awesome!" or "I feel great!" 

My responses are true - I do feel that it is so awesome & such a gift. But, to be honest at a deeper level, I often have no idea what it is like because I haven't quite had the time to pause and ask myself that! I do not know quite what I feel other than: I love my baby <3. 

Or, when my wife & I do, in fact, get some downtime (to potentially ask how we're doing/feeling...), we just want to relax, connect, or prepare for the next day. 

Sometimes, when I leave a staff meeting, I will often drive home asking myself: Sirak, how do you think that meeting went? Parenthood affords few opportunities to pause, reflect, and summarize how exactly you're feeling & doing. 

Parenthood (so far) feels like a visceral, nonstop, full-body, emotionally-exhausting privilege that continually invites you to be present with what is in front of you - knowing that, in faith, you will make it to the other side. 

Campus ministry is similar - we are about to embark on a visceral, nonstop, full-body experience called: Welcome Week - and, our prayer is that we would remain faithful as God is faithful for us. God doesn't stop to ask himself: How do I feel about how things are going? (well, maybe he does - I'm not sure) He just...loves us. And pursues us. And...honors us where we are at as he calls us deeper to himself. 

I hope to be that kind of Father to Anaya. I hope to be that kind of Pastor to the students in my ministry. 

Thank you for your support - enjoy the pictures! 

We had our final summer FOCUS of 2024 and our incoming apprentices in addition to our returning staff made commitments in front of our students to serve and keep their eyes focused on Jesus this year. 

Anaya is 1! Where did time go? I feel so overwhelmed with love & gratitude. Wow. Feeling so grateful :) 

Summer FOCUS was a blast this year! Thank you Lord for the group of students that kept showing up consistently and making it a great experience. 

This is my friend Bernard! He is going to be one of our Richland Small Group leaders this year - he's been a consistent and engaging part of our ministry last year and I'm excited for him to step up and impact our campus. Please be praying for him as he connects with  new students, makes friends, and excels as a student!

Our Richland FOCUS Summer Boys-Club has been a blast this summer. These guys have encouraged one another and have been open with where they are at in their own personal faith journey. Please be praying as they step onto campus and impact the students they meet! 

Anaya & Sloan took me out for my birthday! <3 was a fun time - 36 years old! <3 

Summer FOCUS! 

Thank you again for believing in me & our mission to love college students :) Looking forward to another great year with y'all! 

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak