Good morning :)
Wow, 2024 is here :)
I remember when my family and I moved to Texas in 1999 thinking: I wonder what life will be like in 2025? Well...it's on the way here pretty soon, buckle-up!
A few months earlier we had made the move from Toronto, Ontario Canada to Plano, TX. I was in sixth grade and beginning to feel a sense of normalcy that had been absent for several months.
I was 11 years old when I asked that question. I remember asking it with such...purity of mind. It seemed exciting to ponder and consider all of the possibilities. Who would I become? Who would be my close friends? Would I be married? Would I have children? In other words; I had no clue what it would be like! I couldn't imagine being 15 years old...25...30...even 35 (36 is coming this July!). It was pure anticipation and curiosity.
These days I have way too many opinions, demands, expectations, suggestions, desires, repulsions, fears and worries that often keep me from that purity of mind that invited me to consider the future. For example, if I were to ask: "I wonder what being 40-years-old will be like?" I am immediately filled with my own expectations, potential disappointments, fears, and judgements...as if I am already not measuring up to the image of a 40-year-old created in my mind!
I suppose these days I'm more productive and effective than that 11-year-old...but I sense that something is...missing? Or better yet...something somehow someway got "buried" underneath all of the years that keep me from that purity of mind that trusts that whatever the future brings that God will be there with me and it is going to be nothing like I expected. And that is a good thing! God's plans typically trump mine.
I use to-do list apps to manage my day, calendar apps to mange my months/weeks, email apps to respond quickly to the demands/expectations of my life but I've felt more & more drawn back to...pen & paper. Journaling, reflecting & writing about what is right in front of me to do & experience. Things I'm grateful for. Things I'm feeling and may be drawn to process & surrender to God.
Over the break I discovered a cool company, Monk Manual (www.monkmanual.com). Their mission is to help individuals combine their productivity with an emphasis on understanding why we are here, who we are becoming, and what matters most. I purchased a journal that they make (their 90-day manual) to kick off 2024 with an attempt to tap into that 11-year-old within me that was curious about who they were becoming without being lost in an agenda & laundry list of to-do items along with my judgements and fears.
Each month when I type this blog - it's a sacramental experience for me to reflect & engage with the past month & celebrate how God has been moving. My hope is that I can somehow integrate similar experiences in my day-to-day life!
Thank you for your support! Enjoy the photos below - I hope they refresh & encourage you no matter the season of life that you are in!
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| Our weekly Wednesday Night FOCUS has been missed! We took a few weeks off for Christmas break, but, we are kicking things off in a couple of weeks! |
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| One of our first year apprentices, Veronica, did a great job with her first sermon to our students! It was so creative and engaging. She is a true gift to our team & staff. Let's goo!! |
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| Our students truly & deeply love one another :) They can truly hang out for hours and never get bored! |
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| Merry Christmas from the Asfaw family :) Love all of you & am thankful for you! |
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| The Richland FOCUS fellas :) We got dinner with each other a few weeks ago to catch up & hear about how our break has been going! Love these guys & am thankful for them! |
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| On our way to our annual FOCUS staff retreat, I got to catch up with Andrew (one of our former FOCUS apprentices and a co-leader w/ me from way back in 2010)! He's a good guy & I'm grateful for him - time flies! |
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| Our FOCUS pastoral staff has grown to over 40 people! During this time of the year we connect with one another and spend time in prayer as we prepare for the semester. Grateful for each of them! |
Thank you for your support & for believing in our mission to love college students :)
I hope these blog posts encourage you & show what your support is going towards. I couldn't do this without you!
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have anything you'd like prayer for or if you just want to connect.
Thank you for believing in me!
Your brother & campus missionary,
Sirak
