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
