My friends & team!
Wow... what an October ❤️ Fall retreat, Dallas College Alumni Night, FOCUS’s 30-year celebration... such a party. God is good.
I have a confession to make. As an adult homeowner, 2026 is the first year I’ve consistently watered my lawn. And for the first time, it’s green, full, and I’m genuinely proud of it.
I learned a lot along the way. Water early, before the sun comes up, so it soaks into the soil before the Texas heat burns it off. Don’t overwater. Stay consistent.
But honestly? There were weeks I wondered if any of it was making a difference. Are the weeds just winning? It’s Texas, this lawn is going to surrender to the heat and die anyway. And look around, Sirak... none of your neighbors are watering. There’s no HOA sending you mean emails. Why bother?
I entertained those thoughts. But I kept going, mostly because of a timed sprinkler a friend gifted me a few years ago. It made the consistency possible. (My water bill also went up, but that’s another story.)
So I watered, and watered, and watered. Now the weather’s cooling off, the work has slowed down, and I get to sit back and smile at what grew. The work isn’t done, of course. Summer 2027 is coming ❤️
Last Wednesday felt a lot like that.
At Wednesday Night FOCUS, we hosted our first-ever Dallas College FOCUS Alumni Night (photos below!). More than 25 alumni came back to celebrate what God did in their lives as students here. We worshiped and prayed together, and our older alumni (the “uncs”) prayed over our current students. I loved every minute of it.
Standing in that room, I thought about my lawn. Years of watering the soil of Dallas College: early mornings, faithful weeks, seasons where I wondered if it mattered. Paul says one plants, another waters, but God gives the growth (1 Cor. 3:6). On Wednesday, I got to stand back and see some of that growth.
And here’s the thing: you’ve been my sprinkler. Your prayers and support are what keep the watering consistent, week after week, year after year. I’m so grateful.
Enjoy the photos below and be encouraged. Your support is making a way for students at Dallas College to receive and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
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| CJ (left) and Casey (right) - reading scripture together before our WNF meeting! |
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| Jessica, Nahom, and Alex all led group games together at Fall Retreat - they did an awesome job & this was my favorite year of group games! ❤️ |
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| Alex did an amazing job leading our group games at fall retreat - him & Nahom have been blessings on our team as FOCUS apprentices! |
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| 1,000% grateful for all of these students that God has brought to our Dallas FOCUS ministry! |
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| (obligatory silly pic) |
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| Someone yelled "throw up the 'W'!" (for WNF i'm assuming?) - and we complied ❤️ |
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| We had a meaningful group-sharing time @ fall retreat where the students responded to: "What is something currently in your life that you sense God inviting you to loosen your grip on?" the solidarity was powerful and the students connected powerfully with one another! |
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| Our Dallas FOCUS Alumni Night was such a special night! Grateful for all of the students & alum who showed up! |
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| It just don't get better... :) |
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| Happy Halloween! 🎃 |
Thank you for your support and for believing in me! We're 3 months away from winter retreat - I recently applied for a 'student travel fund' hosted by Dallas College. Please pray that we would be approved for this fund to help our students pay for winter retreat!
I'll talk to you soon!
Your brother & campus missionary,
Sirak
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