Sirak's February 2017 Update!

My friends! My family!

I can't believe we're here already in March! It feels like it was only yesterday that we were celebrating the new year together. Even though we have about two months left of school in the semester, our students are still going strong, building lasting friendships, and keeping the mission of our savior, Jesus, alive. I am so thankful to serve alongside these students who are committing their semesters to loving and discipling their fellow students.

Thank you for your support and partnership! Just as I am thankful for all of the students that God has provided for our ministry to lead and serve, I am also forever grateful for you and your partnership. I am now going into my fifth year of campus ministry and I couldn't ask for a better team of partners to walk alongside me on campus to serve our students! Thank you!

Each year, during the month of May, we send a group of students who have shown leadership potential to SICM (Student Institute of Campus Ministry) and it's there that they receive training on how to make disciples, how to mentor their fellow students, and how to be missionaries on their college campuses! We have selected three students at Richland college: Josh, Joseph, and Jackson. Please pray that they would be well-prepared and equipped to experience and retain what God teaches them during that week!

I hope that these pictures below encourage you and remind you of how faithful God is when we submit to his good and perfect will:

Next week and throughout the month of March, we will be doing outreach on campus. Be praying for us as we meet the students on our campuses!

Our Richland FOCUS men's bible study!

(from left to right): Yohan, Joseph, myself (Sirak), and Josh. These have been a few of the students involved in our ministry at Richland. 

This is a panoramic picture of the room we meet in on Friday Nights at UTD for our large-group fellowship. Thank you so much for your partnership! Every week our students gather for worship, fellowship and building community at UT Dallas!

Brandon preaching out of 2 Peter last week at our Friday Night FOCUS meeting! 

Peter Ueng, one of our UTD Campus Pastors, speaking at Pizza Theology. This year we spoke about race and our students were deeply engaged in discussion about such a polarizing topic to many!

Picture of the group that gathered to attend pizza theology this year. Our group of students are so eager to learn and are excited about building lifelong friendships here, in the community! I love getting to serve alongside them :)

Our February 2017 FOCUS Student Testimony!

Please be praying that we finish up the school year strong with our students and that we do not grow weary in doing good. There is still a lot of work to be done on our campuses and it can be tempting for our students to 'give up' and long for their summer vacation, however, we know that the gospel calls us to always be looking for where God wants to involve us!

Thank you so much for your support! Your belief in our mission and partnership has taken me further and deeper into the mystery of God's plan for his campuses than I could have ever imagined. I am blown away to call you my partners and am even more joyful to call you my friends.

Your Campus Missionary,

Sirak

2017 Is Off To A Great Start!

My friends! I hope this update finds you all well-rested and encouraged. I can't believe we're here in 2017 with each other! Around 5 years ago we embarked on this campus-missions journey together and I am grateful that you are still by my side with your support and encouragement. I hope that these photos below are a testament to God's faithfulness and your consistency!

We had our FOCUS Winter Camp in early-January and it was a blast! Students from all 9 of our FOCUS Campuses gathered together at sky-ranch camp for a weekend of worship, fellowship, and encouragement as we planned and prepared for the upcoming spring semester. Our theme during the weekend was, "Church Family", and it was one of my favorite winter camps I've ever been to. 

One of the most moving sermons during the weekend came Saturday night when Ronnie Worsham was discussing how we are the body of Christ and we need to stay connected to the head (which is, Christ). He provided the analogy of how our bodies are meant to respond and obey commands our brains give to them and our bodies do not serve their purpose if they are ignoring or disobeying what our brains command them to do. This was all shared to point out how often Christ (the head) gives us (the body) instructions & commands on how to live and we lose our purpose if we are disobeying or ignoring those commands. It was very insightful and our students were challenged by such a good picture of Christ and his body.

Our Richland FOCUS Students at Winter Camp 2017!

This is a picture from the back of one the sessions at winter camp. We brought over 600 students to our camp and it was so moving and encouraging to have all of our students there together.

We had a worship-team workshop to talk to our many student leaders on what our ministry values are as a worship-team, how to practice your instrument, and how to grow in confident expression towards God in front of your fellow students.

During the Richland College student organization fair, we met many students with our table set-up! 

Throughout the day we had many students walk up and ask questions about & show interest in our ministry. Every semester we pray that God would bring students that are eager and ready to hear the gospel and build lifelong friendships!

A selfie of our group from Richland FOCUS @ Winter Camp!

Our Men's bible study - every week we meet on Wednesdays at 1:30pm to study the bible, share in one another's life, and build community at Richland College!

Our UTD FOCUS ministry is growing and shaping  

I'm really thankful for these students. I am seeing more and more how they are submitting to the holy spirit and growing in wisdom. These students are the future!

Thank you so much for your support and partnership over the years. I'm blown away that I get to share the gospel with college students on God's college campuses with you all alongside me. Please be praying for us, that we finish the year well & strong. We are in the process of selecting student leaders for the 2017-18 school year so please pray for wisdom and insight as we move students onto God's agenda!

Please let me know if there is anything that I can be praying for you about!

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak 

Sirak's December 2016 Update! (Good Day, My Friends!)

My friends! My Team! Greetings from 2017 :) 

I can't believe 2016 is over and we are embarking on a new journey with one another into uncharted territory: 2017. Logistically nothing really has changed but the name of the year we are in, however, we can be confident that the Lord is faithful yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I am thankful, though, for these year changes because it affords me time to reflect on the previous 365 days of my life. Did I reach my goals? Was I attentive to the Lord working in and around me? How can I re-focus and re-center my life in new and healthy ways? These are all questions I ask myself when entering a new year.

We had our FOCUS staff retreat last week and we read "The Signature of Jesus" by Brennan Manning together. As I reflected on the text and our conversations with one another I am struck by the simplicity and joy that comes with following Jesus. All of this: the students, meetings, prayers, conversations, camps, etc. - it's all for and because of Jesus. Coming out of the Christmas season we spend a lot of time reflecting on the miracle of Jesus' birth and entrance into the world. This entrance into the world is miraculous because he now gives us a blueprint and a purpose for life! Praise God!

Thank you so much for your support and partnership! I am honored to go into 2017 with you all on  my team. I am so excited to see what God has planned this semester at UT Dallas & Richland College! Please pray for wisdom for our staff - that we would be well prepared and equipped to listen and respond to the spirit next weekend at our annual FOCUS Winter Camp!

Looking forward to seeing all of my Richland FOCUS reunited together at Winter Camp this year!

Our Richland men's core at fall camp! We'll be meeting on Wednesdays at 1:30pm this spring. Please pray for us and for our group. Pray that deep spiritual friendships would be made for the spring semester! 

Joseph and Yohan - two of our potential student leaders for Fall 2017!

I'm excited to get back with our students @ Friday Night FOCUS!

Towards the end of last semester, we had an event called Seniors & Smores. It was a time for our upcoming FOCUS graduates to talk and pray about the transition out of college into the real world while maintaining the lifestyle of a disciple! It was so encouraging!

My good friend Ignateus (FOCUS Graduate, 2013) came back in town to spend time with me. He also ran the Dallas Marathon. It was so good to see him and to know that the Lord is faithful in guiding him and loving hiim!

I had the privilege of going to New Orleans to serve in Jesus Project Ministries! It's a non-profit aimed at sharing the love of Jesus with young elementary students in the inner-city. This was such an honor to be a part of!  

On the mission trip I brought my clippers and gave free haircuts to the kids in New Orleans! It was such a pleasure to serve all these students through giving them fades and tapers! Within 10 minutes I had a list of 50 people wanting a haircut!

Thank you so much for being on my team and believing in the mission to make disciples on God's college campuses. He isn't finished yet and I'm honored that he would call be to be on campus making and maturing disciples for his glory. I'm even more honored that he would call people like you to walk side-by-side with me, ensuring a partnership that has encouraged and strengthened me through the year.

If you need prayer for anything in your life please don't hesitate to contact me! I would be honored to pray for you. More soon to come!

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak

Happy Thanksgiving! (Sirak's November Update!)

My friends! My team!

Wow. Isn't is hard to believe that its December?! The year is coming to a close and we have much to celebrate and be remembering as the students go on break and get ready for the spring. Thank you so much for your consistent support and partnership over the years. It's becuase of donors like you that I get to live out this call to be a missionary on God's college campuses.

For our November student testimony, we have Sierrah Martinez! Read below to be encouraged!

As we enter this Christmas season I've been reflecting on what it means to be a disciple during the holidays. To me, it means being a servant. There is no time off when following Jesus. All opportunities are taken advantage of to serve, help, and give. It's what we do. I always love hearing the stories of the parents who are thrilled to see the change in their children's' lives when they come back home for the holidays. Many of these students have not seen their parents since August when they were dropped off on campus and it's always such a testament to God's faithfulness when the parents say things like, "Since when do you take out the trash?", "Oh wow, I didn't realize that you do the dishes now?!", etc.

November was full of exciting stories and things to rejoice about and I hope you enjoy the below pictures and are encouraged at what your partnership and support is going towards!

Our Richland FOCUS Ministry! I'm so thankful that I get to serve alongside these students! As you may notice, I haven't quite perfected where to look when I take selfies (I'm always looking off to the left...)

We did a 'politics-themed' outreach event at Richland college and it was such a huge success! I loved getting to spend time with our students and watch them reach out to the other students on campus at Richland :)

A picture of our outreach event at Richland college. There are many students who walk through the cafeteria who are not involved in any student organizations. It is a good place to set up our outreach displays so we can engage our fellow students in quality conversation while informing them about our FOCUS organization!

Our outreach display was called "Lemonade Hour" and it was basically an opportunity for students to drink lemonade and engage one another in spiritual discussions and ideas! The students loved the lemonade :) 

Our students engaging one another during our "Lemonade Hour" outreach week!

Joseph, Myself, and Yohan. These two students have been consistent members of our ministry. 

A panoramic shot of our Friday Night Fellowship!

Our UTD FOCUS worship band!

From left to right: Karlo, me, kale, Ryan and Stephen! These are some of my favorite dudes and it's been so great to see the Lord work in all of their lives.

At our last Friday Night Fellowship gathering we had an event called "Seniors and Smores". As we prepare to graduate a group of seniors we wanted to make sure that they are thinking and praying about what God wants for them in this next season of life. Many of them will begin working full-time jobs and transitioning into new communities of faith. It's important that they think pastorally about what is next for them and that they are prepared for whatever God has planned! :)

Tyronne (left) is one of the administrators at Richland College. He has been such a source of encouragement and strength for me as a campus minister. He is a strong man in the Lord and lives as a light to the campus. So thankful to get to cross path's with this man!

I meet up weekly with Jeremy (right) and Josh (left). They are a pair of student leaders blessing our UTD FOCUS ministry every week. Please pray for them as they spend time with their fellow students at UT Dallas and share the love of Jesus with them.

Our annual FOCUS-fundraiser is underway and you can donate now at: https://anyfocus.org/donate/next20/ Please invest in the next 20-years of college ministry on God's college campuses. Also, follow us on facebook, search "anyfocusministries", for further updates, videos, alerts, or posts we will have! I will be contacting you soon to touch base and share what God has been doing in our lives!

Thank you so much for your partnership and support! Please be praying for us as we plan and prepare for Winter Camp 2017! Students from all 9 of our FOCUS campuses will be coming to Sky Ranch over MLK weekend to worship and fellowship with one another and we know that lives are going to be changed forever that weekend!

I hope to hear from you soon! Please don't hesitate at all to contact me with any questions, concerns, ideas, etc. that you may have!

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak Asfaw

Sirak's October Update!!

My friends! My team!

I can't believe that it's already November! October was filled with stories of joy, delight, and great pleasure. I'm consistently blown away at the faithfulness and love that God has shown to me and our students in this season of life. Friendships are being built and lives are continued to be changed through the message of Jesus! Two students currently stick out in my mind: Jackson & David. I am currently spending weekly time with the two of them and absolutely love my time with them. Please pray that God would use me as his tool to shape and develop these two young men!

Over the past two weeks, Ephesians 4:20-24 has been on my mind and heart. It talks about our receiving and response to the message of Christ: "...to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Even in the times when I think that I have 'arrived' and 'feel accomplished' God is reminding me yet again: I'm not done with you, Sirak. I think campus ministry consists of reminding the students around that God isn't finished with them yet. We are continuing to be made new in the attitude of our minds :)

Enjoy the pictures below and remember that God isn't finished yet! I'm consistently blown away at what God can do with a faithful group of people who decide to commit to his vision for community & mission. Please pray that we would be that type of community on God's college campuses!

Our FOCUS 20-year celebration was such an encouraging event! We got to celebrate what God has done and are looking forward to the next 20 years!

Our TWU Dallas ministry (left: Amber, right: Kristin) doing outreach on campus!

We had Friday Night Fellowship at Northeast Church on Friday and then had a Halloween party afterwards :) Our students had so much fun and enjoyed their time together!

Our local church had their annual fall fun fest and it was a great way for the college students to get involved with the event!

We had a guest speaker come to our UTD Friday Night Fellowship, Daniel Rangel, come and speak on sexuality and cultural influence of sex. He spoke on what our response, as Christians, should be to all of the worlds messages on sex and pleasure.

Our Richland FOCUS ministry had a board game day in the cafeteria! It was a good time to hang out and spend the day with each other.

A picture of our Richland FOCUS Wednesday fellowship time!

Our UTD/Richland/TWU Dallas staff (minus Brandon & Mandy) dressed up in our Halloween costumes :) I enjoyed getting spend time with all of them.

Our Richland FOCUS group took a selfie together after one of our Wednesday meetings! It's been such a joy to work together with this group of students :)

Thank you so much for your support and partnership! I am filled with gratitude and thankfulness to my Lord for providing me with you all: friends and family who believe in the mission. You all are the ones to be honored for not just believing in the mission, but participating in it as well. I thank you for that! Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything in your life that I can be praying for you about!

Your campus missionary & brother,

Sirak