A Great Start To A Great Year!

My friends & team!

Thank you so much for your support and partnership :) This year has been flying by and God has continually been faithful and consistent in the way he brings students into our lives. The month of August was filled with new friendships being born, freshmen finding community during their first few weeks of school and lots of welcome-week events! August is always a crazy month for us but we wouldn't have it any other way! I hope that the pictures below encourage you and give you a glimpse into what has been going on over the past month :)

This year at UT Dallas & Richland College, I have begun spending time with a student from Costa Rica and one from Chicago. They both come from polar opposites of the world but the same theme has emerged in both of our relationships: they found community in our FOCUS ministries. College ministry affords these opportunities to have worlds collide and see how the name of Jesus can be proclaimed higher & higher! I am so grateful to be a part of what God is doing this year and I would appreciate it if you prayed for the holy spirit to move in the lives of our students.

Below are a few pictures of our Dallas (UTD/Richland/TWU Dallas/SMU) leader team retreat, outreach events, welcome week worship events, and a few others. Thank you again for all of your support and believing in me for the last six year. I couldn't do this without you! Enjoy the pictures below:

Our Dallas leader team meeting up for a weekend of practical leadership training! So thankful to work with these men & women!

One of our most successful outreach events every year: Ultimate Frisbee/Kickball! We brought so many students and they all had a blast playing sports, cooling off, and doing it again! Many students that came to this event got plugged into a core small group!

Before the start of every year, we have a combined worship event with all of the other campus ministries. The event was a huge success and we brought so many students to come & share in what the Lord is doing on campus! 

UT Dallas plans and facilitates a variety of welcome-week events every year and for us, that is great! We gather our students, show up and meet people! This was the comet beach luau and we loved getting to be around all of the students!

This was our first Friday Night Fellowship meeting of the year! We nearly filled out a room that we would barely fill up halfway last year! Praise God!

Our Richland student organization fair! We met so many students there and got a lot of sign-ups for our group! I really enjoyed getting to be on campus and be a part of what God has planned @ Richland!

Another panorama picture of our Richland organization fair last week! We met so many students!

A picture from the back of our Friday Night FOCUS meeting!  

I had the privilege of preaching our first two weeks of Friday Night FOCUS about our theme, "Send Me". We discussed how Jesus was sent into the world & so are we! We also discuseed how Jesus was sent into the lives of others & so are we! It was such a privilege to share what God has placed on my heart!

Thank you so much for your support & partnership! I am honored to get to be your missionary and share the gospel with students every day. I couldn't have asked for a better team to stand side-by-side with me on campus, thank you for your support!

Please if you'd like prayer for anything do not hesitate to ask me! I would be honored to pray for you.

Thank you for your support & I will talk to you soon!

Your campus missoinary & brother,

Sirak

The Beginning Is Almost Here!

 My friends!

Can you believe that summer is over and we're about to begin the fall semester? This fall will be my sixth year as a campus missionary and I am so excited to have you alongside me for the journey. Thank you for your friendship and support through the years. This year will be no different than the last 5: God will be faithful. He always is! In just a few short weeks there are going to be thousands of freshmen, international and transfer students walking onto God's college campuses and we hope to be the first people that they meet. Through move-ins, campus welcome week events, outreach, ultimate frisbee nights, and many other venues we are going to try and meet as many students as possible!

Our staff just got back from our annual staff retreat and it was a week of faithfully reminding one another of your goodness. I think that in campus ministry, the temptation is to have control and gain a sense of security as you meet, befriend and disciple students. The reality is that God is fully in control of it all and calls us to simply submit to his will and be faithful with what he has placed in front of us. Below are a few pictures of our staff team(s) this year and I'm excited to be serving alongside them!


I hope you've got a few minutes to check out our student testimony below. As FOCUS has continued to grow to 10 different campuses in the DFW area, we are continually hearing stories of lives changing and being turned towards Jesus. Check out the story below:

Our July student testimony! 

Our 2017-18 FOCUS Dallas Staff! (From left to right: Peter, Sandra, Laurence, Mandy, Brandon, Sarah, Eddie, Dawn, and me!) I'm so thankful to get to work with such brilliant missionaries. God has put together such an awesome team this year and I'm excited to work alongside them!

A few weeks before the beginning of the fall semester our staff hosted an event called, SICM Refresh. In May we have our week long SICM campus ministry training conference and we wanted to have a condensed, one-day 'refresh' for our students have not been to SICM yet or have gone and it has been a few years. The event was such a success and the students were encouraged and prepared for an awesome kick-off to the school year! Mandy did a great job planning and coordinating this event!

This fall, I will be supervising Eddie Perez, one of our 2017-18 apprentices. Eddie recently graduated from UT Dallas and is taking a year to partake in our one-year apprenticeship program. I have known Eddie since his freshman year and I must say that I am so excited to work alongside him! He is extremely gifted and will be such a great minister to our students at UT Dallas and Richland College!

For our last FOCUS meeting of the summer we called up all of the staff that will be renewing their commitments to the front for prayer. We take our commitments very seriously and it was such a blessing to have our ministry & staff pray over our staff committing to serve our community!

Summer has been such a encouraging fundraising season! Each of our staff have been individually fundraising on their own to raise the salaries for their budgets. We plan several special events for our incoming apprentices to help them fundraise and for one of them we did a Family Feud evening (FOCUS Staff Veterans vs. Incoming Apprentices)! It was so fun and good to see our apprentices & staff bonding with one another. This year we've got a great group of apprentices and I'm excited to work alongside them!

Another picture of our 2017-18 FOCUS apprentices during the "Family Feud Game Show Fundraiser"!

Our 2017-18 FOCUS Apprentices! Please be praying for them as they prepare for the beginning of the school year. They have already begun their bible reading/apprenticeship assignments but they're going to hit the ground running here pretty soon!

Once again, thank you so much for believing in our mission and for believing in me. 10 years ago, as a 19 year old, I would've never imagined that I would be a full-time campus missionary serving on God's college campuses. Thanks to a team like you all, it's been made possible and into a reality. I recommitted to another 4 years of campus missionary work through the 2020-21 school year and I am excited to have you all side-by-side with me!

Please don't hesitate at all if you have anything you'd like prayer about :) Thank you so much for your support and I'm honored to have you on my team!

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak

Sirak's June 2017 Update!

My team!

Thank you so much for your support and consistency! We're halfway through the summer and I am so energized and encouraged thinking about this fall. Our UTD/Richland/TWU Dallas Campus Missionary teams have been hard at work meeting up with students and building our leadership team for this fall. Please be praying for these students (many of them first-year leaders) as they prayerfully consider spending their fall & spring semester as campus missionaries! Our ministry is largely student-led and we believe in raising up leaders from the ground up! I was a student leader from 2009 - 2012 and I am forever grateful for the development and training I received then. I am so excited for many of these young adults to encounter the depth of Jesus' love as they serve and love their campuses!

Below you can see our student testimony for the month of July! This is just one story and my prayer is that this fall, as we meet students for the first time, we would be changing the stories of all the students we meet. Your support has been a huge catalyst in making this happen! I hope that the story below encourages you and reminds you of what your support is going towards!

(click to view larger)

Each week I have the privilege of studying the bible with one of our students at Richland College, Josh. He's been very involved in our group this year it's so awesome every week to see how God is growing & developing him.

Sarah King, our UTA Campus Pastor, preaching at Summer FOCUS last week. She did such a great job sharing how the Lord has grown her over the years. Our students were very impacted by her talk!

Our Summer FOCUS meetings have gotten so large! For many of you Alumni reading this, you remember that this size was that of our winter camp only a few years ago.

Thank you for believing in me and making a way for this campus-missionary journey. I am blown away at how faithful God has been through your partnership and friendship. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need prayer for anything in your life at all! Please be praying for our FOCUS staff at other campuses as we build our leadership teams. Pray for wisdom and discernment as we have important conversations with our students!

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak 

Sirak's May 2017 Update! (Thank you so much for your support!)

My friends! My Team!

Thank you so much for your support and partnership! May was a fun month full of stories and memories of God's faithfulness. As the school year ended, we geared up for SICM (Student Institute of Campus Ministry) and the students that we invited grew so much. During SICM, our students learned how to be missionaries on their college campuses while still students. I remember in 2009 when I went as a student I had no clue what God's vision for his campuses were and 8 years later I am forever grateful for the SICM experience and the CCF Chi Alpha staff that had the vision to begin hosting SICM conferences those 20+ years ago!

I hope that the pictures below are encouraging and a glimpse into what your support has gone towards. God is building bridges and connections with so many students, pastors, parents, and professors due to your support and prayers. Thank you for walking side-by-side with me on this campus missionary journey. I am excited to re-commit another 4-years of my life to helping make disciples on God's college campuses! 

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like prayer for anything in your life. Please be praying for our FOCUS staff as we prayerfully consider student leaders for this fall. These are students that will commit to leading small groups, meeting up 1/1 with their fellow classmates, and helping build God's kingdom on his campus!  

Enjoy the photos below:

The first Monday of every month I have had the privilege to meet up with other campus pastors in the DFW area to pray, fellowship, and share in what God is doing. Tom (yellow shirt) has facilitated this group and has had a big heart for bringing together pastors to encourage and share with!

My roommates (left to right: Brandon, Peter, and Rhett)! Sadly, our lease is coming to an end and we are all going our separate ways. Rhett (far right) will be heading to Denton to begin his year as a FOCUS apprentice at U. of North Texas! I have loved getting to work on staff with Brandon and Peter!

Jesse (middle) and Kufre (far right) have been a pair of students that I have had the privilege to meet with weekly. They lead a small group men's bible study at UT Dallas and these guys are wonderful to work with :) They are bright, godly, and very teachable. They have impacted so many students through their service in God's kingdom. Thanks guys!

While in Washington for SICM, Sarah King (our UTA campus pastor) and I took a trip up to Vancouver, Canada to interview Dr. Iain Provan, professor of Old Testament studies @ Regent College. Our interview was for our FOCUS Podcast! Follow us on instagram/twitter for podcast info!

Our 2017 SICM group during early-morning worship!

This summer, our FOCUS summer meetings have been such a fun ministry to be a part of. We have so many students stay in town for the summer and we provide them with a place to continue fellowshipping and growing together! We combine with all of our other FOCUS campuses so it is great to see all of the familiar faces :)

This week at church we did our annual baby-dedication. God has been showing me that campus ministry is about vision and perseverance. My dream is that all of these babies would be a part of a campus organization that is dedicated to making disciples for Jesus' glory. I turn 29 in one month and I am blown away at just how quickly time passes. I know that in just a short amount of time these babies will be freshmen walking onto campus for the first time trying to find where they belong. My prayer is that we would be the first people welcoming them on campus when they show up :)

Thank you so much for your support and believing in me all of these years. Five years ago I was just a lowly intern without an idea of what God wanted to do and as I look back I am deeply encouraged and reminded of God's faithfulness through the students that I've befriended and, mostly, through your partnership and consistency. Thank you and *raises glass*, here's to another 4 years!

Your brother and campus missionary,

Sirak!

What A Great Year!

My friends, can you believe it? We've arrived at the end of another year! I'm so overwhelmed with how faithful God has been and the many stories of his providence and presence in the lives of our students. These stories have happened because of people like you, who have committed to walk alongside us as we make disciples on God's college campuses!

I hope that you're not too overwhelmed by the amount of photos I posted! the 2016-17 year has flown by but as I type this blog I am reminded of God's faithfulness throughout the year. Life moves very quickly and as I reflect on these photos, I am challenged to slow down and reflect on what God has done. I hope that you all do the same through looking at each of these photos and being reminded of how your partnership has led to God's kingdom coming here in the lives of his children.

As the year comes to a close, I am reminded of a story that Jesus told in Luke 15:11-32. The story tells of a son who squanders the wealth of his father and returns home after lavish living. Upon his return, the father welcomes him with open arms and throws him a party. The younger son, prior to his return, convinces himself that his return will be justified if he returns home and becomes a formal servant of the father. As he returns, the father does not treat him as a servant but as a son - as an heir. The older brother is upset at this and despises both the father and his younger brother due to this unfair situation. 

I was struck with the idea that both brothers have a story that they are telling themselves about their relationship with the father. The younger brother tells himself that he is no longer worth to be called a son and decides to lay aside his sonship to be a servant. The older brother tells himself (verse 29) that he has been slaving for the father all of these years and not once has the father thrown him a party. Both sons are telling themselves a story that influence how they interact with the father. This idea/story challenged me deeply because I need to ask myself, "What story am I telling myself about this campus ministry journey?" Am I slaving for God like the older brother? Am I trying to work or earn my spot in his favor because I am not worthy like the younger brother? The best part of this story is the father's response to the brothers: "I am your father. You are my son." 

I hope that this story can challenge/encourage you in the way that it has for me. I thank you for your partnership and belief that this is worth it. You all are my inspiration and I'm beyond thankful to call you my team! Thank you for partnering with me and making this such a great year :) I hope that these pictures are encouraging to you!

Our 2016-17 FOCUS Staff! I am in the top left corner sporting a bowtie! It's been such an honor to work alongside these staff throughout the year.

We've been having different professors at UTD who are followers of Jesus come and share their testimonies with us on Friday nights. It's been such an life-giving experience for our students to hear from them. Many of our students have been emboldened and encouraged to go and share their faith with the staff and faculty at UT Dallas.  

Our Richland leader team! (From right to left: Karlo, me (Sirak), Catherine, and Sandra) I've loved getting to work alongside these students and share in what God is doing at Richland College. It's been bittersweet realizing that the school year is coming to a close and that we're going to say our goodbyes.

Michael, one of our UTD small group leaders sharing during Friday Night FOCUS about how investing is something that we do often with the knowledge that we'll never see the end result fully. We must invest with a vision in mind and with an open hand. It was such a powerful message for him to deliver to our ministry! 

I've had the opportunity to spend monthly time on Monday's at 7:00am with a few other pastors in the area. They are all involved with CRU (formerly, Campus Crusade), and they have been such a source of life for me. 

 Josh (middle) & Jeremy (right) led a weekly bible study at UTD. I've had the opportunity to meet with them weekly and help mentor them through the year. They both love God so much and care deeply for the students in their lives. I'm going to deeply miss meeting up with these guys every week! Great job this year guys!

Josh (right) and his grandmother got to meet me and a bunch of our Richland FOCUS guys. She usually picks him up from campus on Wednesdays and we were so excited to meet her! I've loved getting time with all of these guys and sharing in what the Lord is doing. (From left to right: me (Sirak), Jackson, Robin, Javon, Karlo, Josh's grandma and Josh!)

(From left to right: Sirak, Karlo, David, and James (David's dad)) James has been attending a few of our Friday Night Fellowship meetings along with his son David, who is involved in our Richland FOCUS ministry. We did an open-sharing event at our last Friday Night FOCUS and James got up and shared with our community what was on his heart. He shared how special it is to him, as a parent, to know that his son has friends and community away from home. Our community was very touched and encouraged by this! 

The men from our Richland core small group. I've been so blessed having these guys in my life to meet with, pray together, and dive deep into the scripture on a weekly basis!

Our Richland FOCUS ministry!

For our last Richland FOCUS meeting of the year, we spend time encouraging and lifting one another up. The question we asked, was: "How have you seen Jesus in the lives of the people in this room?" As we ate together, one by one the students began to share about specific people in the room who have impacted them and challenged them to grow!

Main main man right here. I've gotten to lead a small group with Karlo for the last couple of years and I've seen this guy grow so much. He's currently a junior at UT Dallas studying English and drives to Richland college every week so that he can lead the students there to know Jesus. He's been such an inspiration and model of Christ to those around him, especially to me! Grateful for this guy!

(From left to right: me (Sirak), Jesse, and Kufre) This year I've gotten the opportunity to meet up every week with these two guys! They are leading a small group together at UT Dallas and have been such a blessing to the men in their life. I'm blown away at their willingness to lead and consistency in following Jesus. These guys are the real deal! 

I am looking forward to touching base with all of you this summer! Thank you for your partnership and heart for this mission. Please don't hesitate to be in touch with me if there's anything that I can be praying for you about.

Your campus missionary,

Sirak

FOCUS April Student Testimony:

Sirak's March 2017 Update!

My friends! I can't believe that we're already in April. We've only got a month left in the school year and I am completely blown away at what God has done this year. 

This year we're sending over 80 students to SICM (Student Institute of Campus Ministry) in Bellingham, Washington. SICM is a week-long campus ministry training experience that we send students who have proven themselves to be faithful, available, initiating, teachable, and that have a heart for God and others. These are students that we feel called to develop into leaders and SICM is a huge catalyst in the process of our leadership development.

The SICM trip is not cheap. It is $800.00 total to attend and many of our students will be fundraising with the hope of being able to raise enough money. Please be praying that the Lord would open up doors and that they would be bold in asking others to partner with them to attend SICM.

Last week we flew in a group from Bellingham, Washington who are students at Western Washington University. This university is where CCF (Campus Christian Fellowship) is, the campus ministry that hosts SICM. These students flew down for their spring break to help with evangelism on our Dallas FOCUS campuses and be a source of encouragement to our students! I've got photos of some of what we did during their time down here below:

Our Dallas men's leader team! Every Monday night we all meetup and talk, pray, and seek the spirit on how we can serve our campus & students! I am so thankful and blown away by how the Lord has grown and developed these student leaders. It's because of these students that we are able to reach so many students. These are full-time enrolled college students who commit a year of their education to leading a small group and discipling their fellow students. 

On Saturday, April 1st, we'll be having our annual Spring Showcase SICM Fundraiser! I am going to be performing in a few of the closing numbers. In this photo, we are all rehearsing at Kurt Doty's (UNT FOCUS Alumna) residence.

The first picture of our 2017-18 FOCUS Apprentices. These are all students who have graduated across our FOCUS campuses and are devoting a year of their life to full-time campus ministry. Please pray for them as they fundraise this season for the upcoming year, God is going to move so powerfully through these students!  

Our Dallas FOCUS staff (Peter-left & Sarah-right) are both talking to our students before we begin SSI-week, a week full of outreach and evangelism on our campuses. 

We brought in a group of students from Bellingham, Washington, who were on their spring break, to help us with a week long evangelism initiative called, "SSI Week" (Spring Student Impact). We housed them for the week and different families from our church body graciously offered to cook and host them for dinner during the week. 

Keith (right), one of our hosts during the week, teaching Will (left), one of our students from Bellingham, WA, how to use a bow. It was so cool to get to see our students loved and hosted during the week. I love that our church family has members that are willing to host and serve these students at no cost!

Our SSI students from Washington came to Richland College two of the days during the week to help with outreach. We set up spikeball nets, threw around a frisbee, and walked around campus asking if any students needed prayer. It was such a powerful day to see how the Lord was working on our campus. 

Another picture of our outreach during SSI week. The weather was so gorgeous! We got to meet so many students and have great conversations with them about their spiritual journeys and how we can pray for them!

Last week at FOCUS we had Dr. Rebecca Files, a professor in the accounting department, come and share with our students her faith and the impact she is having at UT Dallas! It's so encouraging to see the Lord work in the faculty on our campuses.

We had Richland FOCUS outside last week and the weather was perfect! Please be praying for our students as we wrap up the school year. Many of our students will be transitioning to new universities and re-starting much of their life. Please pray for there to be a community to love them and to be a place where they can serve wherever it is that they go!

One of our students at Richland took a photo of me with his Snapchat app. Have y'all heard of snapchat? It is very popular with our students.

Thank you so much for all of your support and partnership over the years! I couldn't do any of this without people like you who believe in the mission and are willing to come alongside me and disciple students together :) 

I plan on getting in touch with all of you soon and please don't hesitate to contact me about anything you need prayer for! I'd love to catch up.

Your campus missionary & brother,

Sirak Asfaw