Sirak's June 2023 Update!

My friends & team! 

This summer has been off to a great start and we're already beginning plans for Fall 2023! I'll try to get a picture of our 2023 Dallas College FOCUS Staff here soon - we've had a few meetings but keep forgetting to take a staff photo. Veronica, a graduating student from The University of North Texas. will be taking the next year to be a part of our FOCUS apprenticeship and we're excited to have her join our team! 

This summer, Joey (my co-Richland pastor) and I have been having "Richland FOCUS Boys Club" on Wednesday afternoons and they have been so encouraging. I feel blessed and honored to get to spend time with our Richland guys each week. We've been having great conversations and enjoying the change of pace from a busy school year. Grateful for our time together! 

Thank you again for all of your ministry support! In just a few weeks, my wife & I will be welcoming our daughter, Anaya, into the world and we're excited to get to meet her! I can't wait to show y'all some baby photos. Please pray for a safe & smooth delivery! She is going to be a light to all of us :) 

Enjoy the photos below! Each summer I try to change up my pace and spend more time in scripture & prayer. I'd like to share a Psalm (below) that has been ministering to me (Psalm 131):

Psalm 131:

My heart is not proud, Lord,

my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters 

or things too wonderful for me.

But I have calmed and quieted myself,

I am like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord

both now and forevermore.  

This Psalm helps me rest & find union with Christ. Each school year is filled with one-on-one appointments, books/articles to read, camps to plan, meetings to attend, etc. they are a blessing but can often keep me so busy that I forget what it means to rest. I hope that this Psalm can minister to you wherever you are. What are the "great matters" that you find yourself concerned with that God may want you to lay down for a bit to rest in him? 

Summer FOCUS!

Student baptism! 

My wife & I celebrated 5 years of marriage in June! Time is feeling as if it is flying by, but, that is how I hear it goes! 

Our Richland FOCUS Boys Club!

Getting the baby room ready for Anaya!

My family came out to celebrate our baby shower! 

Thank you so much for your support & partnership! :) I'm honored that I get to serve with you side-by-side! Let's have a great summer and kick off the year at Richland College!

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak

Sirak's May Update!

My team :) 

Here we are in June - almost halfway through 2023 and I'm so grateful for what a wonderful year we had with our students - see all the photos to be encouraged and uplifted. 

Thank you all for your support & partnership over the years - this summer I'm looking forward to connecting with each of you as we get ready for another awesome fall semester. 

We got back from SICM, our student leadership conference in Bellingham, Washington and it's exciting to see God raise up another generation of student leaders to impact their campuses this fall. I remember in 2008 when I attended SICM as a student I felt my world shift and broaden. I was deeply impacted by the invitation to not just go back to campus as a student - but as a missionary as well. It was intimidating, but through the God-given support of community I felt equipped and prepared to head into the school year with a renewed mind. 

We have a really great group of student leaders that we are excited about! Please be praying for them as they consider student leadership this fall. :) 

Thank you for your support!  

One of our students posted this on their Instagram stories after our end-of-the-year party. I felt very encouraged :) 

A good friend of mine let Sloan and me stay in their weekend cabin to take a baby-moon trip as we get ready for baby-Anaya to show up :) (Due date July 29th!) We played Chess together for the first time and loved it! 

Our Summer FOCUS meetings are off to a great start :) I love getting to meet the students from the other campuses. I feel encouraged and grateful for each of them!  

Our Richland FOCUS Students who attended SICM this year! It was encouraging and fun to get to connect with each of them. Love them!

Our end-of-the-week SICM banquet! I loved it :) 

Our students praying for one another before we head out to campus for evangelism! 

Here's an updated picture of myself :) Thank you for your support! 

Our Richland FOCUS end-of-the-year party! Loved getting to connect with all of these students. What a fun year! 

Thank you so much for believing in us and for your support :) Grateful for each of you! 

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak 

2022-23 Was a Year To Remember! :) Thank you!

 Wow, what a powerful year :) 

Time is a strange thing. Not that twitter is my main go-to source for commentary on life, but, I saw a tweet a few days ago that said: 

Once you get past 25 years old, you've experienced over 85% of your 'subjective time' life experience.

I believe that what the tweet was attempting to communicate was before the age of 25, the majority of our life experiences are new & exciting but there comes a time that we fall into a routine and life becomes procedural to a degree. 

This isn't necessarily bad, it happens to all of us. We feel as if life can become predictable and unsurprising. Maybe God designs life this way to show that he, too, is in the routine of life. I can confidently say that it feels like time is moving quicker. Campus ministry at 35 feels different than it did at 25. I am less rocked by the waves and currents of the modern-day college student. College ministry is anything but predictable, however, there are aspects of the work that we do that I have noticed are cyclical and seasonal. 

This does not make the work bad or inferior. I feel like God has been establishing me and growing me into more of a rock so that I can be a consistent presence in the lives of the students around me. 

In fact, in the midst of the routine I find that I love the work I am doing. I love the routine of seeing 18 year old freshmen have their world open-up as they encounter students from all walks of life and all backgrounds receive & respond to the message of Jesus. If that ever gets old to me, then we have a problem. 

There were, however, a few difficult years. Years of drought and pain. Wondering if the work I was doing was making any kind of difference in the lives of those around me. Years of unlearning habits, fears, and lies that I, at some point along the way, took on and became friends with. 

But, I suppose that with any career path, there are certain 'mini-deaths' that God invites us to. Campus ministry has been mine (so far) - what has yours been? 

As each year passes, maybe there are 'mini-deaths' that are leading us toward the (not-mini) death we all face that will eventually bring us face to face with our Lord. These 'mini-deaths', however, are (if I can remember in the moment) mini-celebrations - moments of mini-trust that are shaping us into who we are becoming each and every day. 

I love that I get to be a part of the lives of the students who enter my life & get to walk alongside them as they learn to die to self and let Christ take over. What a joy! 

I pray that these pictures are encouraging and are a reminder of God's faithfulness to you! 

Our 2022-23 Richland FOCUS Student leader team! 

Each week, I've had the privilege to lead worship with our student worship team (here you can see Kris hold her dog, Champ, as we pray)

Our Richland FOCUS students hosted an fundraiser after-event for UTD FOCUS and we made breakfast tacos for them! We had a great time serving & helping our students raise money for SICM!

After the breakfast taco event, our Richland students hosted another fundraiser at church the next day!

We went to IHOP for one of our after-events and it was probably one of my favorite 

This year I led core w/ a student named Yoni. He is a sophomore studying Business and it was a true pleasure to get to lead with him each day. 

I feel so honored & grateful to get to serve the Richland campus with these great people! 

Each year we invite a group of students who are not officially student leaders but who show leadership potential to our leader meetings to further their growth & development. They have been such a great addition to our team! 

Claire & Sandra have been two amazing ministers to get to work alongside this year! Grateful for another year with them. 

Thank you again for all of your support & for believing in our mission to love college students :) I'm grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you for walking with me and being on my team!

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak

March is Over & We're At The Final Stretch!

 My friends & team!

March is officially over and we have 6 weeks left of school. Wow. If I could sum up this entire year with one word it would be: new beginnings. Well, that's two words, but, you get the point.

One of my favorite aspects of serving in campus ministry is watching these students meet in August, apprehensively decide to attend fall camp in October, come back from fall camp excited to have new community and by January they are comfortably & confidently praising the Lord together as he moves and works among them! This spring 2023 semester has seen the fruit of disciple-making and long term friendships being formed. 

Our students have a genuine love for one another that is open-hearted, vulnerable, and fun! Our students LOVE to have fun with each other (as the photos below can hopefully convey!). 

Our daughter is officially at the 24 week mark and we are almost..or maybe past the halfway point. All I know is that this baby girl is due July 29th and I'm so excited to meet her :) 

I've had a few people ask me if I feel ready to be a father. I tell them that there is the part of me that openly acknowledges that I have no utter idea what it is that I am doing or will do and yet, there is another part of me that feels God continually remind me: it's okay my son, you're ready. I suppose both parts of me will learn to coexist with one another :) 

As always, thank you for your support and for believing in our mission to love college students. I am blown away that I get to walk on our campuses & love the students that God has placed in front of us. He is always faithful & good. 

I hope that the pictures below encourage you all :) We couldn't do what we do without you!

   

Our students planned a park day with each other and it was a blast!

Ricky (right) brought his baby daughter to Thursday Night FOCUS and let me hold her for much of the night. I'm currently learning as many baby-holding techniques as I possibly can before our daughter arrives :) 

It's been such an awesome privilege to get to lead worship every week with our students. They are engaged and excited week to week. I love getting to see them use their talents & abilities to serve our community and grow closer together!

A bunch of our students got together during spring break to go for a hike together and grab lunch afterward.

baby girl is growing! Can't wait to meet you!

Sloan and I closed on a home! We'll be moving in during the first week of April! Please be praying for a safe & easy move! 

Our Wednesday 12:30pm core has been such a blessing to get to serve with. they show up each week ready to pray with one another, read scripture, and engage with what is going on in one another's lives. Awesome stuff!

One of our students, Juan, did a great job leading Investing In The Vision! 

Thank you all so much for your support & for believing in our mission to serve & love college students! Year after year I'm touched by the generations that God sends our way onto his campuses. He entrusts us to love them with the same love he loves us with. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have anything you'd like prayer for in your life!

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak 

At The Halfway Point of the Spring!

My friends & team! 

We're here in March and we're almost at the halfway point of the spring semester! I'm blown away at all of the wonderful things God is doing on campus at Dallas College Richland Campus. He has given us probably the sweetest group of students that we have ever had in Richland FOCUS. They are genuine, kind, and all excited to be around each other week to week. 

I hope the pictures below encourage you regarding the work we get to do on campus as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. I'm grateful for all of our students that we have met, befriended, and welcomed into our lives for this short & unique time in their lives. God truly loves his college campuses and desires to see young people come to know & experience him!

For the last three years we have had our large-group fellowship meetings on Thursdays at 7pm on campus, but, after many discussions and prayer - we have decided to shift our large group fellowship time(s) to Wednesdays at 6pm on campus!

This is a big shift and we are hoping that moving it earlier & on a day that has a higher volume of students present on campus, we can reach more students while still having Thursdays open for 1 on 1 bible studies and group hangouts. Please pray for us!

Thank you so much for your continued support & ministry partnership! If you ever need prayer for something in your life, do not hesitate to reach out. Enjoy the pictures!

Our 2022-23 Richland FOCUS Leader Team! 

Our BLISS/Release event - led by Lailah, one of our FOCUS staff at UT Dallas! She did a great job creating an event that celebrated Black & African culture!

I loved getting to co-MC the event with Lailah - It was a joy and an honor!

On Thursday nights I have gotten the opportunity to help with leading worship with our worship band, "Post-Pandemic Praise" - it's been a great opportunity! 

Great news - my wife & I closed on a house recently and are very excited to move in! Thank you for your prayers and for being a part of our journey!

Our Wednesday 12:30pm Men's Bible Study! I've been honored to get to spend time talking about God with these guys each week and sharing how God is calling us deeper! 

Our weekly Thursday Night FOCUS meeting! (Soon to be Wednesday Night FOCUS!)

Thank you again for your support and for believing in our mission to love college students! I am honored to get to love & serve these students each and every day.

Your brother & campus missionary,

Sirak