Kevin Pike Blog #13

Heat Waves in June 

    Hello everyone! Hope you all have been staying cool during this insane heat wave! Summer is here and the ministry is still going strong, I'm excited to share what has been going on this month! 

    Summer TNF (Thursday Night Fellowship):

    Even in the summer, we keep the TNF rolling. This time instead of meeting up with only the students at Collin College, we now meet up with all the campuses that are associated with FOCUS for a large group worship/fellowship which is so amazing. It is great to see my old friends from UNT and also meet new students that I have not had the opportunity to see yet. 

    The schedule is the same as it was during the year, we start with a bang by singing along to worship music, then listen to a sermon from one of our fellow FOCUS staff members (all of them have been so great this year), next we sing some more worship music and then end it with some fun after events like playing gaga ball or going to Velvet Taco. 

    Here are some pictures from these past few TNFs

    Ministry:

    Thankfully most students at Collin live relatively close to the campuses so when summer rolls around, our staff is still able to get consistent time with the students. Something that we have been doing to keep up with them is hosting fun events that they can come to and hang out at. One of them is volleyball! Every Sunday night we have been hosting volleyball at the Collin student apartments which is not only a fun way to meet up with our students but also invite other people who live there. Two students, Abdul and Kevin, who live at the apartments show up every week to play with us and are interested in joining FOCUS when the school year starts!

    I'm also still meeting up with the students that I do FOJ (Focus on Jesus) with. These consistent times with students are so fulfilling as I get a first-hand view of them growing in wanting to know who Jesus is and having a thirst to be more like him. I also think that it is so special that these 18-19-year-old guys want to spend an hour and a half each week learning about God, which is not commonplace among the youth today. 

    Staff Update: 

    With the summertime easy-going vibes cruising in, as a staff team, we find ourselves having more time to study the Bible compared to the school year. Because of this, our director assigned each staff member to pick a book of the Bible to research and become well-informed on. I chose the book of Isaiah to go take a deep dive into which has been a wild ride so far. I picked up the NIV Application Commentary by John N. Oswalt which goes in-depth about the history, time period, Hebrew definitions of words, etc. One thing I've been learning about is the time period that Isaiah the prophet lived in. He was a prophet during the reign of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Learning about their kingship has given me a good glimpse into why Isaiah was preaching what he preached. It is eye-opening to see how power, money, and social status corrupt people. The King's lives have been a good reminder of how we need to rely on God's strength rather than our own. I've just started to hit the tip of the iceberg and I'm excited to see where God leads me in this study!

    Here is a picture of our Collin staff team playing pickleball, we've been trying to get more time together which has been so fun! 

    

    I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for your incredible support and donations to our campus ministry. Your contributions have made a significant impact on the lives of our students, allowing them to deepen their relationship with Jesus and experience the power of genuine community.

    

    Thank you for your immense generosity and support. Your partnership is instrumental in transforming lives and making a difference. May God bless you abundantly for your kindness and may the fruits of your investment in our ministry continue to flourish!

    Prayer Requests:

    If you could be praying for our students that are in our ministry now that they continue to pursue God during the summer and make wise decisions. Then for the students that we are going to meet this upcoming school semester and that their hearts are willing to learn more about Jesus and seek out a community to be a part of. If you could also be praying for my fundraising, I'm currently at 78% of my goal. Lastly, that our staff is able to have a restful summer that prepares them for this next school year.

    

    Here is a student testimony by a student from SMU, your donations help impact students like him!