ORU freshman creates a Wave of Blessings

During a campus tour of Oral Roberts University in summer 2020, Kyle Davis walked into the bookstore with his family and while his parents browsed through the school gear, he felt a shift in the atmosphere and broke out in a cold sweat.

Growing up in Michigan, Davis dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player. And he played with a Premier League team in high school that traveled to Bolivia, Spain, Mexico and other countries. Soccer was his “everything” until that day in the ORU bookstore.

Davis felt God tell him that he was not to pursue a career in soccer anymore. Years of training and his parents’ dedication suddenly became inconsequential after a one-hour campus tour.

“God set on my heart to have a bigger emphasis in His kingdom,” Davis said. “And I was just kind of thinking, ‘I feel like God’s not wanting me to do soccer because I wouldn’t have any time to do what He actually wants me to do.’”

His parents felt peace about Davis’ decision. They noticed the passion for fashion and entrepreneurship. And after his revelation in the ORU bookstore, Davis enrolled as a graphic design major to develop his skills for his clothing brand: Wave of Blessings.

Established in June 2019, Wave of Blessings tries to spread the Gospel through quality T-shirts, hats and tote bags. Davis envisioned a bigger message to customers wearing the clothing, and to create conversation in community.

“Just so that I can like spread God’s message in a significant way,” said Davis, a freshman. “The new shirts ask, ‘How are you being a blessing today?’ Not to a point of return but just simply being a blessing to other people. Not just with money, but especially with your time and pouring into other people.”

Wave of Blessings has been the stepping stool into Davis’ newfound calling. Through his business venture, he met countless supportive people who spread the word about his designs. And as Davis learned more about creating graphics for more clothes, he began to dream big about the future of his brand.

“Hopefully, this specific business will be in a warehouse,” Davis said. “That’s the plan, warehouse with screen prints and everything. We’ll be able to do all this stuff in-house. I want to be able to learn everything so I can pour into other people and teach them everything.”

A supporter of his work, Tinofara Gadaga discovered Wave of Blessings once Davis showed him boxes full of hats and other merchandise under his bed. Gadaga, the chaplain on Davis’ floor, became his friend through their shared interest in fashion and sharing the Gospel.

“I think the one thing that really stood out to me was the quality behind the shirts and the printings,” Gadaga said. “On the shirt, it’s written ‘be a blessing today.’ It could be something people may think is cliché, but it holds so much weight because if you think about it, you could go a day without intentionally blessing someone.”

Davis hopes to collaborate soon with other small businesses in a pop-up shop to display his new clothing pieces.

Wave of Blessings dropped new items in November, including the ‘be a blessing today’ T-shirt and tote bag. For this first official drop, Davis was testing the concept and had limits on in-stock items.

He expects to introduce more merchandise this semester. To find out more, visit Wave of Blessings on Instagram @waveofblessings or online at www.waveofblessings.com.