Finally settled in Knoxville, TN to start this new season God has for me! I’ll back up a little bit to explain why I’m here “Reader’s Digest version”: On month 6 of the World Race, God told me I was going to start a coffee shop after the race. I thought I heard Him wrong because #1- I don’t even like coffee and #2- I have NO business experience! Haha! (I’ve learned that God loves to use the unqualified so He can be glorified in everything.)
I put the idea on the backburner for a couple months, when God put another squad mate (Christin) across my path that heard the same thing from God on the same month that I did! We joined together along with another squad mate, Johnny (now engaged to Christin), and three months later we are here in Knoxville, TN living out a new dream!
Sweet Aroma Ministries seems to be taking off as God shows up and shows off! Our long-term plan is to open a coffee shop here in Knoxville as well as in Kenya where our ministry partner is located. We do not want to start the ministry in debt, so we are starting small and building up towards our dreams. We currently do “pop up coffee shops” at different events around TN. We bring the coffee experience with us to set up at events to raise money and awareness about our non-profit. We will also be creating fundraising events and finding donors for this ministry to continue to grow.
If you want more info on our non-profit ministry, check out our new website at sweetaromacoffee.org!
Picture collage from our first event in Chattanooga, TN.
—————————————————————————————-
Now me as for me personally, I’ve been here almost three weeks, and I’m just now adjusting to this new life. It’s exciting!! –- But sometimes can be hard. I’m starting all over in a new state, new city, new church, new people I barely know right now, and I still haven’t been able to find a job! This new season has been a constant time of trusting Him to provide for me every single day I’ve been back in the States. It’s been a time to refocus once again on where I find my identity. I’m at a place where I’m stripped away of my social comfort zone and financial security…I thought I learned all these lessons on the race! But life happens, things change, and you find yourself at the same fork in the road that either goes down a road of self-dependency and gratification or trusting God’s way without a plan B.
I choose the second path. It drives the control freak in me crazy sometimes, but I have experienced SO MANY times that this is the BEST way to live! When the world tells me I’m not qualified or outgoing enough or whatever negative thing I believe for myself at the time, it really doesn’t matter. I just keep refocusing on how God has showed up for me in the past, how His timing truly is perfect, that He’s working on things behind the scenes on my behalf, and that He wants more for me than settling for less than living “outside-the-box”. Right now I spend my time pouring into Sweet Aroma with the team and bring what we’ve learned from the race and unleashing it here in Knoxville by loving and reaching out to people!
Prayer warriors!! ~ Please pray for the ministry! Pray that we are sensitive to what God’s plan is and not get caught up in our own agenda. Pray that we would continue to find financial supporters to help grow the ministry so we can take it over to Kenya sooner. Pray for continual unity as a team and pray against any satanic attacks to discourage us both as a team and individually. And please pray that God will reveal to me how to financially support myself here and that I have patience in His timing!
**Thank you for your support! Follow us on social media!! 🙂
Facebook~ https://www.facebook.com/sweetaromaministries
Instagram~ @sweetaromacoffee
Twitter~ #sweetaromacoffee
