Coffee with a Cause
I first met Nathan when he was catering for an event that I was attending. Not only was I inspired by the bacon wrapped fillets he made I also was excited when I heard about his vision. Nathan had been a student involved with Cru, the student movement that I have been connected to also. As part of his time as a student leader Nathan also had the opportunity to travel overseas and witnessed first hand needs in the World. Particularly in places like Serbia, Haiti and Rwanda. As his heart was moved by the needs he saw God gave him a vision for how he could combine both his talent for business with his desire to see change in the world and helping people in need.
Although he had no experience in catering or restaurant business, God gave him the idea of beginning a business where every meal that was sold in his home country, the United States, would provide another meal and a day’s education for a child in need in Haiti or other places in the World. Nathan has now been running his business called Duo58 since 2010 and they have provided over 40,000 days of food and education for children in need, in partnership with Mission of Hope in Haiti.
Not only only this, Nathan helps meet local community needs through providing people a step up into employment through their jobs and skills programs, and a great space for community groups to meet, and a cool space to work and chat for people like me when I’m in town.
Young leaders like Nathan inspire me. They have a passion for God, a vision for the world and are moved to put it into action when they see needs in the world - whether they be close to home, or across the globe.
However, serving coffee with a cause has not all been smooth as a latte! In one of our chats Nathan also told me that as soon as they began, so did the problems! No sooner had they leased their first catering facility, they were sprung with an unexpected and large legal responsibility that they didn't know that came with the property. But this didn't deter him. He sought the services of a lawyer to help work through the legal responsibilities and some God-sent provision covered the debt. In the end, they were blessed with more than they could have dreamt or imagined. God found a way to support the vision and faith that Nathan demonstrated.
Today, if you head to Duo58 cafe in Orlando, Florida, not only will you get a great coffee, you also get a part in the community and development work they are investing in. The name and theme of Duo58 comes the the Bible verse in Isaiah 58:
“AND IF YOU SPEND YOURSELVES IN BEHALF OF THE HUNGRY AND SATISFY THE NEEDS OF THE OPPRESSED, THEN YOUR LIGHT WILL RISE IN THE DARKNESS, AND YOUR NIGHT WILL BECOME LIKE THE NOONDAY.”
Nathan is one of those young leaders who saw the needs around him as an opportunity to trust God for positive impact.
Today, if you take a look at the news, local or international, you will see countless needs and opportunities around us, but where do WE start? What is our work with a cause?
At times like this I go back to these three words - Passion, Vision, Action.
If you find yourself surrounded by change and needs and are wondering how to respond, let me offer thee three questions as a starting point:
What are you most passionate about?
We are most motivated to pursue and act on things that are at the heart of our passions. It is very hard to get motivated to invest our lives in things we don't care much about. Take some time to write down some areas you are passionate about? As you grow in your passion for God, what has God continued to put on your heart?
What is your vision? What do you see?
It is also very hard to get motivated about something where you don't clearly see a place for your skills and talents to be engaged. I might care a lot about sports, but frankly I don't think I will get called up by the national team!
Aristotle said “Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your vocation”
What are you good at? What has God gifted you to do? Can you see a place for where your skills and talents can meet a need?
Don't be afraid to try something new - Nathan had no experience in the restaurant business, but ended up discovering he had a lot of talent as a chef!
We cannot do everything, but we can do something significant, and we will make the greatest impact if we invest ourselves in areas that best suit who God has made us.
What's your next action step?
Passions and visions are just dreams until you take your first step of action. The journey to making a thousand coffees, may start with a Barista course.
What is your next step? Is there something you can do this week that will start you off on a new journey?
In times of disruption and change, we have a choice - to be passive, or to take action. Those who adjust the soonest to change, are often those that can get onto a new track the fastest. Sometimes we need to take the time to grieve changes and losses, re-centre ourselves, and then step up to the new opportunities that are on their way.
May we all have eyes to see the solutions in our situations, the potential in the problems, and a path forward to the “good work God has planned in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10) .
Bonus - You may like to use this vision worksheet to help your thinking and planning.
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