C O F F E E I N C Y P R U S
It all came together like pieces of a puzzle. When I first started with YFC Canada, I was telling my friend Jeff (some of you might know him as “Guich”) about ENGAGE and asked him if he was interested in serving with YFC abroad. For those of you that know him, you would agree that he is best described as a bearded wanderer who wears a lot of plaid and is passionate about coffee, music, and youth. I first met him through Mark and YFC Cambridge, because Jeff started as a YFC “youth” before becoming a summer student and current volunteer. For the past 10 years he has been involved with YFC locally, serving the local ministry and young people in Cambridge. As soon as I brought of the idea of him doing the same thing – in a new context and new country – he was excited. But the conversation didn’t go any further at that point, at least not until I met Amy.
I sat beside Amy at dinner one night at YFC’s international General Assembly in Miami last fall. She is an American working with YFC in Cyprus, and was telling me about some of their ministries. One in particular was really exciting to me; their After Hours cafe – a cafe run by youth for youth that is all about gathering in a safe space with friends and introducing them to the love of Jesus over good coffee. When Jeff and I talked again in January about him becoming an ENGAGE volunteer, I told him about this coffee shop ministry on an island in the Mediterranean. It wasn’t a hard sell.
I got in touch with the National Director of YFC Cyprus, asking him if there was a possibility of receiving a Canadian volunteer. He loved the idea, particularly if – direct quote – the volunteer was a “laid-back coffee lover”! He said they had also recently started a new ministry, called Right Direction Media, and was really hoping that a potential volunteer might have some beginner videography/photography knowledge they could contribute to this new program. Again, anyone that knows Jeff knows that producing creative and quality media products is one of his specialties! Jeff is a coffee loving and media making guy that loves to hang out with youth – and that is EXACTLY what YFC Cyprus needed in a volunteer!
Just this past week I sent Jeff his official ENGAGE Volunteer Acceptance Package, and we are tentatively planning for him to arrive in Cyprus this September. It is so cool to me to see how God has been putting the puzzle pieces together for a while, bringing the right people together at the right time. Please pray for Jeff as he prepares emotionally, spiritually, and financially for this placement, and that all the visa/financial/timing details will work out according to God’s plan!
Thank you thank you for investing in me and giving me the privilege of investing in others, like Jeff, giving them the opportunity to grow their faith, challenge their comfort zone, serve Jesus, and experience life as a missionary; forever changing the way they serve and walk with Jesus.
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Ashley Stromenberg 