Tall, Skinny, Half-Caff, No Foam, and Sugar-Free Please

I recently re-entered the java-induced barista workforce again. This is my second coffeeshop gig, the first being Port City Java [R.I.P.] about 2 years ago. My new place of employment is Borders Cafe. I'm not gonna lie, I've wanted to work at a bookstore since I turned 18 and was eligible to be hired. I love love love reading books, recommending books, and selling books. So when I saw that Borders was hiring, I immediately put in my application. Books AND coffee...sign me up! Now maybe you're thinking, doesn't she already have a full-time job? And yes, I do. And I love that job too. I decided to look for additional work when I decided that would be going into full-time missions. Part of my support raising process includes paying off the small debts I've occurred and whatnot. So all this is is me being proactive about my financial situation. Or so I thought.

I've been at Borders 3 weeks now, and I realized I'd almost forgotten this kind of work. Not coffee work, that's like riding a bike, but work that wasn't a faith-based organization. I'd been spoiled by staff prayer meetings and conversations about God's will in our jobs. I'm back in the thick of it, no doubt. And I love it. My co-workers are starting to get to know me, and when they find out I have a full-time job they ask why in the world I'm working another. So I get to tell them about the missions work I've done in the past and the future work I hope to do and how extra money helps. Then when anyone mentions traveling, my ears perk up and I'm anxious to hear their travel experiences and share mine. Needless to say my list of destinations raises a few eyebrows [India...New Zealand...Cambodia...]. So again, I get to share about my passion and heart for mission work. I was telling 2 co-workers just tonight about my Cambodia trip, and my sweet & spunky coworker says “So you're a missionary?” And I pause and say “Yes.” And she responds, “Girl, you got a mission field right here!” And it stopped me. Because she's dead right. In the back of my head I knew this could be an outreach opportunity, but it wasn't my sole purpose in this new job. But when someone else pointed it out, someone doing the same work in the same environment. Someone who I don't even know if they have a faith background. That's a big moment. So here I am...Joy Engdahl, missionary to Borders, hoping to be serving coffee and God's love nightly.