So, one of the small things I miss most from the States is good coffee and cream. Starbucks, Cafe’ Nero, and Costa Coffee’s are on nearly every corner but with the exchange rate being nearly two to one, to get a Venti Caramel Macchiato cost me 3 pound 50 which equals $7 U.S. dollars. Around the house it’s cheap coffee and powder non-dairy creamers. Gone are the days of International Delight or Coffee Mate liquid creamers.
So the other day, I got to thinking, what I could I do with my $7 dollars I could be spending on coffee? I happen to come across a group called Mocha Club, which is part of the overall organization called African Leadership (https://www.africanleadership.org/mochaclub/welcome). For just $7 U.S. dollars a month, which is roughly two mochas at your local coffee shop, you can provide 1 school term for two children in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe or you can provide clean water for 7 Africans for a year in Africa.
Now THAT seemed like something worthy of my $7 U.S. Dollars a month. So I took the plunge and joined. Although I don’t have an income currently, I figure I can sacrifice two mochas a month (or in my case just one, the exchange rate is brutal) to provide life and hope for someone else. I encourage you to check it out and ask God if the Mocha Club is just another small way you can help bless others out of the richness that we have been blessed with.
I’ve created my own team and asked friends and family to join. If you are interested, copy and paste this link in to your web browser and follow the simple steps to make a difference in someone’s world.
http://mochaclub.org/join/3607
Things at the youth club this week were challenging as always but went very well. The man who runs the youth club gave me a nice compliment. He told me I really have a gift at working with the young people of Salford. He even went as far as to say that I should ditch the guitar and singing thing and become a full-time youth worker. Don’t worry; I’m not hanging up my guitar just yet. It was nice to know that someone who is very qualified and has years of experience thinks that the work I am doing is making a difference in the lives of the young people of Salford.
This week I also had my regular “date” with my “girlfriend” Madeline. That has become the joke around the house! My friendship with Madeline has been an unexpected joy in my time here. She is such a sweet lady (I hesitate to call her old, she’s 67 and very active) and I genuinely enjoy her friendship. I love hearing about “the way things were” in England, life during World War II, her travels around Europe, and her newly discovered love and passion for God.
On Saturday afternoon I’ll be spending my regular time with my autistic friend Stu. Stu is a brilliant and wonderfully talented 13-year-old lad who regularly beats me at pool each week. I he is winning our series this semester 19-11. Although he is challenging at times, he has taught me to be genuinely patient and understand. Stu has helped reveal to me the brilliance of God’s creation of so many different types of wonderful human beings.
Saturday evening at 11pm I catch a bus to Liverpool and then catch a 6am flight to Italy Sunday morning. Please pray for my safety and that I would have a blast taking a few days off to see some wonderful sights and catch up with a new friend. I get back Wednesday afternoon and will post an update about my trip and a link for pictures.
I’m reading a brilliant little book called “Can You Hear the Heartbeat?” as part of my time with God in the mornings. Here are two thoughts I’d like to leave you with today:
At the heart of humanity lies hope. A hope that is as necessary for our survivals as earth, air, and water. And at the heart of all hope is a dream – a dream that something, somewhere, sometime will change. I have a dream. Dave Andrews “Can You Hear the Heartbeat?” p xiii
Being a follower of Jesus is not a matter of subscribing to certain dogma, obeying laws, or getting others to subordinate themselves to them. The essence of being a follower of Jesus is to live in sympathy with God as Jesus did; feeling the throb of God’s heartbeat, to know what causes him pleasure and what cause him pain. To struggle to please him and diminish his pain. Dave Andrews “Can You Hear the Heartbeat?” p 8-9
Be blessed on your journey to live for Him and diminish His pain,
Chad Mustain
