We received a monster donation of canned goods and perishable food on Saturday. One of the coolest things about this donation is how we were able to help the Salvation Army in Medina by giving away some of the perishable food to them for their monthly soup kitchen: PROJECT MUNCH.

This donation came about because of the generosity of the youth work camp going on last week. 370 plus teens from 8 different states and 13 different churches spent last week doing community service projects. And they brought canned goods to donate to local food banks and charities.

Duane Kenyon, a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church, was part of the team that organized this work camp. He wrote to me in an e-mail, "The canned foods were donated by the Group work camp attendees and the fresh food was left over from the meals served during the week of camp. These were donated by the co-sponsor Christ the King Lutheran Church. I'm glad we could help your awesome mission."

Christ the King Lutheran is located on the corner of Rt. 42 and Kennard Road in Harrisville TWSHP.

Christ the King Lutheran

8080 Lafayette Rd.

Lodi, Ohio 44254

Services: 8:15am & 10:45am Sunday's

Sunday School: 9:30am

Pastor Chris Cahill

Church Phone: 330.948.3000

God is so good! Thank you Duane, and Christ the King Lutheran Church, and all those teens who gave of their time to serve the needs of others in Lodi and the surrounding community.

We're struggling with the room to store this donation. Our pantry needs some TLC. It's overflowing. We shouldn't be surprised by this. God the Father spoke through one of His prophets saying, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" (NIV, Malachi 3:10).

Any youth groups or church small groups wanna' do a community service project at the cafe to help us clean and organize our pantry? Anyone need a can of soup?

The yellow afternoon sun awakens the green grass. So my daughter and I jump in the car taking advantage of the remaining daylight to fish for bass at a friend's house. Before I can set down our gear, Mollie hooks a monster large-mouth.

She's excited and nervous all at the same time. Mollie bravely raises her catch in the air for me to snap a shot. I'm proud and jealous all at the same time.

When people fish, they proudly display their catch. I wonder: is the same true of fishin' for souls?

Do we get excited when we get to be part of seeing someone come to repentance and faith in Jesus? Do we proudly raise "our catch" in the air for our King to rejoice and be proud of us and snap a photo of our work for Him?

Jesus called Peter and Andrew to follow Him and be fishers of men (NIV, Matthew 4:18-19). I believe He does the same for many of us. Just as Jesus called those brothers to be fishers of men, we're called to go into all the world preaching the good news to all creation (NIV, Mark 16:15).

But we're afraid to get up and get out to cast our line. We're afraid to get wet and dirty and smelly or leave empty handed. It's intimidating to fish in murky, muddy water hoping to catch something we can't see. We'd rather fish for money or status or success.

Fishin' for souls takes effort. It takes time. Sometimes you invest a lot of time and energy leaving empty handed. But sometimes you catch the big one! And maybe that big one is all you'll catch your whole life. But that one is so worth it!

Give me a life of fishin' for eternally changed lives any day of the week over those other pursuits. I'd rather hold up (present to my Heavenly Father) one soul caught for Him than to catch the world's greatest riches.

Thanks to your faithful support, the volunteers at Cafe 41:11 are fishin' for souls. I pray you'll get up and get out to fish this summer.

What are you fishin' for?

"What happened?" I ask crossing the back cafe parking lot. "Did you wipe out?"

"No," replies a sandy, blonde-haired teenager stomping his bike with his sneaker. "My handlebars came loose. I'm trying to straighten 'em."

"Oh...you needa' socket wrench?" I ask.

"No, it takes an Allen Wrench."

"I think I have a set in the cafe," I offer.

The teenager follows slowly behind me. He yells to his three friends, "No...wait up, guys. He has tools...come with me?!"

After unlocking the front door, I walk in, dig out the tool box, grab an Allen Wrench set and then walk outside. The teen takes the largest wrench and tightens the neck of his bike.

"Thank you," he says handing it back to me.

"You're welcome. You guys want to come in for some kool-aid or popsicles?"

"Sure," the sweating, sun-scorched teens answer.

They leave their bikes outside and follow me into the air conditioning.

"I have cherry kool-aid, lemonade, or popsicles?"

A machine-gun-like burst of "KOOL-AID!!" ricochets through the cafe.

"Kool-aids all around. Comin' right up!"

While they sip their drinks, I find out only one of them has been to the cafe. We really are meeting and serving new young people just as Janis mentioned in her last post. And we couldn't do it without your generous support and continual prayers.

It amazes me how a tiny, simple Allen Wrench can spark a friendship. Never underestimate the power of a wrench. It can be effectively used to tighten the loose things in our lives, and it can be a powerful tool for tightening relationships.

What a cool moment on a hot day!

Many of you have heard about my partner on Tuesday eves 6-9pm, Jeff, Mr. Sundae.

I've probably invited you over to the cafe with the warning: DON'T COME AT 6:00 because the kids are already lined up at the counter when we get there! It is a great time and new people come every week. Last Tuesday, we had at least 8 new people in. When Jeff is making sundaes without a break for the first hour, at least, it's hard to make time to ask our cafe friends questions. But Jeff tries.

Sometimes it's as simple as, "What did you do today to deserve a sundae?"

And Jeff will talk about how we don't have to do anything to deserve God's love. Jeff is a blessing in more ways than his sundae making. Please pray for God to bless him. If you have any extra sundae fixings, we can always use them too!

I'm generally loading and unloading the dishwasher so we have enough sundae dishes to make more sundaes. But this week a mom was in with her 4 daughters and grandson. They had sandwiches, Ramen noodles, and then sundaes as she explained that she had lost her full-time job and they were struggling to get by on her part-time income. She was thankful to have heard about the cafe and to come in and enjoy a meal with dessert!

Last week I happened to have a friend's camera (I'm ebaying now as I am emptying my house to get ready to sell it) so here are a few snapshots!

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Janis ><>

 

Relationships are full of rapid and unexpected changes and transitions. You live and go about your life (and before you know it) your child is making the transition from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, high school...and then college. Our little girl is growing up. Mollie will be a 6th grader next year.

Yesterday, her weepy mother, grabbed the camera to snap this last photo as a keepsake of the wonderful elementary school years we've experienced seeing our little girl learn and grow. Man how time flies. (I know that is cliche...but it really seems to.)

 

Mollie finished the year with straight "A's." She is being placed in seventh grade math next year. Mom and I were excited and humbled. Mollie also came home from her last day of school with a stack of certificates.

Two of them were wicked cool.

One was the President's Award for Education Excellence. The other was a form letter from President Obama. (You can double click any of the images for a better view.) Fenn Elementary is a great school. We consider ourselves blessed to have been part of the Fenn Family, and we definitely plan on having a Fenntastic summer! We'll miss Fenn, but certainly look forward to Claggett Middle School.

Transitions are filled with joy and sadness. Graduating and moving forward is exciting and full of celebration. It's full of newness and anticipation; a fresh and new start. But moving forward also means a change in schedule, commitments, and relationships. The memories and friendships and consistency will be missed. And that can be sad...but it is a good sad. It's a good cry not a bad cry.

The Medina Cafe 41:11 is going through this same type of transition. It's growing up. It's about to "graduate" and enter into the world as a young adult. As you are probably aware, the Medina cafe is forming its own non-profit organization. It will be changing its name and logo, but the ministry, staff, and volunteers will remain the same. It's a good cry not a bad cry.

We're really close to finishing the process. We covet your patience, support, and prayers through this transition. You have been so patient and we thank you. Sometimes when transitions occur it's good to have a taste of the future; a glimpse of what's to come. Many parents visit college with their kids to learn about their child's new environment. Claggett Middle School held something similar to help parents make the mental and physical transition necessary.

I'm going to be kind and give you a taste of the transition happening at the cafe to help prepare you for what's to come. The new cafe will be called: Cups Cafe.

Why Cups Cafe?

We almost literally serve everything in cups. We serve cups of soup, cups of coffee, tea and hot chocolate, glass cups of ice cream sundae's (thank you Jeff and Janis!). And we serve cups of Hope. The volunteers and supporters love and give and serve and share God's love in small doses; one cup at a time; one heart at a time. Which leads to our new vision statement.

It is: Serving Hope one cup at a time.

There are also many passages in Scripture that use the word "cup" or "cups." Someone once said, "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward" (NIV, Matthew 10:42). That verse really fits what the cafe is about. I won't list all the verses for the sake of time and space in this blog.

Please keep us in your prayers through this transition. And if your going through personal, family, or professional transitions, know that I'm praying for you. Our Father is worth trusting during times of change. He is big and strong and loving and compassionate. He knows the things that keep you up at night. He knows the circumstances that cause you anxiety. Tell Him about your worries and concerns.

Remember...He watched His Son take on the sin of the world and die for you and for me. He can relate to the difficulties attached to transitions. My hope and prayer for you is that you make the transition from saying you believe in Him to actually believing Him. Moving from daily moments of unbelief to believing in Him more and more is a difficult transition. It's a battle, but it is so worth the fight!

May God kindly guide you through life,

Tim Van Arsdale

This video is for those churches and individuals who contributed in any way toward the Cafe 41:11 Memorial Day event. It's our special way of saying: Thank You!

The staff and volunteers are so grateful for your support. Your generosity helped the cafe raise $423 and made Cafe 41:11 a positive, more visible presence in the Medina community.

Judy Totts, the religion editor for the Medina Gazette, wrote a nice article about tomorrow's fundraiser.

Thanks Judy!

Stop by early before the 10am parade for a cup of coffee to go. We're brewing a delicious specialty roast tomorrow morning starting at 8am.

Hope to see all of you tomorrow. Stop by and help us raise money for the cafe. I'll be in a dunk tank! 3 balls for a $1.

Click here to view article!

Who would have thought after a long hard day, an hour at the Juvenile Detention Center could revitalize us? Last night, Tim, Jeff Brianas and I had a great time.

Sue Jarvis, one of the Chaplains at the jail, needed people to fill in for her in May while she was working out a change in her schedule. I knew Tim and I could talk about the Cafe for an hour, no problem but I thought my Tuesday night partner "Jeff Brianas" alias "Mr. Sundae-man" would be a great addition. So there we were, the 20 some young people kinda dragged in, no one responded as we said "Hello, hello, hello..." We found out this slot was called Religion, Ohhhhhh, I'm surprised anyone showed up, guess something to do is better than nothing to do.

It didn't take long as we shared about Cafe 41:11 and free sandwiches, Kool-aid, popcorn, etc for the group to liven up. Statements were repeated, "Where's this place?", "As soon as I'm outa here, I'm there", "No way".

Then Jeff told them about "Sundae Tuesdays" and the Ahhhs and Owhs resounded. I think everybody was smiling by then, including us! Tim shared about "Hope", I shared about bad choices my son made and how it is still effecting him seven years later. Then Jeff wrapped it up telling his life story in a nutshell and illustrating to them to be careful about the choices they make now and how they will effect the rest of their lives.

The hour flew by as we shared God's love and planted seeds that these young people might find their way to Medina's Cafe 41:11 to look us up for further conversation and a bite to eat....probably a Sundae first!

Thanks for being a part of God's ministry, especially to young people!

Janis ><>

I want to share today's Zits comic strip if you haven't already seen it. It tickled me. The cafe ministry couldn't exist without your financial support. The missionaries and volunteers could not be witnesses and servants without your generosity. God has blessed us with so many faithful donors, and we appreciate you. Thank you for donating!

With Gratefulness,

Tim & Mindee Van Arsdale

Janis Nazarian

The Volunteers

Zits

by Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman

Make Checks Payable: Cafe 41:11

Designate Your Gift: Cafe 41:11 or Missionary (i.e. Tim & Mindee, or Janis).

Mail to: Cafe 41:11   P.O. Box 83 Medina, Ohio 44258

Drop Your Gift In The Donation Box: Cafe 41:11   126 N. Court St. Medina, Ohio 44256

So many people always ask me, "When are you open?"

To which I reply in my mind: Never...I'm not open.

But actually say, "The cafe is open Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday 3-9pm. Wednesday & Thursday 3-6pm."

If conversational instructions don't suit you, I've included a table with the cafe's current hours of operation. Hope to see you at the cafe sometime!