SEPTEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
non-profit launch
If you’ve been following any of our social feeds, you’ve probably seen the BIG announcement!
Today was an overwhelming day. For nearly a year, a God-planted dream of creating a food-based ministry has been brewing and building. It’s been a long and winding journey, full of many “is this actually going to happen?” moments.
There’s a whole storybook to share when the time is right, but for now we get to celebrate some pretty exciting news, together. Are you ready??
⭐️We received our official letter, approving grace filled table as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization!!!⭐️
This fall, grace filled table will launch its non-profit arm and newest event, ‘the community table’. We dream this will be the first of many locations where lives are changed at the table.
Stay tuned for news and ways to join us in serving our community. But, for now, let us linger in answered prayer and celebration of what God has and will continue to do through this organization and team. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. ♥️
We’ve got plenty of work ahead of us! As we continue to build-out our organization and service to our community, we are looking for partners and collaborations. Do you know individuals or organizations that have a heart to fund, or volunteer with ministries such as this? We would be grateful for your referrals.
learn, explore, get involved: The Community Table
reading, reading
september
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone {Brene Brown}
january
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)
february
- The Coffee Bean, A Simple Lesson to Creative Positive Change (Jon Gordon)
march
- Leveling Up: 12 Questions to Elevate Your Personal and Professional Development (Ryan Leak)
april
- Get out of your head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts (Jennie Allen)
may
- You are the Girl for the Job: Daring to Believe the God who Calls You (Jess Connolly)
june
- It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy (Captain D. Michael Abrashoff)
july
- The One Truth: Elevate Your Mind, Unlock Your Power, Heal Your Soul {Jon Gordon}
planting seeds, part 1
It’s harvest time, but let’s look backwards and talk about planting. It’s all connected in such an intricate way – without the planting, you’ll never see the harvest. The hard work is required if you want any part of the harvest.
The photo to the right – that’s my youngest a handful of years ago. James and I co-led a food-packing ministry at our church where we packed shelf-stable meals that were shipped to either Central America or Africa to feed people in need. We loved this work, and knew that our kids’ involvement in this work was bigger than what we could grasp.
What I didn’t see, at the time, were the seeds God was planting in my own heart that would later bear fruit. Unexpectedly, when the ministry was stopped my heart broke. My heart broke for the people, locally, who had poured their lives and family time into this ministry to serve both people here and afar. My heart broke, for the people that would be left with no other food options. My heart broke with guilt for the loss of hope this decision potentially handed to countless people. And selfishly, my heart broke for the work I was being allowed to do, and alongside my whole family.
or the first time, my heart broke for the things that broke God’s heart. While I sat in that pain the next several months, I experienced a gammit of emotions. Anger, grief, sadness, more anger.
Although many of those emotions were true and real, I assumed more of the burden than I should have. I carried the weight of a decision that wasn’t mine because I wanted to do that work. And, for a long time I didn’t realize, that the breaking was for good reason and with greater intentions.
I wasn’t done focusing on home, and I needed a pivot back to those basics. And, I needed a one-day-down-the-road motivation to rebuild what had been lost.
Part 2 of this story to come…
monthly recipe
apple nachos
y’all, it’s fall! let’s get back to all that amazing harvest food. here’s a family-friendly favorite, kid-party score, lunchbox rescue, and practical option for a fall full of apples!
ingredients
- apples of choice
- toppings of choice such as:
- caramel sauce
- hot fudge
- mini chocolate chips
- pecans
- mini m&m’s
scratch-made caramel sauce
- 1/2c heavy whipping cream
- 4T Kerrygold butter
- 1T vanilla
- 1c brown sugar
- 1/4t salt
combine all ingredients and cook until bubbly, being careful not to burn. if you have a cooking blender, use the ‘sauce’ option.
directions, ideas + serving
- slice, drizzle and top with your favorites!
- individual or family-sized serving.
- for a fun party option, prepare a make-your-own apple nacho bar.
- surprise your kid’s with a small version of apple nachos in their lunchboxes or for an after-school snack.
idioma corner
The coffee roastery is in motion! We are moving our roastery to better serve our customers! For our local friends, we’ll be moving just a few miles down the road. For those of you farther in distance from MN, we’ll be building out our online presence to serve you more. Whether it’s learning, a fundraiser, a wholesale inquiry, or a heart to support both local and growing communities – welcome to the idioma family!
Why move the Roastery? Our current space (only 300 square feet) was needed by the tenant we share a building with and we’ve known this for some time. As you might imagine, while those 300 square feet served us well for many years, it didn’t allow much room for anything beyond our core operation. Such as, having customers stop by, taking a class, have a meeting, or drinking coffee with people you adore. The past several months has been a crash-course on commercial real estate…not what I expected to spend time on, but it’s been good to learn and I couldn’t be more excited about the space God has brought us to and how it will allow us to serve our community and farmers better.
It’s going to take us a bit of time to get settled in our new and bigger space (turns out moving our operation is a bit more work than I planned 😅). In the meantime, brew some of your favorite idioma coffee and kick those feet up while we start sharing our journey to serving you better! ♥️
As always, feedback is gold. What would you like to learn about our business, about our story, or the farmers that grow our coffee? How to try our coffee?
I’d love to have you join this journey and watch for updates on social. We are on both Facebook and Instagram @idiomacoffeeroastery, or explore more our website at idiomacoffee.com
happening this month
Summer has flown by, but I’m certain you already knew that! As we march into fall, new routines and schedules, don’t forget to give yourself a heaping spoonful of grace. I’m working on that exact thing myself this week.
If you are struggling with the bittersweet end of summer, would you join me in waiting and watching for great things this fall? I look forward to all the goodness of the harvest season ahead, of continuing to build, and watching my kiddos find their feet and path. And, above all, I’m choosing to end my summer full of gratitude for the extra time I was able to have with my kids.
fall happenings:
✔️non-profit gala and community launch
✔️check out our amazing website: mygracefilledtable.com
✔️catering: booking fall + winter events
✔️idioma grand re-locating and upcoming class schedule
“When you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher fence.”
Thank you for all you do to support grace filled table and the team behind it. I’m grateful for your support!! I can’t wait to hear from you this month! Have a fabulous month!
PUMPKIN SOUP
Picture it with me: your comfiest sweats (elastic, please!) a crackling fire, the sound of football on the tv, a bowl of candy corn within reach, and the yummiest bowl of pumpkin soup EVER. Thank me later.
All you need!
- 1 Tbl olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
- 1 Tbl fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tsp kosher salt
- ½ Tsp cracked black pepper
- ½ Tsp ground cumin
- ½ Tsp ground ginger
- ½ Tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 C vegetable broth
- 2 Tbl maple syrup
- ¼ C heavy cream
- In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in pumpkin and spices. Cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the broth, cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the maple syrup. Puree until it reaches your desired consistency. Return the puree back to the Dutch oven.
- Add in 1 Tblsp of heavy cream
- Finish and serve! May I recommend a grilled cheese for dipping?
planting seeds, part 2
Fast forward a whole bunch of years with me, where I now sit. A local organization, Feed My Starving Children, does amazing work and has grown exponentially to feed people, primarily in Central America and Africa.
God has been so faithful to take every piece of that brokenness and slowly piece it back together. He’s taking that heart-break and turning it into action. Grace Filled Table will be a tool to serve and reach our local community with a food-based ministry. Idioma is a tool that not only strengthens our local community, but also those of Central America and Africa – providing fair wages and giving us the ability to support organizations like, Feed My Starving Children. FMSC has grown exponentially and continues to pack food for areas in Central America and Africa.
The growing of those long-ago planted seeds is coming
