Blessed Beans Ministry

At the church I attend there is a ministry called Blessed Beans Ministry. Simply put, it's a coffee shop. However, it's different from the typical coffee shop. It's run solely on donations and volunteers. No one has to pay for a drink if they don't want to. Some people donate little, some don't donate, and some donate more than enough. But the amount doesn't matter. It's there to serve.

Each month a different program in the church is given the proceeds from that month's sales. The program has to request the money before the month and can't request it for back to back months. Various programs include Awana, the Women 2 Women group, the Men's ministry, missions, and more. But it's the coffee shops mission to support other ministries within our church.

I have been helping out with the coffee shop for several months now. I learned about to make various drinks - mochas, carmel maachiatos, Italian sodas, etc - and how to serve with a smile. I have been able to meet a lot of people in the church that I hadn't met before and I've been able to meet and welcome new visitors. I have actually really enjoyed working there! Last night we had a meeting to go over a few things - review a few things about making drinks, talk about scheduling, talk about things that work and don't work, discuss improvements, and have a devotion together as a group.

Last night the leadership also announced an addition to their group. I was moved up from a regular barista to a lead barista. This means I am a shift leader. Each week they schedule 3 people to work - 1 lead and 2 regular baristas. The lead is there in case they get slammed on orders, need reminders on how to do things, or in case someone calls in and can't make it. The lead also gets a key to the cash drawer. As a lead my responsibilities don't change too much, the big difference is I'm the shift leader every fourth week and responsible for my team. It also means less stress for the original 3 leads because it frees up one more week for their rotation. I'm excited to begin this new responsibility but praying it doesn't go to my head and I stay humble.

Family Camping

This past weekend was the Fitts Family Annual Camping Trip. This year we made reservations at Farragut State Park in Idaho, just north of Coeur d'Alene. Joining us this year were David and Nancy (Michelle's parents), Frank and his 4 kids, Joshua and his wife Dani and their 3 boys, John and Nicole and their daughter, and of course us.



Everyone except Frank's family and us arrive on Thursday. We arrived on Friday after work. Friday was a relaxing night spent sitting around a fire or playing with the kids at the playground. Saturday we headed out to the lake to do some boating. Michelle did some tubing behind Frank's boat, but the wind made it pretty rough on the water. We called it a day and headed back to the camp. The kids cruised around on their bikes and some of the adults took naps. (Some loud neighbors kept us up late and some ravens woke us up at five in the morning.) Later than evening Jon, Joshua, John, Dad, and Mom went to play Frisbee Golf. (Mom kept score and took pictures.)

Sunday after getting packed up we all headed out to the lake for some more boating. This time the weather was perfect! We got a chance to go tubing behind the boats. Frank purposefully dumped Michelle off her tube twice. After boating Michelle took Frank's kids geocaching but unfortunately we couldn't find the cache. Then it was back to home.

Softball

Playoffs for church softball were today. Michelle has been playing with her church's team this season, the first time she's played softball in about 8 years. The church's league is co-ed and slow pitch. She got the opportunity to play several positions including outfield, catcher, second base, and third base, the last of which was her favorite to play. Michelle's team had a record of 8-2 going into playoffs.

At their 11 o'clock game the game went back and forth until the last inning. We were tied with the other team in the last inning with our team left to bat. Our first batter hit a home run and the game was over with us winning by one point. The next game was an hour later against a team that beat us once and we beat the second time. This game was for first place. We were behind most of the game and came into the last inning down by 6 points. The last inning we scored several times; however, it wasn't enough and we lost that game 6 to 8. However, second place is still an achievement, and the final game was a fun game.

Ascent Begins

Ascent season officially starts today. Jon met up with the other guides this morning at 5:30 a.m. to start their training. The ascent season goes from the middle of June to the end of August.

According to Peak 7's website, "Peak7 Adventures Ascent is a 5-day backcountry wilderness trip aimed at providing both an outdoor experience and spiritual growth." A typical trip involves hiking, camping (you carry everything including your tent in your pack), summitting a peak, alone time with God, rappelling, and meals. It's a great opportunity for youth and gives the staff more time to work with individuals and get to know them with the hopes of sharing the gospel with them.

Jon is really excited to begin the season! Backpacking is something Jon really loves! While he is in charge of rafting season, his coworker Austin Dannen is in charge of ascent season. Throughout the summer Jon will spend a couple of weeks guiding trips. This involves leaving Monday morning and arriving home Friday evening/night. However, Jon is still in charge of rock climbing trips which occur throughout ascent season.

Please keep us in your prayers throughout the summer. For Jon, please pray for safety and a chance to make a difference in peoples' lives. For Michelle, please pray for strength as she endures those times when Jon is out on trips and unable to communicate until the week's end.

Graduate School

Today Michelle officially got accepted to the graduate program at Corban University! She will be getting her MBA (Master in Business Administration). This program is through her alma mater and is an online program. The program is designed to take 16 months taking approximately 3 classes a semester and allow her to work full time. She will begin classes this fall.

Wenatchee Weekend

This past weekend was the Volunteer/Donor Appreciation Weekend for Peak 7. Michelle drove over to Cashmere on Friday to spend the weekend with Jon and their Peak 7 friends. It was a fun time of seeing old friends, seeing Michelle's parents, and getting to know new friends. The group camped out on the land of some Peak 7 friends.

Friday night included a new fun game. Someone in the group had to sit in the "hot" seat. (Basically a camp chair between two tiki torches.) Then we went around the circle and everyone got a chance to ask the person a question - any question - serious or not. This game was also played on Saturday night. Some questions included "what's your full name," "do you prefer aluminum foil or Cling Wrap," "what's your most embarrassing moment," and "if you were in the Miss America pageant, what would your evening gown look like?" That last question was asked by Michelle's dad to a guy named Joel.



Saturday began with a pancake feed sponsored by Peak 7. Then it was off to raft the Wenatchee River. Michelle ended up riding in Jon's raft along with her parents and some friends. We had such a fun time! We had a strong crew and had such a fun time! We got to see other rafts surf waves, kayakers flip in waves and get dumped, and waves up close as they splashed over us. After that river run was over, about half of the group went again for a second run. Again it was a fun time! The evening ended with a spaghetti feed and then the hot seat game. Most everyone went to bed early because of the long day of rafting and fun in the sun.



Sunday began with Jon attending a board meeting to get an update on the program. Afterwards, Dan Churchwell led us with a sermon. Most people began leaving after to head home. Jon and Michelle took off to Wenatchee for a lunch date. It was nice to spend some time alone before Michelle headed home to Spokane.

Jon is still in Cashmere rafting the Wenatchee for a few more days. He will return home on Wednesday.

Wenatchee

On Tuesday June 1st Jon headed over to Cashmere to spend two weeks rafting the Wenatchee River. He will be camping out on the property of some Peak 7 friends. While there he will be taking groups rafting. This includes a volunteer/donor trip in a couple of weekends. Michelle will be traveling to Cashmere that weekend to visit Jon and enjoy an opportunity to raft the Wenatchee.