Starbucks to heaven?

Sometime exactly a year ago, I think God really planted this deep desire in me to lead a team to do something to help people who were affected by the tsunami. It came at a time when I was rather quite down in the spirit and wanted to just burn myself in my studies. So after a few hiccups here and there, 14 of us went to Sri Lanka and we were glad that a few lives were touched along the way.

So it seems quite coincidental that today's conversation over our cell dinner somehow affirms something that I've been pondering. And it came at a time when I'm feeling rather down (for no reasons though... I think) and really want to burn myself in my studies again. Alright... I'm using words like 'seems', 'somehow', and 'something' because I have no idea how this project might turn out. It might just turn out to be youthful idealism on our part. Besides, it is going to be a long term project (maybe 3 years?) that is based on sustainability rather than the usual touch-and-go form of mission.

I've first shared this idea with daniel on venturing into a business project (though we have no background in business whatsoever) to set up a not-for-profit evangelistic cafe in Singapore. This cafe will have a niche that will make it stand out above the usual starbucks, coffee express and coffee bean. Alright, I will not reveal what is this 'niche' all about, lest we lose our niche and competitive edge.. ha ha. And so the idea was just to come up with a solid business proposal for now and maybe after we graduate and find a job (oh well, I don't see daniel working in the next 3 years though), we'll have a stable income to kick start the whole project.

But while we were talking to pastor ian a few days back over a walk in rochester park (can always count on him to find nice places to work even in our urban jungle!), we realize that the concept behind our form of evangelism can be applied to street children in Laos. Our church already have a ministry there for street kids, and this project will tie in quite perfectly to further empower the street kids there. Daniel has been to Laos twice, and myself once, and I suppose Laos is a country that has captured my heart with its sense of rustic nostalgia and french colonial past. I really won't mind going there to recce and see the gaps and needs that can be congruent with our vision and mission. Just don't ask me to chop a tree again. I really wanted to swing that pathetic axe at someone while doing missions in Laos in 03.

But yeah... it will remain a vision for now. Nonetheless, I think God moves when we move. The immediate step is to pray and ask for expertise and advice as well as research into the whole area of social entrepreneurship. The prospect seems really exciting. And I think it is certainly possible to blur the distinction between secularism and evangelism when it comes to community services. This will be all the more important in a semi communist buddhist country like Laos, where local spies insert themselves in churches to ensure that foreigners aren't doing preachy stuff. But surely, they won't mind a cup of ice blended mocha along the way. :)