“The Aroma had a mentor who used to frequently reference the verse: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4). Our greatest joy is also to see when our friends who come to Christ through The Aroma come full circle! This happens when they go all the way from from learning who Jesus is, to begin bringing others to him.
Seven years ago, when The Aroma Cafe first opened, a young high school student walked into our doors for the first time. Coming down to the bar for a drink of water, I was able to have a 2 hour conversation with Nancy for the first time (SMELL). From that moment on, Nancy became a regular at the cafe and many of our events. From there, Nancy soon gave her life to Jesus and grew quickly in her faith (BECOME). She even spent two years at YWAM learning what it meant to be a disciple and follower of Jesus. After completing her time at YWAM in Northern Taiwan, Nancy was asked to join a YWAM missions team in starting a ministry site on the Eastern coast of Taiwan. (SPREAD) During her time with YWAM, Nancy has had the opportunity to share the Gospel in Taiwan, Australia, China, and most recently in Hawaii.
These past few months, Nancy has been serving at the YWAM base in Hawaii and recently brought back a short-term team of students to serve in Taiwan. On coming back to Taipei to visit The Aroma, Nancy told me, “I believe The Aroma Church has given so much to me, that now it is time for me to begin giving back to the church.” She then began sharing with me her vision of bringing her team (who had members from around the world) to Taipei to lead a ministry outreach at The Aroma. Details soon fell into place for an “European Culture Night” at The Aroma Cafe. Her team led an evening filled with games, cultural trivia, bread baking, and cheese tasting. New and old friends attended the evening festivities. As they learned how to make bread and try new things from around the world, many Taiwanese friends were introduced, not only to European culture, but also to The Aroma of Christ as the YWAM team shared part of their testimony and reason for being in Taiwan.
The first moment that began the process for Nancy to go from a stranger at Aroma, to a regular customer, to a church member, to becoming a missionary, both in Taiwan and around the world….. was a conversation. We never know what conversation will be the first step in helping someone come full circle. Everyday that we have conversations with customers, we hope and pray that one of them will turn into the next “full-circle” kind of experience!”
-Sarah Mabee
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