Cafe Awaken-A Dream Becomes Reality
Resurgence:a rising again into life, activity, or prominence…a synonym of resurgence=awaken
Where do I begin with this incredible adventure that culminated into beautiful Cafe Awaken? It was first a thought, then a dream that God put inside of my husband specifically. The passion of starting a business as a way of empowering the local people, as well as, supporting our family and the ministry grew over the years as we served in Cambodia.
But starting a business in another country where language was a barrier seemed a bit overwhelming. Should we do a coffee shop or kid’s play area as a way of bringing the community in to a place where they could encounter the presence of the Lord? These were some early thoughts we had.
We were heading to an Iris Asia conference in Thailand in 2014 and Chad’s prayer was that we would know clearly after this time there, what business God wanted us to pursue. Such a neat story, but we connected with about five individuals or couples who were running coffee shops in Asia! It was so clear and a couple of those guys were resources to help Chad when he had questions in the preparation/daily operations of the cafe.
I will add that up until this point, we were not coffee people and knew little about quality coffee, which is quite humorous looking back on it now. But we enjoyed the learning curve and definitely developed a taste for it. I love how Jesus cares so deeply and knows the desires of our hearts before we ask! Partnering with Him is such a privilege!
I want to insert here that it is so important to water and grow the dreams that the Lord has put in your heart!!
Then there is the story of the name, Cafe Awaken, and how it came to be. When praying one day, Chad heard the word “resurgence” in his spirit. He looked it up and it means a coming to life again after a time of dormancy. Resurgence felt like a difficult word/concept in this culture so he found a synonym “awaken” to use. This was such a clear picture of what God was doing in the precious Cambodian people.
You see from 1975-1978, Cambodia was ravaged by the Pol Pot regime and the country was devastated by a mass genocide. Years later, we were seeing people coming to life again and our hearts desire was to see them grow and prosper, ultimately finding the One who is trustworthy and sees them.
So after finding a reasonable 3 story flat/apartment for rent, we(mostly Chad) set to work…a renovation project that would take longer than expected to complete. Despite challenges of finding a good designer, cafe equipment and all the legal paperwork to start a business, God gave wisdom, direction and blessed us greatly! Our Iris team, also, was such a huge encouragement and help in the process!
Then, God gave us the sweetest staff! One of our primary visions for Cafe Awaken was that women who had been caught in the vicious cycle of trafficking or prostitution could have a healthy job where they would learn their true identity as much loved daughters and feel God’s presence and love in a family setting.
At the start, we hired Christian girls with the intent that as we discipled and trained them, they could then help to mentor those from hard places who came next. Especially as the Khmer language is quite challenging when sharing about Jesus and Biblical concepts.
So these five girls(pictured above) were our first precious staff who truly became like daughters to us! It was such a joy to spend time learning from them and doing regular discipleship with them. They loved our kids well, too, since they were often around the cafe with us.
Chad’s heart’s desire was to do the cafe with excellence…for it to be a place of beauty and peace…where people could tangibly feel the presence of the Lord. So in 2015, we opened our doors to Cafe Awaken! We offered fresh baked goods and delicious coffee with our Cambodian roasters sourcing fresh beans from different parts of the world. We learned so much from this roasting company called So Wat Coffee Roasters.
Later on, we expanded our menu to include sandwiches and salad. Also, we brought in a cake decorator to teach the girls tips and they excelled in creativity! Soon, we were able to offer decorated cakes for special occasions.
Another important aspect of Cafe Awaken was establishing a prayer/worship room for our team to gather for weekly meetings. It was so special having this space in our cafe on the second story as it became a hub for the people we served alongside. Also, we had two rooms where our staff could stay if they needed housing. In the back of the cafe, we created a kid’s play area stocked with toys and tables so busy parents could relax and enjoy some down time as well. Overall, we loved the interaction with customers and creating an inviting atmosphere for people to encounter the love of Jesus!
In 2017, after sensing the Lord leading us to move back to the States, we left Cafe Awaken under the leadership of Jacob, our friend and teammate with Iris. He did an excellent job continuing with the vision, but in 2018, things took a turn. In our little town of Sihanoukville, another people group began moving in, renting and buying property for crazy prices. Our landlords told us that they were going to raise the rent to 4 times the amount we were paying. It was impossible to keep the building at this price, so Chad & I flew over to look for another space and pray about what to do. But the prices in this area all became crazy expensive so we needed to close our doors. This was very difficult as it felt premature. But the Lord gave grace in it all.
After all of this, one of our girls launched her own cafe in her hometown with a similar vision to ours. This felt so encouraging and redeeming!! And as I write, her and her dear husband with their two small children are thriving in their little town of Kep…lighting up their world with Love Cafe!
- Jo Sauder
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