This Christmas, shop with meaning.
If you have ever needed a reason to justify your spending, adding this item to your Christmas shopping list is a win-win. Socially responsible businesses and companies are springing up everywhere allowing consumers to support the charities and nonprofit organizations with causes and missions shoppers believe in. If you know a coffee lover or if coffee is frequently on your shopping list, you can get your coffee fix and support the fight against AIDs with Rusty’s Beans of Love.

Rusty and his wife Jennifer, have served as missionaries with my good friend Bruce Sonnenburg’s ministry, He Intends Victory in Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Uganda. Rusty’s wife Jennifer is HIV+, so their love for those facing this pandemic is very personal.
So what does coffee have to do with HIV?
Rusty tells the story himself:
“I was talking with a friend about coffee beans and how to roast them and neither of us had ever done it before. So one day I bought ½ lb. ‘green’ beans from Whole Foods and started reading-up on roasting methods from the web,” he explained. “I gave it a try and much to my surprise it really tasted good. So I again talked with my friend about the outcome and he encouraged me to try more.
“As I looked into a place to buy beans for roasting I saw that many of the countries where He Intends Victory has workers produce ‘green’ coffee beans. Then it hit me, (totally the Holy Spirit) ‘why not buy the green beans from these countries, roast them for sale and use the funds to help people with HIV/AIDS?’ It’s a link, a stream, a tie directly to the people.”
“I gave a few samples to friends at church and they really enjoyed the fresh roast flavor. So again lead by the Spirit I used “mason jars” to process the roasted beans which hold the aroma. I package them in 1/2 pint and quart jars which makes a good seal.
“The 1/2 pint jar holds about 2.3 ounces and the quart about 9.2 ounces. Depending on how you drink your coffee the 1/2 pint makes about 30 cups and the quart about 120 cups!”
Buy your coffee beans HERE

Bruce, Executive Director and Founder of He Intends Victory, serving in Africa.