From Dream to Reality: Missy Jones—December 2017
December 15, 2017
“Ever since high school, I’ve always loved the idea of starting a coffee shop. I love people, and I love coffee—it seemed like the perfect fit! However, there are so many other things that go into owning your own business, and I realized I could never take on something that big by myself.”
Opening a coffee shop—it is what Missy Jones (‘14–‘15) wanted to do but never thought it would be possible. When she graduated from high school, Missy could not figure out what she wanted to do. Her parents and siblings all advised her to attend a Bible college at least for one year, and since she had visited Faith so many times previously, the choice was an easy one to make.
When Missy arrived at Faith, she dove into all that Faith had to offer—friends, academics, and soccer. She did not pay much attention to what God wanted to show her at first, but after Christmas break, she began letting God work in her life. She was struck with the realization that her freshman year was already half over, and she needed to start planning for what she would do after her year at Faith.
“Slowly I started to spend more and more time digging into God’s Word and growing closer to Him,” Missy explained. “I had a wonderful roommate and great RA’s who pushed me to seek after Christ and to be attentive to where He wanted me and what He wanted me to do with my life. My focus changed from worrying about myself to wanting to do God’s will and being willing to go wherever He wanted me to go.”
After she completed her year at Faith, Missy transferred to a nearby college and graduated in May of this year with a Graphic Design and Marketing degree. During her time at Faith and even after transferring, she prayed about her desire to open a coffee shop. During her last year of college, Missy received a text from Jan Kittelson, a family friend, asking if she would consider helping Jan open a coffee shop in Missy’s hometown of Williamsburg, Iowa. “The way the Lord works is absolutely incredible!”
Getting the building and initial plans started for Brick House Coffee was not easy, but Missy saw God at work.
“There are so many instances where God has proved Himself faithful; I could go on and on. From the very beginning, when we had just been praying about the idea, our prayer was that God’s fingerprints would be all over this business. And He definitely has His fingerprints all over it. Our building is right on our town square. It has tons of space, tall ceilings, old hard wood floors, and tons of history and character! It was everything that I had envisioned when I was back in high school dreaming about opening a coffee shop.
“Our greatest desire for this business is that God would use us to reach people in this community. He has worked in so many different ways, and we want to share that with everyone who comes in our doors! We want to share with people the wonderful love and provision that can only be found in Christ. My heart and my passion are people, and I have loved being able to serve this community in a new way—through coffee!”
Brick House Coffee opened for business Thanksgiving weekend, and Missy reported that business has been great. The community has been supportive, and Missy is excited to have her shop finally up and running as she takes the Word to Williamsburg, Iowa.