21st January 2026
It was the summer of 2009. Lena and I had returned from living in Jordan a few months before. We were excited that we could start volunteering to serve at camps again. Both of us started that at a young age and just couldn’t get enough of it. Both of us were always camp counselors because, let’s be honest, we didn’t have any other skills.
I had heard a handful of stories about Camp Heritage. Many of the friends I’d made when I first moved to the Midwest had gone to that camp as campers in their youth. Now many of them had served on staff there. It was finally my turn. I was, of course, a counselor. I was paired up with a guy only slightly younger than me. We made a good team, watching over the teen boys under our care.
I was already a coffee drinker by that time. Having had the opportunity to live in a country with the most delicious Turkish coffee only added to my love for my favorite hot beverage. It just so happened that there was another coffee lover at Heritage.
Mr. Randy Stiver was a familiar face to me. I grew up hearing his sermons and stories, his life lessons from the scriptures meant to inspire many young people. I also remember the time that, at the Feast of Tabernacles in Bend, Oregon, he invited a few people over to his rented house to learn how to roast coffee beans in a cast iron pan. I was fascinated with the ease of it all, and the fact that the fresh roasted beans smelled amazing!
From time to time I would taste different coffees and learn about different brewing techniques. The Turkish coffee method was new to me at first, and I still haven’t perfected my technique. When I didn’t have a coffee maker in Jordan I improvised with a funnel and a filter. It was a slow-filtering pour over that produced some really delicious cups of coffee.
At some point back in Ohio I had bought an aluminum stovetop espresso maker. It was interesting trying to get out of it what I expected. It was sometimes better than the cheap dollar store espresso maker I bought but sometimes not even close.
And now the connection to Camp Heritage. Randy Stiver was there on staff. We had both ended up in the Midwest. I don’t remember his role, and in fact there are many things I don’t remember. But there was one day when I was on the hunt for some afternoon coffee that Mr. Stiver showed me his moka pot (another name for a stovetop espresso maker). He told me how it worked and the best way to brew in it, and then he gifted it to me. I only had to promise to one day replace the old rubber gasket (which I eventually did).
I was excited give it a try. I knew it would take some trial and error, perfecting my technique in a stainless steel pot this time. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any coffee grounds at camp … or maybe I couldn’t get the stove to work … I can’t recall. But when I got home and got some coffee I definitely put it to the test.
That same coffee maker made thousands of cups of espresso, sometimes dark roasts, sometimes light roasts. Sometimes I would put some cinnamon and cayenne on top of the grounds, pour the espresso over some honey, and sip on it when I had a cold. I brewed coffee while camping and on hot summer days at home and away.
A few years ago I noticed a small bit of rust in the bottom but it would sometimes go away. I figured it couldn’t do any harm, especially since the water was obviously being filtered through coffee grounds. But just this week, as Lena and I were doing some spring cleaning (in the winter), in the midst of finally getting rid of some old things I didn’t need anymore, I decided that the rust spot was growing and it was time to get rid of my all-time favorite coffee maker.
Straight in the recycling bin … but not before one photo so I could write about it first. Not because it was just another old things thrown away. Or because I like drinking coffee and collecting coffee makers. This was a gift from a friend and mentor who loved to tell stories. To me it represented a memory and stories. It was a reminder of places I’ve been and experiences I’ve had. Thanks for the memories Randy Stiver! And thanks for the delicious (and apparently slightly rusty for a few years) coffee!
-Lewis VanAusdle
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