The number 40 wasn't a marketing decision — it was a conviction. Richard and I landed on giving 40% of our profits to anti-trafficking work after hearing a man share his story of being clinically dead for 40 minutes and brought back to life. Walking out of that church, we both heard the same thing at the same time: God wanted 40%. So that became our mission, not just a business model.
A Morning We Didn't See Coming
Richard and I went to hear a man speak at a local church one morning. All we knew going in was that he had died and been brought back to life — we didn't even know the details until we sat down to listen.
What he told us was something we'll never forget. He had been clinically dead for 40 minutes. During that time, he experienced something real — a fall into darkness, a heavy fear, a feeling of not being able to breathe. He came back to tell people that eternity is real, and that there are two directions you can go, depending on what you believe.
That alone would have been enough to sit with for a long time. But that's not what stayed with us most.
It Was the 40
What struck Richard and me wasn't just that he came back. It was the number. Forty minutes.
Scripture is full of 40s, and in the truck afterward, we couldn't stop running through them. Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and nights, tempted before His ministry ever began (Matthew 4:2). After His resurrection, He stayed on the earth for 40 days, teaching His disciples before ascending (Acts 1:3). Noah and his family endured rain for 40 days and nights (Genesis 7:12). Moses spent 40 days and nights on Mount Sinai, receiving the Law (Exodus 24:18). Elijah, fleeing for his life, walked 40 days and nights to Horeb, sustained by food only God provided (1 Kings 19:8). And an entire generation of God's people wandered the wilderness for 40 years because of disobedience (Numbers 32:13).
Forty, over and over, shows up as a period of suffering, testing, searching, and crying out — followed by deliverance. Not deliverance instead of the struggle. Deliverance through it.
That man's 40 minutes of darkness and fear, and what came after it, was the same pattern we'd spent years reading about in scripture without ever putting it together quite like this.
"Did You Hear What I Heard?"
We got in the truck after the service, Richard looked at me and said, "Did you hear what I heard?"
I said yes.
He wanted 40%.
Neither of us had to explain it further. We both knew exactly what we meant. God wasn't asking us for a tip off the top — He was asking for a meaningful, costly share of what this business would generate, the same way 40 has always marked something that costs something before it produces something.
So it was. Forty percent of our profits, given to fight human trafficking, became the foundation of Serenity Shore Coffee.
After the 40 Comes Restoration
Here's the part of the pattern that matters most to us: the 40 is never the end of the story. After Moses's 40 days came the Law that would shape a nation. After the wilderness wandering came the Promised Land. After Jesus's 40 days of temptation came a ministry that changed the world, and after His 40 days post-resurrection came the Spirit poured out on His disciples.
The 40 is suffering, searching, and crying out to God — trusting Him for mercy, strength, and deliverance. But what comes after the 40 is redemption, restoration, and renewal.
That's exactly what we want this 40% to fund: not just rescue, but everything that comes after it. Restoration. A new life not defined by what was done to someone, but by who God says they are.
Why This Has to Be Bigger Than One Cup of Coffee
Human trafficking generates an estimated $236 billion in illegal profits every year, according to the International Labour Organization. That is not a problem one coffee company, or one bag of coffee, is going to solve on its own. We know that.
But David didn't need an army to face Goliath. He needed a sling, a rock, and the conviction that God was bigger than the giant in front of him. If David could face down a giant with what he had in his hand, Richard and I can do our part with what's in ours — and our part is coffee, and the 40% that comes with every bag of it.
That's also why we believe so strongly in monthly subscriptions, not just one-time purchases. A single bag of coffee gives a single gift. A subscription gives a sustained one — the kind of steady, monthly funding that lets restoration programs actually plan, budget, and care for survivors over the long road back to a life of their own. One cup won't end this. An army of people, giving consistently, will move the needle.
Our Part to Play
We don't say any of this to take credit for it. This mission belongs to God — we're just the hands and feet He's chosen to carry it forward for now. Every bag sold, every subscription started, every person who shares our story is part of that army standing where David once stood: outsized by the giant, but not outmatched by Him.
Quick Takeaways
- The 40% figure behind Serenity Shore Coffee came from a real moment of conviction Richard and Wendy shared after hearing a man's testimony of being clinically dead for 40 minutes and revived.
- The number 40 appears throughout scripture as a period of testing, suffering, or trial — always followed by deliverance, redemption, and renewal.
- Forty percent of profits from every purchase funds anti-trafficking work, with a focus on restoration after rescue, not just rescue itself.
- Monthly subscriptions matter because they provide sustained, predictable funding that one-time purchases can't — critical for survivor restoration programs that need to plan long-term.
- Human trafficking is a massive global industry, but Serenity Shore Coffee's founders believe — like David facing Goliath — that being outsized doesn't mean being outmatched.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Serenity Shore Coffee choose 40% specifically? The number came from a moment of shared conviction after Richard and Wendy heard a man's testimony about being clinically dead for 40 minutes. The number 40 holds deep significance throughout scripture as a period of testing followed by deliverance and renewal, which became the foundation for the donation model.
Is the 40% based on revenue or profit? Serenity Shore Coffee donates 40% of profit from every sale, not 40% of total revenue.
What does the 40% actually fund? The 40% supports anti-trafficking organizations focused on rescue and, just as importantly, survivor restoration — the long-term care and resources survivors need to rebuild a life after coming out of trafficking.
Why does Serenity Shore Coffee emphasize subscriptions over one-time purchases? Subscriptions provide steady, predictable monthly funding, which restoration programs rely on to sustain long-term care for survivors. One-time purchases help, but consistent giving allows for real planning and stability.
How big is the human trafficking industry? According to the International Labour Organization, human trafficking and forced labor generate an estimated $236 billion in illegal profits globally each year.
Wendy Burnham is a Newton County native, wife, mother, and grandmother of six. She co-owns three businesses with her husband Richard, including Serenity Shore Coffee, born from her conviction to fight human trafficking one cup at a time. A Rotarian with RAGAS (Rotary Action Group Against Slavery) and Walton County Chamber Ambassador, Wendy has trained with TAPESTRI, Wellspring Living, and NCMEC on trafficking awareness and prevention. Her heart is to equip families and communities to recognize, report, and respond to trafficking and violence.
Want to know more about how we got started? Read: Why We Started Serenity Shore Coffee
