By Marci Narum
Photo credit: Hailey Whitman
Editor’s note: Andrew Hershey was featured in Oh Man in the January 2017 issue of Inspired Woman. He was preparing to leave for the World Race, an 11-month mission trip to 11 countries. Andrew returned from that adventure and is a youth director at Charity Lutheran Church in Bismarck. He continues focusing on overseas mission work.
From the time he was 9 years old, Andrew Hershey has seen ice cream as a little thing that makes a big difference, no matter what kind of day it is.
“I was playing baseball and we lost every game,” Andrew says. “We went out for ice cream with my family and everybody from the baseball team and just enjoyed our time together. It was the one thing that made the day better and we would laugh together. It was simple and life was easy.”
Oh, to have his own ice cream stand one day and create that same experience for families; it became his dream. About 13 years later, at the age of 22, Andrew went on an 11-month mission trip to countries where a simple cup of water, a prayer, or even freedom would not only make a person’s day better, but give them hope for a better life. He traveled into the 10/40 window, an area across Africa and Asia from 10 degrees north to 40 degrees north of the equator.
“It is home to 95 percent of unreached people groups. It has the highest amount of violence, highest amount of persecution, and lowest amount of freedom,” Andrew says. “So, if we see the whole world and want to make the world a better place, finding the places that are the darkest, we’re going to see the greatest amount of change.”
Andrew intends to find those places and invest in the people with an ice cream stand business model, the vision for which was perfected while he was in the 10/40 window. He opened FOMO 10/40 Creamery in early June, featuring hand-crafted gelato made with fresh cream. Andrew also offers sorbet as a non-dairy option.
“I’m trying to rebrand FOMO from ‘Fear of Missing Out’ which makes sense if you think of fear of missing out on ice cream to Focused on Missions Overseas 10/40. I really focus on the darkest places of the world and how we can impact on those places.
“The quickest way to launch change is through small businesses. How can I help start small businesses overseas? First, can I create a concept here,” Andrew explains.
Andrew says the goal is for the profits of FOMO 10/40 to help plant the small businesses overseas.
“Then, partnering with the greatest needs of a country and the people that have the passion to make it happen. If someone is in need of purified water, can we drill a well so they can give water to their community and make the money back to support it. Or, build a soccer academy to bring families together. There’s a guy in Kyrgyzstan who wants to make jelly. He’s 20 years old and knows how to make the jelly, he just has no way to start, so can we help him start a small business. It’s giving them the opportunity to see and help the community, and then letting them run with it.
“And, to multiply, really investing in locals who will make an impact in their communities,” he says.
“We’re trying to invite people into one family through ice cream. That ice cream is going to inspire our community and then change the world. That’s our goal.”
Andrew’s ice cream business is off and running with a regular schedule and ice cream he makes himself.
“Our hashtag is ‘Make every day a little better.’ Ice cream on a good day or a bad day makes everything a little better – same thing with our families, our communities, and our world. We want to see them change a little bit every day. Change happens daily.”
FOMO 10/40 — Tatley Eagles Park in Bismarck
4 -9 p.m. Monday – Saturday; Closed Sunday
Lawn games for the family & balloons for the kids