I was never a big coffee drinker. To be entirely honest, my first step into drinking it was adding a pinch of instant folgers to my hot chocolate on late study nights in high school. Fast forward a few years and I was on the cafe team at church, still drinking mochas but this time with good coffee and hazelnut syrup. Same drink, leveled up a bit. I never gave much thought to it. To where it came from, what I really liked, or anything outside of my Sunday morning serving time.
That’s why, when we found out that our ministry in Panama was on a coffee farm, I wasn’t as ecstatic as some of my teammates. I love manual labour. I love working outside. I just couldn’t have cared less that it was a coffee farm instead of plantains or pineapples or pretty much anything else.
Fast forward a few days and we arrive at the Costa Rica/Panama border. It’s late at night. It’s dark, and there are people milling around and hanging out at the little restaurants dotting the side of the road. We make our way to the least questionable looking place to eat… KFC. After chowing down our greasy fried chicken, our ride arrives and we cram the 6 of us, big packs and all, in the van. After a brief stop for air in the tire because we were too heavy, we were on our way! Winding our way around serpentine curves in the dark, late at night after spending all day in a bus, 6 people practically sitting on each other, and only KFC and ice cream in my stomach isn’t a recipe for a fun time. But the miserable feeling eased after meeting our hosts.
“Welcome. You are our daughters now, if you need anything just ask.” I’m sure Enoc and Yaneth Caballero said more than that on the first night, but those words are all I remember. It’s all I needed to know to realize how blessed we were to partner with these people. Little did I know how quickly and easily we would become part of the Caballero family. The following days were full sowing, planting and packaging coffee. I loved every moment of it. It’s not what really sticks, though. That would be the whole-hearted belly laughter. The slow and easy early mornings with a cup of coffee and family around the breakfast table. The moments when Padre (Enoc) would leave and come back two hours later with a bag of marshmallows and a bottle of soda. When he would teach us about coffee in his broken English; planting, roasting, and how they were using it as a ministry. They are currently supporting around 90 missionaries up to 75% of their financial needs, as well as paying their workers a fair living wage and providing better housing for them.
Padre also spoke of future projects, housing for teams and retreats for pastors. He showed us a hill where they plan to build in the future. From that hill you can see every acre of that beautiful farm. On our last day of ministry he took us up there to pray. To pray over the farm, the future of what that place will be, and so he could pray over us. His daughters. Not one of us left that hilltop with dry eyes, or without an immense love for those people and that place.
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As we left a few days later I carried with me many things in my heart, including a desire to return one day and the knowledge that they sell their beans to a place called Phoenix Roasters in Duluth, Georgia.
It was about 9 months later when our whole team was back together in Gainesville, Georgia for Project Searchlight. PSL is a time for World Racers to come back together after having been home for a while to debrief and be encouraged. On one of our free afternoons when we didn’t have sessions scheduled, team BGC Powerhouse once again piled into a vehicle for a drive to coffee. 45 minutes later we pull into a warehouse looking building with a great deal of confusion. Phoenix is a cafe, right?
Wrong. We had indeed pulled in to Phoenix Roasters, but instead of being a cafe where we could drink Panamanian coffee and feel nostalgic for a bit, it happened to be where they actually roast coffee. Duh! It’s right in the name. So, we walk in and get greeted by one of the men who works there. After telling him that we had worked on the Caballero’s farm, there was an instant connection. We were telling stories of our experiences in Panama while they shared with us stories from their time there, as well as when they had hosted the Caballero’s on their visits to the states. They didn’t just buy their beans, they knew them personally! It was like meeting distant relatives for the first time. They let us sample coffee made with their patented nitro cold brew technology, and try flavours like blueberry basil and strawberry hibiscus. They told us the amazing story of how the exact coffee roaster they had been praying for for 18 months was sitting in a storage unit… for 18 months! They gave us coffee sacks that carried beans from Rio Sereno, Panama to Duluth, and they completely blew us away with how amazing their ministry is. Their beans are direct trade, which results in about 300% more income for farmers than if they sold fair trade. They use the coffee to support and partner with several different organizations and their own Phoenix church community to work towards alleviating poverty, ending homelessness, supporting single mothers, and so much more. They also partner with farmers in Guatemala and Honduras with equally incredible stories and visions.
Since being here for CGA I’ve also gone to the Phoenix Community of Atlanta church’s campus in Gainesville, where they put a lot of emphasis on not just going to church but being the church. In the two Sundays I’ve attended I have already seen a lot of generous giving, selfless serving, and a beautiful and welcoming diversity in members of the community.
I think it might go without saying at this point, but now I think a lot more about where my coffee comes from. Sure, I’m now a bit of a coffee snob. But more importantly, I have seen the impact of business done with intentionality and integrity. I’ve seen people in different continents support and impact each other, influence and improve the world around them, and serve up some quality caffeination while they’re at it.
The ability to be part of this group of people, to have met the folks at Phoenix Roasters and hear what they’re doing, and to have been brought into the Caballero family are all such incredible blessings that I will forever be thankful for. All of these individuals and groups have had a profound impact on my life through the Kingdom work they’re doing. I am thankful for them. I am thankful to our loving Father who gave me the gift of these crazy connections. I’m thankful I said “Yes” to what that started this whole thing; the first domino in a chain reaction of ‘coincidences.’ And I’m thankful that I get to keep saying “Yes” to the hard things that will continue to bless me and others. I’m still not really sure where God is leading my life, or what my next yes will be, but if it ends up having half of the impact of this coffee… I’m all in!
Check out the Phoenix Roasters website for more info on them, or to order their coffee and merch! They have some great shirts, hats, and you won’t be disappointed in any of their great coffees!
If you want to invest in me and empower me to learn the skills I need to follow God’s path with confidence, please consider partnering with me during my semester at CGA! I’m already learning a lot and being challenged, and we’re only in week two of classes. I’m looking for people to be on my prayer team, financial partners, and any other type of partnership the Lord lays on your heart. You can comment on this post or contact me directly for more information on how to do that, and you can find financial partnership information below. Please partner with me as I walk toward fulfilling the dreams God has placed in my heart!
If you’re in the US, you can use the Donate button at the top of this page. If you’re from Canada, please either; make checks payable to CCFCC and mail to: 1807 St Joseph Blvd, Unit 307, Orleans. ON, K1C 7C6, Canada and include a note with your name and address, my name and my program (CGA); or give using e-transfer, send to [email protected] and follow up with a separate email with your name and address, my name and my program (CGA). Adventures in Missions is in cooperative partnership with Community Christian Fellowship Church of Canada (CCFCC) to train and mobilize Christ’s followers to establish the Kingdom of God through discipleship and charitable service around the world. Have questions or need help? Email [email protected] or call 613-834-8187 ext 27.
