About 4 weeks ago we received an email that told us we would be working on a coffee bean farm for our first month of ministry. My first thought was that we would be tending to the trees with the coffee beans or even picking the harvest. Once we arrvied, we quickly found out that this time of year was not the harvest season, and that tending to the trees was not be going work we would be doing. After expecting to be harvesting the beans and this not being the case, i was a little disappointed. But referencing to John 4:37-38 talking about sowers and reapers of the harvest, i was reassured the work we would be doing now would be harvested by someone in the future.
Since we are not harvesting, i will take you through the day in the life at the farm we at in Rio Soreno, Panama. The day starts off for me waking up around 6:30 am to greetings from the family of “Buenos Dias” (Good Morning!) I then spend about 10 min in the Bible reading a chapter or two every morning. By 7 am we are setting down at the table under the porch of the house waiting for the girls to walk over from the in-laws of the family us guys stay with, also our host for the month. After they arrive, we all have a wondefully delicious meal that is prepared by the mother. Once we finish the meal, we set around until about 8 o’clock when we start our trek up to the farm.
This next phase starts our workday at the farm. On the 10 min drive to the farm we get to see some amazing views of the Costa Rican mountains, as well as the beauty in Panama as well. After arriving at the farm we hike down the hill to the four homes that will house the indigenous workers of the farm in the future. The work includes a wide variety of skills. So far we have done everything from hanging concrete board, framing, mixing and pouring concrete, setting windows and doors, and just general clean up around the homes. I am grateful for the skills I learned from at my job before i left on this trip as many of them are being used here.
At about noon we have lunch, sometimes at the home or a secluded area away from the farm with an amazing view. This means another short drive to get to one of these locations. After another fantastic meal and a couple minutes of conversing we will find our way back to the farm. Here we start the second half of the day working on some more of these projects until about 4:30 when we wrap up for the day. We then treck back up the hill where we start our drive back to the house. All of these rides mean setting in the back of a pickup, bouncing across the gravel roads until we reach our destination.
The next phase of the day is spent mostly at the house we are staying at. We clean up after the day of work with a cold shower. Once again, we have the 3rd meal of the day prepared for us, where we set down to eat around 6. This time is filled with talking, laughing, and trying to interpret what each other are saying at the table. After we are finished with the dishes from the meal, we tend to hangout around the table or in the living room. Some nights the team just talks about the events of the day or others nights include singing and dancing with Abner, the hosts’ kid. Each evening our team comes together for team time, which is used to help each other grow closer together. The day wraps up with everyone heading to bed around 10.
Weekends are our off days so these include a variety of things. We have time to write blogs, contact family, or even adventure out into the community. So far during these times, we have went to a small river to swim, traveled to the local town and visited a lake in the area. On Sunday we head to the church for the service and then have time again to ourselves. After these two days of rest and relaxation we start the weekday routine over. Surprisingly this process is not too much different then what i left back home.
P.S. I have photos from these events but the wifi isn’t strong enough for me to upload them.
