Many of you know by now how I feel about Starbucks. And if you believe that the reason I worked there longer than any other job is because I love it, you would be mistaken. Though I do love a good cup of coffee. However, in our travels around Asia thus far, the four other coffee-drinkers and I have been disheartened to find that at practically every coffee shop or cart on the street, there is only one ingredient used to sweeten and lighten coffee: sweetened, condensed milk. So unless you prefer weak, black coffee, your sole option is to drink a cup of coffee-flavored lard. Thankfully our team occasionally travels to larger cities, such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai, where the thriving tourist industry contributes to a growing need for several Starbucks locations.
During a short trip to Chiang Mai to visit a fellow teammate’s former ministry partners, I was blessed to go to Starbucks and order a drink with SKIM milk. Oh, how I have missed that low-fat luxury. Though I paid more Baht for one small drink than I spend on food in a day, it was worth it for the joy of sipping my “decaf double tall nonfat two raw suger cappuccino”.
But as we walked away from the Starbucks down the streets of Chiang Mai, I felt the conviction of selfishness. How pretentious do I sound when I order this complicated beverage, or rave about how excited I am to use free wi-fi in Manila? How can I be disappointed to drink Nescafe, when the coffee farmers in this region of the world are living in absolute poverty, just so I can enjoy “real” coffee?
I think about these things, what it means to be a missionary and abandon every material possession, and am asking the Lord to show me what that looks like. My teammate Christie wrote an awesome blog as she faced similar questions, and I encourage you to read it here: Worth It
Another September team member, Sarah, wrote a similar, yet equally convicting blog about materialism called …just like He broke my stuff.
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In other news, our ministry in the Philippines is now changing. Instead of staying in Manila this month, my team will gain three members from team Beloved One, and head to Dumaguete, in the southern islands. We are partnering for the first time with ICM (International Care Ministries). ICM provides feeding and medical programs through local churches in the Philippines. Poverty is a HUGE problem and is something we will see very closely. Our main ministry focus will be to help meet needs of pastors that ICM can’t. We will do this through construction, evangelism, delivering supplies, crusades, children’s ministry, leading church services, film showings and school outreaches.
So much about this switch in location, as well as other team dynamics, are presently uncertain. A lot is changing, but I’ve learned to be flexible with where the Lord will take me. Details can change in a split second, and I have to be willing to trust the Lord with those details. And I am. I’m not sure what the next month holds, but I’m excited to participate in the work we will get to do and the Filipino people we will meet! Thank you for your prayers!
When trying to express oneself, it’s frankly quite absurd,
To leaf through lengthy lexicons to find the perfect word.
A little spontanaity keeps conversation keen,
You need to find a way to say, precisely what you mean…
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
