In the early morning hours just before the sun rises above the mountain peak, a picturesque little coffee plantation sits just off the center of Alajuelita. There are rows upon rows of perfectly placed trees dripping with berries that seem to go on for miles. The berries are just beginning to ripen to their bright red color. They are being harvested by hand, for on any given branch they mature at different times. The whole family will work from dawn until dusk gathering the berries that are just at the point of full ripeness, before they begin to spoil and taint the taste of the beans within. No machine can replace the eye and the hand of the coffee farmer. It is a source of great pride and responsibility for these dedicated men and their families.
That was some thirty years ago. Today, the once vibrant manicured plantation has become a place of filth and darkness. The Cafetal (Spanish for coffee plantation) has long been neglected. If you were to sit alongside the fence any day of the week you would see dozens upon dozens of people flocking to the Cafetal. The symmetrical nature of the trees creates a perfect hiding place for all sorts of perversion. Walking just 20 feet in, they can no longer be seen.
Drug dealers and addicts alike lurk among the dried trash infested field. There are lighter fluid bottles scattered around the ground. Once the addict reaches the end of his cycle he drinks the lighter fluid in an attempt to dull the pain. High school aged girls are often recruited into prostitution and the Cafetal provides a secluded place for Johns (men who purchase sex) to have their way with them.
As part of our ministry this month, we visited the Cafetal. We prayed over the land and asked for the Lord’s restoration and for the people who are trapped with a sense of hopelessness. I personally prayed for a bulldozer! We also spent the entire day cleaning up the best we could. After my teammate and I stayed in a 5×5 for nearly an hour, we still hadn’t cleared even half of the trash that was layered deep beneath the soil. It felt futile to even try. Discouraged, I stepped away and felt the Lord say, “It’s not up to you. Even in the midst of this dark place, I am here!”
When I think of the Cafetal, it looks a little like my heart. The Lord has created me to be this wonderful man and he waits for just the right moment to harvest the best of me to be used for his purpose. However, my heart is full of sinful desires and often times I delve deeper into sin in an attempt to dull the pain. My heart is a very hidden place. I strategically position myself so that others cannot see. Just as no machine can replace the eye and hand of the coffee farmer, no worldly possession or self-help book can replace the loving hand and words of the Father. Thankfully the Lord knows me and shows me grace and forgiveness and loves me in spite of my deep dark heart!
**6:8 Ministries has attempted to purchase the land so that it may be turned into something useful and beautiful. The land as several different owners and is a very complex situation. Please pray for this very dark piece of land and for the people of Alajuelita, Costa Rica.
