I find it ironic that I have spent more time on a farm while being on the World Race than since I moved off the Leuthold Family Farm at the age of 18. However, the farm work I have experienced thus far on the World Race is Kingdom work and I have been blessed to be a small part in it. On the farm in Nicaragua, it was plantain trees but during our time in Panama, Kingdom work came in the form of coffee beans and the Caballeros.
In the Panamanian mountains close to the Costa Rica border, there is a coffee plantation called 365 Herca Finca. It is a family farm operated by Enoc, Yaneth, Libny, and Abner Caballero. The entire process of producing coffee takes place at the farm. Planting seeds, transplanting coffee plants, harvesting, roasting the beans, and bagging both ground and whole bean coffee all take place on this 80-acre farm. Obviously, this is their livelihood but the Caballeros have been given a bigger vision for their coffee farm. Part of their income from the farm goes to support missionaries around the world and the vision is to support 365 missionaries – one for each day of the year.
While I don’t want to minimize the three weeks we spent with the Caballeros and working on the farm, it was our very last day of ministry that left a lasting impression. On our final day of ministry, Enoc took us up a mountain opposite of the coffee plantation. We stood there for a moment gazing at the majestic way the farm looked from afar then Enoc said: “work is important, but the mission is more important.” He then asked us to pray over the farm, the vision of their ministry, and the new projects they are about to start. As each of us prayed over the farm, Enoc came and prayed over each one of us separately.
To ask God to take something as simple and small as a coffee bean to support missionaries all over the world seems like a bold prayer but if you pause to think about God’s power, the prayer may not be bold enough. Because with God, coffee isn’t just for breakfast. Coffee isn’t just for a boost energy in the afternoon. Coffee isn’t just for hipsters to post pictures of on Instagram. Coffee is a ministry. And coffee at the Herca Finca is Kingdom work.
