Do You Drink Coffee?

I do! Here on the Ranch, we grow, roast and bag coffee. Below is a quick tour of how the process works. (A few pics are still missing, I'll add them later. ENJOY! Oh, and don't forget to check out the coffee website and order some: www.hondurascloudforestcoffee.com.

The coffee grows, all 22,000 plants of it, around the school where I teach.

The coffee plants are the smaller ones, under the shade trees, hence: Shade Grown Coffee.

Walking through the coffee plants. 

These coffee beans are ripe for pickin' (the red ones).

Our workers picking the coffee beans.

Drying and turning the beans, in the hot sun during dry season.

Bagging the coffee. Sell. Drink. Buy more. Drink more. Share with friends.

www.hondurascloudforestcoffee.com

Design Projects

For a larger view, click on the image. These are some of my most recent pieces of design. The first is for recruiting teachers for the 2009-2010 school year. The second is to recruit more Medical/Evangelism and Ranch Teams. Enjoy!

Full. Full. Full. Full. Full. Refuel.

(p.s. this photo has absolutely nothing to do be with full. It was really cold one day, so I put on all my warm clothes, including the spandex under the jeans, and took and picture.)

This past week has been full. 

Full of a variety of things. 

Full of Rain. For the past week, actually probably much longer, closer to 10 days, we have had rain, almost non-stop. Sometimes it's soft and sweet, sometimes it's hard and scary sounding-like it's going to come right thru my roof and soak me while I am sleeping nice and warmly in my bed. I think this is the most rain that I've seen fall upon this place since I've lived here. I just keep thinking: what if it were cold enough for this to be snow? I'm certain that it would be like being at the top of a ski lift in CO. :) Nice, but only for a few days. This has lasted much longer. 

Full of Prayer. Most of my days and weeks are full of prayer. It just feels like this past week and a half, God has placed certain, very specific things in my path to pray about. It's an honor to get to pray to God, and He has given me, He always does give me, plenty of chances to come before His throne. 

Full of Work. I'm talking about both kinds of my work: school work and design work. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed this week with work. It will get better, it always does, but for a time God has been keeping my hands full and busy of glorious things that He is trying to accomplish through me. 

Full of Naps. I must say, without my approval and sometimes without my acknowledging it, my body takes naps. Sometimes, I know that I won't be able to get through the rest of the day without a siesta. Even though Hondurans do not take siesta's like Mexicans supposedly do: I join the Mexicans in post-lunch rests. No more than 20 or so minutes will really give me a bit of extra energy.  Sometimes I give into unsolicited naps; like tonight:

In fact, after tonight, I knew for certain that I need to take a step back and gain some rest and sanity. I am one to really push and push myself until, sometimes, there is nothing left to push with or my body gives in and contracts some kind of sickness, therefore causing me to slow down. Tonight, we ate dinner. It was so good, I was so full. I had thirty minutes until I had to go down the hill and help my 8th grader study for her Science test. I laid on the bed while I waited for time to pass. I remember trying to keep my eyes open, thinking: I'm not tired, I can make it. An hour later, and thirty minutes late for our study session, I wake up to the phone ringing. I was so terribly confused. I answered the phone, and when I heard her voice, I knew what I was suppose to be doing. I started thinking to myself: what have you been doing? Have you had dinner? Why do you feel nauseous? How did you fall asleep? Either way, I feel asleep, got an extra hour of unsolicited rest and now, as I write this, I am unable to fall asleep at the appropriate time; when it's time to sleep.

Full of Mud. My clothes, my hair, my shoes, my room, my house, my backpack, my EVERYTHING is full of mud. Ok, well, maybe that is an exaggeration, but there is mud just about everywhere around this place right now. It's hard to keep clean and dry during rainy season, that's for sure. 

Refuel. I have decided, it's time to refuel. I need to be full, but not so full that I can't function properly and do my best work. I need to be full of the things that will fill me up and give me energy. My calendar has been full of a lot of stuff, things that are energizing to me, but they can also take a lot out of me. So, time to take a step back, relax and refuel.

One Glimpse

I'm listening to Amy Stroup's album "Here I Am." Great album if you are looking for some new music to tune into. 

In line with all that God has been taking me through in the past week or so, this song has helped me to see the purpose of Him in all this. 

She sings: 

"Just one glimpse, one glimpse of your glory, can quiet my soul within

Just one glimpse, one glimpse of your glory, can quiet my soul, come quiet my soul. Come. Come."

From what I can see in this past week, from what He has revealed to me, he simply wanted to share with me and show me a glimpse of His glory. He revealed to me, renewed my faith again: He loves me so much! He goes to all lengths to reveal that love to me. All I have to do is see it. 

We do hear that often, from the pulpit, from our bible study leaders, from our mentors, and from our best friends: "God loves you!" I think that until He makes it real to us and until we choose to see it that way, it does not become real to us. 

Why is it so difficult for us to just take Him at His word? 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

This was like the ultimate for God, He gave it all. I believe in it. I cherish it, it's my lifeline. I have nothing else. But, He reveals His love to me in other ways as well; ways that are more personal to me, very obvious ways. I have to choose to see these things as His love for me, or else they are just things that happen in this life and I don't "see" His glory. 

Paul's words to the Ephesians really drive home this love of God:

".... and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church an din Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen" Ephesians 3:18-20

Do you notice how Paul says that he hopes that we can "comprehend" the love of Christ. This love "surpasses all knowledge." Ok, Paul, so how are we suppose to comprehend a love that surpasses our knowledge? Interesting. God doesn't leave us guessing though. First He sent His son, well actually first, He decided to communicate love, give mercy and grace to Adam and Eve after they sinned, then He did other things, then He sent His son. But...

How much more real is His love when He expresses it in a real way? He gives us a drip of water when we are so thirsty and hungry for Him. Even that, even one glimpse of Him can calm our soul. :)

Then, even as God loves us, really that's all we need, but He goes on to tell us that He can do far more than we can possible imagine or think. (Eph. 3:20) He goes to the lengths to remind us of His love. If we can't see the little things because maybe our faith is being tested, or there is something blocking us from seeing His love, He goes to the end of the earth to satisfy us with His love!

All of this for His glory!

Glory be to you MY GOD! God of my salvation. God that I love. God that loves me! 

The Love of Christ

Just lately, God chose to use some unexpected circumstances of my life to reveal His love for me. Sometimes all we need is a quick reminder. It seems that I forgot how He loves me. He loves me just because. He loves me. 

In the midst of recognizing His powerful love for me, it brought me to repentance. After revealing His love to me, again, He was gracious to show me my fault and quick to cover it with His blood as I asked for His pardon. 

Why do we not allow this to happen more often?

It can be in the smallest things in life. 

He revealed to me His power to do something that world would say is completely impossible. 

Through this, He reminded me that I am not forgotten, He knows my name, He loves me completely and  He, only He, has the power to act out His will, first, for His glory and secondly, for my good.

Look for His love. It's there.