Kelly and I had a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of the everyday as we were looking for a birthday present for a local pastor’s wife. With the kids being watched by fellow missionaries and the present acquired, a stop at the local Segafredo Café gave us time to talk, plan, and enjoy one another for a while. Kelly ordered an Oreo Frappé, and I ordered my usual Espresso Macchiato. My recent sickness had kept me from heading out, and our stash of coffee at home was depleted, so expectations were high as we awaited our order. I’m happy to say that not only did the coffee meet our expectations, but that mine arrived with a smile.
The smile got me thinking. We have found coffee to be more than just a morning pick me up. Kelly and I have seen our relationship grow stronger and other relationships formed within the conversations we’ve shared around coffee. We’ve now had several Yucatecos over our house to enjoy a cappuccino or a vacuum brew, and, much more than enjoy the coffee itself, they’ve opened up their lives to us, sharing thoughts and feelings that we’d never hear in other settings.
I’ve also found open doors to relationship where I purchase my coffee. There is a small café near the foot of Paseo de Montejo called Café Cafico. There the owner, Federico, roasts and sells coffee from all of the growing regions here in Mexico. He has been my source for the raw coffee that I use to roast at home and good conversation as well. We’ve talked about everything from Mexico City, to the political system, to the Catholic Church in my twice monthly “meetings” with him. Yet we’ve also talked about man’s problem of sin and the need for relationship with Christ.
Who’d thought that when my brother bought me my first Mr Coffee 4 cupper at CBC that I would be lead on a journey to discover, not only how to create a great cup of coffee, but also the revealing and redemptive relationships that form around this beautiful beverage. Espresso anyone?
