Saturday, December 12, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Cafe Yungas Update
The Bolivian coffee beans arrived at our roaster in New York a couple weeks ago and have been roasted and packaged. The shipment to Baltimore went out on Friday, December 4th and will arrive in a few days. Orders for about 30 bags have been placed so far, so place your orders soon and tell your friends!
Here are a few photos of the coffee being grown and processed, courtesy of the Cafe Yungas team in Bolivia:
Here are a few photos of the coffee being grown and processed, courtesy of the Cafe Yungas team in Bolivia:
Impact: Camp El Puente
Greg Hurst and his family have been missionaries with Serving in Mission in La Paz, Bolivia for the last ten years. Forecasts project that by 2012, 75% of Bolivians will be less than 25 years of age. To help deliver the gospel to the youth of La Paz, Greg is spearheading an effort to build cabins and a camp as a jungle retreat center for Christian groups in La Paz. A portion of the proceeds from Cafe Yungas are being used to help build this camp, and once it's built, to support leadership development of the next generation of Bolivian Christian leaders.
The amenities are basic, but provide an opportunity to escape the pressures and struggles of everyday life in the city that most Bolivian kids never get to experience. Many high school and middle school students in the US have these opportunities for lifechanging trips, but your support of Cafe Yungas can help make the same impact in a place that lacks our resources.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Impact: Shoeshiners
When I travelled to La Paz in September, I was welcomed into the home of Randy and Dani Davis, two missionaries that have used proceeds from Cafe Yungas sales to further their work. Randy reaches out to shoeshiners, teenagers that work the streets to make some money. Here is Randy's introduction to the ministry:
"If you visit La Paz, Bolivia you will inevitably see various notable things: the astounding mount Illimani, traditionally dressed indigenous citizens, and most likely several people with their faces covered by ski masks, walking or seated on little boxes in the streets.
Because of their masks, sometimes they seem dangerous and certainly mysterious, but they have families, dreams, challenges, jobs and beliefs. They laugh, cry, feel happy and frustrated, get hungry, joyful and desperate.
Behind their masks there are people with their own stories… people that need, just like any other person, the love and support of others. People with hearts made by and for God, which need to hear the good news about their eternal problem of death. People with hands and feet to serve others, and that need to mature to be more like their God that created them."
Funds from Cafe Yungas have helped send shoeshiners that Randy has discipled to leadership training so that they can learn to invest in their peers the way Randy has reached out to them.
Here is a link to more info on the Davis's and their work: www.kayuparu.org
"If you visit La Paz, Bolivia you will inevitably see various notable things: the astounding mount Illimani, traditionally dressed indigenous citizens, and most likely several people with their faces covered by ski masks, walking or seated on little boxes in the streets.
Because of their masks, sometimes they seem dangerous and certainly mysterious, but they have families, dreams, challenges, jobs and beliefs. They laugh, cry, feel happy and frustrated, get hungry, joyful and desperate.
Behind their masks there are people with their own stories… people that need, just like any other person, the love and support of others. People with hearts made by and for God, which need to hear the good news about their eternal problem of death. People with hands and feet to serve others, and that need to mature to be more like their God that created them."
Funds from Cafe Yungas have helped send shoeshiners that Randy has discipled to leadership training so that they can learn to invest in their peers the way Randy has reached out to them.
Here is a link to more info on the Davis's and their work: www.kayuparu.org
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Background
Welcome! To kick off this site, here is some history and the reasons why I am investing in this effort. I met my wife, Danielle, just after she returned from a year of teaching at Highlands International School in La Paz, Bolivia. While there, she worked with several ministries reaching out to the people of Bolivia, including Faith and Greg Hurst, missionaries with Serving in Mission (http://www.sim.org). When Danielle and I travelled to La Paz in September, we met the Hursts and learned about a microenterprise project called Cafe Yungas. Greg and his friend Jonathan Schoenhals developed Cafe Yungas as part of Viva Bolivia (www.vivabolivia.org), whose tagline is "Leadership for today, hope for tomorrow," and works to support and encourage positive leadership and economic development within Bolivia.
In short, Cafe Yungas creates a win-win-win situation as indigenous coffee growers earn a fair price for their crops, which helps lift them out of poverty; net profits from selling the roasted beans are invested to support ministries and develop the next generation of Christian leaders in Bolivia; and customers in the US get to enjoy a great product while supporting a great cause.
In order to achieve this, Cafe Yungas needs customers, which is where you and I fit in. Let's help spread the word and support this awesome work. In the coming weeks, you will find more information about what's happening in Bolivia and how we're doing with this effort. Please post comments and questions and check out our facebook page!
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