Coffee: Daily Sustenance

Having been raised in Puerto Rico, I have always loved coffee. During our visit to Chiapas, lightly sweetened black coffee was served with all our meals. Our  sisters would bring us a pitcher of piping hot coffee during the day, which we drank between meals, and even at night. We quickly found out that Chiapas coffee does not keep you awake late at night. 

The majority of residents in Union Buena Vista are coffee farmers. For over a century, Chiapanecos and their families have worked harvesting and processing coffee. Early in the mornings we would see machete-wielding men walk down the street wearing a cowboy hat, old blue jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and dirty rubber boots. We knew they were headed to their “rancho”, or coffee farm, to work in the clean-up of their plants, and to check on the new coffee beans. 

The “rancho” is basically a farm, and these men will sometimes walk two hours to their fields. The Union is a three-hour ride from the nearest city and its roads are not paved. The only way to reach the “rancho” is by foot, or on a horse. Many men walk and take along a donkey.

Harvest time starts sometime between December and January. This is when the entire family leaves the Union and heads to the “rancho”. The coffee is picked and a hand crank machine is used to de-pulp the beans. The beans are then soaked and left to ferment for a few days. Finally, they are spread out on concrete to dry in the sun. The best dried coffee beans are selected, bagged in huge coffee sacks, and sold in Chicomuselo. Of course, the family keeps some of the beans, and they complete the processing and roast their own coffee. 

The climate and altitude in this part of Mexico is ideal for growing coffee. The coffee from Chiapas has a mild, delicate flavor, and a rich aroma. As a departing gift, our new friends from the Union gave us five bags of coffee, all roasted by different families. Our Chiapaneco brothers and sisters were truly hospitable, and we will never forget them. 

Como soy Puertorriqueña, siempre me ha encantado el café. En Chiapas nos servían café endulzado con todas las comidas. Durante el día las hermanas nos traían una jarra de café caliente que tomábamos entre comidas y de noche. Lo asombroso del café Chiapaneco es que no nos desvelaba.

La mayoría de la gente que vive en la Unión Buena Vista trabaja en el café. Por más de un siglo los Chiapanecos y sus familias han cultivado café. Todas las mañanas, pasaban por la calle hombres cargando un machete, con sombrero de vaquero, vestidos con viejos pantalones de mezclilla, una camisa de manga larga, y botas sucias. Iban en camino a su rancho para limpiar las plantas de café.

Estos hombres caminan dos horas para llegar a su cafetal. La Unión queda a tres horas de la ciudad más cercana y las calles no son pavimentadas. La única manera de llegar al rancho es a pie, o en caballo. Muchos hombres caminan y se llevan un burro.

La cosecha comienza entre diciembre y enero. Durante este tiempo familias enteras salen de la Unión para ir a sus ranchos. El café se recoge y usan una máquina para despulpar el grano. Finalmente el café se seca al sol. Los mejores granos se seleccionan y se colocan en bolsas para venderlo en Chicomuselo. Las familias se quedan con parte del café para tostarlo a gusto. 

El clima y la altitud en esta parte de México es ideal para el cultivo de café. El café de Chiapas es liviano y huele muy rico. Como regalo de despedida, los hermanos de la Unión nos dieron cinco bolsas de café, cada uno tostado por diferentes familias. Nuestros hermanos Chiapanecos son my hospitalarios y nunca los olvidaremos.

What Is “Mi Vida Humilde"?

“Mi Vida Humilde” is Spanish for “My Humble Life.” My favorite scripture at Hebrews 13:5 says: “Let your manner of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things. For he has said: ‘I will by no means leave you nor by any means forsake you’.” 

I finally understood the wisdom of Paul’s words during our visit to Chiapas. Most of these people are coffee farmers. The sale of coffee provides them a year’s supply of corn, beans, sugar, oil, and soap. The leftover money is for some basic essentials. For some, the money will last all year, while others are not that fortunate. Basic essentials may include the occasional fruit or vegetable purchased at the “abarroteria” or small store. And then of course, money is saved for a medical emergency or a trip to town, which is very rare. Most children do not enjoy the luxury of a lollipop or a new toy. New clothes and shoes are rare.

Our Chiapaneco brothers and sisters are content because they have not known many things that we take for granted. They have not experienced the pressure of buying a new cell phone, an iPod, or a laptop. In fact, most have never seen an iPod, much less a laptop. Would they ever imagine owning 30 pairs of shoes? Yet, they are content knowing they will not lack the basic necessities supplied one day at a time. This is the lesson I have learned. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, 34: “Keep on then seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness.”

Durante nuestra visita a Chiapas, Mexico, pude entender la sabiduría de las palabras del Apóstol Pablo en Hebreos 13:5. La mayoría de la gente que vive en la Unión Buena Vista son dueños de cafetales. La venta del café les provee maíz, frijoles, azúcar, aceite y jabón para el año. El dinero restante es para necesidades básicas como frutas o verduras que consiguen en la abarrotería. Para algunos el dinero les rinde el año entero, otros no son tan afortunados. Muchos niños no disfrutan de una paleta ni de un juguete nuevo.

Nuestros hermanos chiapanecos son conformes porque no se han sentido presionados a comprar un teléfono celular, un iPod, o un “laptop”. Muchos ni siquiera han visto un iPod, mucho menos un “laptop”. Mas viven conformes sabiendo que Jehová les proveerá sus necesidades básicas cada día. (Mateo 6:33, 34)

Visit to a Small Mexican Village

Back in December of 2009, Kurt and I visited a small village in Chiapas, Mexico, called Union Buena Vista. Situated 7,000-feet above sea level, this village is located in the Chicomuselo Municipality. The purpose of our trip was to visit our friend, Mauricio, who had sadly been deported a few months earlier.

After two exhausting days of travel on plane and local “combis” or taxis, we arrived in Chicomuselo. In order to get to the mountain top where Union Buena Vista is located, we rode in a Toyota Tacoma for three hours on an unpaved bumpy road. Upon arrival we were welcomed by about 50 brothers and sisters who were anxious to meet the first “Americanos” that had ever visited the Union.

Our Chiapaneco brothers and sisters were truly hospitable. They provided us a modestly furnished house, and fed us daily meals for three weeks. Plus, we had the privilege of preaching in their territory, which at times meant walking for two hours down the mountain, and two hours back up the mountain.

Our morning wake-up call started with the crow of roosters, the barks of dogs, and the hee-haws of the donkeys. This was followed by a breakfast of fried or scrambled eggs, black beans “a la olla”, fresh handmade corn tortillas, and lightly sweetened black coffee. This was accompanied by laid back conversations about life in El Norte, and encouraging experiences.

Though poverty is extreme in this part of Mexico, our brothers and sisters gave us of their food and most of all, gave us a piece of their heart. I look forward to going back to enjoy the beautiful mountain views, the spectacular starry nights, the mild weather, and the warm and loving people who welcomed us with open hearts.

 

En diciembre de 2009 Kurt y yo visitamos a Unión Buena Vista, una colonia en el municipio de Chicomuselo en Chiapas, México. Tomamos este viaje para visitar a Mauricio, nuestro amigo que había vuelto a México unos meses antes. Luego de viajar dos días en avión, “combis” y taxis, llegamos a la Unión luego de un viaje de tres horas en una carretera no pavimentada. Los hermanos nos dieron una cálida bienvenida, muchos ansiosos por conocer a los hermanos que venían del Norte.

Nuestros hermanos fueron muy hospitalarios y nos proveyeron una casa y comidas diarias por tres semanas. También tuvimos el privilegio de predicar con ellos, muchas veces caminando dos horas de ida al territorio y dos horas de vuelta. En las mañanas nos despertaban los gallos, los perros y luego los burros. A esto le seguía un desayuno de huevos, frijoles negros, tortillas de maíz hechas a mano, y café negro endulzado. La comida iba acompañada de conversaciones animadoras sobre vida en el Norte. 

Aunque la pobreza es extrema en esta parte de México, nuestros hermanos nos proveyeron no solo comida, pero un pedacito de su corazón. Anhelamos volver a visitar para disfrutar de los paisajes montañosos, las noches estrelladas, el clima cálido y la gente tan amorosa que nos recibió con corazones abiertos.