But, God is doing a good work.  

Sometimes, I have to repeat that back to myself, because of unpleasantness, whether in real life, my mind, both or whatever.

We are still searching for candidates to fill the farm manager position.  We interviewed someone this week, a nice guy but didn't speak English, which is going to be one of the key qualities we need for this position.  He was telling us he lived in Gulfport MS for a bit and came back last year.  I asked him how the process of getting to the US was (he left during the pandemic when he lost his job here and was in danger of losing his house, etc.) and he told me he used a coyote, and that it took 39 days to get across the border.  He shared a little of the harrowing details.  I asked him if he would do it again.  "Never" he said.  

Marvin has been busy this month trying to get around to more of the churches to get to know the pastors, and the communities better, doing some evangelizing via house visits.  We will be spending more money this year on spiritual development...of the pastors, the church body, trying to develop new Sunday school teachers, increasing impact in the communities...all part of our push to do better discipling the people we are trying to reach, including more conferences and training.  

That part is exciting, also somewhat daunting, but finishing the office building is less exciting and just more daunting.  Mostly related to how hard it is to fundraise for something so clearly needed.  We have been blessed with some help, but not nearly enough and that is...stressful. 

Also stressful is just how expensive everything is related to finishing the building.  You would think the main construction would be the worst of it, but every other step really piles on.  The stucco is still not finished...they are working on it however.  Then, what flooring to pick?  The above were two options...an epoxy finish or just polishing the concrete.  Both options are quick...but not in the budget.  The epoxy is CRAZY expensive.  So...we will have to see how to take more time, and more hands away from the other projects going on, to put in tile.  Traditional, fine, but just another delay because that will take several weeks to put in. And then, the staff look to me and I can just palpably feel their disappointment at another delay, another constraint.  Plus we will have to find a welder to make the main doors, because buying premade doors...also too expensive to make it work...and the list continues to mount.  I'll be glad when it is done...but right now just lamenting how long we are still from that point, and I'm not even going to try to guess at this point when that will be.   

God is doing a good work.

I've been repeating it, and I'll be repeating it more to myself in the coming days.  

When it feels good, when it doesn't, when it is scary, and when it feels right.  ​  

I wish I could say I will keep up with all this blogging! 

New year, and lots of new things and new opportunities.  The title for today's blog is French...a little idiom saying you are living to work (subway, work, sleep)

A common sentiment, albeit depressing.  Unless you love you work.  

Honey processing means we pulp the coffee and dry it.  Rather than the normal process of pulping, fully washing the coffee over a day or more, and then drying.  Using all that water may be normal, but the process mucks the water up quite a bit going back into the ecosystem, not to mention just using all that water.  So we get a better tasting process, and do a better job of just looking after things as well.  We still have roughly 200 pounds from 2023 harvest to roast and get out there, but after that...everything will be this new process everyone will be drinking soon enough!

I'll leave you with a cool picture taken from the drone of the farm in Sampedrana.  Lots of work will be coming there in the next months to do road improvements, and we are also doing some investigation and praying about other options for the future bringing things from the US possibly to help speed that process as well!

Progress on the office building seen from the air!  The stucco progress is all on the inside, and the other side of the building.  They seem to be saving the hardest two sides to do for last.  It is time consuming for sure.  We will equip and paint the inside of the building as soon as we can of course, and probably leave painting the outside for when a group can help.    

"What will go upstairs in the unfinished area?"  Is a question I have heard already.  My first reply is "By the grace of God let's finish the first two floors first!"  But actually, I am already anticipating that down the line, we would use that for more group sleeping space, and a porch with a great view preserved of course.  You can kind of see from this angle how big the building is, and how we are using as much of the property as possible.  

Spoiler alert then for life...we are always learning.  Never will the day come on earth where we have it all down, when it all makes sense, when it all goes according to plan.  That can be discouraging.  But knowing it is coming at least, helps.  Sometimes.  :-)