Last week I had one of the coolest experiences to date. Linda, Syd, Josh and I were hanging out with the Bliss family at their place. Steve asked me if I was up for a "guys" trip to the Ruiz coffee factory to meet up with Maria Ruiz to check out some experiments being done on the "3-Rock" stoves the native Indians use. I got the nod from Linda and said, "sure".
For hundreds of years their stoves have consisted of 3 large rocks, maybe 10-12 inches high, positioned in a basic triangle formation to be able to hold a cooking pot with a small fire in the middle. It works, but is quite inefficient (poor heat distribution) and quite unhealthy (excessive smoke inhalation). We met Maria at Cafe Ruiz (my favorite spot to load up on Java in Boquete) and then headed off to the coffee factory where many Indians have already left their homes in the mountains, as coffee picking season has begun, and are living in the modest campus barracks. January and February are the big coffee picking months. Most of the workers will make their entire annual income in these few months. A "good" family of pickers can earn up to $20 a day. This is considered quite a good day's income.
After we visited the community kitchen and new stove concepts, we were invited to a surprise tour of the operations. What an education! From the fields to roasting is an incredible 5 month process (Oct 31-Mar 30). Then they shut everything down for 7 months (Apr 1-Oct 30), and have a new crew take over who take every machine apart from top to bottom, make repairs, clean everything, then paint it all. And if they are fortunate, after working around the clock for 7 months, they are ready to go again when the coffee picking season arrives at the end of October. I had no idea all that goes into preparing my favorite drink. Paying $.50 a cup seems criminal.
Then on the way home, Maria asked if it was OK if we dropped in to visit an 86 year old missionary from Germany. I knew in my gut that it would be more than a quick visit. Steve and I both quickly said, "yes".
Charlotte Luebner arrived in Panama off a freighter just over 45 years ago to serve as a bible translator. She lived with the local Indians in the area and, after nearly 40 years, completed the only bible in the local Indian dialect. I was so humbled by her dedication and commitment to her calling. As a 42 yr old wondering what's next, I found myself at the feet of a woman who had devoted 40 years to learning a foreign language that has never been translated into written form and then translate the entire bible. Wow! Her gentle yet unwavering spirit moved me deeply. It was amazing sitting with such a saint in the faith. After hearing about some of her experiences, I asked her, after devoting her entire adult life to the scriptures, what did the scriptures mean to her now. She paused only briefly, and with her bible held closely by both arms, said, "it is a weapon for me". She has been experiencing some terrible pain in her ailing knees in the last couple months which is making it difficult to sleep at night and has limited her mobility. She said she is in a "waiting period" to hear what God has next for her (talk about putting my journey in perspective), and her health condition gets her down. So she has been reading Isa 53 to strengthen her spirit. As our time came to a close, I asked if I could have the honor of praying for her. I left so thankful I for the gift of being with her.
It was a great day.
Paul
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