Covid Days
Thirst Creative
COVID-19 hit Java Relief and the mission hard.
In March we had oversized suitcases packed full of coffee labels, coffee bags, and all the necessities needed to get a coffee shop started in Haiti! The only thing missing was the coffee beans, but we would be selecting Haitian beans from our roaster when we arrived in Port Au Prince. As we shared earlier, Rev Home is creating an American-style coffee shop in Port Au Prince and they asked us to partner with them. Rev Home has children aging out of their orphanage and these young adults will learn needed job skills at the coffee shop. Sounds like a perfect fit for us!
In mid-March, about 45 minutes before our departure to the airport, some uncertainty became evident, not because of COVID but because of kidnappings and riots in Haiti. We weren’t sure we would make it to the coffee roaster and realized we wouldn’t be able to visit a few of the artisan groups outside of Port that Brandy works with at her shop, one boutique. We got mixed messages from our Haitian friends about going: “it’s safe if you’re smart”, “you should come only if it’s critical”, “the safest place is in God’s will”… The very last-minute decision was made to cancel the trip and several days later Haiti shut down due to COVID.
We all know what else shut down. Everything. Or at least it felt like that as we joined everyone in staying home. People working from home took a toll as our biggest monthly coffee sales come from businesses. Beyond that, it seemed like people cut back on expenses (for good reason) and didn’t order as much coffee at home. I think everyone was experiencing uncertainty. Does anyone like that word?
What was certain? For us it was family. We were thrilled that our college son, Shale, had to move home and that our high school junior, Jada, was also always home. Like many of you, game and movie nights began! As days drifted together, we started a “Gifts from Quarantine List”:
Watching Shale make espresso - Steve
A computer for school - Jada
A quiet coffee - Brandy
The thoughtfulness of family - Shale
Puppy cuddles - everyone!
Warm showers - Jada
Paul Siewert’s prayers (zoom) - Steve
My kids’ faith – Brandy
Open windows – Shale
Sleeping in until 7:00 am – Steve
Good walks with pups – Shale/Jada
My praying mom – Brandy
The little things. The little blessings that I bet all of us/you reading this have because, for the most part, we were simply born (or adopted) here. We are so fortunate. There’s a Bible verse that often comes to mind: “I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.” Joshua 24:13 Remembering how blessed we are.
Moving forward, we have a Minnesota foster kids camp that we will support. We continue in our "family" relationship with Hope (the young mom who was trafficked through childhood) and continue to see her fight against the evil of her past and raise her children. We have “family” in Haiti that we miss. Children in the slum of Cite Soleil that are suffering from violence and illness. We have work we want to do there. We feel more and more an urgency to get back, but God knows the plans He has for us. They are for good. In His time, for all of us in uncertainty, all the pieces will come together again.
Be Kind. Love God. Love People.