A GREAT COFFEE DAY

So, last time I mentioned something about missing coffee. I did! In fact, when I say coffee, it's not just simply any other kind of coffee. What I mean by coffee that I miss is Coffee for Peace (CFP) - Fairly Traded coffee that when you sip, you know you made a farmer smile because he was paid for a fair price for his coffee. When I lived in Davao, I used to have unlimited brewed coffee at CFP every single day. The last time I had a sip was in January, so it was really a long time and I have been badly longing for that good coffee again.

Yesterday, a friend from Davao brought me a small bag of CFP coffee and I was so excited to drink it that I actually had 2 cups last night and then another four cups the whole day today (now, it's all gone) :-)

Me and the precious CFP Arabica coffee :)

This afternoon, I met a new friend whose last name is Coffey, and we both had coffee together at a coffee shop near my office. What's interesting is that, the coffee shop serves PEABERRY coffee. It caught my attention on the Menu and I knew right after seeing it that I must taste that coffee.

What's with peaberry?

Well, it's more expensive compared to regular coffee beans because they are rare. Usually, a coffee cherry would produce two coffee beans. Peaberries are single beans formed out of one cherry, so they are more dense and flavorful.

When I lived in a coffee farm almost a year ago, we always saw peaberries among the tons of coffee cherries that we de-pulp everyday. It was when Keith and Jenna, my Canadian companions said that peaberry can be sold at a more expensive price, that Ate Kriz (my super Ate) and I actually got more curious about how it tastes. And today was a dream come true - I finally tasted peaberry coffee right on the day I least expected it :)

So, fifth cup today is peaberry coffee!

I praise God for a great coffee day today: four cups of CFP coffee, one cup of peaberry coffee, and a new friend  whose last name is Coffey :)

#Satisfaction

For those who are curious, here is the comparison.
On the left side is a peaberry, and on the right side is a regular coffee bean.
Photo downloaded from: drinks.seriouseats.com

ON OBEDIENCE

My heart sings this song out loud. I want to obey the Lord. I don't wanna go anywhere else than where He wants me to be. Call me crazy or a fool...

Today, I sit on my office table and ask myself the same question I ask every single day: "What  will I do today?"

Every day the answer I could think of is this: Work!

Definitely. I go to the office to work. This is my job. But aside from the daily routine of facing my computer screen all day and doing tasks that were assigned for me to do, what is the essence of what I'm doing?

Still, the past events of my life come back to me and almost every single day, I ask myself why I am in this specific place, at this specific time, doing what I'm specifically doing? And the hardest question still is: Why am I doing this?

As I was on my daily scriptural reading this morning, I figured out the answer to my hardest question. I am here because I wanted to obey. To simply obey. Things may not be as easy as I have expected. In fact, sometimes I wanted to go back to that moment in my life six months ago and see if there is anything I could do to change the decisions I have made for myself. When I look back to that moment six months ago, and review what has happened to my life now, I have no regrets. I knew I just obeyed.

I may not yet be as happy as I used to be back then. I may be missing a lot of things, and I may be dreaming and hoping that I never had to make that decision. But there is one thing that's always better than the feeling of happiness - PEACE.

My heart is crying right now. The tears it sheds have nowhere to be placed. I keep it inside. This is how I release it. I miss people. I miss laughter. I miss fun. I miss playing. I miss coffee... But I am here now because I have to be here. I needed to just obey.

Obedience to God doesn't always mean you have to be happy one hundred percent of the time. Obedience sometimes may also mean you have to sacrifice several things - sometimes, they have to be things that make you happy or comfortable.

But how do I know that I was obeying His will? There is peace. Peace I have in my heart that I haven't felt for a long time. Peace in every situation that I encounter. Peace I feel every time I learn new things about my new job, and the spark of hope that there is some valuable reason why I am right here, right now. Peace in the new relationships I am building with the people around me.

Yeah, following God is not at all easy. But He provides the energy, comfort, and peace that we would ever need along this journey called life.

Live life in obedience to the One who has called you!

THE BRIGHTER SIDE

 Twenty hours of sitting on a bus and my bum is sore

Didn’t have a good sleep, Oh! How dreadful this is!

I opened my eyes to see how dangerous the road was,

and to my surprise, Behold! I saw beauty!

It’s my first time to witness this side of the country

Huge mountains bouncing green, with rivers binding them together

In the province of Ifugao, I was on a journey

and the rice terraces told my soul another story

My journey is like climbing up a mountain

At first you feel excited and you even run to get there fast

But eventually you get tired and you have no choice

but to rest even for just a little while

When you start your second wind, you will realize

You are better, you can run faster, more energized, and more dedicated to finish til the end

In the midst of my sore bum, my spirit was refreshed

My mind was rejuvenated, my soul re-energized

In the midst of a long and tiresome journey,

I had a glimpse of God’s glory

And this majestic view has taught me

to appreciate life’s simple blessings...

Life’s Simple Blessings

The bus leaves not on the appointed time, but only when all the passengers are there and ready to go.

Witnessing the gigantic mountains and being reminded how small I am and how big God is; how blessed I am that this big God loves me as I am

When children play with toys that you have seen for the first time, because they are made of pieces of wood and an extraordinarily creative mind

When there’s only one narrow road, but buses and trucks give way for each other

When you have a sore bum, yet you were blessed to see God’s awesome creation

When you set out on a journey with two people you just got to know, but you trust that they will be part of your long journey ahead... to teach you, mentor you, laugh and eat with you, and work together.