Got Hope?
Transforming Honduras One Bean at a Time
by
Chuck C. Helmer Jr.
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Chuck C. Helmer Jr. on Smashwords
Got Hope?
Transforming Honduras One Bean at a Time
Copyright © 2011 by Chuck C. Helmer Jr.
Smashwords Edition License Notes
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Most people recognize the response of Jesus to the disciples in Matthew 17 when he says, "I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." In thinking about this verse, I ask the question, What if you had faith the size of a coffee bean? What could you move? What would you move?
Mark Fittz, a missionary for the last seven years with CAM International, moves both the hearts of the Honduran people and their livelihoods. He does this through a product familiar to most Hondurans, coffee. It might make for a good joke knowing that an “Aggie” from Texas A & M, with an undergraduate degree in Architecture, would find hope in agriculture. The idea for “Hope Coffee”, however, grew over time. It originated from mission-trip groups desiring to return from Honduras with souvenirs. The number-one item people returned with was coffee. Mark laughs and says, “Coffee and t-shirts.” So he made it his mission to take a natural, available Honduran resource, and use it. The resources generated provide a source of income for the people and communicate the gospel of “JesuChristo” in the process. Mark explains, “The idea behind the coffee is that it is an initiator of outreach, and it gets the churches out the doors to meet the need of their community internally, not from gringos coming in and doing it.”
One might question whether Mark’s white-hot enthusiasm stems from his love for the Honduran people or from drinking too much of the Hope Coffee Premium Traceable blend. Without a doubt, it is the Honduran people. In the short two year existence, projects from the profits of Hope Coffee have provided water and shelter for thirty families, constructed a home for a widow, created kitchens for single mothers, installed roofs for ten families, laid floors for eight others, and produced an opportunity for the local Honduran church to serve the community. In addition, Hondurans have heard the gospel and people have placed their trust in Christ.
The coffee market has a plethora of competitors. Mark has dealt with the criticism that comes with a weak U.S. economy. He says,” You hear these arguments [from Americans], and they’re like, ‘Your coffee’s a little high!’ I just right away say, ‘Hey! How much is the gospel worth? I mean, if you can spend a couple more dollars for a bag of coffee wouldn’t you rather it go for the gospel? Is the gospel worth two more dollars? Three more dollars? I don’t know? That’s my question to you.” Mark continues, “I would rather see my money invested in His kingdom in strategic ways. Anybody can take part. You can spend $8.50 and give internationally. It’s the little things we can do that become big.” Initially, Mark and his wife spent their own money to start the project. They sold every bit of the coffee they bought, and invested the profits toward offsetting the costs of the local church they served.
Mark holds to a basic theology that says, “The best way to teach biblical truth is to live it out.” He learned this theology from his father, a civil engineer, who passed away when Mark was only twelve. Mark’s father’s example, as both a professional and a Christ follower, taught Mark about living out one’s faith. He explains, “He loved people to Christ. He gave our car away when I was ten to a family in need in his office. He did these things that I saw in action not necessarily in word, that are embedded in me and here I am today.” Mark had the opportunity to share the story of his father when accomplishing one of his most memorable projects, overseeing the construction of a bridge in Honduras that connects five villages to each another. Through this project, Mark learned to depend on God as he served as a “missionary architect” in Honduras. Acquiring the funds for the bridge challenged his faith. He said it cost $50,000. “I didn’t have $50,000 to build a bridge, nor did I have trucks to get it out there. Anything! My prayer to Him was, ‘I know you want me to do this bridge, but God you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to show me. Use it for your glory.” Then the checks began to arrive. The first ten thousand dollars, then twelve, and God daily provided the money. Mark recalls,” I needed to buy 800 bags of cement, I didn’t have any money. I had $100 to buy 800 bags of cement, and I got a call from my sister the next day. You won’t believe this.
A check walked in our church for the bridge, $12,000. Wow! That was exciting.” Mark reflects on the timing of God’s provision. “He is a twelve midnight or 11:59:59 God, where He shows up just in time.”
When they dedicated the bridge, Mark shared with the people of the five villages the story of his father, and his walk with the Lord, Mark explained that the bridge, ”was a teardrop of how much the Lord loves you. It was an expression of God’s love to each of you. He wanted you to have this bridge. I don’t know why he chose me, but he did.” Mark shared the true purpose of the bridge, sharing the gospel of Jesuchristo with the people. The experience provided his first opportunity, with such a large group, and completely in Spanish! He remembers, “What God taught me through that experience is that He is in the details, He’s in the process, He’s in the relationships that I made, in the whole journey, and so whatever we can initiate.”
Mark understands this “God is in the details” type of commitment in approaching Hope Coffee, from the tule coffee boxes made of reed, t-shirts, brochures, and the coffee packaging. Mark’s commitment to detail reflects the work of God he hopes to accomplish. The coffee label, serves as a reminder that “God is a God of mission.”
Currently, the most exciting aspect of Hope Coffee involves Latinos going, from South America, to the Muslim world. On numerous trips to Muslim-inhabited areas, Mark observed that Latino missionaries have success largely due to their cultural and economic similarities. Mark believes Latinos can gain access to unreached areas of the world more easily than can Western missionaries, and at a much lower cost. The initial investment, though inexpensive to most Westerners’ thinking, stands as the greatest difficulty in sending Latin missionaries. The ultimate “hope” for this “Java with a purpose” is to provide income for funding these Latin missionaries to share the gospel in the Muslim world. Mark would ask, how much is the gospel worth to you? Got Hope?
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To connect with Hope Coffee online visit:
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/HOPE-Coffee/181635351867072