missions coffee

Rwanda Children

The medical needs in Ntarama, Rwanda are great. One devastating issue the community faces is a high infant mortality rate due to malnutrition. Newborn Joana was one child that might not have made it if it weren’t for Rwanda Children. Baby Joana was brought to the clinic after her mother died during childbirth. Her family had no means of providing milk.

In response to the heart-breaking situation of high infant mortality, Rwanda Children started a life-saving ministry called the Fighting Against Malnutrition Program, and now serves thousands of patients per year through this and other programs. Their mission is to provide shelter, food, medical care, education, and hope to at-risk Rwandan children in the name of Jesus.

Clinic staff provided immediate healthcare and formula for Baby Joana and have continued to monitor her growth. At two months, Joana is strong and well! Clinic staff continue to provide her with formula and have been educating her caregiver on hygiene, and the importance of immunizations and regular check-ups.

In Hebrew, the name Joana means, “God is gracious.” Truly, He has already been gracious in providing caregivers and clinic staff to watch over this little beautiful blessing.

Joana is one of 40 malnourished infants currently in the Fighting Against Malnutrition Program. Because you drink Compassion Tea through HOPE Coffee, thousands in this community now have the chance to thrive!

HOPE Partner Tip: Keep your church or organization updated on the latest impact of their coffee by using this free announcement slide for your pre-service announcements or on a screen near your coffee bar! Click the image below to download the announcement slide in our online store.

We are Ready to Follow Jesus

We are Ready to Follow Jesus Now

Santa Bárbara, Honduras—Rigo, a bricklayer, and his wife have 3 kids—the youngest with special needs. Because of the expensive medical needs for their son, Rigo had no choice but to sell his trade tools last year. Without these tools, he had no means to provide for his family.

Desperate to make ends meet, Rigo turned to begging in the streets. When Pastor Carlos met Rigo and heard his story, he found the situation so desperate and depressing he said, “The only one who can help this family is God.”

Pastor Carlos’ church began to serve this family.. They brought over groceries and supplies for their son. Rigo’s family watched as church members served them selflessly and became interested in the Gospel message and even started attending church.

During one visit with Rigo’s family, Pastor Carlos and members from the church presented to them a life-changing gift—a brand new set of tools! They had even set him up with his next job! Rigo was overjoyed to be able to work again.

One Sunday after church, Rigo and his wife approached the pastor with many questions. After a lengthy conversation, Rigo said, “We are ready to follow Jesus now, what do we have to do?” Pastor Carlos and his wife were humbled to lead them in becoming followers of Jesus.

Just like Pastor Carlos said at the beginning of this story, we too believe that only God could have done this for this family. It was a desperate situation, but we serve a God who cares deeply about the impoverished and lowly among us.

And we thank you, HOPE Partners, for caring about what God cares about. You partnered with Pastor Carlos’ church in providing for this family! Because you drink HOPE Coffee, Rigo has steady work again. He is able to provide for his family. And last but not least, he and his wife are walking with the Lord in the context of a loving church community. Rigo’s family still has many needs that we as their extended church family can pray for, but right now we are simply praising God that their entire lives have been transformed by the power of the Gospel.

Send a note of encouragement to Pastor Carlos as he continues to minister to Rigo and his family!

Ministry Update from the President of HOPE Coffee

HOPE Partners,

I recently heard a story from Mexico that I want to share with each of you.

March 28, 2022 was a special day in the life of Angeles and her daughter Danita. Pastor Carlos Lara met Angeles two years ago in the neighborhood around the church where he serves. Angeles cleans other people’s houses to provide for her and her daughter, but her own house was just a simple pile of bricks with some metal pieces laying on top to provide a makeshift roof.

Pastor Carlos and Pastor David, who pastors a neighboring church, both had a desire to help this family and share the gospel with them. They organized groups of people from each of their churches along with three others in the community, and in October of 2021 the work of building Angeles and Danita a more secure house began.

Over the next five months, these volunteers dug and poured a proper cement foundation, mixed the mortar, laid the bricks, installed the roof, framed the windows and doors, and painted the house. It was slow progress, but spiritual lessons were being learned. Not only was the gospel shared throughout this time, but Angeles saw the love of Jesus from many people.

During the months of construction, Christians provided food for her family among other necessities. While working on the house, one church member noticed that it was hard for Danita to concentrate because of the loud music that played day and night from a neighbor’s house. So they bought her a set of headphones to block out the noise so that she could concentrate on her school work. Danita was touched to see how these Christians cared for her needs!

Angeles also saw the friendships that were formed between Christians from different churches who had never met each other but who were working together as volunteers. This was something new to Angeles who was used to deeply trusting and caring for only those people who earned it over a long period of time. Angeles saw five churches come together to help her family with the need of a proper home. She realized the only motivation that made sense was Jesus’ love.

Everyone celebrated on March 28 when the home was completed. Danita is particularly interested in the gospel, is now attending church each week, and is encouraging her mother to join her. Please pray for both Angeles and Danita that they will trust in Jesus soon.

I speak for myself that I am very thankful for each of you for being a part of the HOPE Coffee story. Whether you enjoy HOPE Coffee at home, brew it at your church or organization, you are a part of this story. God used you to meet the needs of Angeles and Danita. Thank you for choosing HOPE Coffee!

Together we serve better,

This Month’s Prayer Focus:

Praise God for the home He provided for Angeles and Danita.
Pray for their neighbors as many saw the churches showing the love of Christ to Angeles and Danita.
Pray for the churches that are continuing to minister to the community.

Student in Guatemala Follows Jesus

Joconal, Guatemala—For teenagers like Astrid, there is one acceptable life path: to get married and have children. From the time she was born, this is what her family, village and peers assumed she would do. She was to attend elementary school, pick coffee alongside her family and then start having children young, like her mother before her.

Then Astrid found Lan Vwa, a Christian school for coffee farmers’ children. She then did the unheard of—she started attending high school. Astrid now has a new plan. She now knows she does not have to choose between a career and motherhood—she can have both!

Astrid has many obstacles in finishing high school. She walks an hour and a half each day to attend classes. She has battled pressures from family members and peers who don’t understand why she chose this path.

Even with these barriers, Astrid is set to graduate high school this year. She is planning on attending college and entering the medical field which is a venture neither she nor her parents could have ever imagined.

Her biggest life change, however, is that after hearing the gospel from one of her teachers, Astrid decided to follow Jesus!

Because you drink HOPE Coffee, Astrid and 48 other children of coffee farmers are receiving an otherwise-impossible education in rural Guatemala. Not only are these children breaking the cycle of poverty, but they are also bringing the good news of Jesus to their families and villages!

The families of the students at Lan Vwa grow our Guatemalan Medium Roast. Support their Christ-centered education by shopping our Guatemalan line.

Saving Lives in South Sudan

South Sudan—Last year, intense rains caused areas of South Sudan to see floods unlike any in over 60 years. Among the devastating impacts from these floods is a major increase in disease—most notably Malaria.

The Lietnhom Primary Health Care Center (PHCC), a Christian clinic serving rural communities in South Sudan, has been faithfully aiding those affected by the floods. During the last few months of 2021, PHCC served 4,737 patients–over half of whom were suffering from Malaria.

Villagers Nyanyiikl and Ajak were among the thousands that rushed to the clinic to seek help for their children who showed symptoms of Malaria. Desperate for a cure for their babies, they were met with experienced nurses who were armed with effective medication and the love of Christ. By the grace of God, both children were healed!

The best part? While receiving treatment, God opened the doors to share the Gospel message with nearly 600 people!

You are a part of this kingdom work simply by choosing Compassion Tea and HOPE Coffee. The next time you sit down for your cup of coffee or tea, pray with us for our brothers and sisters serving in South Sudan and for those who are still affected by the flooding!

We are proud to partner with Compassion Tea to provide life-saving medical care through The Liethnom Primary Health Care Center and 8 other Christ-centered clinics across rural Africa. You can support their kingdom-efforts by drinking Compassion Tea, available at hopecoffee.com.

Mobility Chairs in Mexico

8 Receive Mobility Chairs in Mexico–2 Come to Christ!

Puebla, Mexico – Two years ago, 55-year-old Juan lost his leg because of complications with diabetes. Ever since, he has relied on a standard wheelchair to traverse his small town outside of Puebla, Mexico. Because his town has many dirt roads, Juan was extremely limited on where he could go and what he could do for work. In a short amount of time, Juan not only lost his leg, but also his ability to work and much of his freedom.

Pastor Jose and his church, Iglesia Nazareno, along with other churches in the region, have been partnering with HOPE Coffee Mexico and Agape Mexico to provide mobility devices as a way to show Christ’s love to their communities. It was through this ministry that he met Juan and heard of the challenges he faced in providing for his family. After learning about Juan’s difficulties, Pastor Jose was able to supply Juan with a specially designed wheelchair, built to handle the rough terrain in their town.

When the church came together to assemble and present the chair to Juan, Pastor Jose shared the gospel message and how he could have spiritual freedom in Christ.

At that moment, Juan decided to confess Jesus as Lord! According to Pastor Jose, the gospel has transformed Juan’s life and he is now bringing his daughter along to church services each week, as well.

Because of the ministry of HOPE Coffee Mexico, Juan has not only gained freedom in his mobility and the ability to work again to provide for his family, but he has received freedom from sin which we know only comes from Jesus Christ!

Juan is one of 8 people who recently received one of these specially designed wheelchairs distributed by three different churches across Mexico. Two of the recipients have already decided to follow Jesus! Pray with us for the other 6 recipients and their families as the churches continue to minister and share the gospel with them.

Food for 100 Families

Food for 100 Families in Honduras

Santa Bárbara, Honduras—Last month, a woman named Ermelinda was selling fruit in hopes of making enough money to provide for her family. Desperate for income, she went to the local grocer to see if he would purchase the fruit from her.

Pastor Carlos happened to be at the grocery store when Ermelinda came in. Carlos was shopping for food and supplies to fill gift baskets that would soon be distributed to families in nearby villages. When he overheard Ermelinda speaking to the grocer he was moved by her situation, and gave her one full supply basket, because her need seemed so great.

Ermelinda was overwhelmed at the gift from Pastor Carlos, and her eyes filled with tears. She eagerly listened to Carlos share the gospel message.

Over the next few days, Pastor Carlos went on to distribute 99 more baskets full of food and supplies to those in need throughout six nearby villages. As he gave food, he engaged in conversations about Jesus with each family. Many of these families, just like Ermelinda, felt that the food arrived just in time as they did not know where their next meal would come from.

God used your coffee to meet the physical needs of Ermelinda and 99 other families in need. The gospel has gone forward and now each of these families is connected to a local pastor in their area who cares for them! Please pray with us that as Carlos continues to minister to these families we will hear of many choosing to follow Jesus very soon.

We know you have many choices when it comes to your coffee. On behalf of Ermelinda and her neighbors, we thank you for choosing HOPE Coffee.

2022 Impact Report

Because you chose HOPE Coffee and Compassion Tea last year, hundreds of lives were changed! We thought you’d like to know and share with your organization.

HOPE Partner Tip: Keep your church or organization updated on the latest impact of their coffee by downloading this video for your pre-service announcements or to play on a screen near your coffee bar!

Helping Pastor Joel Serve in Honduras

Cerro Grande, Honduras – Pastor Joel has been living and serving the community of Cerro Grande for five years, along with his wife and two young children. In that time he has seen very little interest from the families of the village about the message of Christ. In fact, he has been so discouraged that he has been praying for the past year about leaving Cerro Grande and the ministry altogether.

On top of Joel’s discouragement, the church building was in need of major structural repairs. After the devastating hurricane that swept through Honduras in fall of 2020 the walls were starting to deteriorate.

Despite the lack of interest in the Gospel message, Joel’s heart was still moved by the poverty around him and the families’ great need for Jesus. One family in particular, Milton and Daniella, desperately needed a pila, or a water storage system. Moved by their need, Joel took it upon himself to take a second job as a coffee picker in order to earn the money to pay for the construction of the pila himself.

Much to Pastor Joel’s shock, in the spring of 2021 Create Hope stepped in to repair the walls of the church building. That is when something amazing began to happen among the people of the village. Seeing the walls of the building being repaired and coated, many families gathered at the church building to help, as is customary in the culture. While they worked together on the building, Joel began to build and strengthen relationships with many of the families. It was through those relationships that God began to soften the hearts of the people of Cerro Grande.

HOPE Coffee heard about how the community was beginning to respond to the Gospel message, as well as about how Pastor Joel was working to pay for a pila himself. With Joel’s permission, HOPE Coffee funded the entire pila for Milton and Daniella. Joel and the families who helped repair the church building were so incredibly excited that all of them showed up to help construct the pila, as well!

Through the pila project Pastor Joel had the opportunity to learn a little bit more about HOPE Coffee and how people and churches throughout the United States provided the funds through their purchases of coffee. He also learned that these same people were praying for him and his ministry after the last project in Cerro Grande. Breaking down in tears, Joel was completely overwhelmed. Knowing that there were so many Christians supporting him in his ministry gave Joel a renewed sense of passion and purpose. Joel knew at that moment that God was leading him to continue on in his ministry to Cerro Grande.

You are making a difference. You are changing lives.

Hope for One Coffee Farmer’s Daughter

Paulino works on a coffee farm in rural Guatemala, just like his father and grandfather before him. When he started a family of his own, he and his wife Maria dreamed of the possibility of a different future for their children.

In Guatemala, public education is only provided for grades one through six. Preschool, junior high and high school seem to be reserved for the children of the wealthy. Paulino and Maria knew they would never be able to provide their children with the education and opportunities that they themselves lacked.

Paulino and a handful of other coffee farmers approached the Leivas, the Christian family that owned the coffee farm where they worked, to discuss their children’s futures. The Leivas already saw their farm as a ministry to the village. Helping families in the village break the cycle of poverty through education seemed like just the thing God was calling them to do. A few short years later, Lan Vwa was born.

One of Paulino’s children, Dina, has been attending Lan Vwa for the last two years. At first, she struggled with school enough that Dina’s teachers were concerned. However, they continued to teach and minister to her and her family. After years of building a relationship with Paulino, Maria and their children, their entire family decided to follow Jesus!

At Lan Vwa’s annual graduation just a couple of weeks ago, Paulino and Maria’s daughter Dina was promoted from Kindergarten and was deemed the most improved student! Her parents joined her for the once-thought-impossible celebration.

Along with Dina, several other coffee farmers’ children were also celebrating their promotions from Kindergarten, as well as high school. Alfredo, Gerber and Yeanira received their diplomas and are now prepared for college—an amazing feat for a coffee farmer’s child in Guatemala.

We can’t say it enough—you are changing lives with your coffee! Because of you, dozens of children in rural Guatemala are receiving an education, breaking the cycle of poverty for their families and deciding to follow Jesus!

The HOPE Coffee Guatemalan Line comes straight from the farm at which Dina’s father works. He is growing and harvesting your coffee beans and you are helping his family break the cycle of poverty and hear the gospel message! How beautiful is that?