More Than a Diamond in the Rough

What is a girl to do when she discovers a talented artist right here in Pinalejo city? She packs some examples up in her suitcase to take home to sell...that is what she does! Tito is one of my favorite people. He carves wood almost as if he were trying to free the animals and flowers from the trees. I discovered his talent when I was looking for someone to detail the front door to the new coffee building. Tito (his nickname) was recommended to me by some people in Pinalejo. They said he was talented, but I had no idea really just how talented his was. He is a hard working man, who eeks out a living by adding special details to doors, cabinets and a few custom pieces of furniture. He has a unique ability to observe the living things commonly found in his back yard and then translates them into wood carvings. It would be my hope we could find the right items that would appeal to those in the United States to help Tito do a little better than just get by. As you can see from the pictures below, I'll have my suitcases packed with things for everyone to look at while I am home presenting mission updates. After I finish my last presentation on the 22nd of June, the items will be available for sale by either contacting me personally or through internet orders via the Green Parrot Coffee website. Along with the brightly colored sunflower and tropical fish themes, I will have some very special, high quality solid oak pieces available for sale. These pieces have some very unique details which I will not share right now. I don't want to spoil the surpise! In the meantime, enjoy the pictures, they don't really do justice to the carvings, but I think you will get the idea. Blessings - Lisa

Incredible Tropical Nature

Today was one of those wonderful work days spent in the field. The whole clinic's staff traveled to a place called El Liston, located only a few kilometers from the Guatamalan border. We were going to hold a health fair. Edmundo, the clinic's dentist would check the children's teeth and apply fluoride. Dr. Carlos Romero, the mission's physician along with the nursing staff would teach about preventative health care, water-born illnesses and when to take your child to the doctor.

I love going to El Liston. It is an hour's drive from Buenos Aires. The last thirty minutes of the drive takes one through fairly pristine tropical rainforest. It is easy to see parrots flying freely among the tall mahagony and Saint John's trees. There are streams running along the road and at one point, you have to actually cross a riverbed. It's just an amazing drive. Often times there are orquids, birds of paradise or other exotic tropical plants in bloom. Today was no exception. When I spotted some gorgeous tropical flowers very close to the road, I couldn't resist taking just a few moments to "stop and smell the flowers".

The Kindness of Strangers

Today was another not so typical day on the mountain. Jorge Molanphy of Maya Tropic Tours brought a group of ten people from Caravan Adventures (a really neat RV tour through Mexico and Central America) to the Fellow Man project for a tour. Those who toured the project last February sent donations with the people on this year's trip. They brought school supplies and medications which were greatly appreciated. I was so proud of the mission's staff. Without any prompting what-so-ever they decided to have fresh coffee and cake waiting for our guests upon arrival. Edmundo gave a very nice welcome speech in his best English touching the group's heart as he explained how good it makes him feel to work in a project where he can give beautiful smiles to the local children.



I rode down the mountain with Jorge and the group. I decided to give them a short tour of the coffee roasting project before they left as they have purchased Green Parrot Coffee in the past. There were lots of questions by the end of the tour, but one woman reached out to me personally with a message of hope. I don't know her name. I only know she was from Texas and had a warm smile. As she was getting ready to board the van she grabbed my hand and placed a little medal in my hand. She said she had carried it wherever she had gone and that now she was giving it to me. It was an oddly shaped silver medal with an angel on one side and the word "hope" stamped on the other side. I was deeply touched by her gift. I think I too will carry it wherever I go until someone else needs a message of hope passed on to them. What a blessing today turned out to be!