Since our family’s arrival to Arequipa just over a month ago we have been overwhelmed by the ways in which the missionaries who have preceded us, as well as the Peruvians, have gone out of their way to serve us and make our transition here smooth. One of the ways the church here has served us is by aiding us in our involvement in God’s kingdom here in Arequipa.
If you haven’t heard about CUDA’s community development program, you should visit the CUDA blog and read this post.
Recently, some participants in this program and other neighbors began studying the Bible. It is always our hope that CUDA beneficiaries will be interested in talking more about faith or reading the Bible, but we try not to make anyone feel pressure to do so. Instead, we talk openly about our own faith and make invitations to have personal conversations. Very often these invitations come to nothing, but sometimes a seeker will take us up on the offer.
Then there are the times when program participants invite us to share more with them. That was the case for the community development program. After we had got to know each other a little, some of the ladies in the program were chatting with me after a meeting, asking what I do in Arequipa. This is a common question, and I usually explain that I moved my family to Arequipa because we want to tell people about the kingdom of God by serving in different ways, such as through CUDA, and by sharing the Bible with people who are interested. Before I could get to an invitation, they asked if I would be willing to study the Bible with them. Those are fun situations for a missionary—when you can just say yes. This is not a fairytale story, though. These women live hard lives, and they work whenever they can. It is difficult to find a time to meet with them, so our studies are sporadic. I’m praying that we can find a regular time and really get into the story of Jesus together.
Another Bible study has come out of a loan group. After finishing the biblical business ethics class that is part of their curriculum as borrowers, a few of them requested to continue studying. Paty and I meet every Thursday with this small group to read Mark. Alcoholism afflicts one participant’s life, and we have tearfully begun to work through difficult family dynamics. Paty and I were glad to have Mark Clancy visit from Lima recently and play an encouraging role in the study. Sometimes it is hard to see they way ahead, but we trust that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. It is a blessing to be reminded of that when other Christians visit and reflect the light.
This year has been a great year for CUDA. The Living Libraries program has had a great year, as you’ve seen in our newsletters. Students have improved their ability to read and teachers are better prepared to teach future students. In the micro-loan program we surpassed our goals for both no-interest and low-interest loans. Interest in the program remains strong and we have been blessed recently to begin a new bible study with members of one borrower group. We are prayerful that more opportunities for in-depth bible studies will present themselves next year.
The reality of all development (and mission) work is that without supporters it is impossible to sustain. We have taken steps to generate funds with Cafe Connection (Arequipa), Passport Language School (Arequipa) and in 2014 we will begin selling CUDA Coffee in the USA. These business ventures will help us but they will not be able to provide all of the funding required to sustain our staff and programs. The fact is we need your help. Giving has been down this year and we find ourselves without sufficient operating funds for the coming year. We have been soliciting grants and there are still possibilities for funding in that area, but the processes move more slowly than our needs. We are asking that you, as you all have done many times in the past, decide to help.
If you want to make a donation there are a few ways you can help:
Go to www.cudaperu.org and donate to our operating funds or to a borrower with an open loan.
Go to www.purecharity.com/living-libraries and donate to the installation of one new Living Library in 2014. We want to open 3 new libraries and it takes $6000 to install just one.
You can send a check made out to “CUDA” to:
c/o Mark Adams
1200 Cedar Lane
Tullahoma, TN 37388
Once we begin selling CUDA coffee (very, very soon!) you can buy a bag, ten bags, or a subscription. We’ll be sure to mail you once everything is ready.
This isn’t the first time that we have been short on funds. Every time people have risen to the challenge, often surpassing the need. We are grateful for the way God uses you to keep us working here in Arequipa.
We have a new project in the works here in Arequipa. As some of you know we have a new team of missionary families joining Team Arequipa in the field beginning in January. One great asset the new families bring is medical knowledge. Four of the eight adults are medical professionals so we decided to capitalize on that incoming expertise and come up with a way that CUDA can help communities be healthier. To that end Alfredo has spent the past few months planning our 2014 health initiative and we are in the final stages of having it approved by the local and regional governments. We’ll report in detail on the program later but I’d like to ask you all to begin praying for our collaboration with the health-network in the district of Hunter. The doctors and administrators in charge of the network there have been very supportive and quite excited about the potential possibilities our partnership will provide. We are equally excited to begin working in Hunter and hope you’ll remember the program in your prayers.
In other news our first shipment of coffee has made it to Lima and soon embarks on its maiden voyage to Texas. As soon as possible we will be shipping fresh-roasted gourmet coffee right to your door. Though we tried our best the coffee won’t arrive in time for Christmas delivery. If you want to give the gift of CUDA coffee we plan on selling a gift certificate redeemable for individual bags or subscriptions. Once all the details are finalized we’ll send out the word via email, FB and Twitter so you can be guaranteed delivery from our first roasting session. For years you’ve bought every pound of coffee we could bring back with us and we hope you’ll support this new enterprise.
16 huge bags (151 pounds each!) of coffee in a Lima warehouse.
I wrote some time ago about the launch of CeDeTe (Center for Theological Development). The first class is now in its second trimester, which focuses on the New Testament story, self-awareness, contextualization, and the disciplines of meditation and fasting. I very much enjoy teaching, but the true satisfaction comes with the students' assimilation of the material. While on furlough, Paty and Alfredo decided to begin teaching the church from the first semester content. I was joyfully surprised. They are excited about sharing what they have learned and convinced that the church needs to understand the whole biblical narrative as the story of God's purposes.
I pray that a second class will form soon, that the program will grow and evolve, and that more and more doors will open to teach substantial biblical theology in appropriate ways in Arequipa.
Another interesting opportunity has arisen through our new community development initiative. Those of you who contributed to flood relief will be glad to hear that a few of our contacts in the area we helped have come on board for a long-term development project. After working hard to communicate the need to transition from a relief relationship to a development relationship, most relief recipients moved on. This is the norm and the reason we do not usually invest in relief. But the upside is that three motivated young mothers are now committed to collaborating with CUDA for the good of their community.
I'll leave the details of the program for another article. The new opportunity arose when I asked one of the three women, Lila, about studying the Bible. She had expressed cautious interest before I left for furlough, so I was following up to see if there was a time she would like to meet. One of the others, Irma, piped up to say that all three of them wanted to study and asked if we could just do so when we come for the development meeting. So, Alfredo and I will start the book of Mark with Lila, Irma, and Delfina this Saturday. Thank God for the opportunity. Now we sow the seeds of the kingdom and pray for growth.
Recently a new couple joined us in Arequipa for a two year stint as “apprentices.” Bethany and Andrew Gray come to us from Australia (east cost, Brisbane) after being connected via Gary Green from ACU. They are excited to work with our development programs, especially the new health initiative being planned, and to get to know the Peruvians in our church network and minister alongside them. First things first though, they’ve begun intensive language learning at our language school. Twenty hours of Spanish classes each week take a toll on you mentally, emotionally and physically. Will you pray for them to have the stamina and dedication to their studies? Advancing as much as possible in their language classes now will help set them up for a good two years of ministry here in Arequipa.
We are this close (imagine my hands held up really close together. . .) to being able to deliver fresh-roasted CUDA coffee stateside door! Once the international leg is worked out, a literal ton of CUDA coffee will head that way, with two new varieties in addition to our standard Tunki. After it arrives in Texas, we will start fresh-roasting and shipping orders around the end of November in time for Christmas. In a few weeks, we’ll send out emails with details on the coffee we have to offer as well as some gift combos that should make great Christmas gifts. Thanks for your support of CUDA in this new venture. We hope it will contribute toward sustainability for the NGO in years to come.
With 2013 drawing to a close we are getting ready for our new teammates to arrive in Arequipa. Four families (the Frouds, Morgans, Blairs and Daggetts) will begin arriving in January with the last family set to arrive around August. Recently we have been celebrating with the Morgans and Frouds as they have finalized their support with two different churches. The Frouds will be supported by the Cloverdale church in Searcy while the Morgans will partner with the Pleasant Valley church in Little Rock. As the Frouds and Morgans enter into their final 3-4 months before the move be praying for them. It is a hectic time full of change and goodbyes. Pray for their last few months spent with supporting churches; that strong relationships would be formed and solid support structures put into place. Pray for their last goodbyes to family members and for their arrival (Frouds in January, Morgans in February) in Arequipa. We are ready for them to be here!
When we decided to open a coffee shop we did our research on what coffees were available to us in Peru. Right away we weeded out anything that wasn’t certified fair-trade and organic and from there we began testing for the best tasting coffee. Well it didn’t take long to pick the winner. Tunki coffee, produced by a small producer co-op near Puno, has been an international award winner (1st place in 2010) and maintains high quality taste year over year. For almost two years now we have been purchasing Tunki coffee through for use in our cafe and for sales in the US. While we have wanted to take a trip to the valley to visit the coffee plantations and operations an opportunity just hadn’t arisen; until this month. Greg, Alfredo and I were able to arrange a trip to visit the main coffee factory in Juliaca and then travel on to Sandia (the valley) to visit one of the co-op’s headquarters and to visit with some of the owners of the hillside coffee plantations.
The journey was an interesting combination of excellent and harrowing. The harrowing part was the travel out to the valley from Juliaca. Sadly I don’t have pictures to do the description justice but just imagine yourself in 15 passenger van going downhill around sheer mountain cliffs on a one lane road while needing to pass cars or make room for cars coming up the hill. On top of that there were hairpin turns aplenty and a driver who loved to drive at breakneck speeds. We were all very thankful to arrive in the valley safely. We stayed in the small town of Massiapo where the Inambari coffee co-op is located. One of the members of this co-op submitted a sample to the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) this year and was ranked 3rd best in the world. The co-op president took us out to visit two different plantations about an hour outside of town, high up on the side of the mountains (about 1800 meters up). Though we arrived post harvest we were able to see quite a lot. Plants still laden with beans, beans laid out for drying, a newly developed area with recently planted coffee plants, and more. Back in Massiapo that afternoon we were treated to a cupping seminar by the co-op’s resident coffee specialist, Rigoberto (a licensed Q grader). He prepared five different coffee samples for testing. He talked us through how to officially cup (test) the coffee and how to officially score using international scoring guidelines. The lesson was very interesting and Greg especially enjoyed himself as he graded the coffee samples with Rigoberto.
We were so grateful to CECOVASA (the parent organization of the various co-ops) for hosting us at their factory and for arranging our guides in the valley. As we prepare to ramp up sales of CUDA coffee through exporting to the US we felt it necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the coffee we sell. This trip was an eye-opener and has given us a lot of ideas for our business going forward. Enjoy the pictures!
So far 2013 has been a very important year for CUDA. It has been year of ups and downs, a year of consolidation, adjustment, innovation and vision-casting. The year has also had its fair share of uncertainty, scrambling for solution, going-back-to-the-drawing-board, and prayerful seeking for guidance. I guess, when I put it that way, it’s been like most years in our NGO’s short history. However this year has seen some very special things happen. Things whose ramifications will be felt (and appreciated) for years to come.
First, we’ve reached a milestone in our bid for validation from the Peruvian government. We have received authorization from Peru to operate as an NGO offering technical expertise in development programs. CUDA now has its own business ID number, can officially formalize contracts and other documents with government and business entities, and can obtain visas for volunteers and workers, among other things. This was one of our primary goals for the year and it feels good to have all of this finally taken care of, though it in no way means we are done dealing with the government.
Then, once the government officially recognized us as a foreign NGO operating in Peru we had to begin the process of having our projects officially approved. To do this required a partnership with a local organization, government or otherwise, to execute the program. You may have seen the update on our Facebook page but a few months ago we signed an agreement with the regional Ministry of Education validating the Living Library program, giving us official government backing and support. Having this project approved means we can also begin to request visas for our volunteers and project collaborators instead of having to use other organizations to acquire our visas.
In regard to the vision of the organization, the potential for growth in the library program has spurred us into finalizing our NGO’s 5-year plan both for itself as an organization and for each project specifically. Forming these plans is beneficial not just from a strategy standpoint but from a fundraising standpoint also. For example, once planning/dreaming began for the library it soon became evident that the program had vast potential for growth and a need for formal funding. To that end we have begun to send letters to grant-makers detailing the program and its needs. Be in prayer for this process as we would like to push for significant growth in the program in 2014 but need the funding to come through to make it happen.
One last new development to share with you this month is that plans are in motion now to begin sending CUDA Coffee to the US in larger quantities with the goal of establishing consistent, substantial monthly sales. We know that many of you have purchased a bag or two when we’ve managed to bring it back with us and appreciate your collaboration. With greater availability we think many of you, and others, will decide to make CUDA Coffee your regular in-house coffee. As always all profits go to the NGO and its work in Arequipa. We hope to be selling coffee full-time by December.
We are continually grateful for you, our stateside supporters. We depend on your FB Likes, your Twitter retweets, supportive comments while on furlough, micro-loans made, books donated, monthly and random donations, and prayer. Put plainly we wouldn’t be here now with you. Thanks for being there for us now and for making us confident of our ability to continue our work into the future.
Library Event with Ministry of Education [Facebook gallery]
Over the past few months we’ve been able to report great news regarding the library program. Teachers are being trained, kids are learning to love reading and recently the Ministry of Education gave our program their stamp of approval. Receiving official government backing gives the Living LIbrary program real validity and will help us in the future as we begin expanding the program to new schools. Lucia has really grown into her role as director of the library program and Megan is staying busy training her in the techniques she’ll need to continue the program’s success.
At the end of June CUDA was sad to say goodbye to Neil Cantrall. Neil has worked with CUDA as an expert volunteer for about a year. With years of experience as a bilingual teacher, his contribution to the library program was invaluable. Neil and his family moved to Lima to start a job with an international school. We wish him the best and ask you to be praying for their transition to a new home, new school for their kids, and new ministry opportunity.
In other news, a new borrower group received their first no-interest loans and had their first meetings. I love sitting through the first meeting of each group because Paty always starts at the same place. She spends the first meeting having each borrower define what a business is, what a business does, and then hammers home the point that they are businesswomen (or men). Having a business is something important, something valuable. All too often our borrowers don’t see what they do as important, or as having value and that often times gets reflected back on them. So basically our first meetings are pep-rallies not only building their pride in their work but also their self-worth/esteem. I love getting to experience that first meeting with each group, and to see the foundation for all following meetings being laid.
I would like to ask that you be praying for CUDA in the area of fundraising. This is not a plea for donations (though I won’t turn anything way) but to let you know of some opportunities that have arisen. Specifically, we are submitting proposals to Rotary clubs both in Peru and in the US that could begin funding the library program’s 5 year plan. We will also be applying for other grants hoping to secure long-term funding. Be praying that both individual and group donors step in to keep CUDA running!
This month is going down in the books for me. We have waited and waited to see the first Living Library inaugurated in the public school setting, and it finally happened. It was such an exciting event for me, and I was full of emotion. We have been approved by the ministry of education to offer staff development hours to the professional teaching community in Arequipa and its surrounding districts. Last year, we were seeking out schools to begin our first library setting. Alfredo told me that we have four schools already asking to be the home of our next library for next year. The principals and teachers are eager to hear new strategies for teaching reading, and it is such a blessing to take part in a program that offers that opportunity to them.
The inauguration was a beautiful event. The minister of education, the director of staff development, the Rotary and Interact Clubs, principals from several of the surrounding schools, and one of our visiting board members, David Fann, all attended the special event along with the school and CUDA staff. I was presented with a special pin from the minister of education as a symbol of his approval of the program. The school year has gone so well thus far. We are far beyond blessed to have reached this point with the Library Program. Thanks to all of you that have supported us in this endeavor. I wanted to share some pictures from the special day:
Standing with the minister of education and the director of staff development
The minister of education handing over the signed papers to Alfredo, CUDA executive director
Lucia (CUDA Living Library director) and me posing with most of the teachers from the school from this school year
David Fann with the CUDA staff (Greg, David, Megan, Alfredo, Lucia, Abraham)
