World’s Best Coffee

The movie “Elf” is one of my Christmas favorites; it’s the story about a naïve elf that goes to New York City in search of his father. He is a fish out of water in the big city. I probably enjoy it so much because, as a missionary, I can relate to all his culture shock and the wonder he experiences in his new and strange environment.

In one scene Elf walks by a “hole in the wall” coffee shop with a sign in the window that says “World’s Best Coffee”. He enters the shop applauding and says exuberantly, “You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody! It's great to be here!”

Well, you can tell by the appearance of the diner that it was definitely not the place to find the “World’s Best Cup of Coffee”. Yet it is my experience that sometimes you actually can find the best things in the least likely places.

The best cup of coffee that I ever drank was not from Starbucks. I drank it this past August in the mountains of Haiti in a little wooden church with a tin roof and a dirt floor. We had traveled three hours on incessantly rough roads in the back of a “Tap-tap” which is a Haitian pick-up truck with skinny benches in the truck bed for passengers. The journey was not without adventure. At one point, we were stuck in the mud and the bathroom break not at all conventional. So when we arrived, dirty from the dust on the road, and worn out from the bumpy trail; we were elated to hear that the local church had prepared bread and coffee for us. My response was just as exuberant as the Elf of the movie.

As wonderful as the coffee was for me that day, even more special was the ministry to the children. The church was completely packed. Some of the children found holes in the slats of the walls of the church and looked in from the outside so that they could see the program.

So in this season, when family and friends gather to share a warm cup of coffee with Christmas cookies or Grandma's AMAZING apple pie, I find myself reflecting on the truth in the World's Best Cup of Coffee. It seems that the babe in the manger was just another example of how the best gift of all was found in the most unexpected set of circumstances. After all, it took a whole host of angels to make sure the shepherds would believe the story and a SUPER nova star to guide the three wisemen. So my Christmas wish for today and in the coming year is that we will remember the lesson of the Worlds Best Cup of Coffee, that sometimes the best things in life are found in the least likely places.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!