Confessions of your friendly neighborhood barista

I just love people.

Watching people, that is. 

Have you ever thought about how funny people are? One of my favorite things to do (although admittedly very creepy) is just sit and watch the behavior of those around me. My job as a barista at our campus coffee shop affords me the perfect opportunity to observe human behavior in my customers.

After 4 semesters behind the bar at McConn, I've watched a lot of people. The funny thing about people is, they tend to fit into groups. If you've ever been a barista or worked in some kind of service industry, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Every waiter, cashier, barista, or lunch lady subconsciously (or even consciously) sorts their customers into specific categories.

I can laugh at these groups.

I'm allowed to laugh at these funny people.

Why?

Because I have been all of them at one point or another. I was a customer before I was a barista, and I continue to be a customer in several other areas of life. You have been all of these people, too, if you're honest with yourself. So, it's not a malicious kind of laughter. It's enjoyment of the general quirks and idiosyncrasies in everyone that make life so interesting.

Here we go.

The Barista Confessions, part 1

"The Timepiece"

     These customers are so dependable, you could time your shift around them. They grace your coffee shop with their presence at the same time every day, with the same order, and generally the same attitude. They are more predictable than Indiana weather or the quality of Baldwin's food and nearly as consistent as Dr. Lo calling the student body "Dear Ones" in chapel. Depending on who the person is, they might be the highlight of your day or the thing you dread most about coming in to work.

When you see a Timepiece approaching the register, you already had their order entered in to the system 10 seconds ago, because it never changes and it never will.

If it ever does....well, let's not consider that situation. The world just might fragment into shatters of reality.

"The Stiff Arm"

     With their no-nonsense attitude, these customers charge the register with an apparent lack of working elbow joints as they hold out their student ID for me to swipe before they've even uttered one syllable. My introductory greeting is overrun by their directly delivered and well-rehearsed order. When you know how the system works and you know what you want, common pleasantries are inconsequential. 

I like to think that the Stiff Armers are losing an internal battle against the need to purchase caffeine - they need to order fast before they can reason themselves out of the decision, and I am the enabler, fueling the legally addictive habits of the students populating our campus.

"The Live-In"

     I am entirely convinced that there are students on this campus who do not actually go to this school. Either that or they simply skip their classes all of the time. How else do you explain a person who comes to a coffee shop before it opens in the morning and stays until closing time at night? One of these days, I would like to conduct surveillance on the student center overnight and catch one of these creatures sneaking a mattress behind the bar to sleep.

Now, there are two different breeds of the Live-In.

The first is the Hibernator. This sub-species of the Live-In remains in one chair at one table for hours at a time. On occasion, I will surreptitiously pass by the table of a Hibernator to ensure that they are still breathing. It would, of course, reflect poorly on my company if a customer were to expire in our dining area without anyone noticing.

The second is the Migrator. This type of Live-In is unsatisfied to remain in one spot for too long, but floats from table to table, taking advantage of the many relationships they have established in order to secure a permanent residence in the area.

"The Jesus-Gazer"

     You can spot this one a mile away. 

Almost literally a mile away, because they hover a significant distance away from the register. Just close enough to make you aware of their presence, but far enough away that it's not yet socially acceptable to engage them in casual conversation or, worst of all fates, ask them "What can I get for you?" before they have fully decided.

Even after deliberating for several minutes, they cautiously approach the register and stand wide-eyed and open-mouthed in front of the counter, staring at the menu screens mounted from the ceiling as if Jesus had just ascended from behind me and currently occupies the space above my head. They stay that way long enough that they just might experience the second coming. 

The Jesus-Gazer is faced with a dilemma - to order the safe, pedestrian sounding, and familiar White Mocha, which is unlikely to disappoint or present with any surprises, or to be bold and order the more esoteric and mysterious London Fog or Midnight Grae, which, despite one's mention of foreign cities and the other's eccentric spelling, give you absolutely no hint as to what will actually be inside of your drink. 

What inevitably follows is one of my favorite questions: "Can you tell me what I want?"

While your friendly neighborhood barista has many unique talents that could potentially pass as super-powers, reading minds is not one of them. 

I do, however, have the ability to control minds it seems. Whatever drink I ultimately recommend is almost invariably their final coffee decision.

With great power comes great responsibility, Peter Parker.

     

This is the Flip Side

Every once in a while, a moment happens in a person's life when everything changes.

Sometimes, a person can feel the presence and power of God so keenly and intimately that the hair on the back of his neck stands up and tears involuntarily stream down his laughing, uplifted face.

The world explodes in a revelation of understanding, and you cannot comprehend how you didn't see it before. The facts in your head didn't change, but the way you perceive them made a fundamental shift in perspective, like the difference between black and white and color.

Suddenly, my picture of heaven and eternal worship sounds like a cacophony of Spanish, Creole, English, and hundreds of languages harmoniously interwoven and looks like a tapestry of beautifully contrasting skin side by side with arms and hands lifted in praise to Jesus.

Welcome to the DR, April.
Welcome to a world where the reality of how small and insignificant you actually are is acutely evident, and yet the enormity of God's incomprehensible love for you is reinforced to such a degree that you cannot force your face to stop smiling. My heart was so full that I literally could not hold it in. Every part of me longed to spill love out on other people.
That is the way to live!
Wow.

Would you like to take a minute or two and hear about what happened?
Here we go.

Saturday, March 2 - Day 1
Travel is both exciting and exhausting.
Day 1 started at 2:00 in the morning in Indiana and didn't end until 9:00 at night on the Students International base in Jarabacoa. 1.5 hours in a van to Indianapolis, 2 hours to Newark, 4 hours in an airport waiting room, 4.5 hours over the Atlantic ocean, and 3 hours in a bus up through the island mountains equals 20 worn out and sleep deprived travelers.
Thankfully, our hosts knew just what we needed and sent us straight to bed.
My thoughts as the day ended:
"I felt helpless and stupid, not sure of what I was doing or where I was going. I've never had problems communicating with other people before. I've never been in a place where the primary language was not my own. It's awkward and uncomfortable. I don't think I ever really thought it through before. 
I feel very out of place in this world where nothing makes sense, funeral houses are painted in light baby blue, and dozens of people cram into the back of a pick-up truck while trash swirls around the tightly winding streets."

Sunday, March 3 - Day 2
Part of our team went to a Haitian church for Sunday worship. I couldn't understand a word anyone was saying, but the joy on the people's faces as they sang praise to God was so infectious!
In the afternoon, we had a crash course on the history of the Dominican and Haitian people and learned more about the culture of the country
"It's been a day of meeting new people and making new friends.
I just love people. I love learning about others and connecting with them in new ways. My heart was so full today. It's not about me, guys, it's not about me."

Monday, March 4 - Day 3
"Birds sing, roosters crow, and cars rattle past on the busy road as the sleepy tropical sun rises behind the mountains, illuminating the palm trees and overcast skies of this beautiful island. The air is cool and fresh, refreshing and invigorating as the breeze blows across the bare skin on my arms. I can hear the kitchen staff chattering happily among themselves in Spanish, and the delicious scent of breakfast wafts across the air, tempting my empty stomach.

As I sit and ponder my surroundings and circumstances, my heart is full to bursting with wonder and gratitude. Who am I that God would see fit to bless me with such an experience and adventure as this?"
The first day of the week brought an exciting start as I met my site leader, her translator, and the four other students I would be working with closely over the next five days. My site leader runs a community health clinic in Jarabacoa, providing health care to people who cannot afford the services of a hospital. In addition to an office in the city, she also runs traveling clinics out in the outlying rural mountain communities. We stayed in her office for the day, getting to know each other and seeing a few patients throughout the day.

Tuesday, March 5 - Day 4
My site group traveled up the mountain to our first rural clinic for the week.

"As we bounced along in the jeep with our heads brushing the ceiling and fearing every minute that a piece would fall off the bottom of the car, I was struck by the beauty of the land and the poverty of the people. The mountains are breathtaking - green and glorious with a wide variety of tropical plants and trees, ever changing in color under the influence of the piebald sky. There were houses made of wood slabs, covered in dirt and mud, standing adjacent to stables made of cardboard. The whole scene was straight out of a picture and my mind had a difficult time reconciling the discrepancies between the lifestyle of these people and my own way of life back home."

I struggled a lot with the language on our first day out in the mountains.
So many times I felt completely lost and frustrated at my inability to communicate. Even though the day was draining, in the end it was so rewarding as I made progress in understanding others and making myself understood. There is nothing quite like the feeling of seeing the light in someone else's eyes when they comprehend what you are trying to say in your mangled version of their language, your language, and plenty of universal hand gestures.
Tuesday ended with a powerful worship night as God spoke to all of our hearts, whispering to us when we were raw and so ready to hear his voice.

Wednesday, March 6 - Day 5
In the middle of the week, we set up clinic in a Haitian community.

Wednesday holds a very special place in my heart because of our very last patient of the day. She asked my site leader and me if we would pray with her. "Rachel prayed in English and then she [the patient] prayed in Spanish. It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I was crying by the end. This woman, this beautiful woman who lives in another world, was praying for me, connecting to the very same god that I worship and after whom I seek. We prayed in different languages and from different backgrounds, but he understood us both and loves us both equally with the same intensity and passion."

In the evening, we were given the incredible opportunity of spending a night in the community, eating dinner in the house of a Dominican family. The dinner we ate is known as the "Dominican flag," the most popular meal in the DR, containing most of the food staples in that country - white rice, beans, chicken, and yucca. We also had cabbage salad and fried eggplant.
IT. WAS. DELICIOUS.
Seriously some of the best food I've ever had in my life.
Their house was amazing. The father of the family we visited built it himself, "poco un poco" for sixteen years.
"Our dinner was such a blessing to me...we played Dominoes to end the night, with lots of laughter and joy. Carlos seranaded us on the guitar in Spanish, and I was overjoyed to feel this connection with such a wonderful family with all the love of God in their hearts.
     We are all people. We are all valued in the heart of God. I am happy. I am so happy.
          And humbled.
               And blessed."

Thursday, March 7 - Day 6
Our last day of traveling clinic.
It was a great day of Spanish practice, and I was amazed at how much progress I made from Monday to Thursday! By the end of the day on Thursday, I was holding very simple (and, I'm sure, painfully slow) conversations with some of the patients while they waited to see Rachel.
We made a house visit to one of the patients in the town - an elderly woman who is one of the most generous, giving, and joyful people I've ever met. Even though she has next to nothing, she kept offering us everything she had!

Our entire site group at clinic on Thursday

Friday, March 8 - Day 7

"In the morning, we took an open flatbed truck up to a waterfall on the side of the mountain. The sight was absolutely astounding, and the drive up was so memorable - standing up in the bed with the breeze blowing in my face and hair, surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of the Dominican... We spent the morning reveling in the beauty of God's creation. I climbed up the side of the waterfall along the rocks to sit at the top and take it in. I had forgotten just how much I love to be close to creation, clinging to the rocks and feeling their security, my insignificance, and God's power."

In the afternoon, we traveled back Jarabacoa, to see patients there in Rachel's office. I was sad to see the day end, because it meant the end of the week and the end of my time working with patients in the clinic, but I truly believe that God will bring me back to this country someday, so it is not goodbye so much as it is see you again, God willing.

Saturday, March 9 - Day 8

You can never have enough mountains.

"The glory and splendor of God is so tangibly evident through the beauty of his creation. Our entire team went hiking in the mountains this morning to another waterfall along the river. As the water flowed constantly down the hard, unyielding rock, my heart rejoiced in the moment. I felt so free, so ALIVE, so passionate. The roaring water filled my ears. The pinks, greens, blues, and purples of the rocks danced across my vision, and the rough caresses of the boulders kissed my skin as I scampered across them like an insect in comparison. Jumping into the deep, clear pool, my breath caught in my throat from the shock of the cold water...I wanted to laugh, cry, sing, and dance all in the same moment. I stood on the pinnacle of a boulder and felt my own heart beating in my chest and pounding in my ears. What a powerful reminder of my life, and the frailty of it! 

Ah, rejoice in the Lord, oh my soul! Praise his holy name! The rocks cry out in praise of you, they declare the glory of God!"

We walked around the city in the evening, eating at a Dominican restaurant to end the day, and preparing to leave early the next morning.

Sunday, March 10 - Day 9

Another long day of travel. Day 9 started at 7:20 in the morning in Jarabacoa and ended at 12:30 in the morning the next day in Indiana. My mind was considerably more full than at the beginning of this adventure and my heart rejoiced in all the ways that God revealed himself to me and all the lessons that he taught me throughout the week.

Nine days was all it took.

Nine days when everything changed.

I feel like I've said so much, but I also feel like I haven't said anything at all. I could talk for hours and still not fully explain all the thoughts that I have about everything that happened.

Maybe that's okay. Maybe it will motivate you to go and see for yourself.

The world is a book...

...and those who do not travel read only a page.

Here I am.
On the eve of World Adventure #2.

Many of my friends and family know this, but for those of you who missed the memo on being constantly updated about every detail of my life, I will be escaping from my school-shaped prison traveling to the Dominican Republic for 10 days with a group from my university to work with a missions organization in that country.

Hard to believe it's been less than a year since my trip to the United Kingdom. Two overseas trips in 12 months? This a good pace; I'd like to keep this up for, oh, say forever?
Seriously though, I am blown away by God's generosity and provision toward this young, inexperienced college student with limited resources.

My first expedition out into the world was one of the best periods of my life - my thinking, vision, and attitudes changed; I grew in maturity and as a child of God; I made life-long friends and connections. That initial global contact in the United Kingdom reminds me of the feeling you get when you touch something unexpectedly cold. Fingertips brush the surface, and the icy chill travels like lightning up the arm, across the neck, down the spine, and out through the toes, heightening every sense and imbuing life and energy. It shocks you straight out of your stupor and oblivious ignorance.

I want to think that the same will happen with this trip to the Dominican. However, I have no idea how it will happen or in what form. It would be futile and ridiculous to compare the Dominican with the United Kingdom. Not only are the countries themselves vastly different, but the reasons and motivation behind my excursions are fundamentally different. So, I am attempting to enter this [second world adventure] with an open mind and malleable heart, praying that my Jesus will use me to impact other people, and be eternally changed in return.

Every once in a while, I come across a verse that stands up from the pages of my Bible and slaps me across the face. My cheek is still red and stinging from the open palm of Luke 10:9 -

"Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'"

Um, wow. My life's mission, purpose, and desires beautifully, simply, and concisely wrapped up and snugly tucked in to one short verse like a breakfast burrito of good thoughts and Jesus.

     1.) Take care of other people

     2.) Proclaim Jesus and his kingdom

That's all I want to do in my life. That is my passion and my purpose. Love on other people and heal them.

Heal their {bodies} with my hands.

   Heal their {hearts} with my words.

      Heal their {SOULS} with the hope of a Savior that I carry within.

I cannot imagine a better life than that. 

Pray for me.

Please.

In these next ten days, pray that Jesus will bring healing to the people around me. Pray that the kingdom of God will be near to those people. Pray that I will live, breathe, speak, and act this kingdom of God.

When I get back, I'll let you know how it went.

Catch ya on the flip side,

April