The other day while I was out helping a visitor pick up an order of PNG coffee straight from the roasters I had a neat experience. Upon placing our order for 6 kgs of coffee we struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was at the factory. It turns out he has been involved in the fair trade process in PNG from the beginning and has done a lot of travelling especially into Europe, which meant that he was quite knowledgeable about geography, and even knew where Canada is! As we continued our conversation I told him that I was not visiting but living in Goroka, to which he asked if I was with SIL or New Tribes; two other mission organizations that have a presence here in PNG. When I responded that we were here working with MAF his face just lit up. He immediately asked my husbands name and shared that he is from the Marawaka valley and MAF has been flying in to help the many villages in his area for years. He shared that they have helped carry out many loads of fair trade coffee over the years. He was also quick to say, just imagine when you are in Canada drinking your fair trade coffee it is possible that MAF helped to haul it out of the bush places where it is grown.
I must say I was a little bit proud of my hubby and all that MAF is here to help with!
Mel for the Marshes