Palmful of Coffee

115 years ago, a Christian missionary in the Mizoram region of India asked a simple question that would unknowingly create a ripple effect spanning generations. He recognized that the people in this region were some of the poorest he had ever seen. It was a community in a continual and profound state of need. Scarcity was the norm, and dependency from the outside was a given.

Everyone has something to give, he taught them. "What do you have?" he asked. Rice. While people had very little, most people had rice. Through his teachings, the villagers began to shift their mindset. Instead of dwelling on what they didn't have, people started focusing on what they did have. And in this region, families had rice. The women prepared the meals for their families while the husbands worked the farms. Each time the women prepared a meal, they set aside a handful of rice. Then, on Sunday, the women would bring the rice to church and give it on behalf of their families.

What seemed like an innocent and small gesture turned into a tidal wave. The church used this rice to care for the disabled, widowed, and elderly, as well as fund ministry. Before long, the church grew exponentially. More people jumped into this new way of living, coined Bhufai Tham (Handful of Rice), and it changed everything. They were no longer as dependent upon support from outsiders. They now care for each other like never before, and the number of Christians has exploded. 115 years later, that church is still thriving. Generations of people share the story of how they were raised with the principles of Bhufai Tham.

Four years ago, my friend and mentor, Gary Hoag, stumbled into a conversation with a pastor that would spark an entirely new movement. However, instead of India, it was Malawi, and instead of rice, it was maize. Similar to the folks in northeast India, many people in Malawi live in a perpetual state of need. People are hungry, and there's a strong dependence on the West. Again, Gary echoed the question, "What do you have?" Maize, people had maize. His team, in coordination with collaborators throughout Malawi, launched Palmful of Maize.

A curriculum was developed to teach children in churches and schools about generosity and the principles of giving what they have. Every home has a bag of maize. To apply what they have learned, every child brings a palmful of maize to church on Sunday. To spread the impact, each child is challenged to encourage friends to do it, too. What happens with the maize? 80% is used to care for people (Mercy), 10% to spread the Gospel (Mission), and 10% for the growth of the church (Management). Within months, communities started meeting their own needs. Instead of having a scarcity mindset and living in a state of dependency, the vision has empowered local generous giving.

To give you a sense of the impact, Malawi has about 20 million people, of whom about 9 million are children. In just three years, this curriculum has been directly taught to 1.1 million children throughout the country, with another 2.3 million children being exposed to it. That equates to 1/3 of the children in the country! In just three short years, these principles and practices have already begun to bend the culture of Malawi. Gary and his team made a video to illustrate the impact, and the word spread globally.

Three years ago, on the other side of the world, in Colombia, a woman named Esther heard about it and started praying. She wanted to see a similar vision spread among Colombia's indigenous coffee farmers (producers of some of the best coffee in the world). She and members of Gary's team mapped out a proposal and floated it by a foundation, but it gained no traction. It just sat there, but Esther kept praying.

In January 2025, during a periodic Zoom call, Gary Hoag and I were chatting about faith, work, and family. Knowing I'm strongly tied to coffee, he mentioned this idea in passing and said he would send me some information. A few days later, I received a PDF about the vision, "Palmful of Coffee." Nobody knew this, but I kept that document open on my laptop screen for weeks. Every few days, I'd re-read it. I couldn't shake it. By April, during another one of our periodic Zoom calls, Gary asked me if I had a chance to read the proposal. He shared that the team had come together, but they still needed the resources to bring it to life.

"I'm in!" I blurted out, interrupting Gary's update. I already knew I was called to do this, but I didn't realize until many weeks later that my abrupt "I'm in!" outburst set the wheels in motion for the adventure of a lifetime. I told Gary that if resources were the key roadblock, I would personally ensure they were taken care of. I didn't know how, but if financial resources were the bottleneck preventing Esther's vision from coming to life, I needed to trust God and step into it. Two days later, the initiative was green-lit, and I had a plane ticket to Medellin, Colombia.

Last May, I spent three days with Gary, Esther, and 12 others, including coffee farmers, pastors, and other influential workers representing all three regions of Colombia's coffee triangle. Hour by hour and day by day, the vision came to life. Similar to India and Malawi, we will endeavor to create a give-what-you-have culture amongst Colombia's indigenous coffee farmers. A culturally contextual Sunday School curriculum will be created and slowly rolled out throughout the country, teaching children and families these same principles. Palmfuls of coffee will be collected and used to care for people, spread the Gospel, and grow the church. Or, as one of my indigenous Colombian friends said, "Return dignity to the coffee farmers."

May 2025 - Our team! We spent a day working on a local coffee farm just outside Medellin. It was absolutely beautiful!

As previously mentioned, I personally vouched for the resources: $150,000 over three years (approximately $50,000 per year). This month marks the end of year 1. Investing nearly every ounce of our family’s financial margin in this endeavor for the past 12 months has been one of the greatest challenges and greatest joys in Sarah and my marriage. It's forced us to make difficult decisions and live a very different life. We don't regret any of it, as we are blessed to sow seeds of generational change. The first version of the curriculum has been created and is presently being piloted by a handful of churches in one region of Colombia. I have the distinct honor of attending the final sermon of our new curriculum and the annual coffee harvest celebration in a Colombian village later today and tomorrow.

I've never been more excited about anything in my life. I regularly talk about the idea of pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone and being part of something bigger than ourselves. That's what this represents for me. This is also my invitation to you. Would you partner with us? Would you say "yes" to being part of something bigger than you and me? Are you interested in setting wheels into motion that could have a ripple effect for generations?

If so, would you consider making a financial gift toward this vision? I think it would be amazing for this Daily Meaning community to rally together to achieve something that will transform this world! It will be part of our collective legacy forever.

If you want to get in the game and make a financial gift, you can do so HERE. Gary's organization, Global Trust Partners (registered 501(c)(3)), is facilitating the financial management of Palmful of Coffee, and as such, all gifts are tax-deductible. After you click the link above, just tick the box "Palmful of Coffee Colombia" to designate your gift.

If you want to learn more about Handful of Rice, you can watch a short video HERE.

If you want to learn more about Palmful of Maize, you can watch a short video HERE.

If you have any questions or want more information, please e-mail me at thedailymeaning@gmail.com.

Thanks in advance for your consideration and partnership. This is going to be a beautiful journey together!

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