Yesterday I put a post on Facebook (and later took it down) jokingly mourning the fact that my American coffee and Jolly Ranchers in last years Christmas barrel ran out.
They DO Have coffee in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but its either Folgers and Maxwell House, which for a coffee snob like me doesn’t really count 🙂
The truth is all missionaries have at least one thing that they genuinely miss from the States. It can be something as important as relationships with family or friends, or in my case something as trivial as proper coffee.
It is frustrating that you cannot get what you want on the mission field sometimes, but its also a blessing from God. Because it shows you many of the “necessary” items are things you can actually live without.
To describe it another way, Americans have a very convenient life. If something runs out, all you need to do is take a quick trip the local Wal-Mart. Being able to replace things conveniently is a huge blessing, but it means you don’t have to live without things for very long.
On the mission field however you often cannot replace an item till November when the Christmas Barrel comes in!
Please understand I’m not feeling sorry for myself here. In fact, that is the blessing because doing without something like good coffee for five-months shows it’s a “luxury” and not a “necessity.”ed
That doesn’t mean we deny ourselves every luxury in life, but we are willing to call it a luxury instead of something absolutely necessary
By God’s Grace in November I’ll get a new shipment of American Coffee that will last till the Summer of 2020. Till then I will enjoy my Maxwell Hose, and thank God for meeting my daily needs, even if He doesn’t provide luxuries
Johnhwilburn.com 
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