Coffee Break

By Tammy Lancaster

When I think of the evangelism and edification of ladies in Uruguay, the first thing that comes to mind is coffee. Uruguay is a European culture, so teatime is an everyday event at 4:00 p.m. That seems to be the time when someone drops by to say hello, or stops in for a visit. I am always ready with chocolate, something baked, and coffee or tea ready to serve. In Uruguay, one of the first questions a good hostess asks is, “Would you like coffee or tea?” Most get-togethers are planned for 4:00-6:00 p.m., because that time is reserved for a coffee.

Sharing coffee is a typical, Uruguayan event. It is the thing to do at someone’s home or in a coffee shop. Several specialty coffee shops have beautiful teacups and saucers, or you can get a coffee at any time of day in the restaurants, but it costs $10–15. The concept of “Dutch treat” hasn’t made it to Uruguay, so if you invite, you pay. Having coffee in our homes is much more practical. We reserve restaurants for special occasions like an end-of-year party or a birthday celebration.

During the coffee break, we typically enjoy a scone, a croissant, a ham and cheese toasted sandwich, or something sweet with our coffee or tea. These times of sharing usually last two hours, but it’s not surprising for them to last three to four hours. You can imagine how many topics we can address in that amount of time!

In Uruguay, we use events to provide opportunities to evangelize. The ladies are interested in other cultures, and we use their curiosity to draw them to get-togethers. Valentine and Christmas card making, cookie decorating, cupcakes, craft classes, and English classes all provide an opportunity to share. Since many of us are foreigners, we share where to buy an item or ingredient, how to make foods from scratch (not many boxes, pie crusts, or mixes here), or how to clean something. We do things for each other like sew, offer computer tips, help with projects, or share whatever we have from fabric to buttons.

Cleaning is an everyday event, and many of us have hardwood floors to wax, or mold to remove. Prices are high, so we do everything we can to keep up the things we own. As we learn more about each other, we offer advice, and we encourage one another. Each week, we enjoy the company of new ladies as we celebrate a time of the year or learn how to make something new or practice English.

It’s nice to host events in our homes. Even the small things such as paintings, books, and decorations are conversation starters that allow us to share our faith. It has been our experience that the ladies really open up in a home setting as opposed to a coffee shop or church event. I host an English class and a craft class on Tuesdays, each lasting three hours. These events are open to anyone I meet and invite.

Pray for the ladies in Uruguay that their hearts will be opened, and they will see Christ’s love for them through their interaction with Christians. Pray for wisdom and spiritual guidance to know when the door is open and when to wait and just be a friend. Pray they will want to study the Bible together and learn more about what we believe. Pray the Lord will use every opportunity to sow seed so one day my friends will see the Truth and accept Christ as their Savior. Pray a new church will be started in our neighborhood of Carrasco.

About the writer: Tammy Lancaster (pictured above with Uruguayan friends) and her husband Jaimie serve as missionaries to Montevideo, Uruguay. Learn more at www.fwbgo.com.