Coffee Emphasis Week: It’s MEW, but with Lots of Coffee

Joel Halbedl

Mr. Derek Smith made a dazzling return to Dalat International School on Monday afternoon, February 29. His sharp wit and quick jokes made MEW incredibly memorable, reaching out to Dalat students in ways that many speakers have failed to do.

Mr. Smith was remembered by most as that Australian math teacher whom everyone wanted to have. He was called back to Dalat to preach and talk about how missionaries can be everywhere and do anything, even make coffee. His wife Pip also made an appearance to the stage, introducing the concept of missions at home, where she explained that not everybody has to be a missionary in a foreign country.

Their coffee business in Laos has been expanding rapidly over the past few years, and the Smiths were more than excited to share about their experiences with sharing the gospel with the Lao people and making lots of coffee. Mr. Smith’s incredible language skills left the audience in shock, marveling at how his tongue made those weird noises.

On a side note, both the Junior Class and the Worship Team worked hard to make this an enjoyable event, with the Junior Class providing snacks and the Worship Team performing before (and sometimes after) each service. As the drummer on the worship team, I really took the time to soak up the music while I was playing it, and it almost felt, at times, like I wasn’t even really moving.

In all, MEW was a highly attended and enjoyed event. Enthusiastic MEW attender Rachel Halbedl (12), when asked about what struck her the most about MEW, said, “The idea of making life a journey and a process, rather than accumulating everything in one big goal.” Rachel was referencing the speeches given by Pip Smith about taking the steps to achieve your goals in life, rather than just rushing to the finish line.