Do all ministries have to LOOK like ministries?

With El Búho Café in Hidalgo, Nuevo León, we know that the answer is “no.” Listen as Jan Waldron shares how this little coffee shop at the base of Potrero Chico is more than just a coffee shop and how God has shown himself faithful in so many ways over the years.

El Búho Café is a nonprofit coffee shop located in Hidalgo, Nuevo León in Northern Mexico. But it’s not just your typical coffee shop. This café ministers to a very specific group of individuals: rock climbers. Climbing enthusiasts come all over the world to Hidalgo because it sits at the bottom of Potrero Chico, a sport climbing mountain boasting the longest climbing walls in the area. It is through this café that Jan Waldron and volunteer missionaries are able to use coffee and conversation to share Jesus. They hold events, Bible studies and more there.

In addition to ministering to climbers, all the profits from the coffee shop have gone to building a middle school in Hidalgo where there previously was not one. The school was completed in 2020 but the emergence of Covid impacted attendance. Despite that, the shop has supported the school’s principal since opening and is open this year. They teach students, hold events, host a community soup kitchen, and more. Visiting rock climbers (both Christian and non-Christian alike) have had and taken the opportunity to help run activities and the soup kitchen. These occasions have served to both love people in the community, as well as those vacationing as climbers, and to show them all the love of Christ.

“It’s not my job to convict of sin. It’s not my job to right all the wrongs. My job is to love [people]… and that’s not hard.”

Jan Waldron

What You’ll Learn

  • Why the name El Búho Café is controversial
  • Ministering to rock climbers in Mexico through El Búho Café
  • Building a middle school in Hidalgo
  • Climbing/climber culture and lifestyle
  • Potrero Chico: a big wall sport climbing destination
  • Spiritual backgrounds of climbers
  • Seeing things through different eyes
  • Reaching out and not being insulated as believers
  • Jan’s journey: overcoming the dark time of discovering her (then) husband’s infidelity and departure from his faith

About Jan Waldron

Jan Waldron is a missionary and teacher who runs a ministry to rock climbers in Northern Mexico. Through El Búho Café and the school the coffee shop has built, the Gospel has been shared with both climbing enthusiasts and the people of Hidalgo, Nuevo León alike. In addition to teaching English and running the café, Jan hosts the podcast, Tales from El Buho. Tales from El Búho centers around the stories and experiences of rock climbers, global nomads, and sports enthusiasts from around the world.

About From the Forefront

From the Forefront, interviews with those of the front of Christian missions and ministry. Learn about leadership, life lessons, and more with the monthly, long form podcast brought to you by the creators of the Leadership Moment Podcast, FXMissions.

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