Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit. —Moliere
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. —Corrie ten Boom
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in (wait upon) the Lord will renew their strength. The will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. —Isaiah 40:30-31
Are you like me? Do you want things to just happen quickly? Most of us have grown up in a society that has taught us to look for immediate results and gratification, to get our way right away. This ‘need’ for quick, immediate, ‘right now’ results comes with some challenges for sure; especially as many times things of great importance and value take longer to achieve and attain. To see good results sometimes requires a long duration of time to lay a good foundation before the desired outcome can be achieved. One of the biggest challenges caused by the need to wait though, is to figure out what to do in the meantime, while having to wait for what we are longing for, working for, or trying to get done.
As I think about my life, the things I am right now wanting the most to happen the quickest are things for justice, provision, and blessing to the precious and needy ‘least of these’. I (Jesse) long greatly for the day to be here when we at Abogar shall see precious children truly being rescued and raised into Christ-centered homes, family, and education. I want it to be right now! However, we find ourselves in a time of laying a good foundation; one that will take at least a year and a half to two years to really get Abogar established here in Guatemala.
Being honest, as a leader of a nonprofit, I often feel a lot of weight and expectation for results to be shown to our donors and supporters. Whether a self-imposed weight, or truly a weight that may be held over Abogar, this weight for results and products is heavy! While this may be one measure of the success of a ministry, I have come to learn of another way to see success in ministry… the laying of a great foundation! This part of the process leading up to results and products should not, can not, and for Abogar will not be rushed or hurried along. While it may be difficult finding investors and donors in the foundational stages of building something great for God’s glory, it is important to remain undeterred to lay the best foundation possible for a successful ministry. Like the quote above states, we seek to be a ‘tree’ that will bear the best fruit possible.
In the meantime I am living as a missionary here in Guatemala… learning Spanish, learning the national laws that deal with children, and working to move Abogar forward for God’s glory… I am reminded of the long process and time that it took to get Abogar established in the United States. Now starting again from what feels like square one, to establish the presence of Abogar here in Guatemala, I am prepared for the long haul. It looks like it will take between a year and a half to two years, minimum, to get Abogar well established here in Guatemala legally and institutionally. This leaves for lots of time hanging in the meantime.
So, in the meantime, I and Abogar are committed to loving and serving children here well! My first three months were full of chauffeuring precious children to and from school, church, doctors’ appointments, and court hearings; as well as working around the children’s home to fix up the facilities and buildings. In my first four months here, I have been discerning God’s call for me to be willing to be here longer than my initial commitment of a year. Recently I transitioned and began volunteering at a different ministry, Casa Bernabe, where I am serving as an English Professor for 10 different classes! This position fills 25 hours of each week for me. I use my off time to continue the language learning, law learning, and working to move Abogar forward. All of this time, the meantime, is and will continue to be used to love on and serve the children of Guatemala and Latin America, by establishing a great foundation for Abogar here in Guatemala. In this meantime we will also be investing in education for children who otherwise would not be able to afford and/or receive it!
While it is not the immediate results I, and many others, would like to have, I am certain that being here in Guatemala, laying a good foundation for Abogar, will help us to develop our model well here; so that then we will be able to expand our outreach and impact throughout Latin America! Will you join us in the patient waiting in this meantime? Consider being a part of our prayer team, and/or our financial support team! Contact us at info@abogarim.org if you would like to join us, on either or both our financial and prayer support teams. As we continue growing and developing our ministry here in the meantime, waiting upon the Lord, we will continue loving and serving kids well.
