God gives the growth
The instructions on the back of a seed packet make sowing and reaping sound so easy. Plant the seeds in the proper place. Water them. Wait “x” number of days. Enjoy your fruit.
As anyone who has actually tried to garden knows, it’s not so simple. The seed packet forgets to mention the fickle weather. It says nothing about the work it takes to develop nourishing soil and to protect baby plants from weeds and worms or almost-ripe fruit from squirrels and birds.
Producing fruit takes work. Perhaps it’s a labor of love, but it’s labor nonetheless.
Missionaries know this. Though a church plant generally goes through the stages shown above, no one chart can capture every bud on the path toward belief, every unusual surge in growth, every pest that threatens to steal God’s fruit, every cluster of changed lives.
Thankfully, we rely on the God who cultivates human souls, planting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
SEND International’s annual report— From Seeds to Harvest
—highlights God’s work around the world, from new believers passing on their faith in Poland to Biblical values education spreading in Africa, to incredible transformation in an unreached community in Thailand. This online-only annual report
includes articles and videos, all designed to encourage us to praise God, for he is the one who gives the growth.
• Learn about SEND International's mission, focus, and values.
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