My mother in law sent me this story about a Swedish couple who came to Africa to do missionary work in the early 1920’s. It was such a moving story that I just had to share it with you.
To make a long story short, this Swedish couple came to spread the gospel to a village in what was used to be known as Belgian Congo, but the village chief wouldn’t allow them to live in the village because he was afraid that they would convert his people. So instead, they made their home about 2 miles away and only were allowed communication with a little boy from the village who would sell them chickens and eggs every week.
Then came devastating trail after devastating trail, and when the wife died 17 days after childbirth, the husband packed up and went back to Sweden leaving his new born daughter in Africa with other missionaries. He said that God had ruined his life...
The story doesn't end there. That little baby girl ended up on her own crazy journey. The missionaries that her father left her with died from malaria soon after/ Then she was given to another missionary family who brought her back to the USA, and it wasn't until later on in life that she saw a Swedish article that spoke about her parents and their time in Africa! As it turns out, the little African boy from the village became a believer and brought the village to the lord! All because the wife, Svea Flood, would talk to him about Jesus when he'd come to sell them food.
The daughter, Aggie, later went to find her father again, and when she did she found that he became so bitter towards the Lord. She then told him about the little boy from Africa, and later that day her father came back to God. How powerful?!
I can imagine that must have been so hard for him. I understand... I don’t know how I would have felt if I had given up my old life to spread the gospel in a foreign country just to have lost everything in the process and come out empty handed...
But actually, that was just it!!
He THOUGHT he left empty handed, but little did he know that the little boy was actually brought to Christ by his late wife and that he ended up leading the whole village to the lord. Not only that, but he became a superintendent of a national church with well over 110,000 baptised believers and Aggie was able to meet him years later!
Sometimes, when we plant a seed we expect immediate results, but truthfully, it doesn’t always work like that.
Let’s look at actual planting and harvesting. If I plant a string bean, I may see it sprout within a week. But if I plant an apple tree, I won’t see it come to fruition for a long time. And that’s how planting seeds in faith can work. Sometimes the seeds we sow have quick growth and produce beautiful fruit. And sometimes it takes a long time to grow, but that doesn’t mean that Yahweh didn’t care about it. In reality, He nurtures and brings these seeds to completion. Whether we are there to see it or not.
Svea Flood, the wife and missionary that died planted a seed in the heart of that little boy and it grew and it grew. And her husbands sacrifice led to the saving of so many people for God! And when a seed sown grows up and creates seeds of its own it can in turn plant more seeds! How spectacular is that??
I think a lot of us are in a season of waiting for the fruits of our labor. I get that... and it can be hard to wait, especially if you are depending on that seed. But be still and know that God is good. When we till the ground and plant the seed it doesn't go unnoticed by Him. He sees it and he takes care of it. There is a season for everything under the sun, and sometimes the seeds we sow are not for a season that we will ever come to see, but I find that beautiful.
It's easy to lose sight in Yahweh when we feel like our world is falling apart... but remember that He contends for our seeds!!