written by Hope Garcia, Back2Back D.R. Co-Director
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. Isaiah 61:11
It was early morning in the beginning of 2023, and my husband and I were praying and lamenting together for the DR site. “Another year has passed, and it feels like other ministries are flourishing, and we are still tilling the same ground.” It was a heavy feeling, but how much of it was truth and how much was just a lie the enemy wanted us to believe?
Our frustration soared high and discouragement was close at its heels. Once emotions settled, a simple picture came into focus. I saw a single seed planted beneath the soil, no sign of it from above the ground. The dirt covering it remained hard and dry, but below the surface the seed implanted a single root. It grew downward, slowly branching out until it was stable. Now anchored to the ground, it was absorbing water, sending a shoot toward the light. “These are root years,” the Spirit impressed on my heart. “There must be health below the surface before the seed can bear fruit.”
Immediately, my mind flooded with the roots we’d established over the last four years:
- A well situated site location, staff housing and transportation
- Strong local church relationships and involvement
- A growing understanding of the needs, culture, and customs
- Life-giving friendships with other missionaries and locals
- Ongoing spiritual maturity and leadership ability developed through everyday struggles
- Connection with a like-minded ministry in a marginalized community
- The development of DNA in our team- working through financial processes, and learning about human resources in the DR
- Beginning the process of becoming a local NGO, and hiring our first local staff member
These are roots we can trust will eventually bear healthy fruit. The words of Zechariah 4:10 floated through my mind: Do not despise these small beginnings for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. I had been looking for flashy fruit above ground. In the midst of searching, I hadn’t noticed the health and stability growing beneath my feet.
We have a natural monument here in Santiago- a 1,000 year-old Ceiba tree, standing at 180 feet tall and 100 feet wide. When you take it in, it’s nearly impossible to remember this natural giant was birthed from a small seed underground. We plant the seed, and tend to it, lifting prayer daily for the tree that’s to come. It could never have grown to this immensity if it didn’t first focus on its root system. In Isaiah 61: 4 it says, They will become Oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated, they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
We want to see children and families in the Dominican Republic grow into giant oaks (or Ceiba trees). We want to see generations restored that poverty and sin have tried to ruin. More than anything, we want to see the display of the Lord’s splendor.
May the Spirit remind us the first step to this fruitful harvest is hidden under the ground as a small seed, with a stable root. When things feel fruitless, we can trust God is still working on what we cannot see. And may the children and families of the Dominican Republic (and all of us watching) trust in His perfect timing.