Good things come to those who wait…if they are waiting on the Lord.
By Gwenda L. Trapp
“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD” (Lamentations 3:25–26).
One of the hardest disciplines to develop is that of waiting. Especially when we have what we perceive is an urgent need. We may be tempted to just pull out the credit card or take out a loan instead of waiting on God to provide.
Source of Light challenges their national missionaries to walk by faith and to avoid accruing debt. There are times when they must operate without the day-to-day conveniences that many of us assume. They continue to minister—often in rural areas where roads are poor, and infrastructure is lacking. They are perfecting the discipline of waiting on God.
In Daniel Sappor’s December 2020 Christmas newsletter, a festively decorated, brand-new Nissan hard-body pickup was pictured. People were standing around the truck. They were dedicating it to the Lord for His service. The vehicle is fitted for the Lord’s work in Ghana. It has a double cab, dual airbags, air conditioning, power steering, power windows, anti-lock brakes—all the things we as Americans would appreciate if we visited Daniel Sappor!
But if someone had just read that quarter’s newsletter, without knowing the history, they would not understand the significance of this event. They might assume that his ministry has reserves laid up just for the occasion when they might need such a vehicle. But that is not the case.
On February 22, 2012, Daniel Sappor submitted a project request for a vehicle. Source of Light requires that a missionary do this as a first step before sharing a need with donors. The funds were distributed for the truck on September 23, 2020—Eight years later! What were they doing all that time? They were waiting on the Lord. They were praying. They were repairing their vehicle that had served them for 20 years. And in the end, when the old vehicle expired, they were using public transport.
But they were not idly waiting. Look at the work they were doing. They were running a school, working with rural pastors, doing COVID-19 relief, distributing Bible lessons—not only in their country—but they were acting as a hub receiving lessons from the United States to distribute to Togo, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria. They were not only trusting God for a vehicle. During this time, they were also promoting needs of pastors and teachers, student sponsorships, and repairs needed in their main office to prevent it from flooding. They were helping a village church with a building project, helping their school to get a school bus and to drill a well to provide safe drinking water for the students.
HERE IS A BIT OF THE TIMELINEFOR THEIR WAIT:
- Feb 22, 2012 – Original request submitted at Headquarters.
- 2013 Spring Reaper: “God provided for the repair of his vehicle.”
- 2014 Winter Reaper: “Funds were received to repair their aging vehicle.”
- 2018 Fall Reaper shared one of Ghana’s most urgent needs: “a replacement truck with 4WD to replace the one they’ve driven for 20 years.”
- 2019 Spring Reaper: “A reliable pickup to transport supplies to the fields is urgently needed.”
- 2019 Winter Reaper: “Daniel Sappor’s ministry in Ghana is in critical need of a truck for travel and transporting materials to their various ministries.”
- 2020 Fall Reaper: “For more than a year, the work in Ghana has not had an official vehicle for the ministry. Director Daniel Sappor reports that a vehicle is needed for travels and distribution of materials.”
- September 23, 2020 – Funds sent to Ghana from Headquarters.
- 2021 Spring Reaper: “SLM Ghana has been praying that God would provide the funds for a used pickup truck. God recently answered their prayers with a donation that enabled them to buy a new pickup. It will be a great tool in their ministry.”
What a gracious God we have! After all the waiting, when they would have settled for a sturdy used vehicle, God gave them the best!
