Perseverance & Patience – Acorns & Foundations
I don’t think I’d make a very good farmer. Even back in the day when practically everyone was a farmer, I think I would have found a way to work another profession. As much as I want to, I’m no good at early mornings, I get bored easily, and I don’t think I’d get much pleasure or satisfaction from watching plants grow. Still, I really appreciate the patience and prayer needed to plant and harvest crops, and how much there is for me to learn from patient and prayerful seed-sowers.
A few months ago, Sloba invited me to a monthly pastor prayer breakfast with 6-7 Novi Sad pastors. I didn’t realize it until I arrived, but it was a huge honor to be there; outsiders and foreigners have never been invited. While I can’t say I felt extremely welcomed and invited in by everyone there, two pastors in particular were incredibly hospitable: Brada and Jovica. Despite only knowing them for two weeks, both of them have become good friends and are already shaping Julie and I’s understanding of culture, church, and our focus in ministry here.


Jovica next to him, Sloba in the orange shirt.
Both Brada and Jovica have been pastoring in the Balkans since the 90’s; Brada primarily in Serbia and Jovica primarily in Montenegro. Both are the definition of trailblazers and pioneers: Brada was a major figure in pastoring through the wars and the heroin epidemic in Serbia (you can read more about the history of heroin in Serbia here) and Jovica was the second Protestant pastor in modern history in Montenegro. As you can imagine, it’s pretty humbling to sit and drink coffee and ask question after question of men who have pastored and persevered through immense difficulty for Jesus’ sake.
Yesterday, I got coffee with Jovica at my favorite coffee shop (Filipenko: check it out here) and he affirmed a lot of what I’ve been feeling and sensing here: in general, the church in Serbia is largely ineffective in loving, serving, and sharing Jesus with people. Of course there are wonderful exceptions: hardworking, hard-serving Jesus followers who have faithfully loved their cities for decades (many of them are present in the above picture). But the realities of life, culture, and the work of the enemy here has blinded people to Jesus and His church and the work here can feel bleak and difficult.
People here are incredibly dismissive and skeptical of religion and often for good reason: ask anyone to describe an Orthodox priest and the stereotypical answer is ‘a corrupt drunk.’ Protestant churches are considered cults, and even mentioning the name of Jesus will often brand you as someone to avoid. As Jovica told me, it takes a miracle for someone to actually go to your Sunday service. And I (humbly) don’t think many churches are preparing or equipping their people to do the work of ministry: to serve their neighbors, to do good while suffering for it, and to share both the gospel and their lives with others.
When we first considered moving to Serbia, another missionary couple who had been here 3-4 years gave us a sobering warning: they told us that if either Julie or I regularly fight depression then we should pick another country. They shared that every ministry worker who spends more than a few months here lives with a mild fog of depression in their daily lives, and if that’s already a struggle for us it would be best if we served elsewhere.
At the time, I didn’t put much thought into their counsel. However, here we are years later, and while I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m depressed, I’ve had to fight harder than I ever have for perseverance, patience, and faith that God is working through us. I read about Paul working night and day in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:9) and think, “I don’t have the endurance to work night and day right now.” I think about Daniel praying 3 times every day (Daniel 6:10-12) and think, “every time I try to pray for longer than 20 minutes I fall asleep.”
Still, I have hope. I’m overwhelmingly grateful for the examples here of men and women who have endured and shepherded for decades: Sloba and Ceca, Brada, and Jovica. After coffee with Jovica yesterday, I took Lucy to the river to sit and pray and started thinking about planting seeds. Sometimes God has you planting bamboo and the fruit of your labor is immediate. And sometimes you plant acorns and the odds of seeing the fruit of your labor is extremely small. It might be 20, 50, or even 100 years before what you’ve planted matures and shows fruit.
I want bamboo. I want fast fruit. I want the church in Philippi or Ephesus. I want the speed and fruit of Mountain View College Ministry: meet 500 freshmen in August, bring 100 of them to your September retreat, and baptize a dozen before the year is over.
That’s (probably) not what we’ll see in Serbia. The reality is we’re probably planting oak trees. And I want to learn contentment in slow growth, especially when we may work for years as seed-sowers, not harvesters. I want to be disciplined, perseverant, long-suffering, prayerful, and patient. And like Paul, I want to take the time to lay the right foundation so that others can build on what we build 20, 50, and 100 years from now (1 Corinthians 3:10).
We’re so grateful for your support, encouragement, and prayers. Thanks for striving and fighting with us.
Finally, dear brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you. 2 Thessalonians 3:1
A friend of mine in Denver was teaching on perseverance and asked me for my top perseverance quotes. Easy question, as I’ve been thinking about them a ton over the past 10 months. I thought I’d share with you:
- Galatians 6:9 – And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
- 1 Corinthians 3:10 – According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care of how he builds upon it.
- 1 Peter 4:19 – Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” Trust God | Do Good sermon link here
- “It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.” – Julius Caesar
Micah is a Crossway Network church planter on mission in Novi Sad Serbia with his wife and family while also serving, encouraging, and equipping youth and church leaders throughout the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
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