From one garden to many

Gardening is a long and tedious process, but in order to even get started, what do you need?

Land, of course, is necessary — but not just any land: one set in a quality environment with quality soil. Then there are the tools needed to start the gardening process, like shears, gloves, a hoe, a garden hose…you name it. A fence is a must, as well, to ensure the garden stays safe from pests and vandalism.

Even with all these pieces, though, it’s still not considered a garden. It’s missing the key ingredient: a seed, which won’t get very far by itself without the hydration it gets from water or the energy from the sun. Still though…there’s something missing…something to plant the seeds and nurture them…something like a farmer.

When God created Adam, as told in Genesis, He bestowed upon Adam the responsibility of caring for the garden that He had already created. Could God have perfectly planted and nourished His garden into a stunning work of art all by Himself? Yes. But did He? No.

Adam was made to be a farmer, to care for what God had already provided. That responsibility stuck with him even after he got himself and his wife expelled from the garden. He walked out into a world, wife in tow, and saw an endless spread of land waiting to flourish.

God didn’t just throw them out into the wild to create gardens all by themselves, though. What He did instead was provide them with the seeds they needed to grow both their family and their gardens.

God provided the farmer the land needed, but He also provided the seeds and the water and the sun. This process applies literally and figuratively. Adam was created to be the farmer of the land, and we were created to be the fishers of men and farmers of souls.

“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” ‭‭- 1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In this 1 Corinthians passage, the Apostle Paul is addressing the Corinthian church after its people proclaim to be followers of Paul and Apollos. His message reminds the people not to focus on mere men like himself and Apollos but on the one who actually provides the salvation they have received. These two men are merely the farmers God sent to plant seeds and nourish them. What they were not called to do was grow the church — that is a hefty job for which only God is responsible and capable of doing.

So, Paul “planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (3:6). However, as we talked about above, God is also the one who gave the seeds in the first place…and the water…and the farmers themselves. Even a Christian’s salvation comes from God. He is the Provider of every single thing we will ever need, and as we learn from the woman at the well story, it is only from Him that we can find true everlasting satisfaction and joy.

Okay…where does Project PWG fit into all of this?

Well, what the people of the Corinthian church should have identified themselves as is followers of God, not man. This is much like how the people Project PWG reaches should respond when asked who is responsible for their spiritual and economic growth — because it’s not PWG itself but the Lord who used the organization as a farmer to plant and nourish.

Project PWG is here on this planet with one goal in mind — to plant seeds, water them, and allow God to grow them. But, while PWG is planting and watering, God is still the one providing the seeds and the water.

On this most recent December 2022 mission trip in Zimbabwe, God revealed all of these things to the team He put together and sent out to further His kingdom. When the team planned and hosted two kids clubs, a sanitary pad drive, and several community interaction experiences, God was the one who led them through the trials and obstacles thrown at them.

In all the work PWG accomplished on this trip, it was God who provided the seeds for planting, the water for watering, and the growth that follows.

God is the true backbone of what PWG is seeking to accomplish — meaning, His kingdom is what the organization has set out and devoted everything to.

It’s easy to forget that it’s God who is there with the garden from start to finish — not just for the growth that follows. He’s there for the planting and watering too — in fact, He’s leading it.

Because of God’s guiding hand, the December missions were a success, and now PWG has hit the ground running for 2023