Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Ten years ago, I was on a team of three single missionaries working among the Jula people in Burkina Faso. This West African people group are staunch—though not really orthodox—Muslims. They often say, "To be Jula is to be a Muslim." So we knew the work wouldn't be easy.

As we prepared to go, the IMB showed us this graph of church planting movements:

They told us that most of us would be working in places on the "left side of the graph," where gospel workers don't see a lot of obvious fruit. Missionaries may spend years or decades doing the slow work of softening the soil of people's hearts before seeing people saved and churches planted. 

Since our people group tied their ethnicity so closely to their religion, I resolved that we may very well be on that left side of the graph. So with faith and a good bit of naivety, we were determined to do what we could and trust God with the results.

A long obedience in the same direction

Ministry can often feel very nebulous in that way. With so much to be done, it's hard to know where to start, how to continue, and what part of the work needs our focused attention. Of course, we trust God to guide us, but sometimes following him feels a bit like taking Indiana Jones' leap of faith. 

And yet we walk forward, trusting that God will show up because that's who he is. While in Burkina Faso, I often wondered if we were in the right place, if we were doing enough, or if God had just called me there to do something in my own heart. I still don't have that clarity—and I doubt I will until heaven. But I know he called me to go, and I had to trust him with the rest.

In Eugene Peterson's A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, he points out the long, slow journey of discipleship and sanctification. In a culture that values quick growth, productivity, and chartable evidence, the slow work of ministry in hard places can feel futile. 

Church Revitalizer, Missionary, and Pastor in the "gospel desert," I want to encourage you to keep doing the good work. Even if ministry fruit remains elusive, God himself is your portion.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24

Even so, God is still moving in unlikely places. I was reminded of that truth this week.

When it seems like all is lost…

In our two years, one Jula person came to faith—which felt like a big deal. But he prayed to receive Christ the week I was leaving the country. Though he knew my local pastor, would they still meet when he drove to the city? What about rainy season when he couldn't drive from the village. Could this baby Christian learn Christ from an audio Bible story set on his phone? Would he follow Jesus freely in his Muslim village?

Over the last several years, persecution has ramped up in Burkina Faso. Most missionaries have moved to other locations, and as far as I know, no foreign or national believers were consistently sharing with the Jula people. Local believers preferred to work in animistic villages, where the message of Christ was received more readily—though often just added to witchcraft.

I've mourned for the Jula people, wondering what, if any, gospel presence remained among them. With persecution on the rise, would the few Christians I knew of turn away? Every time I thought about the Jula people, it made my heart heavy.

But God…

God still works in mysterious ways.

This week, I read an update from the one missionary IMB missionary I still know in the area. Though her job description is mostly a desk job, God has used her to catalyze a thriving trucker ministry in her free time. She's my local ears on the ground for what's happening nearby. 

Lately, she has asked us to pray for stories to reach the Jula people, and a story group began to meet together. And today, she reported that the group of 30 Jula people were baptized this week! My heavy heart was amazed. That's more than I could have ever imagined during my time there. 

So don't forget that God is at work through and even beyond us as gospel ministers. When things seem bleak or ministry plans don't work out as you wanted, don't despair. Though we do our best to make outreach and discipleship strategies that make sense, sometimes God chooses to show off at the most unexpected times. 

God doesn't need us. But he still uses us in his good plans—sometimes in ways we will never see this side of heaven. I pray that you might see the fruits of your labor, friend. But even if you don't, God promises us it's still worth it. 

Marie Burrus is a UBA Church Consultant and Communications Specialist. Her primary responsibilities are consulting on mission engagement and church communications. She also manages, edits, and contributes content for UBA's blog, website, and social media outlets.

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