“Maybe you’ve heard it said, ‘God calls the brave’? I wasn’t brave. Not at first.”
What Teenagers, Egrets, and the Tree of Life Have in Common
Knock on the door. Plant the seed. Watch for where God is moving, and for what He is offering you. (This is what we’re seeing, even now.)
Life is Good… Even Now
We have light for the next step.
And we have a plan.
Thanks to your prayers, Deanna completed two CAT scans Friday (with a third brain scan scheduled for Monday). We’re awaiting the final results. In the meantime, we’re preparing to return to Abbotsford in eight days, trusting that the better emotional and spiritual support there will be part of God’s healing process.
We gathered at Clenildo and Angelita’s house, prayed for divine healing, and felt God’s peace settle in. We don’t know the full story yet. But we know the Author.
Planting Seeds in the Unknown
In the spirit of waiting and trusting, I remembered a story — Maria’s story. I changed a few identifiers, but the story is as she told it.
It’s a story about planting seeds you can’t see yet, trusting that God is already at work beneath the surface.
Before I share it, here’s a glimpse of how the Kingdom is growing here:
Discovery Groups: The Simple Revolution
Imagine a small group — spiritually curious people gathered under a mango tree, around a kitchen table, in a hot living room. No professional preacher. No flannelgraph. No lectures. Just hearts leaning in.
Each group reads a short Scripture passage, then wrestles with five simple questions:
What does this say about God?
What does this say about people?
If this is true, how will I obey?
Who will I share this story with?
What step will I take this week?
Obedience is the goal. Reproduction is the DNA. And anyone — even a brand-new believer — can start another group.
When I (Rick) first heard about Discovery Groups, I thought our churches would be thrilled. Some were. Some weren’t. Jesus explained the concept of soil to us in Mark 4. Some seeds thrive. Some don’t. And the Kingdom grows.
Maria’s Story: “Seeds Whisper Through the Soil”
(Told in Maria’s own words)
The afternoon heat wrapped around me like a heavy blanket as I wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt, waiting. Parrots flashed green through the açai trees. The smell of rain, earth, and fresh bread filled the streets.
I’m Maria, from a little town along the Amazon. Maybe you’ve heard it said, “God calls the brave”? I wasn’t brave. Not at first.
Discovery Groups sounded beautiful in theory. But when I started my first group, it felt awkward and slow. Some smiled politely. Others turned away. Some days I felt like a failure.
But seeds don’t shout their growth — they whisper through the soil.
One woman I met had heavy problems — more than I could fix. But I could listen. I could show up. Week by week, she softened. She told me she no longer felt alone.
I wanted to quit so many times. I’m a teenager — working, studying, exhausted. Every Saturday I fought the voice that said, “You’re too small for this.” But on the other side of obedience, I found fierce joy.
One girl, Flora, used to disappear when I came. But I kept knocking. I kept loving. Someday, I believed, the seed would crack open.
And it is.
One woman who barely spoke now reads the Bible aloud, smiling through trembling hands. She even gave me a little gift — a token I carry in my heart.
Discovery Groups work — but only if you do.
You don’t have to be special. You just have to plant the seeds and trust the whisper.
If I can do this — sweaty, mosquito-bitten, laughed at, forgotten — you can too.
Go ahead.
Knock on that door.
Plant that seed.
Watch what God will grow.
A Photo that Speaks
Naldo, from Porto de Moz, returned from a river mission where 30 people gave their hearts to Jesus. Along the way, flocks of egrets flew ahead of his boat, leading him like angels through the jungle waters. The next phase will be to help these new believers grow, gathering them into self-sustaining, self-feeding churches.
Glimpses of God’s Work Around Us
As we stayed at Steve and Elba’s house to welcome Olivia, Zack, and Ellis from the airport, we saw another story unfolding. They are planting a church in our state capital city, approximately nine hours’ drive from our house. When Olivia was as young as Ellis is now, Elba came to live with us — a chapter that shaped all our lives.
Belem Church: Elba, who once lived with us as a teenager, now preaches with boldness and grace.
Marabá Church: Brazilians pour their souls into expressive dances, investing in beauty to express worship.
Family!
Yeah! for Olivia, Zack, and Ellis. God sent us the perfect gift for this week.
The Tree of Life
“On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (NASB, Rev 22:2).
In Centering Prayer, it is pear season. I keep seeing low-hanging fruit in the form of a giant red pear on the Tree of Life. The delicious and satisfying fruit has a name: “Patience. Endurance. Resilience.”
There is more than enough for whatever you’re facing today.
🙏 Prayer Points
🙏 Deanna: Complete healing, peace, and clarity for next steps 🙏 Our Family: Grace for the transition back to Canada 🙏 Travel Protection: For Olivia, Zack, and Ellis in Brazil 🙏 Ministry: For Discovery Groups to multiply — finding the “People of Peace” who will ignite new communities of obedience and joy.
(Hit “Reply” if you’d like us to pray for you, too!)
May this be your best week yet.
We’re praying you encounter God’s abundance in new ways this week.
With grace, Rick & Deanna
P.S.
Even in deserts, seeds are whispering. Even in faraway rivers, angels are leading. Even now, a highway of holiness is rising — paved by prayer, by perseverance, by the footsteps of ordinary saints willing to knock on one more door, plant one more seed, love one more soul.
We’re walking it with you — together, hand in hand with the One who turns wilderness into singing.
“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way… But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued…” (Isaiah 35:8-10)
Rick Bergen (Ph.D., Organizational Leadership) and Deanna Bergen (M.A.) plant churches, train leaders, and consult on healthy ministry. Passionate about servant leadership, family systems, and cross-cultural discipleship. They believe that healthy leaders draw the lost to Jesus, much like a lighthouse in a storm.
They have four daughters, three sons-in-law, and three cherished grandchildren.
