By Charlie Costa – BMA Global Middle East Coordinator

The dictionary defines the word invest as “to expend money with the expectation of achieving a profit or material result by putting it into financial plans, shares, or property or by using it to develop a commercial venture; todevote one’s time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.”

Interestingly enough, the definition gives us more than the meaning of the words: It allows us greater insight into important realities when it comes to investment. If that is the case with investing in material things, how much more important is it to invest in people?

Please note the cost. Good investing is costly. It is the willingness to pay what it takes to achieve the desired result.Many times, the return is not immediate. Many times, it is not what we are expecting. Yet the willingness to pay what it takes is incarnational. Remember the investment in Calvary.

Pause for a moment and think about that. Was the return on investment quick and as expected?

This brings me to the second issue of not only cost but attitude. Patience is a virtue and also an attitude. Commitment to others and their success is also an attitude. It does take patience, effort, and energy to achieve the end result.

So with these facts in mind, the Middle East team held the very first Middle East-wide Baptist pastors conference lastSeptember in Lebanon. Forty-two pastors and their wives attended from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. BMA Global President John David Smith and BMA Global Vice President of Strategy and Training Larry Barker led the conference using the “Recharge” material translated into Arabic. At the same time, a parallel women’s conference was also held with Shelby Barker as the primary speaker.

Both conferences were a huge success as pastors listened, interacted, and asked questions. The wealth of Bro. Larry’s and Dr. Smith’s experiences enriched the discussions. Breaktime chats brought to the surface issues that have hindered the work of these pastors for years.

Have all the issues in our region been resolved? Has the return on investment been achieved? Not by a long shot. The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. We are on the right track, but patience is needed.

There was a monetary cost, and the people of our Middle East churches provided that. There was also the cost involved of commitment, effort, and energy that Bro. Larry, Shelby and Dr. Smith paid. Ultimately, nothing of worth is free. (I see you nodding your head in agreement.)

I know the pastors will not forget that experience; in fact we are being asked to make this a recurring event. Maybe the best summary of it all is what one of those pastors said to me following one of the sessions: “Could you please ask Bro.Larry and Dr. Smith not to stop?”

Case closed.