Perpetual Pioneering
6 elements present along the path of pioneering
Pioneering by definition is never easy and always fraught with challenges, hardships, and blind curves. However, pioneering a new passion, position, or particular calling can be fulfilling and help you realize a purpose you may not have ever even dreamt of before.
In the foundational days of the ministry work we set out to accomplish there was much pioneering to be done. The ‘ground’ we began to work on was fertile and had been pioneered to quite an extent by those who paved the way for groups and individuals like us but was still in need of much plowing and preparation for what would become our current field of work.
We fully recognize the years of work, sweat, and tears that have been poured into Honduras by countless others including and certainly not limited to The Church of God Intl, ARD Ministries, AHMEN, Morning Star and Bridgeway Churches as well as man, many individuals over many years. We know more fully now after 19 years of fundraising, investment, sweat equity, trials, and success just what it takes to pursue and pioneer a ministry like Connect Global. We are grateful for the experience of trial and error, as well as the wisdom gained and traded over this nearly two decade commitment to the Nation of Honduras. We are grateful to those who came before us and we pray for those who are coming and will join in the future.
Over these 19 years, we have amassed more than a few pointers on pioneering and the elements we believe are necessary to pioneer new frontiers. Whether you are new in ministry, starting a new job, or even exploring new experiences and relationships, we wanted to share our P's of Pioneering with you. We hope you will find encouragement and edification in the fact that while no two journeys are ever the same, we can and should glean as much wisdom from those who have gone before us when setting out to pioneer new fields in life.
Passion — While every new pursuit in life is different from another, one of the main components found in pioneering is passion. It is most often our leading motivation when starting something brand new. Passion fuels conquest. Passion fuels new relationships. Passion is what keeps us up at night and is what burns like a fuse towards the workings of future success.
Patience — In pioneering, like in chess, if passion is king, patience is the Queen. Patience is the resource which needs to be protected at all times when moving in new and unknown territories. There is no such thing as overnight success and patience is what keeps our expectations in check. Progress comes when we employ patience and gratitude for where we are while tempering our anticipation of where we are going. While it is necessary to have hope for and cast vision for the future when pioneering—patience is what promotes healthy responses when things slow down or we miss it entirely along the way.
Pursuit— A plan without pursuit is a waste of paper. Some of the best sketched out plans line the “cutting room floors” of our lives like confetti in Times Square on new years day due to inaction. Pursuit is what makes dreams become reality. There is nuance in pursuit though— so while the pursuit of excellence produces progress, the pursuit of perfect can leave us without anything accomplished at all.
Pain—An unfortunate reality for pioneers is pain. Pain in the process. Pain in the setbacks. Pain in the unforeseen. Pain can even come from from fellow pioneers who settle too early or who head home before the journey is complete. Pain is a part of life and comes in many different forms. If you can come to terms with the expectation of pain you may be able to mitigate it but we have found that you rarely if ever avoid it completely. Pain is not all bad. It can teach us if we choose to learn from it. Wisdom is knowing that pain is temporary and does not last forever. There is a quote often attributed to Maya Angelou which reminds us, “Every storm eventually runs out of rain.” Your tolerance for pain as a pioneer will determine how far you go, how big you grow, and how long you last.
Persistence— Staying the course with your commitments is what makes all the planning and preparation actually work. Persistence when the road gets long. Persistence when the hits just keep coming. Persistence is what it takes when your breakthrough seems impossible. If access is what democratizes opportunity, persistence is what separates the professionals from the weekend warriors.
Planning—No pioneering endeavor should be without a well thought out plan. This is what will be the most unique to each new journey. A good plan requires research, education, wisdom from those ahead of you, and revisions—many, many revisions. Do not be afraid of change. As a pioneer there will always be something new or unexpected around the next bend. Once you have determined your goals you must remember your mission may not always be married to your current methods. As you learn and diagnose along the way the methods you started with may become obsolete. In order to live on the cutting edge you must be willing to remain flexible and nimble.
We continue to venture and pioneer, 12 years into the audacious journey and living legacy that is Connect Global, we continue to learn, adapt, and persist. We look forward to the future with great anticipation and reverence for what can be. We are grateful for the trails blazed as well as the paths not yet taken. As we pioneer through our next chapter and lay foundation for what future may come we hold dear to the lessons learned in joy and the tears shed in pain so we may be able to look back one day and hear, ‘well done’.
Connect Global is a Non-Profit Organization that relies on the financial commitments of generous people just like you to advance our programs and operate our mission. You can learn more about Connect Global and our work here.
If you would like to make a donation to help us further our efforts you can do so here.
Thank You so much.
