by Danny Kang
“Wait. Wait a little longer…”
I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I heard this.
“Just wait.”
Growing up, I would hear it from my mom whenever I asked her for a taste of what she was cooking. I still hear it from her occasionally. I would hear it from my friends whenever I was impatiently waiting for my turn to get next on the basketball court. I would hear it from my teachers whenever I would pack my bags, ready to leave before the class was finished. Recently, I began to hear it again. This time, from leaders / mentors in my life, and also from God.
When I first got back home after spending 6 months training and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout Southeast Asia, I was desperate to see the same move of God in the U.S. I couldn’t wait till I got a chance to preach in front of hundreds. I couldn’t wait to see people encounter Jesus and have their lives transformed, just as people did in Southeast Asia. I couldn’t wait till I got to see the dreams and visions God has given me unfold before my very eyes!
Anyone else ever felt that way?
But that’s when I heard it again. “Wait.”
There was this urgency in my heart that made me want to go gather a crowd so that I could share with them the message that was in my heart, but I kept hearing it again: wait.
And instead of a crowd, God would give me two youth group boys. God would give me a homeless person on 5th Ave, in New York City. Instead of a mic and a platform, God would give me a notebook and a pen. Instead of a huge Revival Night with a full band, God would give me a guitar and an empty room. Instead of a mass prayer meeting with countless people getting saved, God would give me a prayer closet with a list of names to pray for. And that’s when I realized that “waiting” was the highest and greatest promotion that God was inviting me into.
It was in the “waiting” that God began to grow my character. It was in the “waiting” that God would bring into light the areas of my life that needed to be removed: pride, jealousy, self-ambition, lust, idolatry. It was in the “waiting” that I realized that I needed to lay down my self-dependency so that I could be solely dependent in Him.
I want to introduce a word to you guys, that you may not have heard before.
Foundry
Def) –
- An establishment for producing castings in molten metal.
- The act or process of casting metal.
The definition of Foundry is either the “process” of casting metal and/or a place (location) where metal is produced.
It’s a word that is more commonly used in the military.
“The FOUNDRY program is a critical enabler to Army global readiness, providing COMMANDERS necessary resources to ENHANCE the TRAINING of MI Soldiers supporting operations at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels by providing access to the intelligence as they train.”
You see, Foundry, in the context of the military, is one of the most important process in truly raising up Commanders who can train and equip those they are leading. Foundry is a physical location where leaders are refined and trained to have more influence, develop unshakable character, and operate with greater authority. Foundry is, in it of itself, a period of waiting; waiting before you receive the command to “go”. Foundry is not an excuse to be passive as you wait, but instead an invitation to be proactive and dynamic in the refinement.
In this moment of waiting, God has been refining me and allowing me to see the areas I needed to grow in. God has been training me to grow in my crafts and my gifting. God has been equipping me to carry more capacity than before. God has been connecting me and surrounding me with young leaders.
We are gathering young leaders in this region who’s time may not have come yet, but are wanting to and willing to be truly refined. Those who are willing to wait upon God’s command, rather than advancing by their own demand. Foundry is safe place where you will be connected and will grow with other young leaders in the region. Foundry is a place where you will be trained, equipped and refined to grow and become the leader that God has created you to be. Foundry is a place where we will strategically go after this region, in prayer and in unity.
Foundry is one of the most difficult processes known in the military because there is a heavy weight and a seriousness in truly raising up leaders who will be world changers and history makers. However, those who are willing to endure and persevere through the refinement; those who are willing to wait with God and wait for His commands; those who are willing to be tested in their character, will come forth as gold.
“But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” – Job 23:10