July 2013 Newsletter

July 2013                                      

The White Family

-in-

COSTA RICA

Moving On… and on… and on

         Greetings and salutations to our friends and family in the states (and perhaps other parts of the world as well) from us here in Costa Rica!  Thank you for yet another month of support and encouragement that allows us the ability and the strength to minister to brothers and sisters in Christ here in Latin-America, as well as to be ambassadors for Christ to all whom we encounter here.  This last month has not failed to keep us busy and gloriously wore out.  I shall explain:

We began the month with an evaluation trip to Upala, which is right up near the Nicaraguan border, a 5 hour drive from San José.  Remember, this trip was on the heels of Fernando and Steve and I’s 3 day, 2 night trip to Masatepe; across the Nicaraguan border.  Now, Fernando usually drives us to our destinations, but in this case his van was in the shop, so Steve and I had to rent a car in our name and drive the 5 hours ourselves… a nice reprieve for Fernando.  On a side note, the money needed to repair Fernando’s van ($1800) was all raised in just 1 day!  In any case, the trip was fruitful, the fellowship was sweet, and the evaluation was a success.  Our students are advancing steadily through the seminary courses, and enjoying the process!

       

After Steve and I returned  from Upala, we began seeking a residence outside of the city and closer to some of our students.  We had been praying for an affordable place in Atenas, Costa Rica for some time, and finally the opportunity arose.  We spoke with the owner of a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house about it’s availability and our ability to “modify” it to house all 6 of us.  After we were given approval, we made the deal.  The modification we discussed was the screening in of the back patio, to make it another bedroom, a much cooler and larger bedroom.  So from that point on, we were busy packing and getting ready for the “big” move.

        After more than a week of living around buckets and bags, it was finally time to move.  Now, we had hoped to used Fernando’s van, but it was still in the shop, so we had to rely on the old 1991 Ford Explorer… a.k.a. the Gas Guzzler!  As we loaded the truck to the brim, over and over again, we began to realize how much “stuff” we had been given by our mission team that had just left us the month before, as well as the little things that we have been blessed with over the last 2 years of living in Costa Rica.  It took 6, one hour, trips to and from San José and Atenas, and 2 full tanks of gas (about $100 each) to complete the move, but even after all had been transferred, the move was far from complete.  There was still the unpacking, the organizing, the “modifying” of the house, the settling, and then the long process of trial and error in finding a decent internet service to stay connected with everyone back in the states.  We are still in the process of completing all these things, but by the grace of God, we are getting it done.

        As if the ministry and the move were not enough, Bobbi Ann and the kids and I have been gearing up for our trip back to the states to replenish our financial support, renew our long “on hold” friendships, and refresh our own hearts so that we may once again return to Costa Rica and continue our active ministry of discipleship and evangelism.  We fly back on the 8^th of August, and we plan to stay until we raise as much as is needed for us to be sustained for another 2 years or more.  If you are interested in seeing us while we are back, to learn more about our ministry and what we are doing, or to schedule us a time to speak at your church, you can send us at email to whitefamilyhaiti@hotmail.com and we will be glad to visit and share with you.

        This is where we are at right now, in the middle of a fruitful ministry, yet in need to come back to the states.  We need you all to be praying for us to have a productive time in the states, for open hearts to receive us, and for hearts to be burdened for the people here in Costa Rica.  We are grateful to have the time to see family and friends, but our desire is to remain here, doing the work of an evangelist, and teaching the word of God.  What that means for you is; if you are currently supporting us financially, please continue to do so knowing that every little bit helps and keeps us that much closer to returning to Costa Rica; if you are not supporting us, please pray about what the Lord would have you to contribute; and finally all of you be in prayer for His provision and our trust in Him.

-Justin, Bobbi Ann

Kevin & Annika

http://www.thewhitefamilyinhaiti.blogspot.com

http://www.sonministries.webs.com

http://www.institutodegracia.com

June 2013 Newsletter

The White Family

-in-

COSTA RICA

A Month of Madness.. er, uh… Missions

         Good month of July to our family in Christ around the world, from the Whites down here in Latin America!  The month of June has been a tiring month for us, full of preparations, reunions, givings, receivings, hugs, fellowships, works, plays, hellos and goodbyes… and no room for REST!  Folks, I had to rub my eyes, stretch, and have a cup of coffee before even thinking about starting on this newsletter… so I will try and finish it before drifting off to sle….zzzzzZZZZZ… So… as I rub the sleep out of my eyes… I will begin to recall the details amidst the madness of this last month...

        We’ll begin by talking about our endeavors of finding ample space to house our first short term mission group of 21 people from the states.  During our time here in Costa Rica, Bobbi Ann and I (as well as Steve and Angel) have made pretty good friends with the owners of a “mission house” that is only about 3 blocks away from our house.  This is where we began, making reservations, changing details, updating information, and communicating the needs between the group and the caretaker of the AMCA house (the mission house).  After a couple weeks, we were well acquainted with the caretaker and were always expected to have something new in mind for the group and their stay.  We are so very thankful for the patience of the caretakers, as well as the patience of our first mission group.

        As the time of the team’s arrival grew nearer, my wife Bobbi Ann began the frantic cleaning and rearranging of the house.   As space at the AMCA house was still limited, we decided that Steve and Angel would “move” downstairs into our house for the week and stay in my bedroom, while my wife and I would sleep on an air mattress in Annika’s room, so that the Willis family (Mackey, Gale & TJ) could stay in the apartment by themselves.  We all had a part to play in making everything as comfortable and as clean as possible for our guests and for ourselves for the week ahead.  By the day before the teams arrival, we were ready… we hoped!

        Finally, the day of the teams arrival had… well, arrived! Friday, June 14^th was the day, and we scrambled making sure that all the details were in order, and reaffirming that we had proper transport for the team from the airport to the mission house.  The team was to arrive on 2 different flights; the Willis family arriving fairly early in the afternoon, and the other 18 people arriving later that night.  Our brother in Christ and partner in the ministry, Fernando Herrera, offered up his own van and time to pick up the Willis family, and though we were about an hour late in getting to the airport (due to traffic issues) we picked them up and brought them to our home.  While they settled in, Fernando gave us use of his van once again to pick up the baggage of the rest of the team, and the team, with their carry on luggage, boarded a 23 passenger bus that we had rented for them.  Despite 10 bags being left behind by the airlines, everyone arrived safely and soundly to the mission house, and we prepared for a long day ahead… we were going to hit the ground running!

        After finally getting to bed at around 2:30am Friday night, we woke up at 6am to load up the team and the puppet show equipment onto the 21 passenger bus and set out for the 1 ½ hour drive to Atenas.  Upon arrival, a few of the members of the church there were already preparing the sanctuary for the puppet show!  We held a bible study for the children, as well as some crafts and snacks while others finished setting up the puppet show equipment, then after the lesson and the snacks, the kids all got to come into the sanctuary and enjoy the (improvised) puppet show.  What a blessing to watch everyone having a great time, despite the language barrier!

        After finally arriving home back in San José, we all spent the evening fellowshipping and catching up on the lost time of the last 2 years.  Then, getting better rested Saturday night, we all were privileged to use the Spanish Language Institute’s chapel building to hold our services for Pura Vida Fellowship.  The Willis family even blessed us with their music as they lead the worship of the morning.  It was a great feeling to be with everyone, worshipping the Lord together again, for the first time in a very long time.

        For the next 5 days, many things would be happening simultaneously in the ministry.  The Willis family lead the music twice a day for the spiritual emphasis week services, the majority of the team held a complete VBS schedule for the children of the missionaries there at the Institute as well as a puppet show each night, and a couple of the men stayed back with me at the house solely to work on, repair, and replace many things on our 1991 Ford Explorer.  We also had many opportunities to hand out tracts and minister to the poor of the area.  This had to have been the most versatile and edifying team I have ever been blessed to be a part of.  They were able to minister to other missionaries and their children, to the local church here in Costa Rica, to their own missionaries on the field (us), to the lost through tract evangelism, and even contributed largely to the long term ministry here through the work on the vehicle.  We are so very grateful for their work.

        As a rest and reward for their busy and hard labor throughout the week, we all went to a place called “La Paz Waterfall Gardens”.  This was a park filled with beautiful scenery, exotic animals, great food, and its share of memories.  From standing in a room full of colorful butterflies to holding a toucan on our shoulders to standing only feet from huge crashing waterfalls, we were all in awe of God’s creation.

        After a long and busy week, Sunday morning (early morning) arrived and we gave our final hugs and final farewells to the mission team and watched them pull away to return to the states.  I would say that we finally got to sleep in and rest a little after such a long week, but we were not done yet.  Only a couple hours after the team left for the airport, Steve and I (along with Fernando) had to head out to the bus station for a 4 day long mission trip of our own in Nicaragua.  After receiving the blessing of encouragement, it was our turn to encourage others.

        It was an 8 hour bus ride, along with border crossings and all the legalities and baggage checking that goes with it, then 4 days of visiting the locals, fellowshipping with the missionaries there, and praying for an open door for future ministry there at Camp S.H.E.O. in Masatepe, Nicaragua. S.H.E.O. stands for Sonny Holland Evangelistic Organization; we had met and have come to know Sonny Holland from the camp meetings in Zachary Louisiana called “Fires of Revival”.  After speaking with him, we were given an open door to use their facilities as a base to launch our theological training ministry there in Masatepe and the surrounding areas.  It is amazing as we meet other members of the body of Christ for the first time, yet know that we are all one family by the blood of Christ and the praise of His glory!

        Though Fernando, Steve and I were out of the country on a mission of our own, don’t think that Angel and Bobbi Ann got an opportunity to rest.  They were left with the debris that was left, from the tornado of mission work from the previous week, to clean up after.  From putting away all the supplies that were brought down to sustain us here, to returning all closets and bedrooms back to normal, to catching up on the laundry for the week, and caring for the kids along the way, the women had their work cut out for them!  By the time that Steve and I arrived home from Nicaragua, the house was back to normal… we are so grateful to be blessed with wives that take care of all our needs at home, that we may go out and minister outside of home.  They are truly a gift from the Lord and a vital part of ministry.

        That draws us to the conclusion of the events of the month, and I promise you that these words do not even begin to describe the blessings and the business of the past month, nor the hopes and prayers for those of the months ahead.  Keep praying for us, as well as for the ministry, that we would always follow the straight and narrow path that the Lord has set before us, and that we would be faithful ministers here and anywhere the Lord may take us.  As of right now, we (the Whites) are planning on returning to the states on August 8^th in order to raise support to continue our ministry unhindered, so we hope to get an opportunity to visit with you and to fellowship with you during our time in the States.  God bless you all in His will and His word… until we see each other again… here, there, or in the AIR!

-Justin, Bobbi Ann

Kevin & Annika

http://www.thewhitefamilyinhaiti.blogspot.com

http://www.sonministries.webs.com

http://www.institutodegracia.com

May 2013 Newsletter

May 2013

The White Family

-in-

COSTA RICA

 

A Month of Preparation…

         Greetings once again from Justin, Bobbi, Kevin and Annika here in Costa Rica to all of you, our faithful and fantastic supporters and prayer warriors!  The month of May has been full of preparations… preparations for upcoming ministry opportunities, preparations for a hopeful relocation to the town of Atenas, and preparations for the short term mission team due to come work with us here in June.  As usual, we will start from the beginning of the month and summarize the events in chronological order!

Well, we begin this month by celebrating the end of era of formal learning.  As we had begun to prepare for the changes that were ahead of us on the horizon, we decided that Bobbi Ann and Steve would be better accommodated by continuing their Spanish learning through tutoring as opposed to the classroom.  So, after 2 trimesters in the Spanish Language Institute, we are now able to fully concentrate on the ministry as well as the relationships that come with it.

        We did not only say goodbye to formal learning, but also to many of the friendships that we had built over the previous 8 months, one of which being Melissa Ruble.  We had helped her settle into her new environment when she first arrived, and since, she and my wife have built a strong relationship.  She was a true sister in Christ, and supported us in our ministry as well as in our family… in fact, to our little Annika, she was lovingly called “aunt ‘la”.  Before moving on to her mission field of Honduras, she treated us all to a day of fun at the local theme park here in Costa Rica called “Parque de Diversiones” or “Fun Park” in English.  We had a great time together and we will miss our friend dearly and pray for her as she put her hands to the plow for the glory of the Lord there in Honduras and anywhere else she may go.

Next, shortly after Steve and Angel returned from their 3 week trip to the states to visit family and friends, a friend of ours, named Chris Smolchuck, asked if Steve and I (Justin) would help him with some work out at an adventure camp that he works for called “La Montaña”.  The job was to tear the ceiling out of one of the cabins and to clean up after ourselves.  We left early Friday morning and returned Saturday night.  Though it was work, we had a great time in fellowship, just us guys.  Always glad to help out a brother in Christ and encourage each other along the way.

        The remainder of the month was spent searching for cheap, furnished apartments in Atenas, as well as evaluating the progress of our group there, adding a new member to our SON Ministries mission team (Fernando Herrera, our Director of Education over Costa Rica), then introducing him to you, our supporters, on Steve’s biweekly radio show, and finally being officially given the ministry of pastoral education through “the Grace Institute” here in Costa Rica.  Things are moving quickly for us now, and we are trying to keep up.

        As we strive to keep up with and “flow” with the changes in the ministry, we are also doing all we can to raise awareness about what God is doing here in Costa Rica, and through SON Ministries as a whole.  We are so grateful for all your financial support and for your faithful prayers for us, and we would just like to ask you to also help us to get the word out about this work.  Tell your friends and your family about this exciting work of discipleship and training that is happening here in Costa Rica as well as the potential to carry it into the countries of Haiti and Peru, and wherever the Lord may open a door.  It is God who provides, and He uses people like you to do so… we NEED more faithful brothers and sisters in Christ to come on board and help us to take the word of truth to those who need it!  God bless every one of you in His will!  Until next month…

-Justin, Bobbi Ann

Kevin & Annika

http://www.thewhitefamilyinhaiti.blogspot.com

http://www.sonministries.webs.com

http://www.institutodegracia.com

April 2013 Newsletter

April 2013

The White Family

-in-

COSTA RICA

 

On the horizon…

          Greetings and salutations to all our faithful friends, family members and supporters from Costa Rica!  I know that the last newsletter was a bit dull and perhaps difficult to read without falling asleep, but thankfully the Lord has provided us with a little more to do this last month… and a little more to look forward to in the months ahead.  So let’s jump right in, in chronological order, and I’ll try to keep it interesting. J

        We began the month of April with another weekend trip up to the northwest corner of the country.  It had come time to check on and evaluate the progress of our students in Upala and Ortega.  So, as I love to get out and visit our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ around the country, Steve Hoover and I (Justin) woke up early Saturday morning and prepared ourselves with excitement to head out onto the open road… as it was at least 5 hours to our first destination.

        When traveling with our local friend, Christian brother and our chauffer, Fernando Herrera, we always have a great time.  We have great fellowship, good conversation and a lot of practice in speaking Spanish.  He has been a tremendous blessing and a part of our family over this last year.

        After we finally arrived at the Baptist church in Upala, we spent some time with the pastor (Elian) and his family, getting to know them better and encouraging them.  He has a wife and 3 kids of his own, as well as an “adopted” daughter that lives with them.  When I say “adopted” I mean that the mother had dropped her off at the church and left her there in Elian’s care.  This is a common occurrence considering that many parents in these areas can barely provide for their own necessities, let alone those of their children. Despite this sad truth, it’s easy to see the love of Christ manifested in the hearts of these brothers and sisters in Christ as they care for and look out for one another.

        After an couple hours of fellowship, the other members of our group began to arrive for their evaluation.  An evaluation consists of the entire group sitting together while Fernando (our “facilitador” or trainer) spends about an hour asking them questions about the study material, and depending on their knowledge and understanding of the material, we either set them up with the next set of classes, or we encourage them to continue studying the current material for an appropriate amount of time before we come back to reevaluate. This, however, has never been the case… they have always moved forward, faithfully and fervently.

        After the evaluation, and after giving them the next set of material, Steve Hoover had the great privilege and blessing of preaching to the youth of the church.  With the help of Fernando (our translator as well), Steve brought a great message about the body of Christ and how each one of us is a part of that body… an essential and needed role to fulfill.  Though the message was a great one, it was difficult for us “gringos” to hold our attention.  Among the many distractions such as the bugs, the dogs, the roosters… there was a bat that would come out about every 5 minutes or so to swoop around the tiny sanctuary, coming within just inches of Steve’s head.  I must admit, I found the whole ordeal quite amusing.  But despite the interruptions, we know that God’s word never goes out void, but accomplishes just what He pleases, amen!

        After the service we ate dinner with pastor Elian and his family, using some of the groceries that Fernando had bought for them because they were running extremely low on provisions.  Then it was onward to the hotel, then another early morning of driving to our next destination to evaluate another group in Ortega.  This was yet another 4 hour drive of fun and fellowship, and my first trip as “tech guy” to this area.  We took a few shortcuts along the way, not always sure where we were going, but we finally made it around 12pm or so (in Costa Rica, time is not an important part of the culture… PURA VIDA).  We didn’t spend as much time with this group, as we still had another long trip to get home, but it is always great to meet new brethren in Christ for the first time!

        On the way back home, we were able to have another very neat experience.  Given the fact that we were on a peninsula, in order to cut some time off our journey, we got to travel by ferry across the gulf of Nicoya at sunset.  As we boarded the boat, we watched the sun shrink down behind the landscape around us.  The orange glow on the blue water and the silhouette of the mountains and the islands in the distance reminded us once again of the God we serve and the work of His hands.  Such beauty could only have been fashioned by the hands of a master Sculptor and the way in which that art unfolded before our very eyes could only have been orchestrated by the master Designer.

        As for the rest of the month; Bobbi Ann and Steve have finished their 2^nd Trimester at the Spanish Language Institute, Steve and Angel have returned to the states (from April 19^th – May 7^th) to try and raise more support for our mission here, so that we can continue the work here with our students as well as continue to grow in the ministry.  Pray that the Lord really brings the harvest.  As for the future, we are in much prayer and are very exciting about what the Lord may be bringing our way. Another group of ours located in Atenas (about an hour west of San Josè) have taken the biblical education that we have offered them for free, and have begun to apply it to their lives in a BIG way.  Pastor Jeremy has, since beginning the studies, planted 4 in-home church starts and has aspirations to plant an institute there in Atenas.  He is excited and we are excited with him, and we want to offer him our encouragement and support in his efforts.  Therefore we are seeking a home for us there in Atenas, ample support to continue our ministry here in Costa Rica, and of course, continued tutoring in the Spanish Language!

        We are participating in and watching as biblical discipleship and evangelism are coming alive before us, and we are so thankful to be the instruments in the hands of our Lord!  We are also thankful for each and every one of you that have made it possible for us to be here and to do this work.  God bless you all and we pray that you know that your finger prints are on each and every life that is touched by the glorious gospel of Christ and the grace of His salvation.  We love you and pray for you as well.  Blessings.

-Justin, Bobbi Ann

Kevin & Annika

http://www.sonministries.webs.com