July Newsletter

Hola Amigos/Amigas,



July has given us more time to acclimate to most of the culture here in Costa Rica; though I fear by our glossy appearance it may take more time to acclimate to the heat. We have run our air-conditioning twice since we have been here and both evenings it was a wonderful blessing. Our location has us surrounded by several beaches and Thursdays have been set aside as ‘Family Day’, thanks to the Droke family we have been to several of the beaches and have really enjoyed each one!



Last month when I wrote I did not take the opportunity to introduce all that happens here, as we were still learning. We have had the opportunity to work alongside Ron and Meredith Droke with Soul Chasing Ministries. You can check out their website and follow them at: www.soulchasing.org . I believe when the team was here they witnessed one salvation; but we have yet to personally see any salvations. The amazing and most encouraging thing we have seen the Spirit do since we have been here is bring to life the book of Acts. Several days of the week Justin and Mykel are tagging along with Ron to visit homes of people and inviting them to have discipleship classes in their homes. Many people have accepted and are growing weekly! There is also a church building and the doors are open on Wednesday nights for prayer meetings and worship and Sundays for worship.



A Prayer Request for this particular area would be that the men would get involved and be changed by the gospel and begin to lead their families. There is one man that attends services steadily and maybe 2 that visit off and on, but the rest are all women. My personal prayer has been 1 Peter 3; for women to win their husbands without a word!



As far as our family, we are well! It has been very excited to see the Lord move. We are working on getting a program together to learn Spanish a little quicker; right now we are just learning words from experience (which is good as well). Kevin has been working on flashcard each day with Justin as well as watching cartoons in Spanish in the afternoon.



As I mentioned above, Justin and Mykel have been following Ron around and learning more of the culture and people. Kevin has been enjoying his summer, learning Spanish and swimming often. He is also enjoying Saturday morning Bible Club at the church and playing soccer with the kids, there is no language barrier between children! Annika has been teething and running through the house in her walker, laughing as she runs into people. I have been cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and enjoying getting to love on the women in the church (no language barrier in a smile, hug and kiss on the cheek). I will also have to start preparing for school this week for Kevin.



From the beginning of this ministry we have decided we would always be honest about money and where it is being spent. We would like to share with you those details as well as some needs and prayer requests. We are staying in a 2 bedroom home that includes internet/cable and water and is also gated in so that the kids can play outside (a huge percentage of crime in Costa Rica is associated with child abductions) = $500/month. $50 goes toward travel money, gas (which is around $5/gallon here). Ron and Meredith pick us up and take us anywhere we need to go. Someone also paid for us to be able to get a bike, so when we need small things from the store here or there, Justin is able to make a trip to the local store for us (Thank you). Between food and entertainment (being able to eat out once or twice a month as a family) we try to spend no more than $350. Finally is our electric bill, which we will not receive until after the 28th of July; therefore we are uncertain what that will run. We do know that it is less expensive during the rainy season (now), because it is powered by water.



Needs/Prayer requests:

*First and foremost are always the spiritual needs. I stated my prayer above, but mostly pray for all souls to be opened and come to Christ. Also, for our own personal spiritual growth that we would stay zealous for spreading the gospel always!

*We could use another bike with a baby seat on the back. Then Justin and Kevin could ride together and the baby and I could ride together whenever possible to save gas money. This bike costs $160.

*We are in need for more people to support our ministry and broaden our budget for those things that are needed, such as food (food here is slightly more expensive that the states and we feed 4 mouths on about $3 per meal right now) and clothing for our ever-growing children. We ask that you who are supporting to reach out to friends and family and attempt to bring them on board for the cause.

*Finally we are in great need of an actual vehicle, rugged enough for the terrain, to take us into Matapalo and the surrounding areas, to spread the gospel to all of Guanacaste and eventually other provinces. We have kept an eye on Craigslist and if the money wa available have seen great vehicles for around $7,000. Ron and Meredith have been a huge help and blessing in driving us places; they are also in need of prayer for the repair of their vehicles.



Each month I ask for your prayer requests as well and once again I ask that you would please share with us what your needs are for prayer! We very much enjoy being a part of your lives as well. If you have Facebook you can also keep up with us on there. Justin and I each have individual accounts as well as an account for White Family Missions.



God Bless,

Justin, Bobbi Ann, Kevin and Annika White