CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE sACKMAN KIND
Greetings to you all, our faithful supporters and prayer
warriors! This month has been a great
month of family and friends and adventures.
Along with all the joy and the precious time that we had, I sense there
will be a lot of recuperating to be had when it’s all said and done. In this letter I will be sharing with you the
top three events of this last month in our shared lifestyle… shared with the
Latin-American community, as well as with family and friends.
Let’s begin this month on January 7th… this is
the day that “they” arrived. Yes…
“they”… the in-laws; Chuck and Jodi Sackman.
Now, from how I just introduced them, you should have already recognized
that the writer of this letter is, none other than, Justin White, the
son-in-law. So, therefore, let me also
point out that Chuck Sackman is not just my “in-law”, but he is also the pastor
of our sending church Piney Point Baptist Church (aka my pastor), as well as my
personal mentor in the ministry. Oh what
a month of accountability THIS has been!
Though I jest, I must also clarify that, though seemingly daunting and
perhaps intimidating, our time together has certainly been wonderful. For my wife, as she has not had the
opportunity to see her parents in several months; for the grandchildren,
because they have been spoiled beyond compare; for my parents, as they are
close in ministry as well as friendship; and of course for myself as well, as I
have been able to use my Spanish “abilities” to guide them around the city with
confidence and, may I say, a fair bit of ease.
We began our time together with CHRISTMAS TIME! This is where all the “spoiling” began, as we
all sat around our living room here in San Jose, Costa Rica and opened our
gifts together; laughing, playing and having a great time celebrating the birth
of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Oh the
gifts that grandparents give their grandchildren… beautifully designed (parent)
torture devices, designed to be fun and irritating all at the same time. Can’t complain though, we were all pretty
spoiled and grateful at the end of the day.
Next, I was able to officially begin my ministry as “Tech Guy” (or “el
tecnico”) in the pastoral formation project through the local seminary here
called “ESEPA”. I was blessed to be able
to have both Chuck and Hoover with me as we began a new group and evaluated
another. For those of you who don’t
know, our goal is to bring sound theological education to under-resourced
pastors and leaders all around the country… for FREE! I am blessed to be a part of this ministry
and grateful to begin it with my pastor and my father by my side.
Lastly, we were treated to a weekend excursion to one of the most
beautiful beaches here in Costa Rica. In
fact, the name of the beach is Playa Hermosa (Beautiful Beach). The sunsets, as you can see, were absolutely
amazing. As we watched such a gorgeous
sunset, awestruck by the colors, soothed by the waves crashing on the beach,
swayed by the wind sweeping through the palm trees… we are reminded that this
world did not happen by chance, but was fashioned by an Artist! Our Creator is a perfect artist, whose very
word brought it all into existence; whose hand sustains it. And though man is fallen and sinful, we are
still created in His image.. the image of the Almighty. We are the work of His hands… the same hands
that fashioned this beautiful sunset.
What an encouragement!
As I said, we had a great time this last month, and we know that God has
been in control of every second of it.
Language learning is still vital for us all, but the ministry is taking
off. Our need for financial support is
on the rise, as well as our need for a vehicle.
Please be in prayer for generous givers and faithful followers to take
up this responsibility, as well as for yourselves to continue in your
support. It is God who provides, but He
uses each and every one of you to do so.
Help us to take His word… His gospel into the uttermost parts of
Latin-America. To evangelize the lost
and to disciple the faithful. If twelve
men can turn the world upside down for the glory of the Lord, there is no
reason why all of us cannot likewise impact the darkness of this world with the
light of His word! God bless you and
keep you in His will.
-Justin, Bobbi, Kevin and Annika
SON
Ministries
Blog:
thewhitefamilyinhaiti.blogspot.com
email: whitefamilyhaiti@hotmail.com
