February 2013
The White Family in Costa Rica
A Driving force on the mission field
Good March to all our family and friends, brothers and
sisters in Christ! The month of February
has indeed been a good month of recuperation from the month long visit from the
in-laws, Chuck and Jodi Sackman! More
than that, however, it has also been packed full of blessings and
busy-ness. I’ll give you the details of
each event in chronological order… if I can remember them J
Well, the beginning of this month was much like the end of
the last. Chuck and Jodi did not return
to Arkansas until the 7th, and that last week was bitter sweet for
all of us as we wrapped up our time together.
During that time Chuck and I set out on the 3 cross hike, an uphill
climb full of trails, creek beds, bluffs, jungle, views and beauty… a testament
to the physical health of Chuck Sackman who, over the last year, has been
living healthier and losing weight. This
is a journey that I (Justin) have taken on a few occasions before, and one that
I enjoy leading others on to see God’s beautiful creation from such a great vantage
point.
Also during that last week, the Lord gave us a great opportunity to
further our ministry here in Costa Rica.
We received news that another missionary here was preparing to move onto
another country and another task and was selling his vehicle for a great
price. With our pastor (also
father-in-law) Chuck, we headed out to take a look at it, a 1991 Ford
Explorer. It had some years on it, and
its share of “issues”, but overall it
ran great, and for a price that you rarely find around here. Of course, regardless of the price, we just
did not have the money. So we prayed and
asked the Lord for His provision, sent out a notice to our church family and
supporters back home, and waited. Within
a week’s time, we had all that we needed to purchase the vehicle, praise God
for His provision! Now I was sure that a
vehicle of that price would not last long, but when God provides, He also makes
the way… we called and it was still available… WOOHOO! We are now the stewards of a vehicle for the
glory of the Lord here in Costa Rica!
Getting the vehicle was surely a blessing from the Lord, but we were not
able to use it at the moment. Along with
the few “fixer uppers” that it needed, we also had to get our Costa Rican
licenses to be able to drive it! That,
we were to find out, consisted of much paperwork and time. Copies of passports and visas and licenses
had to be made, a physical medical exam had to be done, payments to
governmental services had to be paid and finally, time had to be spent waiting
in lines and reviewing documentation and answering questions. For Bobbi Ann, the process was to validate
her US driver’s license to receive her Costa Rican one… for me, well, my
license was expired! I had to take a
different route… one that every national has to take… the driver’s test… in
SPANISH! I studied and studied,
memorizing vocabulary and the rules of the foreign road, having to register
myself into the system, waiting in lines, paying fees and making
appointments. Then I took the written
exam, and passed! From there I had to
make the appropriate copies of the documents, get the medical exam and wait in
the lines… only I have just received a learners permit. Which just means that I can only drive so
long as I have someone with me who has a license. This will serve me well until I can renew my
US license and validate it for my C.R. one.
Beyond the joys of car ownership and license acquisition, the kids have
been growing and learning each day.
Kevin began the 4th grade in the public school here in Costa
Rica. He would be in 5th
grade, but we held him back a year so that he could concentrate on Spanish as
the school is, of course, completely in Spanish. He is coming along just fine, understanding
and participating and making friends. Be
in prayer for us however… though he is only 10, he’s acquiring the independent
disposition of a teenager! Pray that we
have the patience and the spiritual wisdom to help him through this physical
and emotional roller coaster that he is approaching! As for Anni, she has quite the little
attitude of her own. As we say, her
terrible twos have officially arrived!
To think that when we arrived here in Costa Rica, she could not even
crawl, and now she is literally bouncing off the walls and chattering up a
storm (in English and in Spanish). No
matter the challenges that they face and the struggles that we will all go
through, we are so grateful to be able to raise our children on the mission
field and living out the will and the word of God!
Bobbi Ann and I are continuing to learn each day… learning
the language, learning the people and learning about the ministry. With still another trimester and a half of
language school, we are already envisioning what the ministry will be in the
long term. A lot of travel, meeting new
people and sharing the word of God with all those who will receive it, we have
a lot of ground to cover and God’s word is never exhausted! We appreciate all of your prayers and your
financial support that makes EVERYTHING that we do here possible. We pray for your continued involvement in
this ministry that is touching and changing, not only our lives, but the lives
of everyone that the Lord places in our path.
God bless you and keep you in His will and for His glory! Amen!
-Justin, Bobbi, Kevin and Annika
SON
Ministries
Blog:
thewhitefamilyinhaiti.blogspot.com
Mission:
http://www.institutodegracia.com
