2014 Update!

So I've finally decided to update my blog... Sorry it's been so long. First off, in September I left my beloved Costa Rica, to return home to Oklahoma. This was an extremely difficult decision. I had no idea why God wanted me home, or what His plans were for me, but I went home anyways. Since that time I can not tell you how many times I have literally said, "this is why God sent me home." It has been a whirlwind, but The Lord always has a plan for us. A plan to prosper us, and not to harm us.

In November, my sweet friend Heather said see you later to her awesome Dad. He passed away very unexpectedly and it has honestly been one of the hardest things to watch one of your closest friends go through so much heartache. I feel so blessed that I could be here to stand by her and her family during this difficult time. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

January 2nd my baby sister, (she's 22...) had a major seizure and we recently discovered she has epilepsy. It has been scary, frustrating, and a humbling journey so far. We know God has an awesome plan with this and I've already seen it bringing our family closer. Even with the difficulties it brings, (no driving until 6 months seizure free, new meds, several test and exams, new doctors) it's been a nice reminder knowing we are all there for each other and that God is never surprised. He always knows what's going to happen and how to get us through it.

January 21st, my awesome Uncle George passed away. This was very sad for our family. Uncle George was a man everyone loved. He was happy, a total goof ball, and a Cheyenne Arapaho Chief. (Yes I'm part Native American and I have red hair.) This was also unexpected, but he was in the ICU for a week, so we were able to say goodbye and ready our hearts a little. I'm very pleased I got to be with my family during this loss and celebrate his life with everyone.

In February our family also loss a close friend. His passing away was very similar to my uncles. He was in the ICU for a couple weeks. His wife Kathy has been our neighbor for about 12 years. Larry had such a passion for helping people and was extremely mission minded.

I think it's fair to say 2014 has already been a difficult year. My family has seen heartache, trials, loss, God doing miraculous things, people getting to go Home, and God bringing unity to an already close knit family. Throughout all of these difficulties I couldn't imagine being anywhere else, than with my family. I didn't know what God had in store for me, but I'm glad He sent me to Oklahoma when He did!

God has also sent me a new vision of His crazy awesome plan for my time here on Earth. I'm going back to school to finish my teaching degree I started over 6 years ago! God really had to work on my heart to open me up to going back to school, but He never fails us! I am so ready to get started and finish my degree! I've been fortunate enough to be substitute teaching. I love it! The thought of having my own classroom makes me so happy!! It's going to take me about 2.5 years to finish. I will be attending the University of Central Oklahoma in the fall, and am currently taking 1 class online. I am so excited to see how God uses this time for me to be in school, and how He uses my degree! It could be at a public school, homeschool, private school, overseas, orphanage, Sunday school! I have no idea, but I know it's going to be awesome!

Thank you for reading about my crazy life, and how God has been working in it. I always ask God to break my heart for what breaks His, and these past few months have definitely been filled with compassion for all of those hurting in this world. I know sometimes this world seems so overcome with evil and despair, but this war is not over and we already know the outcome. Our God is victorious!

If your year has been filled with chaos like many others, please leave a comment! I'd love to be praying for you!

God Bless You!

My God is....

Wow what a crazy past 4 months this has been! I first want to say I am so sorry for lacking on updating my blog. My main problem is knowing how to describe everything going on here. God has been doing so many things, changing so many lives and I don’t know how to describe these moments. Even though the last few months have blurred around me, one thing is for certain. God is in control! Amen to that. My God is amazing. My God changes souls. My God is the master creator of all things. My God makes everything beautiful. My God is the God. My God is I Am. My God makes all things work for our good. My God is the lover of my soul…..I literally could go on and on to describe what my God is to me and everything He has shown me these last few months, but honestly it would take a lifetime to describe them all!

Right now is the very start of the summer. Most of you are going out of town this weekend, going to the lake, or having BBQ’s. All of those things sound so fun! And I definitely can’t wait to get into my parents pool when I come home to visit in June, but that’s not the point. For most of you this weekend will be a time to relax and the start of most peoples favorite time of year. This is also my favorite time of the year, but for a little bit of a different reason. Summer here in Costa Rica is our busiest time of the year. It’s when we have 14 teams coming down to serve during the next 12 weeks. That’s a lot of people!! The summer here is totally crazy. It rains pretty much everyday. We constantly have a flow of people who are here to serve, build homes, preach at the church, hold seminars for the community, love on abused children, clean the community, and paint walls… lots of walls. We will have hundreds of people here this summer. And its great! I love hosting so many people who want to come down to a place they possibly have never been and focus a week of their life on people they don’t know! Its beautiful, and a total blessing.

Even though you may be stressed out just by reading that, I love it! Please be in prayer during this busy time, for me, all of the 6:8 staff, the 7 interns coming down, for our wonderful house ladies (Miriam, Legia, and Margoth), and for our church leaders.

Thank you all so much for keeping up with me and for your support, prayers, and encouragement! I feel so very blessed!

Dios Te Bendiga!  

First Time for Everything!

Costa Rica and I have shared a lot of first together. It's the first country I've lived in outside the States, the first place I ever sang worship songs in a different language, the first country that stole my heart.... The list is really never ending. We have also shared a lot of "big girl" moments together. The first apartment I ever lived in alone, the first oven I ever picked out and purchased, the first refrigerator I've had to buy, the first home I've really had to furnish. These are all grown up things that Costa Rica has shared with me.

Next month Costa Rica and I will hopefully be sharing another grown up moment together, as I purchase a vehicle! This is not my first car I've bought, but I've only purchased one and I was pretty much on the phone with my Dad the entire time I was at the dealership! This time it's different. I'm in a foreign country purchasing a used vehicle, thats as old as I am, from a local, and I know nothing about cars minus how to drive them with minor flaws. The entire situation is different from the states. I just learnt last week that here in Costa Rica you have to hire an attorney to do all the paper work with the purchase and the title. An attorney?? I've never hired an attorney in my whole entire life, and frankly I wasn't planning on it.

I know this all might seem crazy, but I'm really not too concerned. The ministry has an attorney I'm sure I'll be able to use, and Victor, our awesome construction guy, will be going with me to pick out the car, test drive it, make sure it's mechanically sound, and not let anyone scam me. All of these things are already taken care of.

There is one problem. I'm still short financially. The cost of cars down here are ridiculously expensive! I'm looking to purchase a 1987-89 Suzuki Samurai. These little 4x4s are great for Costa Rica! They are tiny enough to fit in all the small parking places and in the narrow streets, they are a little off the ground so a giant pot hole shouldn't be able to kill it, and they are pretty reliable. The Sami has been around for 25 years and they are still everywhere down here! That was a well made vehicle! A Suzuki Samurai will cost about $3500. This is all before the attorney fees and taxes with will probably run $500-$700.

Right now I have $3000 to use for a car. As you can see the numbers won't add up. I'm in need of at least $1000 to be able to purchase a vehicle.

With all this hassle, I'm sure you are wondering why I need a vehicle. First of all safety. Where I live, in Alajuelita, it is very dangerous. I live in the ghetto of Costa Rica. It gets dark around 5:30pm everyday all year long. Once it's dark outside, I simply can not leave my house unless I'm in a car. It is far to dangerous to walk anywhere at night. Secondly, I'm still hoping to go to language school in the fall to learn Spanish. There is a great school here for missionaries, however it's just far enough away that taking a taxi twice 5 times a week would be a ridiculous waste of money, or I'd have to take 2 buses which with all the stops and waiting, I'd be spending one and a half hours to get there, ONE WAY! There is no way spending that much time on a bus will fit into my schedule, since I'm planning to also do ministry half days while I'm in school. Thirdly, having a car will add so much convenience. When I have a car, I will be able to drive myself to the grocery store instead of taking a taxi or needing another missionary to take me. I'll be able to drive to other peoples homes and be able to visit them. I'll be able to drive the youth leaders home after our bible study on saturday evenings. There are so many ways that having a car will be a total blessing. I'm sure you can understand my need and how this can make my personal ministry even better.

If there is anyway you could help me get a vehicle I would highly appreciate it!! My goal is to purchase one at the beginning of March. I really need people's help to make this happen. I know God has a plan. Please be praying for this gift and a chance for it to better my ministry.

If you would like to help support me monthly or give a one time donation towards a vehicle or Spanish school, please contact me at Whitleeshrum@gmail.com. I'd be more than happy to answer questions or direct you on how to give either by mail or on PayPal. Thank you so much for your generosity!

Pencils and Crayons

When I was little I used to love shopping for school supplies. I always got so excited when we went to Walmart and they started putting out the supply list by school and grade. Looking back I don't know why I was so excited, but I loved getting to go through and pick out never been used items! One of my favorites was picking out folders. Yes folders. I loved Lisa Frank folders. They were awesome! They were so colorful and had cute animals all over them. I simply loved them.

This past week we had our child sponsorship distribution day. 6:8 Ministries strive to get 200 children, who live in deep poverty, to be allowed to go to school without burdening their already struggling parents. This year we have sponsored about 150 of the 200. It's interesting to me, how deep this burden can be on parents who may have 5 kids going to school, while being a single and/or unemployed parent. Sending a kid to school is supposed to be free! It's getting them a free education that they desperately need! Why is it so hard to do?? Well, here in Costa Rica school is free, but they must provide their own uniforms, all required school supplies, and even times their own textbooks. That doesn't sound free now does it?

For each child to have 2 sets of uniforms (shirt, pants, belt, and socks), 1 pair of dress shoes, and a backpack full of required school supplies, it cost about $200. Can you imagine being a single parent of 5, who doesn't have a full time job, coming up with $200 per child every February? There is no way! And unfortunately most kids don't get sent to school because of this burden.

There is a sickening pattern that happens to most of the families we serve here. They live far below the poverty level and can't find work, they have so many children they can hardly care for them, and most father figures bail and don't take care of what is his. When this is the situation they are in, they can't afford for their kids to go to school, so most of the time they start school much later and are way behind, then once the kids get old enough to help work, scavenge through trash for metal, or devastatingly gets caught up in prostitution, they get pulled out of school to help support the family. Therefore the kids are uneducated as well. So they grow up, have several kids, can't provide for them, and the process continues.

We are trying to make a change, we are trying to encourage these families to get their kids in school and keep them there. They need an education. Please be in prayer for all of our sponsored and unsponsored children and their families, as they start school this week. Let this be a sense of hope. That God has a plan for them, not a plan to make them wealthy, but a plan to give them a hopeful future.

On distribution day I saw the hope in the children's eyes as they got their hair cut, as they admired their new clothes and shoes, but my favorite was when they would go through their backpacks of school supplies. There was 1 boy in particular that brought joy to my heart. He's probably in the 4th or 5th grade, he was sitting on a chair going through his bag and pulled out each item and tapped his mom to see what he had gotten. The smiles on both of their faces gave me hope for this little generation. It's not that we are providing them objects. But it's the joy that comes from them that matters. That they see a church has taken the time and money to purchase NEW items just for them. They aren't getting left overs, or things no one wanted, but new school supplies to encourage them to have a great school year! Who knew God could do so much with pencils and crayons. Praise God for given these children a hope and a future!

World Race & Counter Space

Wow the last few weeks have been insanely amazing and it feels like I've been here a lot longer than just a month. The ministry is super busy with hosting a team of 30 World Racers (a missions group that visits 11 countries in 11 months, only with 1 backpack each!!) and we are in the final days of child sponsorship!

Child Sponsorship is a program we have to allow children to get an education their families could not afford for them. Right now we have about 150 kids sponsored, but have almost 50 to go!! You can sponsor a child to go to school for an entire year for only $200. This includes their required uniforms, shoes, textbooks, and school supplies. If you are interested in supporting a child follow this link
http://www.68ministries.org/local-ministries/child-sponsorship
But please hurry! We only have about 3 days left!!

The world race team has been staying at our team house for about 3 weeks. They are leaving here on Saturday, headed to Nicaragua. I can't even form words to describe how awesome this team is and how much I've bonded with them. One of my close friends from home, Kelsey Schulz, is on the team, which is a total God thing that He worked out for us to both be here together. Her and I have gotten to spend a lot of time together, which we both definitely needed. The entire team has been so generous, they all helped me move from my apartment into my new house! They even helped me unpack!!! It has been such a blessing to have them and get to know them all. I don't know what I'm going to do on Saturday when they are no longer here.

One of my favorite things we have done this last week has to be the Vacation Bible School we did in Verbena. Verbena is the newest and roughest area we work in. We started a feeding center there about 9 months ago, where every Saturday we feed anywhere between 100-200 kids. We have never had a VBS in verbena, so this week was very special because we had 62 children come play, sing, craft, and learn about Jesus. It was so touching on the last day when the team had a call to Christ and most of the kids stood up proclaiming they wanted to give their lives to Christ. It was such a blessing to see this! I recorded it, but am having trouble posting the video. Hopefully I can figure it out soon!

So with all of this happening, I have also moved into a new house. It's in a great location right next to the church and a half block away from our team house! So there will be no more worrying on how I'm going to get home at night! And I've been so excited because the house has an almost normal American kitchen!! There is way more counter space then my crazy apartment had! And I'm getting to pay the same amount as I was in the apartment! God as usual has provided!!

Just an update on financial support, I'm still coming short of my goal amount. I still need $200-$400 more per month, $1000-$1500 for a car, and the $1200 to attend Spanish language school in the fall. The last blog I posted asked for you to prayerfully consider giving even $10 a month. Unfortunately I did not get any feed back from this, so we are still in the same place. I'm asking again for everyone to be prayerful and see if God would like you to be a part of my support group!

I truly appreciate everyone's prayers and generosity! God has blessed me with so many amazing people in my life to support His calling for my life. Thank you all so much for keeping track of me and for seeing what all God has going on down here!

Settling In

After being in Costa Rica for a few days now, I've started to settle back in. I've already visited my favorite smoothie place, started working on my flip flop tan, did laundry with the tico washer, and mostly have gotten unpacked. I have however not gotten used to the 4:30 bus wake up call outside my bedroom window every morning, washing my feet about 10 times a day, not having Internet in my apartment, or all the ants that have been calling my house their home.

Even though there are struggles living in a different country away from all of your friends and family, it's all worth it. I'm getting back in the swing of things visiting with church members and welcoming the team that is coming in today. I'm getting to love on people and see God moving. I went to the Wednesday night service at church and it was awesome seeing how powerful it was. I didn't even understand what the message was about, but I could feel it effecting the people around me. It was great to worship with my church family again. I have missed singing in Spanish! And I was very excited because we sang my favorite song! The song talks about giving all the honor and glory to God. It is such a great reminder for me, that all of this is His and for Him!

I'm really looking forward to what God has planned. I can to wait to serve with this team, specifically one of my best friends Kelsey who is a part of the World Race. She will be here with this team for a couple weeks! What a blessing it will be to have her here!! I don't think there is anything better than serving with people you care about!

Also please be praying for me to continue to get settled in. I believe I'll actually be moving here in a few weeks, so ill have to get resettled in there. And also please be praying for the ministry. We seem to be in a transitional period and could really use your prayers.

Thank you all! I miss everyone so much already!

God bless,
Whitlee

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

Today is the big day! I will be headed back to Costa Rica this evening. The last 4 months of being home have been great! I've been extremely busy spending time with family and friends, fundraising, and found some time to do a little work too.

If you have ever had to do some major fundraising, I'm sure you understand how stressful it can be. Always wondering how people are going to feel when you ask them for support, questioning if you'll ever raise enough, talking to literally everyone you know, always being a fundraiser and praying you aren't driving everyone crazy! My biggest fear this year was that I'd sound like a pledge drive. First of all, I love KLOVE! I listen to KLOVE everyday and it brings me joy. However, everyone who listens to KLOVE knows when the pledge drive is on. Everyone I know who listens on a daily biases takes that week off! I did not want to be a pledge drive, I didn't want people to stop listening. I want people to see how passionate I am for working in Costa Rica, how God is doing amazing things down there, and I want people to want to be a part of it.

Even though fundraising is stressful and even worrisome at times, God will always provide. He has provided me with EXTREMELY GENEROUS PEOPLE!! So many people have given and have wanted to be a part of what God is doing by being able to financially support this work. As of right now I have $1000 monthly donations. I also have about $3000 in the car fund. This is amazing, amazing that so many people have given to make this happen! I am however a little short on my financial goals, I'm sure most of us are! To be able to live in Costa Rica, fly home or leave the country every 90 days to renew my visa, own a car to keep myself safer, and to be able to do personal ministry, I am really needing $1200-$1400 a month and an additional $1000 towards a car.

If you can give financially, no matter the amount, I would extremely appreciate IT. I've asked for monthly donations in the amounts of $25, $50, and $100. As of right now I'm asking if anyone could give $10 a month? If there are 10 people who can give $10 a month, that would be 10 more people involved and an additional $100 a month going to help me stay working in Costa Rica. Please be prayerful about how and if God wants you to become involved!

I have been so blessed to have so many amazing people influence my life. God constantly provides me with great friends and family who help better me. He always knows exactly what I need and He always provides! Thank you to everyone who has helped impact me, serve with me, donate, pray for me, encouraged me, and took time just to chat with me. You are making a difference in my life!

Also, if everyone could be praying for our ministry, a lot of changes have been happening, we are in a transition period of staff coming and going. Please pray for us to have unity and for everyone to work well together. I know God is using 6:8 to make an impact and I feel extremely blessed to be a part of it!

Thank you all again for being so generous with giving and praying for me! It means so much to me! And also just as a reminder I won't have my phone starting at midnight tonight so please contact me through Facebook, Skype, email!