Dano and Melinda Whited’s passion for serving the Lord was ignited approximately two decades ago. In her teenage years, Melinda committed her life to missions and teaching. Before the two were married in 1991, Dano knew the Lord was calling him to “something” but didn’t know what that something was. The subsequent years found him fasting, praying and seeking direction. He eventually believed God was leading him and Melinda into missionary service. At the time, he had a career in aviation with the Navy but did not understand how that could translate into mission work. Melinda had a full-time teaching career. They were also very involved in their church.
The couple thought that missionaries were primarily teachers, preachers and doctors; Dano was not any of these. Then in 1998, under God’s providence, they met a missionary who shared with them that there were mission organizations in need of teachers and aviation mechanics. That was all they needed to hear.
Dano and Melinda promptly investigated one missionary organization as a possibility and through a miraculous chain of God-orchestrated events enrolled in a class it required. It was there they were introduced to Wycliffe. They became full-time, faith-supported missionaries in June 2005 with MMS Aviation in order to gain the small aircraft experience he needed to serve with JAARS/Wycliffe. In 2007, Dano began volunteering in the JAARS hangar—on-loan from MMS. A year later they joined Wycliffe as they both desired to be involved in supporting Bible translation. They moved to Southeast Asia April 2011 where they studied the language for 9 months, then they moved to their final destination of service February 2012. They returned to the states for a little over 2 years from 2014-2016 for furlough then visa delays followed by the birth of a new baby then some medical issues that needed to be resolved before returning overseas. They returned to Southeast Asia in July 2016. Now Dano is busy as an airplane mechanic and serving as the Chief of Maintenance in the hangar, and Melinda continues with her joys and responsibilities as a full-time wife and homeschool mom also serving in a hospitality role for their organization.
Dano and Melinda were both raised in Middle Tennessee just north of Nashville. After their marriage in 1991, the Navy took them to Jacksonville, Florida where they lived for 8.5 years. The Navy then took them to Arlington, Texas where they lived for 5 years. When becoming full-time missionaries with MMS, they moved to Coshocton, Ohio for 2 years. JAARS is located in Waxhaw, North Carolina, and the Whiteds moved to the nearby town of Lancaster, South Carolina for 3 years. In preparation to move overseas, the Whiteds sold or gave away most of their belongings including furniture. For about 8 months they resided at the JAARS center in Waxhaw, North Carolina in a furnished missionary home before going to Tennessee to spend their final weeks in the US with family before heading overseas. They hope to return to the US for a furlough in May or June of 2019 when their oldest graduates high school. The length of that furlough is yet to be determined.
Last but not least, Melinda accepted Christ as her savior as a 9 or 10 year old. Dano accepted Christ as a young teenager. Both were baptized after their decisions. They are thankful for the many people who discipled them along the way as children, teenagers, and young adults so that they could step out in faith to follow the call of missions on their lives.
-updated March 2018
-updated March 2018
