Sunday night around 5:15 p.m. Daddy was HEALED ETERNALLY! Praise the Lord! His suffering is forever over! He is praising the Lord IN HIS PRESENCE! We are so thankful to have that peace!
Thank you for your many prayers! Daddy died very peacefully with all 5 of his children around his bed and Katie his oldest grandchild. Two very special friends were also there. We were singing some of his favorite songs as he took his last breaths. It was a sweet time of laughter and tears.
Alive Hospice in Madison made his transition from here on Earth to Daddy's Heavenly HOME so much easier. They were a blessing beyond what we could have imagined! Their compassionate care was exactly what we all needed... especially Daddy.
Thank you for your continual show of support and love to our Daddy and to us. We have no strength of our own. We are far from the perfect family. It is because of our imperfections and weaknesses that we are able to be sustained by the Lord.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says: But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Psalm 34:18 says:
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Without the Lord, we are nothing and could not do this.
We have the times and locations for everything now. I also wanted you to know that Daddy had all this taken care of before he passed away with the help of JA, his friend Doug, and Sykes Funeral Home (members from his church). That has made all of this so much easier. We were just working out the details of a day and time with the cemetery which then dictated the times of everything else. We also wanted to give family time to come to town.
Visitation is Thursday, November 4th from 4 to 8 p.m. at
McFerrin Missionary Baptist Church
431 W. Old Hickory Blvd.
Madison, TN 37115
http://mapq.st/h/1-HIWM20D9
The funeral is Friday, November 5th at 9:30 a.m. with visitation starting 1 hour before at McFerrin Missionary Baptist Church (address above).
Burial is at 11 a.m. at the
Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in Nashville
(in the Pegram area)
7931 McCrory Lane
Nashville, TN 37221
http://mapq.st/h/10-7FxKxtR1
We are asking that in lieu of flowers, gifts be given to Daddy's church's building fund. Daddy loved his church... and they sure loved him and took amazing care of him. It would be an excellent way of giving back to them.
McFerrin Baptist Church
431 W. Old Hickory Blvd.
Madison, TN 37115
Please write on the Memo Line "In Memory of Richard McDonald," and they will know it is for the building fund.
I think in today's Tennessean there is a small notice in the obituaries. There should be a full obituary tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Tennessean along with the small notices in many of the local papers.
My siblings and I also wanted to say a HUGE thank you to Doug Franklin and Pat Schmidt. They have been Daddy's faithful friends throughout this long journey and have done many things for him that were way above and beyond the call of friendship! They have been a blessing to us by blessing our Daddy, but they have also been a blessing to us during these last two weeks of Daddy's life here on earth that we could never repay. I think Romans 12:10 describes how they loved Daddy and us:
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
They have certainly done this! What a blessing! Thank you Doug & Pat! We love you!
Thank you, again, to all of you who have supported us through prayer & your kind words! You have definitely been carrying the banner for us!
Thank you, again, for everything!
Glory be to God on the Highest! He hears our prayers!
Blessings,
Melinda
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Our New Ticker (revised)
(I am re-posting this because I did not include all our current gifts by mistake... so I wanted to give a correct update! It is worth the time to read! Sorry about that!)
If you look to the right, you will see our new ticker that I will be updating with our percentage as we are raising our outgoing expenses, language school & orientation expenses, and our airfare expenses. So if you want to check on our progress... just visit our blog & scroll down a bit to see how far our airplane has gone! In our e-mail, I said we were around 25%, but now we are at 38.5%!!! So in the past week, we have gotten another 13.5%! YEA! If we get 13.5% every week, we'd be at 100% in less than 5 weeks! That would be GREAT! Our DEADLINE is to reach 100% by the end of the year... shockingly that is only 11 weeks away! Please continue to pray for God to meet this need. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us!
To God be the Glory!
(If you are reading this on facebook, you'll have to visit our blog to see the ticker: http://whited-underhiswings.blogspot.com/ )
If you look to the right, you will see our new ticker that I will be updating with our percentage as we are raising our outgoing expenses, language school & orientation expenses, and our airfare expenses. So if you want to check on our progress... just visit our blog & scroll down a bit to see how far our airplane has gone! In our e-mail, I said we were around 25%, but now we are at 38.5%!!! So in the past week, we have gotten another 13.5%! YEA! If we get 13.5% every week, we'd be at 100% in less than 5 weeks! That would be GREAT! Our DEADLINE is to reach 100% by the end of the year... shockingly that is only 11 weeks away! Please continue to pray for God to meet this need. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us!
To God be the Glory!
(If you are reading this on facebook, you'll have to visit our blog to see the ticker: http://whited-underhiswings.blogspot.com/ )
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Whited Update - DEADLINE
e-mail originally sent out Friday, October 8, 2010
In a hurry? Highlights in red… (Unless you are reading this on facebook... then it is all black!)
Home again, home again, jiggety jog!
Last Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. we pulled into our driveway here at our “new” home on the JAARS center. It was good to be home… although it really doesn’t feel exactly like home since we’ve been on the road longer than we have actually lived here! We were gone just shy of 3 full months! All in all, the trip went great!! God protected us & provided for all our needs! Thank you to many of you who played a role in that. We are blessed with so many wonderful friends (and family). Thank you for loving us. We didn’t even come close to spending time with all the folks we wanted to, but maybe “next time” we’ll have that opportunity!
When we left for our trip, we had about 4% of all our needed “set-up” & “language school” funds. Now we are somewhere around 25%! That is very exciting and encouraging to us! Thank you for your response to our need. Thank you for partnering with us in speeding Bible Translation through the use of mission aviation! We are REALLY looking forward to heading to Southeast Asia to aid in the work that is happening there. The part of the country that we are going to still has around 217 language groups that DON’T EVEN HAVE A SINGLE VERSE OF GOD’S WORD in their heart language. That is tragic, but together we can help change that!
Many of you asked… “When do you have to have your support raised?” The answer to that question is: THE END OF THE YEAR! Twenty-five percent is a good running start, but it will take 100% to cross the finish line.
Will you help us reach our DEADLINE?? Can you send in a special gift to our “overseas set-up account # 215422-71”? Any amount will be a blessing! NOW is the time to make that investment. Maybe you know someone else who is looking for a ministry they can invest in. Would you share our ministry with them?
If you have a desire to make a contribution toward our Language School and Orientation Expenses, please e-mail me. I will give you the details you will need to contribute to that account.
Our monthly support is just a few percentage points away from being at 100%!! Woo hoo! So this is not our greatest need, but if you feel led to partner with us faithfully each month, we still have room for you! Thank you to all of you who already support us faithfully each month! We couldn’t serve without you!
As a reminder, ALL gifts given through Wycliffe are tax-deductible! (More information on giving is at the end.)
EXCITING NEWS: We just got our passports in the mail! We are still working on immunizations, but plan to have those completed by January. As soon as we have all our funds, we can apply for our visas! Once we have our visas, we can purchase our plane tickets… and LEAVE! We are hoping to leave early spring 2011! We continue to pray for God’s perfect timing and will wait on HIM, but in the meantime, we are doing our part to get ready for when HE says GO! Will you pray about what part He wants you to play in this ministry of Bible Translation?
Prayer requests:
Please continue to pray for Melinda’s Daddy… healing according to God’s will. May God grant him peace and rest and freedom from pain.
Please pray for a COMPLETE recovery for Dano. He was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy almost two weeks ago, but he is already basically back to normal! Please keep praying for a COMPLETE recovery!
Please pray for our family’s health especially as we are receiving immunizations. Please pray for God’s protection over the children especially.
Please pray for us to make wise use of our time as we have MANY tasks set before us from raising our support, to continuing to go through our stuff & getting rid of it, to making a few purchases of items we will need to take with us overseas, to homeschooling, to making a few more SHORTER trips, to learning some Indonesian, to spending time with family before our 3 year departure, to maintaining routine for our sanity and the kids’, to staying grounded in God’s precious Word so that we might keep everything in perspective and focused on HIM!
Please continue to pray for our Virginia & the maturity of her digestive system. We also need wisdom in knowing where to seek treatment/diagnosis for her to resolve her sensitivities to fruits & veggies. Of course… PLEASE just pray for healing, too! And continue to pray for Wesley’s healing from eczema. It is definitely better than it used to be, but he will still get flair ups all over that are painful, open wounds. =0( Just in the last couple of days, he is having an awful flair up.
Praises:
Dano & the 2 oldest kids are going to get to participate in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) up in Charlotte on Monday evenings this year as long as we are here! I am participating in a day class up in Charlotte. The three youngest are on the waiting list to go with me, but we are praying they have openings soon for them!
Our wonderful trip to TN, TX, & FL!
God providing ALL OUR NEEDS while we traveled from housing to food to anything else you can imagine. God was always right there. It is this faithfulness that gives us peace about heading overseas with all our kiddos. God has already gone before us preparing the way, and He will be right there with us every step we take!
Thank you again for all your prayers! Thank you for your faithfulness to our family in so many ways! Thank you for your continued financial investment in our ministry & family!
Will you please stop & take a minute to pray before going to your next e-mail? Thank you!
Love,
Melinda for the Whited Gang
Dano, Melinda, Olivia, Derek, Emma, Wesley, & Virginia =0)
To keep up with our family and ministry happenings
visit our blog or find us on facebook.
(SEVERAL NEW POSTS have been added this week!)
HOW TO GIVE:
Our MAJOR NEED is for our OVERSEAS SET-UP EXPENSES.
TAX-DEDUCTIBLE GIFTS of ANY amount are welcome! PLEASE send a note stating the following:
“Acct # 215422-71 Overseas Set-Up for Dano & Melinda Whited”
For monthly gifts, send a note stating:
“Acct# 215422 for the ministry of Dano & Melinda Whited”
You can MAIL all gifts to:
Wycliffe Bible Translators
P.O. Box 628200
Orlando, FL 32862-8200
OR You can give ONLINE at:
I think this works best using an Internet Explorer Browser (the blue “e”, as our kids call it).
Be sure and enter our special account #215422-71 with the note “Acct# 215422-71 Overseas Set-Up for Dano & Melinda Whited” in the Comment Box.
OR you can give by phone using the info above. Call 1-800-Wycliffe (1-800-992-5433)
Whenever you give a gift, you should receive a receipt. Please look at your receipt to be sure it states that your gift went to us. If you do not see our name on the receipt, please contact Wycliffe, and they will easily straighten it out.
YOU CAN ALSO HELP by being our ADVOCATE. Do you have a small group in which you can share our ministry? Would you like to host a dessert in your home and invite your friends so you can share our ministry with them? Would you like to introduce us to your church? These are things we can do “in person” if we’re in your area, but these are also things you can do for us if we send you the materials. Please contact us if you’d like to investigate this possibility.
Friday, October 8, 2010
A Fun Surprise
Yesterday during naptime around 3 p.m., I was working on some ministry stuff & Dano was working on paying bills and sorting through a TON of mail when I got a phone call. It was from a lady here at JAARS, and she was calling to ask us a favor. I had NO IDEA what it might be. Actually... I was thinking she might ask me to have some folks over for dinner (which normally I love to do... but considering my present state of mind & house since returning home...chaos... I was thinking I would have to say no), but instead she was asking us to come HAVE dinner with a group of volunteers and to share our story.
This sounded possible.
I asked her, "When?"
She said, "Tonight."
"OH, what time?"
"5:30 if you want to come for dinner or 6:30 if you want to just come for dessert."
"Can I talk to Dano & call you back?"
"Sure."
So... I talked to Dano, and he said... "Sounds like something we should do."
So we did! The kids were invited, too. =0)
So at 5:30, we headed over to "Jungle Jump-Off" here at the JAARS center. (This is an area where youth groups come for a week during the summer and get to experience life "in the jungle" like many translators experience day in and day out.)
We had a delicious meal of rice and vegetables and chicken which was a recipe from Papua New Guinea, and we even wore lap-laps to get the "full" experience. =0)
During dessert, we shared our story about how God called us into missions, where He has us today, and where we are headed and why! We did all that in about 20 minutes. It is always exciting to tell our story from beginning to end because it helps us remember how God has been working in our lives and how faithful He has been. It helps us KNOW that He will continue to be faithful to us as we serve and follow Him. I'm so thankful that we were available at the last minute to share our story.
HOWEVER, the more exciting part of the night was during dinner when we got to hear the stories of these volunteers. They are from a church in Pennsylvania that has been coming to JAARS for the last THIRTY years to help in numerous ways! This is the smallest group they've ever had. Normally they have 15 volunteers or more who come to help build buildings, do landscaping, paint, whatever JAARS asks.... They've also had many groups come through the Jungle Jump-Off. Not only that, but this church supports many missionaries. This is a church that IS mission minded in action and deeds. Reminds me of some other churches I know.
If your church would like to come & volunteer short term, go here to find out how. Some people come here and volunteer short term... then retire and MOVE here to volunteer full-time. Amazing!
If you'd like to learn more about Jungle Jump Off, you can visit this page. However, this year was the last Jungle Jump Off... but never fear, something new is being developed for the 2011 season! You can also find Jungle Jump Off on facebook!
This sounded possible.
I asked her, "When?"
She said, "Tonight."
"OH, what time?"
"5:30 if you want to come for dinner or 6:30 if you want to just come for dessert."
"Can I talk to Dano & call you back?"
"Sure."
So... I talked to Dano, and he said... "Sounds like something we should do."
So we did! The kids were invited, too. =0)
So at 5:30, we headed over to "Jungle Jump-Off" here at the JAARS center. (This is an area where youth groups come for a week during the summer and get to experience life "in the jungle" like many translators experience day in and day out.)
We had a delicious meal of rice and vegetables and chicken which was a recipe from Papua New Guinea, and we even wore lap-laps to get the "full" experience. =0)
 |
| Lap-laps are for men & women. |
HOWEVER, the more exciting part of the night was during dinner when we got to hear the stories of these volunteers. They are from a church in Pennsylvania that has been coming to JAARS for the last THIRTY years to help in numerous ways! This is the smallest group they've ever had. Normally they have 15 volunteers or more who come to help build buildings, do landscaping, paint, whatever JAARS asks.... They've also had many groups come through the Jungle Jump-Off. Not only that, but this church supports many missionaries. This is a church that IS mission minded in action and deeds. Reminds me of some other churches I know.
If your church would like to come & volunteer short term, go here to find out how. Some people come here and volunteer short term... then retire and MOVE here to volunteer full-time. Amazing!
If you'd like to learn more about Jungle Jump Off, you can visit this page. However, this year was the last Jungle Jump Off... but never fear, something new is being developed for the 2011 season! You can also find Jungle Jump Off on facebook!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Exciting Work!
This may not look like exciting work... but it was! I was privileged to be a part of a "Proofing Party" on Wednesday morning. About nine or ten of us helped proof the format issues of the translation that is getting closer to being printed for the first time! Here are a couple of verses in the translation. Can you read it?
Neither can I! BUT the indians who speak the Northern Embera language in Panama and Columbia can, and they are eagerly awaiting their FIRST translation of the Bible in their heart language that has been in the works for THIRTY YEARS! How exciting is that!? For the first time ever, they will have a Bible that makes sense to them. A Bible with the TRUTH. The verse above is John 1:1 and following. They will be able to read:
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God and the Word was God.
2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him
nothing was made that has been made.
4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
AND I got to play a teeny tiny part in helping them get this translation! So did you by your prayers and support of our family! If it weren't for YOU... I wouldn't be HERE to help! Thank you!!
You may ask... "What DID you do?" Well, I proofed the "Footnote Callers." That explains it, huh? Well, I don't know how easily I can explain it, but I will try. In the picture below, you can see the footnotes at the bottom. I'm sure you've seen them in your own Bible. I checked to make sure that the little letter that goes with the footnote was in the right place up in the verses, and I checked to make sure the correct scripture reference was next to the little letter down in the footnote. I also made sure that the little letter up in the verses wasn't touching any other characters. Okay... that doesn't sound very exciting, but REALLY... it was! Why? Because in a small way I was impacting eternity for all those people who would some day be reading this Bible in their own language. They will be able to read that passage in John chapter one and realize perhaps for the first time WHO God is... WHO Jesus is! This is something that will last generation after generation. What an honor to play even a tiny role in helping in the process! It was humbling.
Let me introduce you to Phil. Phil and his family live next door to us here at the JAARS center. They have been such a blessing to us! They have served in South America for many years with Phil doing IT work (computer stuff). Now they are serving here at the JAARS center still doing IT stuff. Phil took the work of the translators and formatted it into the pages you see above. I guess you can call him the typesetter. It takes so many different people and jobs to get a translation into the hands of those who need them! Is God calling YOU to use your skills, gifts, talents for HIS glory? Pray about it!
The finished product: The ENTIRE New Testament and about 25% of the Old Testament! Now it is ready for the next step! They are hoping to have all the corrections made and the pdf files sent to Dallas... then I think it will be printed in Korea. Please pray for a quick turn around with a finished product that honors God. You can also pray for the Embera people, that their hearts would be ready to receive God's Word in their language. Track the Kodiak
No... not a bear... but the airplane! Perhaps you remember our discussion of the Kodiak when Dano helped get the last one ready to fly over to Papua New Guinea (PNG). Click here to read that. Some of the posts following that one tell more of the story... with pictures! and a video! Of course, you can always read a lot about the Kodiak at the JAARS website: http://www.jaars.org/search/apachesolr_search (Type "Kodiak" into the search box.)
Well the second Kodiak is here at the JAARS center and will soon be ready to head over to PNG, too! You can sign up to receive flight tracking information on this flight. It is a great opportunity to get prayer reminders for the pilots flying. You can also pray for the impact this plane will have on the lives of many as it will help them receive the Word of God in a language that speaks to them. It will also help save the lives of many over the years as it will also do medical evacuations. The reminders will also be a great geography lesson! =0)
Remember, we are NOT going to PNG. Instead we will be moving to the OTHER HALF of the island which is a completely different country... BUT the terrain is the same... and so are the indigenous people (but remember... there are HUNDREDS of different language groups on the entire island.) That is why the need for Bible Translation is so great among them.
Sign up here to track the flight: http://kodiak.jaars.org/flight/ HAVE FUN!
Blessings,
Melinda for the gang =0)
Well the second Kodiak is here at the JAARS center and will soon be ready to head over to PNG, too! You can sign up to receive flight tracking information on this flight. It is a great opportunity to get prayer reminders for the pilots flying. You can also pray for the impact this plane will have on the lives of many as it will help them receive the Word of God in a language that speaks to them. It will also help save the lives of many over the years as it will also do medical evacuations. The reminders will also be a great geography lesson! =0)
Remember, we are NOT going to PNG. Instead we will be moving to the OTHER HALF of the island which is a completely different country... BUT the terrain is the same... and so are the indigenous people (but remember... there are HUNDREDS of different language groups on the entire island.) That is why the need for Bible Translation is so great among them.
Sign up here to track the flight: http://kodiak.jaars.org/flight/ HAVE FUN!
Blessings,
Melinda for the gang =0)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Bell's Palsy
Do you know what this is? I really had no idea! I had heard of it, but honestly... I couldn't have given a good definition.
BUT a little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to learn a LOT more about this ailment!
WHY??
Because DANO has it!
Friday (a week and a half ago) Dano began to notice his mouth wasn't working just right. He didn't mention anything to me. Saturday morning when he woke up, the right side of his face was paralyzed! When he was first telling me, I didn't get it. I thought his face was asleep or maybe it was a little numb or maybe it was a result of being rearended while we were in Texas. I thought it was something that would be gone in a few minutes or something that would wear off by the end of the day.
Well, Dano went straight to the computer & was researching it (which is NOT normal for Dano). By the time I got out of the shower, he was pretty certain he had Bell's Palsy. I'm like... "whatever!" A nice, compassionate wife response, huh? But the more he told me about his symptoms & what Bell's Palsy was, I was beginning to be convinced!
We had brunch with his aunt (a nurse) & his cousins (one a nurse in school, one an x-ray man, & one's wife an OT!) They were all pretty convinced he had Bell's Palsy!
On Sunday, we requested prayer from our church in Jacksonville (as they had us in front of the church asking us for prayer requests as we said goodbye).
On Monday, we still had no plans to go to the doctor or ER... but before the day was over & through a series of events, Dano decided he did want to go to the ER. So off we went (with our host keeping the kiddos for us)!
We weren't there long... and he got an official diagnosis that it was indeed Bell's Palsy! They didn't even run any tests! Apparently, if your eyebrow DOESN'T work, it is Bell's Palsy. If your eyebrow works, but the rest of your face is paralyzed... then it is probably the result of a stroke. (Now don't go using that as medical advice... but that is what the doctor told us.) So... they gave him a Rx for steroids & sent us on our merry way!
This can last for 6 months! FORTUNATELY, Dano is already VERY MUCH IMPROVED!! He already has a lot of movement back in his face. It was never numb... just paralyzed! Just looking at him now, I can't tell there is even a problem... unless he blinks... because only one eye blinks! Of course, if he smiles... he does still favor a pirate (especially if he is wearing the eye patch which keeps his eye from drying out so badly).
Thank you for those who already knew about this & were praying!
Thank you to those of you who faithfully lift us up even when you don't know we have an urgent need!
God is faithful! Our faith rests in HIM!
Please continue to pray for a QUICK & COMPLETE recovery!
BUT a little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to learn a LOT more about this ailment!
WHY??
Because DANO has it!
 |
| In the ER... looking at this, the right side of his face has a droop not on his left side |
 |
| Notice how his left eyebrow is up & there are wrinkles on his forehead. The right side of his face did not move! |
 |
| This was his BEST smile. =0( |
Friday (a week and a half ago) Dano began to notice his mouth wasn't working just right. He didn't mention anything to me. Saturday morning when he woke up, the right side of his face was paralyzed! When he was first telling me, I didn't get it. I thought his face was asleep or maybe it was a little numb or maybe it was a result of being rearended while we were in Texas. I thought it was something that would be gone in a few minutes or something that would wear off by the end of the day.
Well, Dano went straight to the computer & was researching it (which is NOT normal for Dano). By the time I got out of the shower, he was pretty certain he had Bell's Palsy. I'm like... "whatever!" A nice, compassionate wife response, huh? But the more he told me about his symptoms & what Bell's Palsy was, I was beginning to be convinced!
We had brunch with his aunt (a nurse) & his cousins (one a nurse in school, one an x-ray man, & one's wife an OT!) They were all pretty convinced he had Bell's Palsy!
On Sunday, we requested prayer from our church in Jacksonville (as they had us in front of the church asking us for prayer requests as we said goodbye).
On Monday, we still had no plans to go to the doctor or ER... but before the day was over & through a series of events, Dano decided he did want to go to the ER. So off we went (with our host keeping the kiddos for us)!
We weren't there long... and he got an official diagnosis that it was indeed Bell's Palsy! They didn't even run any tests! Apparently, if your eyebrow DOESN'T work, it is Bell's Palsy. If your eyebrow works, but the rest of your face is paralyzed... then it is probably the result of a stroke. (Now don't go using that as medical advice... but that is what the doctor told us.) So... they gave him a Rx for steroids & sent us on our merry way!
This can last for 6 months! FORTUNATELY, Dano is already VERY MUCH IMPROVED!! He already has a lot of movement back in his face. It was never numb... just paralyzed! Just looking at him now, I can't tell there is even a problem... unless he blinks... because only one eye blinks! Of course, if he smiles... he does still favor a pirate (especially if he is wearing the eye patch which keeps his eye from drying out so badly).
 |
| Dano "smiling" his best pirate smile! |
Thank you for those who already knew about this & were praying!
Thank you to those of you who faithfully lift us up even when you don't know we have an urgent need!
God is faithful! Our faith rests in HIM!
Please continue to pray for a QUICK & COMPLETE recovery!
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