“God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. A sense of destiny is our birthright as followers of Christ. God is awfully good at getting us where He wants us to go. But here’s the catch: The right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time.” – Mark Batterson
Have you ever found yourself following what the Lord told you to do, but eventually you reach a point where nothing seems to be making a difference? You don’t really seem to be accomplishing what the Lord sent you to do. So, the decision is made. It’s time to give up. It’s time to move on.
That is how John Whited felt 8 years into his missionary work in Costa Rica. He wasn’t seeing any fruit. Sure, his home was hosting a church of about 100 members, but he couldn’t see the Lord bringing about the ministry he believed he had been sent to do. He was in the US for his yearly visit, and he told his wife his decision. He was done.
“We aren’t going back to Costa Rica. We’re staying here.”
John’s wife is Costa Rican, and she reminded him that she had agreed to be in her sister’s wedding, held on the west coast of Costa Rica. John agreed that they should go for that, “but then we are coming back to the US.”
After the wedding, his wife Daisy recommended the sensible thing: “Let’s go home, get our things, and everybody know that we are leaving.”
So, off they went to their home in Bribri on the east coast of the country. They arrived in the evening, while a church service was going on at their house. They snuck in the back and sat through the service. John noticed a new man he didn’t know, playing guitar for worship. When the service ended, they were greeted by the members of the church as they left.
The new man finished packing up his guitar and approached John. After introducing himself, he said, “The Lord gave me a word for you. I was really confused at first. God said the word was for a foreigner who isn’t a foreigner. I didn’t understand until I saw you walk in.”
John was intrigued and asked what the Lord had said.
The man replied, “The Lord said that He is not finished with you. He has more for you to do here.”
That night, John let his wife know they were staying. Since then, he has been able to witness as the Lord has led him into places, projects, and ministries that have expanded his sphere of influence and grown his ministry.
During our first visit with John, his wife Daisy, and their two sons, James and JP
The unfinished hangar at Agua Viva Ministries that will eventually house the helicopters and airplane.
Eventually, there will be a runway here for the airplane at Agua Viva Ministries.
That river in the distance used to be much closer to the hangar. The people of Bribri told John not to build his hangar there because of flooding. John responded that the Lord told him to build it there, and therefore God would protect it. Not long after, the river flooded. When the waters receded, a large island had been transplanted right next to the hangar, pushing the river further away. Yay for God protecting the work He is doing!
What I have learned from John is the beauty of obedience and trust in the Lord and His plans, even when we don’t see or understand. God is at work, and we must continually position ourselves to hear from Him. As Mark Batterson said in his book (In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day), “God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go.”
If you are interested in supporting or learning more about Agua Viva Ministries, Click Here.
