The Excitement Continues to Build

Sis. White, Bro. P.J. White and I went to Knott's Berry Farm yesterday for a walk through of the Charles M. Schultz Theatre. Our appointment was at 2:00, but not knowing what traffic would be like we decided to leave Burbank at noon. We got to Buena Park very quickly so we decided to grab lunch. We ate at PoFolks, just down the street from Knott's Berry Farm.


While we were eating, our waitress, Karen, asked Bro. P.J. if he was a Pentecostal or Apostolic preacher. Bro. P.J. said yes. Karen went on to tell us that her father was a Pentecostal preacher at one time. Then with tears in her eyes she said, "Pray for Karen, she needs to come home."

We were so touched by her request. Sis. White invited her to Alive at the Park and we're praying that she will get to come. Three young people received the Holy Ghost at last year's event, so there's no telling what God has in store for this year!

When Sister White Became Mimi D

A little over two years ago I wrote "When Mom Became Grandma." It was about the transformation that took place in Mom's life when her grandchildren arrived. We've seen that same transformation this week in Victory Tabernacle - Pastor and Sister White now have a grandson! Max Alexander White, son of P.J. and Megan, was born last week.

I believe we will be seeing "Mimi D" with this pose most of time...


That was her last night before church with her latest picture of Max! "I just got a new picture!" she gleefully exclaimed!

I love seeing Sister White in this role. She is such a loving person - she loves our church family, she loves the visitors who come, she loves her friends, she loves her family, and she is very much in love with this new little guy!

There are so many quotes about grandparents, but I think this one is my favorite:

When a child is born, so are grandmothers. ~Judith Levy

Congratulations, PJ and Megan! Welcome, Baby Max! And welcome, Mimi D!

It's Hard to Say Goodbye!

Victory Tabernacle is saying goodbye to a young couple this week. Bro. P.J. and Sis. Megan White are leaving us to go on the evangelistic field. I feel like these babies when I think about the hole they are leaving in our church, but I am also very excited to see what God has in store for them and the churches they go to.

Bro. P.J. and Sis. Megan,

You will be missed! Sis. White shared some funny stories about P.J. on Sunday night, and I thought I'd add just two:

P.J., you've always been girl savvy. You tried giving Les dating advice when you were about 10. In your wise way, you said, "There aren't any pretty girls in Fresno." And yes, we were dating at the time! But I won't hold it against you!!

You were a very fun part of the youth group and our youth class. I remember the Bible Quizzing trip to Portland, Oregon. We drove there when you were about 12. You were filled with lots of stories and questions, my favorite being, "Will we be in a different time zone when we get there?"

You have both been a blessing to our church. P.J. you were only two years old when your family came to Burbank, so you life has been here. Megan, you've been here just a short time, but we have enjoyed having you.

Go with God and your pastor's blessing and know that there are many people in Burbank who will miss you and be praying for you! We love you!!

Celebrating 35 Years!

What a day we had yesterday! I think I've said something similar the past two Mondays - but we've just been having great church lately! Yesterday we took the time to honor Pastor and Sis. White as they celebrated their 28th Pastoral Anniversary and 35 Years in the Ministry. Both services were full of surprises, kind words, and special guests.

Bro. David Abbott from Scottsdale, Arizona preached both services. Of course in my mind, Bro. Abbott is not complete without Sis. Darcy Abbott! Not only was Sis. Abbott with him, but their youngest daughter, Danae, came too. Their singing blessed both services. From new songs that Danae has written to oldies like "He's My Lord and My God." Bro. Abbott preached about "The Mighty God in Christ" and "The Precious Gift of the Holy Ghost." There were souls in the altar both services feeling God's Spirit.

The highlight of the day was when we presented our final gift. Anyone who knows Pastor White, knows he has a heart for souls. Bro. P.J. White told the story of his grandmother, Sis. Gloria White, who also loved souls. Many times Granny White would take P.J. to McDonald's and while praying for her food she would pray for the "children of Africa." That prayer was part of her daily prayer life. So in honor of Pastor White, Victory Tabernacle of Burbank, along with our three daughter churches, is building The Gloria J. White Memorial Church in Liberia, Africa! I honestly cannot think of a greater gift - there is no car, house, or trip that would mean more to Pastor White.

After service we had a potluck. I forgot to bring my camera to church - I had food and choir music on my mind, but I did snap this with my iPhone. Isn't she a cutie?


As Les and I climbed into bed around midnight last night, we were exhausted but so thankful for such a great day. Once again, I have an overwhelming thankfulness for my pastor and his wife! I love these two and thank God so much for putting them in my life.

Alive at the Park

Alive at the Park was amazing!! It exceeded all expectations.

Something of this magnitude takes A LOT of people to pull off - I won't begin naming everyone who had a hand in this event because I'm sure I'd miss someone. Sound men, musicians, singers, choir directors, back stage, emcees, Knott's employees. The list could on and on! Huge props to Bro. & Sis. P.J. White, our youth leaders, and their committee - they have worked on this for months and it was fabulous!

About six weeks ago, Pastor White made an announcement to our church. We had committed to Knott's Berry Farm - no matter who showed up, we were responsible for 500 tickets. Last I heard, we sold over 1400 tickets!!

I spent the entire day in the Wagon Camp Theater. Les was the sound liaison working with Terry Stewart and his crew. We had a great group of guys that showed up at 7:30 a.m. and stayed until after 11:00 p.m., helping unload, set up, tear down, and reload. This same crew also helped set up and tear down at Liberty Hall on Friday.

What can I say about the singers and musicians? Every group, choir, soloist did great! One of the Knott's employees told Les how impressed he was with the band. Les told him it was multiple bands, musicians changed for each group, and that just blew his mind! It's great seeing talent being used for God's glory.

There was standing room only in the theater for both "performances." Thankfully, this wasn't a talent show - but a time of praise and worship by young people and adults from as far away as Texas and Arkansas!! I assisted backstage and I think I was a little too stressed during the first set at 4:00 to feel what everyone was feeling. But the Spirit of God was so strong during the second set at 7:00, everyone backstage was worshiping and praising God!! After a very long day, my tiredness disappeared for a while as I was able to just enjoy the beautiful presence of God. It kept building with a finale that brought the house down because the Holy Ghost showed up in a big way!! They could hear us all over park!!

The greatest testimony I heard came when it was all over. The sound crew was waiting for the park to clear so they could bring their vehicles in and load up all the equipment. While waiting, some of us had funnel cakes. The young man who gave Bro. P.J. his funnel cake told him that his grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher and he hadn't felt anything like that in a long time!

Big thanks to Sis. Chris and Bro. Nembro for taking pictures while I was back stage!

In the midst of all my busyness - I did get to meet Jen and Michelle from Dallas, Texas! I also saw Bekki again. All three were at church with us Sunday morning. I'm always glad to make more friends!

Belize Bound

A large group of young people from Victory Tabernacle (along with Pastor and Sis. White and P.J. and Megan White) are headed to the country of Belize today! Bro. Joiner, missionary to Belize, was the speaker at our Missions Conference last year and the trip was born from his visit. I am so excited for them. There is nothing like leaving the good old USA to have your eyes opened to the needs of the world around you.



Most of these young people were at camp last week. They will be get home next Tuesday and some of them will be going to Donkey Rock Teen Camp on Wednesday! That's enjoying summer vacation to the max!

Easter Sunday Report

We had two great services yesterday. (Well, I guess we had three, since we also had our Spanish service, but I wasn't in that!) Anyway, in our Sunday morning and Sunday evening services our Youth Department put on an Easter drama. With a three week revival in March, practices were few, but they pulled it off! There was a special tenderness in our young people and it was beautiful seeing God use so many of them. The soloists were anointed and when the youth choir sang "No Greater Love" God's power filled the house. Because "that's not how the story ends, three days later He rose again, that's love!" I had to get on my feet and worship!

Special thanks to our youth leader, Bro. P.J. and Sis. Megan White, and their assistants, Bro. David and Sis. Breanna Gonzales. It was awesome, y'all!

And big props to my hubby! Les played "Amazing Grace" on his trumpet. He has not played his trumpet much at all in recent years, especially since his neck surgeries. He did fabulous! He had some technical difficulties Sunday morning, but Sunday night was awesome! The song went from the key of F to Bb to Eb to Gb! Quite a range, and he had about 2 weeks to prepare!

It was a great weekend!

Reception for P.J. and Megan White

Our eldest pastor's son, P.J., married Megan (formerly Davies) in McMinville, Oregon on October 10th. I was unable to attend the wedding due to Dad's surgery. Last Friday night, Sis. White hosted a reception for them at our church. The food was great, we got to visit with friends, and we got to see Megan in her wedding dress - very beautiful! We are happy to welcome Megan to Victory Tabernacle!

Megan's parents were with us in service yesterday. Bro. Davies preached and they also blessed us with singing.

Here are a few pictures from Friday night.