On our way back to Colorado, we decided to take an extra hour and drive through the town that was a part of many beginnings for us.
Some stats on White City: It's a town of 500. All the roads were gravel except Main Street and that's because it was a Kansas highway, and then most of that was brick. Off an on through the 7 years we were part of WC, there was sometimes a grocery store (nothing like a, grocery store in the city!) There was 1 gas station, 1 hardware store, 1 auto parts store, 1 bank, 2 churches, a library, a printer of a newspaper, a post office, 1 school K-12 (I do think they had elementary separated from the upper grades.), a few different restaurants that would open and then shut down and maybe a couple of other small businesses that I'm forgetting.
White City was the beginning of 'vocational' ministry for Jeff. Our ministry there started out as a weekend ministry for us while we were still in college. A "weekend ministry" is exactly as it sounds. We went down on the weekends and Jeff preached and worked with a few youth. Our pay started at $75 and was soon raised to $100 a weekend.
The beginning of our marriage was part of there. One week after our wedding was when we went down and "tried out". We ate lunch with the head elder, Frank Anderson (whom was a dairy farmer and a retired preacher) and his wife, Vera. At that lunch we found out that Frank and I were cat & dog related. He was cousins with my great aunt, who was married to my grandpa's brother. The following Sunday there was a vote with all 24 people in attendance and 2 of them were kids. Jeff was unanimously voted in as their pastor.
This is where Jeff was mentored by Frank. He would learn and grow. While we were there the church grew to be 3-4 times bigger then when we started. There were many experiences that laid foundations for where we are now. We chuckle about this still, but he was also told to "get out of town" by a local area Baptist pastor!
The beginning of life in the "real world". After Jeff and I graduated from college in 1996, we moved to White City. The church had grown, but it was still so small there was no way they could provide for a full time pastor. Jeff became bi-vocational. His main income...carpentry. Yep! He was following in his Master's footsteps. There was even one year he also drove a school bus. (There are some interesting stories there!)
The beginning of the idea of homeschooling. After seeing what a "small town" school is like, I knew that I would NEVER have my kids go to one. I started saying that I would send my kids to the schools in Wichita (Kansas' largest city of 330,000 people), ANY day over a small town. Why? In small towns there is one clique. So if you weren't part of that clique (which usually required being born into it!), you were an outsider. In bigger schools, you can find other kids that are like you, and there were many groups so know one is really an "outsider". This was even before I had kids.
The beginning of our family. Preston was born in 1998 and Tanner in 2001. We had to drive 30 miles to Council Grove, to visit our doctor and to deliver them.
In May of 2001, the Lord called us on. In July, was when we said goodbye to this town and to many friends we had made while there.
We were sorry we were short on time and couldn't stop and say "Hi" to anyone, but we said that next time, we are going to make sure we have time.
Here's a "virtual tour" of our "beginnings".
This is Main Street. Notice the brick road.
The Parsonage (which is no longer the parsonage)
When we lived here it was just white. We put in the front door. It used to be an old wooden door with a big window (that would have been easily broken into, in my opinion.) There was no fence.
When we lived here it was just white. We put in the front door. It used to be an old wooden door with a big window (that would have been easily broken into, in my opinion.) There was no fence.
The Christian Church
It looks cuter now. There was no red door and the cinder blocks were not painted when we were here. On the bottom picture you can see part of a roof for where a bell is. Jeff built that, with his carpentry skills.
It looks cuter now. There was no red door and the cinder blocks were not painted when we were here. On the bottom picture you can see part of a roof for where a bell is. Jeff built that, with his carpentry skills.
The Post Office
The Methodist or 'Other' Church
Papa & Gigi's
At the time we were there, this was the newest and nicest house in town. We actually watched it being built. The couple that lived here, became Papa and Gigi to Preston. They were a great set of adoptive grandparents and they sold this house and moved to Texas soon after we moved. (It's amazing to see what we thought as "big" being not so big.)
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