Paul & Beth Kostner Newsletter (Spring 2024)

Dear Friends, Family and Former Team Members,

How can it already be the middle of May??? In just over a month, our team members begin arriving for their 10 days of training at the Lord’s Boot Camp. We are so excited! We have been praying for these team members and leaders for several months and we are all looking forward to meeting them. The Big Top tents are up, schedules are being finalized, we are starting to put up tents in our tent sites, phone calls are increasing and the paperwork is coming in like a flood.

Our Tough Gator 5K Mud Run was this past Saturday. We had over 620 runners! Due to a lack of rain, the outside crew piped in plenty of water from our lakes to make the course muddy. The feedback from the runners was very positive. 100% of the profit will be going overseas to our bases to aid those who need it—whether it be food, medicine or even helping improve their living situations. It is such a blessing for the bases to have these extra funds to disperse where needed.

We are headed back to India and we are so, so excited. We have two other leaders and 20 team members—seven guys and 13 girls. We will assist with various work projects at the base and do evangelism in the community. Several of our “grandkids” (a parent was on one of our teams) are on teams this summer—two being on our team. It doesn’t seem like we are old enough for this to happen, but I guess we are. We are so looking forward to seeing Raj and Sajani (the coordinators of our India base) along with the staff and students. Please pray for health and safety this summer for our leadership and team members. Pray that we will be a positive witness for Christ and that each and every team member and leader will grow in their relationship with Him. And please pray for wisdom, grace and love for our leadership as we minister to the kids on our team.

We have 220 teen team members, 20 preteen team members and 63 leaders registered for this summer. The numbers even increased from last year and that is exciting! Paul has been busy finalizing the travel plans for all of the teams, corresponding with the missionaries and working with the leaders. He is also involved in planning the Boot Camp schedule with all of the moving pieces, making sure all the bases are covered. Only two teams require visas this year, so that aspect of my job is much easier this summer. However, the paperwork and phone calls are keeping me busy. Filing is not one of my “favorite things”, but it sure comes in handy when I need to find something quickly. Working with Timothy (staff member) and Liam (first-year Sojourner student) has been a joy. There is a lot of laughter in our department and it has been fun watching everyone find their niche in the US Teams Department. Paul and I love what we do and the summer ministry is one of the things that feed our joy.

Our kids are doing well. Lindsay continues to thrive in facilitating adoptions. Her face lights up when she talks about the kids. Colton is working hard to finish the requirements for the courses he has been taking in Computer Science. He lives just across the river in a home with two other guys. We sure miss having him around, but he does come over sometimes to watch movies with his dad and I enjoy fixing him a home-cooked meal. Danae is doing well in Phoenix. She was baptized on Easter and we had the joy of being able to watch her testimony and the baptism. We are hoping to get out to the Phoenix area while we are on deputation in the fall. She will be home in August to attend a wedding and we are looking forward to seeing her.

BJ and his fiancee just bought a home on Merritt Island—just a couple of minutes away from us. Despite a few “bumps” along the way, they were able to close today. Yeah, it is hard for us to believe our kids are actually adults. We do sometimes reminisce about their younger years, but this stage of their lives is proving to be a joy to experience.

On Monday (May 13), I came home from work to spend some time with Nam. I noticed that Sadie, our Great Dane, was acting odd and her breathing seemed labored. She fell and couldn’t get up and it was not long before she unexpectedly died. She was nine years old (which is considered “senior” in dog years) and was such a blessing for the seven years we had with her.

We want to thank you for your partnership in our ministry. We wouldn’t be here (and loving it!) if it were not for you. THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU are making a difference for His kingdom.

In March, we rented a van and drove up with Lindsay and Nam to Illinois and Danae flew out from Arizona for a surprise 90th birthday party for Nam. What a blessing it was to have family together to celebrate this milestone with her. She was so excited!

Once she returned home, we noticed that she was not doing as well physically and sadly, we watched her slowly decline. She was accepted into hospice care about two weeks ago and what a blessing they were! Paul’s nephew flew down for a few days and his sister flew down a couple of days later. On Wednesday, she seemed to be rallying. She enjoyed visiting with Pam (her daughter) and her pastor came for a visit. However, that evening, she began to again decline. Pam woke us up around 2:30 am on Thursday, May 16, and her breathing had changed and her skin was cold to touch. It was not long before she breathed her last breath here on Earth and stepped into the arms of Jesus. We were thankful to be able to be with her during this time. Although we are grieving, we rejoice that we know we will see her again. Paul’s brother and sister were on their way down when she passed and made it in later that morning.

It was a tough week emotionally, but God was/is faithful and His mercies are new every morning! The staff were great in loving us and encouraging us through this.