Jonathan White
Christian/Gospel • Canton, OH
Jonathan White found a deep love for singing at an early age.
He has been singing since before he can remember. His mom and dad would stand him up front and have him sing with his brothers and later his sister.
Jonathan's father was a pastor, and eventually, he became an evangelist. Jonathan would sing along with his siblings and parents, and later in the service, his father would preach.
Those first few years were important to him. They were their own little evangelistic team.
Those first several years were important in developing a heart for ministry in Jonathan. The seeds were planted, though Jonathan never pursued any kind of career in music until later in life.
In 1991, Jonathan was married to Sheila. However, despite this happy time in his life, tragedy soon struck his family.
Nine months after he was married, May 16, 1992 to be exact, a drunk driver ran a red light going 90 MPH and hit his parent's car. His father died instantly, and his mother lived for 16 days in the hospital before she went home to Heaven.
Despite having only been married nine months, Jonathan and his wife Sheila took on a new role, as both his 10 year old sister and 16 year old brother were now under their care.
It was amazing to watch the Lord take care of them during this time.
It seemed like the Whites were entering a new, brighter phase of life when they found out that Sheila was pregnant the year following his parents' accident.
They were so excited, thinking that this would help heal the hurt that had been caused by losing his parents.
However, the doctors did not have good news for the Whites. Jonathan and Sheila were soon informed after their daughter's birth that the baby more than likely had Down Syndrome.
Jonathan was angry, thinking that God had given them second best. However, he has found that God knows exactly what He is doing, and He gave them the very best that He had. Brittany has been a wonderful blessing to them and many others.
Jonathan has written a song about her, and through their situation, they have been able to help others cope with having a child with disabilities. Brittany is such a wonderful little girl, and they wouldn't trade her for the world.
A few years later, Jonathan and Sheila were blessed with another child, Austin, in February of 1996.
It is through these trying times that Jonathan has found his goal in life.
His main goal in ministry is to encourage Christians in their walk with God, and to let them know that sometimes things happen that may seem horrible, but God can turn it around for good.
It's all about reaching others for Christ. It is so exciting to have someone come forward and accept Christ as their Savior. It continues to amaze him that God would use him in this capacity to further His kingdom.