Texarkana Honors Former GLOW Tract Coordinator
TEXARKANA, TEX. – Leslie “Buster” White, GLOW Tract coordinator for the Texarkana Seventh-day Adventist Church, passed away on Dec. 31, 2022. Although he was an agnostic up until the year 2003, White’s profession of faith at an evangelistic series in July 2009 transformed him into a missionary. He was eventually elected to answer the call of the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20, making disciples of all the nations from east to west.
White never knew a stranger which could explain how he accomplished sending out more than 18,000 GLOW tracts by mail and managed to reach 37 states with his efforts to spread the Gospel. Not only did he send the literature to friends and family, but he even sent them in with his bill payments. Abigail Machado, who met White while serving as a Bible worker in Texarkana, Tex., in the summer of 2009, said, “I will always remember White’s genuine love for the work God had given him, his faithfulness and his way of talking with strangers like they were friends. He had a big heart.”
His “big heart” wasn’t his only recognizable feature. White’s had only one arm. Gwen Shorter, who works for GLOW, said the following at the start of White’s ministry, “If White can allow God to use him in this way, what can God do through you? You’re never too old, too busy or too physically unable for God to use you.”
In the words of Ellen G. White, “Unvarnished truth must be spoken, in leaflets and pamphlets, and these must be scattered like the leaves of autumn.” To White, his life’s calling was summarized in the words composing this sentence. Whether he achieved this in jail while incarcerated for refusing to testify falsely against a member of a ministry he was a part of, or while canvassing Ouachita Hills College to reach its students with the Word, White’s vocation was clear. Leading eight individuals to choose Christ was one feat White managed during the eight weekends he spent in jail. Baptists, Methodists and Nazarenes all relied on White to supply their churches with GLOW literature.
White even sponsored National Football League (NFL) athlete LaMichael James, who passed out GLOW tracts during his collegiate career at the University of Oregon. When James was young, White would often buy him footballs each time he misplaced them, fueling his passion for the sport.
To honor the man whom so many perceive as an inspirational disciple of the Lord, the Texarkana church is placing a memorial plaque for White at the designated rack for GLOW leaflets. Here, the memory of White will be honored, hopefully inspiring others to become fishers of men, using the example of Jesus and his loyal followers, such as White, to illuminate their path forward.
By Madeline Haak
