St. Patrick’s Day GREEN means GO!!!

Throughout the month of March, St. Patrick’s Day decorations can remind our families to pray for Christian missionaries and to highlight the need for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.  St. Patrick’s Day GREEN can remind us that we’re all called to GO!

Encouraging Missions Throughout the Year - MARCH

St. Patrick’s Day

To many people, St. Patrick’s Day is nothing more than a holiday to commemorate the traditions of Ireland. People wear “Irish” green; stores decorate with shamrocks, leprechauns, and rainbows; and restaurants feature meals of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes . . . or green-colored mint milkshakes.

To others, March 17th is a day to gratify the flesh: to guzzle beer, or to glorify sinful lifestyles through disgraceful city-wide parades and demonstrations. How far we have come from the real story Saint Patrick and his early missionary sacrifices to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people Ireland. Today, more than ever, our world desperately needs the Lord, and the message that Patrick preached.

During the month of March, let’s remember the missionary story of St. Patrick. And let’s use all the GREEN decorations as a constant reminder, wherever we see them (in stores, restaurants, etc.), that we’re all called to GO with God’s GOOD NEWS!

Quick Facts:

St. Patrick’s Day - MARCH 17th

Patrick was the first Christian missionary to Ireland. In the United States, celebrations include city parades, Irish cultural celebrations, and the wearing of green.

Who was Saint Patrick?

“Saint” Patrick (389 – 461 AD) actually went to Ireland twice – first as a slave, and later as a missionary. Born in Britain (in Wales), Patrick is widely known as the first Christian missionary to the Irish people. During his youth (from 16 to 22 years old), he was captured and taken to Ireland. While there, young Patrick repented of his sinful, backslidden condition. Years later, after escaping to his homeland, he received a vision from God calling him to return to the Irish people to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Patrick obeyed God’s call and went back.

For the remainder of his life, Patrick ministered among the heathen tribes of Ireland – confronting Irish idolatry and sorcery, converting many to Jesus Christ, and baptizing thousands of people. Tradition says he used the three-leaf Irish clover to teach the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

According to historian William Federer, who wrote St. Patrick: The Real History of His Life, From Tragedy to Triumph, “He was actually a missionary and he converted 120,000 druids from paganism to Christianity.” Federer claims that in the fifth century A.D., Patrick did more than perhaps anyone in history to spread Christianity in Europe. Although druids attempted to kill him over a dozen times,  Patrick continued to preach the message of Jesus Christ, and throughout his ministry he pioneered over 300 Christian churches. Patrick also spoke out against slavery, and because of this, some call him the world’s first abolitionist.

Mission-Minded Family Resources:

To learn more about St. Patrick, I recommend Hero Tales - Volume III, by Dave & Neta Jackson (Bethany House Publishers). Along with the short biography summary, St. Patrick: Missionary to Ireland, the Jackson’s include three devotional stories (each with a focus “From God’s Word” and “Let’s Talk About It” discussion questions) to read aloud:

• “Your Ship is Ready” — Trust
• The Fire on the Hill — Boldness
• Blood on the White Robes — Righteous Anger

VeggieTales has a funny “flannel-graph” version of the St. Patrick story, which is surprisingly historically accurate, on the VeggieTales DVD, Sumo of the Opera.

Also, Focus on the Family has a special “Days to Remember” edition of Adventures in Odyssey, with two episodes specifically highlighting the true meaning of St. Patrick’s Day.

Prayer Focus:

Pray for peace in Ireland, especially between Protestants and Catholics. Pray for the true message of salvation to spread throughout Ireland and for missionaries who are sharing the Gospel throughout Ireland today. Remember people in the United States, who are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day by doing evil things, and that these people would hear about the real story or St. Patrick, and the Gospel he preached. Pray also that we would have an obedient heart to go wherever God calls us to go.

NOTE: This article is adapted from the chapter “Enjoying Missions Throughout the Year” from Ann’s newest book, The Mission-Minded Family - Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny.

What is a mission-minded child?

FOLLOW CAELA’S 1st MISSION TRIP:  March 1 - 11, mission-minded Caela Rose Dunagan (age 12) will be going on her first missionary adventure . . . to UGANDA, E. AFRICA!!! She will be accompanying her mom, Ann Dunagan, to checkup on hundreds of children at Harvest Ministry’s two orphanages (Osanidde Village and Guma Na Yesu Children’s Center) and to minister at a Village Women’s Conference.

Stay tuned for Caela’s personal mission updates on our twitter-feed (or see the side bar right here on this website for recent entries) -#CaelaOnMission.

A mission-minded child may want to become a missionary–or a teacher or a doctor or a newspaper reporter or a state governor or a pastor or a businessperson or an airplane pilot or an author or a florist or a mother–as long as its what God wants.

The following excerpt is a highlight from the introduction of The Mission-Minded Child - Raising a New Generation to Fulfill God’s Purpose (Authentic, 2007). Hope you enjoy it!

So, what is a mission-minded child?

A mission-minded child . . .

• dreams of fulfilling God’s destiny.
• prays for that next-door neighbor.
• A mission-minded child may want to become a missionary–or a teacher or a doctor or a newspaper reporter or a state governor or a pastor or a businessperson or an airplane pilot or an author or a florist or a mother–as long as its what God wants.
• is not a picky eater!
• takes home a photo magnet from the visiting missionary family and puts it on the kitchen refrigerator.
• is healthy, active, and adventurous.
• spends a summer night sleeping outside on the trampoline, gazes up at a sky filled with twinkling stars, and realizes God’s plan is infinitely bigger than his or her own backyard.
• imagines rollerblading on the Great Wall of China!
• recognizes the names of David Livingstone, Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, and Loren Cunningham.
• knows how to use chopsticks.
• has a reputation for thoroughly enjoying the Bible sword drills and memory verse contests at church.
• puts extra money in the monthly missions offering and feels extra good inside.
• thinks it could be fun to sleep in a mud hut in Africa!
• reads all the way through the Bible by the age of ten (or eleven or twelve)–and is excited to start again!
• stares at the photos in the new geography textbook or magazine and imagines climbing to the top of that Egyptian pyramid, snorkeling in those tropical-blue waters, and giving a new outfit to that poor boy with the ripped-up shirt.
• befriends the new kid at school.
• thinks beyond the “box” of what’s merely expected and hopes to do something big, or something little, for God.
• wants to obey (even when no one is looking).
• loves Jesus!

For Christian parents and teachers, “world missions” is not just an extracurricular subject to teach our kids, it’s the core of our curriculum. Let’s raise the next generation to have a passion for God’s Great Commission. As Hudson Taylor (a famous missionary to China) often said, “The Great Commission is not an option to consider, it’s a command to obey.”

And how about adding to our list!!!  How are you raising your children to have God’s heart for the world and His Great Commission, and in your childrens lives (in day-to-day routines and in your “where-the-rubber-meets-the-road” reality) what is it like to be a genuine mission-minded child in your experience?

Now it’s your turn:

A mission-minded child . . .

2010 Magale Mission: NEW VIDEO!!!

God demonstrates His LOVE . . .

Here are some exciting photos and a NEW VIDEO from Harvest Ministry’s recent evangelistic outreach in East Africa to the remote mountain village of MAGALE, Uganda (on the border of Kenya). Over the course of the outreach, over 25,000 people came to hear the preaching of the GOSPEL, and approximately 5,000 people surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. The city (previously a tribal-religion/witchcraft stronghold) was impacted for GOD’S KINGDOM. Many were touched by the Lord, including a “head witchdoctor” who came forward to repent of his sins and to receive God’s salvation.

To God be the GLORY!!! What a JOY to reap a HARVEST of SOULS!!!

Mission to Magale, Uganda - NEW VIDEO!!!

Rare Solar Eclipse, “Raw” Evangelism, & a Rainbow!

On the first day of the MAGALE MISSION, this area of Uganda experienced a RARE SOLAR ECLIPSE (the news referred to it as a “RING OF FIRE” - and to us it was a “TOKEN” - like Rahab’s Scarlet Cord from Joshua 2:12-21 - emphasizing the BLOOD OF JESUS and God’s saving love, even in the midst of destruction). The mission was truly “RAW & RUGGED EVANGELISM (with rainstorms, witchdoctors trying to curse us, a crazy guy charging through the crowd with a rock, thousands of villagers hearing the Gospel and about 5,000 people surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ!!!) Then, on the final night, right during the preaching, there was a beautiful RAINBOW over the crowd! How AWESOME!!!

God loves the whole world, and even this remote and hidden area of Magale, Uganda!

MORE ABOUT THE ECLIPSE: On the opening day of the Magale Mission Outreach (while the world’s eyes were focused on the devastating aftermath from the earthquake in Haiti) Uganda witnessed a very rare solar eclipse. A red ring around the darkened sun, described by national newspapers as a “Ring of Fire”, was a “token” to us and to the people of Magale, like the “true token” of the Scarlet Cord of Rahab from Joshua 2:12-21, remarkably illustrating God’s provision of salvation for the whole world, only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, even for the people of this remote and hidden village of Magale, Uganda.

What can wash away my sin? NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS!
What can make me whole again? NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS!
Oh, precious is the flow, that makes me white at snow!
No other ‘fount I know. NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS!

PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR MAGALE!

Please continue to keep these people of Magale, Uganda in your prayers. Right now, a qualified national pastor (a friend of our co-worker and NETS minister, Drake Kanaabo) is working hard to establish a new church in this area to help these brand-new believers to grow in their faith and to become fruitful for Christ.

“Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown” (Mark 4:20).

Thanks for your prayers, and for all who helped send us!

To God be the GLORY!

In His Love & Harvest,
Jon & Ann (& all)

P.S. If you would like to join with us in specific prayer and/or mission support to help us to reach the lost with the Good News and Gospel message of Jesus Christ, we would be honored to send you our monthly HARVEST MINISTRY newsletter (for those of you in the US and CANADA). If interested, please CONTACT US with your mailing address!

Osanidde Village Child Sponsorship: Q & A

What a JOY!

It’s our 4 year anniversary since the founding of Osanidde Village!!!

In February of 2006, Harvest Ministry embarked on a new journey of faith and love for orphan children. We have grown so much, and our hearts have expanded. We started with 30 children, and by God’s AMAZING GRACE, Harvest Ministry is now caring for over 600 precious children through two ministries to orphans, and seeking God to raise each child for His MISSION-MINDED purposes. Over these 4 years, we’ve been amazed at God’s daily, monthly, and consistent yearly PROVISION for these children!

God truly cares about these kids, even more than we do . . . and what a joy it is to be a part of something so special to His heart!

God has been, is, and will always be our FAITHFUL PROVIDER.

Could you consider sponsoring a child?

Currently, 15 children at Osanidde Village (one of Harvest Ministry’s two orphanages in Uganda, East Africa) are available for individual child sponsorship, a commitment of $1/day ($30/month or $35 if possible). Every little bit makes a HUGE difference, and the one-on-one love and individual prayer support is powerful!

For more information, including details and photos of the kids now available for sponsorship, please download the following.

(NOTE: this post and the following PDF file will be continually updated and reloaded as each child is selected for one-on-one sponsorship.)

• DOWNLOAD MORE INFORMATION: Osanidde Sponsorship Q & A - (in PDF format - Updated February 19, 2010)

• How to send a PERSONAL LETTER/GIFT to your Osanidde Child - (Download information in PDF format)

• TO CONTACT US . . .

Osanidde Child Sponsorship Update:

Mid-January, 2010 - Children in need of sponsorship: 36

NEW SPONSORS: 21!!!

As of February 19 - Children currently available for sponsorship: 15

Keep these kids in your prayers, and thank you for caring!!! GOD BLESS YOU!

Mission-Minded Passports

Have you considered traveling internationally or taking a family mission trip?

If you want to be a part of God’s Great Commission (Matthew 26:19 and Mark 16:15 – to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel”), here’s a little question with BIG implications:

DO YOU HAVE YOUR PASSPORTS YET?

I just wrote my first article for Heart of the Matter Online, a great homeschooling website. In this article I share instructions to make mission-minded “Passports” — as a fun craft project and learning tool (including a FREE pdf file with passport pages, and links to FREE international flag stamps). I also motivate families to go one step further and to apply for “real” passports. Come take a look! (And it would be wonderful if you could leave an encouraging comment on the Heart of the Matter site! We’re hoping to keep this door open to continue motivating as many homeschooling families as possible to get involved in world missions!)

Click here for PASSPORTS FOR MISSIONS (at Heart of the Matter Online)

Easy-to-make passport crafts are perfect for mission-minded Vacation Bible Schools, Christian school or homeschooling projects for art, Bible, or geography, children’s ministry or Sunday school classes, and for mission-minded families. Spread the word to others. It’s a tool that is available for FREE to motivate children for God’s Great Commission!

Blessings to you!

Ann

Daring daughters & dirty feet

I’ve always had this “thing” for baby feet. I pull off darling shoes, and little newborn socks, and just want to kiss each of those tiny toes! I always ponder where a baby’s precious feet will go, and about God’s destiny and purpose for each new life. But speaking as a mother, what happens when our kids grow up, and God perhaps would call our sons, or our DAUGHTERS, to dangerous places?

Our oldest daughter, Christi, recently climbed a mountain barefoot. She didn’t want to wear out her TOMS, which incidentally are shoes produced by a company that helps kids in impoverished countries . . . . who don’t have shoes. These dirty feet actually give a pretty clear glimpse of our daughter. Christi’s always dreamed of daring things for God. She’s grown up on a steady diet of missionary biographies — Amy Carmichael, Gladys Aylward, Florence Nightingale, Lottie Moon, and Elisabeth Elliot; but she’s done more than merely read about godly self-sacrificing women. Christi’s been living-out her own mission adventure story, as she’s also continually dreaming about the future.

The Bible says, “And how shall they preach, except they be sent?

as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,

and bring glad tidings of good things!” - Romans 10:15

I want to be a mom who encourages each of our children to completely fulfill God’s destiny — not by our own efforts, but by God’s GRACE!!! Jon and I know that each of our sons, and our DAUGHTERS, have been entrusted by God into our family to be raised FOR HIM and His mission-minded and eternal purposes. We want each of our kids, including each son and each DAUGHTER, to fully obey God’s call and purpose for his or her life. Sometimes, as a caring and loving mom (who remembers kissing our babies’ feet and tucking away their precious hand-knitted booties for the next generation), that can be challenging and stretching.

But oh, what a JOY!!!!

Our daughter, Christi

Here are a few pictures of our daughter on a mission outreach in East Africa. Christi was instrumental in helping to establish Osanidde Village and Guma Na Yesu Children’s Center, Harvest Ministry’s two orphanages in Uganda, currently caring for over 600 children orphaned primarily because of AIDS. During her last year at home, Christi worked tirelessly in our ministry office, coordinating child sponsors and sharing needs. She’s traveled the globe to share the Gospel and to help others; but her passion for people who need Jesus is just as fervent here in the United States! She loves to mentor young women, to pray for those who are hurting, to speak out for world missions, and to have fun with community outreach projects (just last weekend, on Oct. 31st, she worked alongside an “army” of college students in an exciting city-wide canned-food drive!).

As mothers in God’s kingdom, we need to not only raise our own daughters to love the Lord, but realize that there are multitudes of God’s precious daughters throughout the world, who desperately need all the motherly-and-sisterly-love we can give, along with our sacrificial support and prayer.

Rescuing one of God’s girls . . . in Uganda, East Africa

When Christi was 15-years old, she wrote a powerful orphan essay (you can read it here) about the needs of one precious abused girl, named Jennifer, and this essay was only the beginning of God stirring His compassion in our daughter’s heart.

Here’s a picture of this rescued orphan girl, Jennifer, today (four years after Christi wrote the article). This precious young woman is still living with our dear friends, Naboth & Alice, and she continues to be a vital testimony about God’s hand on these beautiful orphan children. The most recent report is so beautiful. Naboth wrote:

Jennifer is now in primary four. She sleeps and “feeds” at Pastor Naboth & Alice’s home, and she is very bright and hard working. She “leads praising” in Sunday school. Her hope and happiness is restored, as God has healed her wounds.

Fulfilling a dream . . . for God’s girls in Cambodia

As for Christi, she’s now in her final year at ORU. This semester, she’s writing her senior paper, focusing on the horrible issues surrounding child prostitution and international human trafficking and the necessary process of healing after sexual abuse. She’s also preparing to be an ATL (Assistant Team Leader) for an upcoming two-month ORU summer mission to Cambodia, in Asia, working with precious girls who have been rescued out of the sex trade. This mission team will be helping these rescued girls (our precious sisters in Jesus) to fulfill a dream they have to produce a Cambodian worship CD.

It’s amazing how God puts all the details together. Some people say that homeschool families isolate their children and keep them sheltered from the world. For us, we have protected our kids and teens from allowing compromising friends and lifestyles of sinful distractions, as we’ve covered them in the power and blood of Jesus Christ, so they can IMPACT a dark world with the bright light of our wonderful Lord.

Interceding for God’s girls . . .  in Iran

As a side-note, I (Ann) have had a tremendous burden this week for persecuted women, especially in Iran, who are being abused and tortured for their unfailing love for Jesus Christ. Just today, I received a specific prayer request from Voice of the Martyrs to uphold two beautiful Christian girls in Iran, Maryam and Marzieh, who are suffering persecution right NOW for their faith.

Please pray for our daughter Christi, for Mayam and Marzieh, and for God to give all of us more of His passion for ALL of His daughters throughout the world.

I love Proverbs 31. Sometimes we neglect to read all the verses about God’s virtuous women. As moms, we don’t need to be afraid about what is to come, for our household is “clothed in scarlet” (protected by the blood of Jesus). We need to reach out our “hand to the needy” and train our daughters to be women who “fear the Lord.” Here are my favorite verses from Proverbs 31:

“Open your mouth for the speechless,

for the cause of all who are appointed to die.

Open your mouth and judge righteously,

and plead for the cause of the poor and the needy.”

Proverbs 31:8-9

May we raise daring daughters, perhaps with dirty feet, who will fully obey and follow God’s plan and purposes, in complete obedience and submission to Him, with fervent love.

God is so good.

May His goodness flow through us, and through our sons and our DAUGHTERS.

11/18/2009 - PRAISE REPORT: Just received news today via twitter (on @persecutionblog and The Voice of the Martyrs) that the two women in Iran, Maryam & Marziah, both mentioned in this article, were just SET FREE after 259 days in prison!!!)

QUOTE from persecutionblog.com: “VOM’s friend, Elam Ministries, which serves the growing church in Iran, has announced that Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh have been released from Evin Prison in Tehran. Family members picked them up at the prison this afternoon, Iran time. The two women immediately expressed thanks to Christians around the world who had prayed for them during their 259 days in prison.

“Words are not enough to express our gratitude to the Lord and to his people who have prayed and worked for our release,” they said.

A Mission Challenge & Prayer Focus on India

“My friend, will you go? Has God spoken to you? Have you heard His Call? Will you not answer, “Lord, here am I, send me”? And if you cannot go, will you not send a substitute? It is for you to decide. Why should anyone hear the Gospel twice before everyone has heard it once?” -  Oswald J. Smith

Let’s stir up a heart for INDIA!

Lately, the nation of India has been in our thoughts and in our prayers, especially the need to support remote national ministers and evangelists.

There are many spiritual needs in this vast country, and so many people who need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here are some links to help you to focus your prayers:

• India at WorldMap.org
• Pray for India - Operation World
• People Groups in India

Dr. Duff’s Appeal

An excerpt from A Challenge to Missions
by Oswald J. Smith

Dr. Alexander Duff, that great veteran missionary to India, returned to Scotland to die, and as he stood before the general assembly . . . he made his appeal, but there was no response.

In the midst of his appeal he fainted and was carried off the platform. The doctor bent over him and examined his heart. Presently he opened his eyes.

“Where am I?” he cried. “Where am I?”

“Lie still,” said the doctor. “You have had a heart attack. Lie still.”

“But,” exclaimed Dr. Duff, “I haven’t finished my appeal. Take me back. Take me back. I must finish my appeal.”

“Lie still,” said the doctor again. “You will go back at the peril of you life.”

But, in spite of the protests of the physician, the old warrior struggled to his feet, and, with the Doctor on one side and the Moderator of the Assembly of the other side, he again mounted the steps of the pulpit platform, and, as he did so, the entire assembly rose to do him honor. Then, when they were seated, he continued his appeal. And this is what he said:

“When Queen Victoria calls for volunteers for India, hundreds of young men respond; but, when King Jesus calls, no one goes.”

Then he paused. There was silence. Again he spoke:

“Very well,” he concluded, “then, aged though I am, I’ll go back to India. I can lie down on the banks of the Ganges and I can die and thereby I can let the people of India know that there was one man in Scotland who loved them enough to give his life for them.”

In a moment, young men all over the assembly sprang to their feet, crying, “I’ll go! I’ll go!” And after the old white-haired warrior had been laid to rest, these young men, having graduated, found their way to dark benighted India, there to labor as his substitutes for the Lord Jesus Christ.

My friend, will you go? Has God spoken to you? Have you heard His Call? Will you not answer, “Lord, here am I, send me”? And if you cannot go, will you not send a substitute? It is for you to decide.

Why should anyone hear the Gospel twice before everyone has heard it once?