Our Daughter’s Mission to Cambodia
Jon & Ann Dunagan’s oldest daughter, Christi Dunagan (a recent college graduate, age 19), is now serving as an Assistant Team Leader (ATL) for a 6-week ORU summer music mission to CAMBODIA, working with long-term missionaries and Cambodian believers.
Here are a few preliminary ministry highlights along with some photos from the beginning of the trip. Christi said that she didn’t get many ministry pictures yet, but those will be coming!
The mission team will be focusing on the following:
- As an outreach to draw non-Christians to the church, Christi and several team members will help by teaching English (using the Bible as a text) to about 40 Cambodian students, mostly older teens and young adults, both guys and girls. About 80% of the believers at this church (and 100% of the Cambodian staff) received the Lord and became a part of the church through this free English school, which also provides free classes in office skills and typing.
- Helping people and doing mission work in a slum area.
- Doing children’s ministry at the church and in various locations.
- Learning more about the horrible problem of Cambodian child trafficking. Christi has met several who work full-time at the church’s home for rescued girls; however, this home is at an undisclosed location and her team will not be working with these girls.
- Teaching children’s Bible classes to the kids of the full-time missionary families.
- Teaching music theory classes, piano lessons, and classes about worship to the worship teams at the church.
- Using music ministry for outreach.
- Being a light, helping in whatever way possible, and sharing the life and love of JESUS!!!
A Welcoming Staircase in Hong Kong
HONG KONG photos:
The ORU Cambodia Mission Team
CAMBODIA photos:
Here is a quote from one of Christi’s journal entries:
“The last place we went to was Wat Phnom, a Buddhist temple . . . since it was a holy holiday, lots of parents were coming to take pictures of their little boys who were monks.
Apparently it is good for a family to have their eldest boy be a monk for at least two years because they believe that will being “salvation” to the parents, so boys can be short term monks, but if women decide to dedicate their life to God it’s for life.
Monks also can’t touch a women, wear shoes, have cell phones, or look straight up – although the two monks I met and talked to did all three. Oh well. I guess they were taking a day off from monkdom.”
This photo (above), showing Cambodian children praying to false idols, makes us so sad; but we are thankful that the mission team will be able to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with kids (in the slums and at the church) during their summer outreach.
Please pray for Christi and the mission team, for the Lord to shine through them to people in need — with the truth of the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).
Mission-Minded Families on “Revive Our Hearts”
Here’s a glimpse of these programs:
DAY 1 – Broadcast: UNLEASHING YOUR CHILDREN’S TALENTS
What talents has God given your children? The world is waiting for those talents to be unleashed for God’s glory. Learn how to develop your children’s gifts while giving them a vision for God’s kingdom.
DAY 2 – Broadcast: I WAS NAKED, AND YOU CLOTHED ME
Ann Dunagan’s family was visiting Africa and was struck with the number of children without adequate clothing. The words of Jesus came to mind, “What you’ve done for the least of these, you’ve done for me.” Hear how this family responded to this huge need.
DAY 3 – Broadcast: RELEASING ARROWS INTO THE WORLD
There are so many urgent needs in the world. How might God be preparing your children for making an impact in the needy world? Learn how to release them to build God’s Kingdom.
Introducing Nancy Leigh DeMoss (now Mrs. Wolgemuth)
Here’s a video about Nancy’s beautiful love story:
Nancy Leigh DeMoss grew up in a family deeply committed to Christ and to the mission of world evangelization. At an early age, she surrendered her life to Christ and to His call to fulltime service. Today, Nancy mentors millions of women through Revive Our Hearts (an outreach of Life Action Ministries) and the True Woman Movement, calling them to heart revival and biblical womanhood. Her love for the Word and the Lord Jesus are infectious, and permeate her online outreaches, conference messages, books, and two daily nationally syndicated radio programs—Revive Our Hearts and Seeking Him. Her books have sold more than 1,000,000 copies, and include Lies Women Believe, Choosing Forgiveness, A Place of Quiet Rest, A Thirty Day Walk with God in the Psalms, Brokenness, Surrender, and Holiness. She also co-authored Seeking Him and Lies Young Women Believe.
“It was a tremendous honor to meet with Nancy Leigh DeMoss in her studio, to talk about encouraging families for God’s kingdom and missions, and to pray together. I’m so grateful for Nancy’s spiritual leadership, godly integrity, and her heart for women. — Ann
Closets, Clutter, & God’s Great Commission
Amid twisted hangers, bulging drawers, and way too many clothes, the kids and I began our major closet-cleaning attack. It took days–with sacks for the dumpster and sacks to give away…
We’re Blessed to be a Blessing!
This is one of several devotionals by Ann Dunagan, published in A Cup of Comfort Devotional for Mothers – Daily Inspiration for Christian Moms, edited by James Stuart Bell and Jeanette Gardner Littleton.
“I was naked, and you gave me clothing…” Matthew 25:36
Amid twisted hangers, bulging drawers, and way too many clothes, the kids and I began our major closet-cleaning attack. It took days–with sacks for the dumpster and sacks to give away. Best of all, we finished just in time before I left on a short-term missions trip to Uganda.Soon I was surrounded by orphans adorned in only rags and ripped-up shirts, and often with bare bottoms. I thought of these precious children and my family’s ridiculous “conquered” closets.
Then I felt the Lord whisper, “I am the One naked on these streets!”
Immediately, I went and bought armloads of children’s clothing, but the situation turned pathetic. Mothers came from everywhere, holding up naked babies and begging for help. The need was beyond me.
Back home, our family raised funds to clothe that whole village, but that was only the beginning. In that year, the Lord put in our heart for Harvest Ministry to establish a new orphan ministry, now reaching hundreds of precious children.
The world’s needs are huge, but they’re not beyond God!
Let’s show our kids that we’re blessed so we can be a blessing to others!
Hardcover – Available from Amazon.com
Daring Daughters . . . and 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?
Daring Daughters . . . and Dirty Feet
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
For more about the vision for Daring Daughters — including the new facebook page, twitter page, upcoming events, and blogtalk radio show, please click here . . .
Raising daughters . . . to fulfill God’s destiny
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 Harvest Ministry’s orphanage outreaches in Uganda, currently caring for hundreds of 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.
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.
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.
Daring Daughters media: radio & video
Listen to a broadcast:
To also learn more about Daring Daughters — including our new facebook page, twitter page, blog, and upcoming events, see our VISION page . . .
Introducing Daring Daughters
On BlogTalk Radio — with co-hosts Ann and Christi Dunagan
Listen to DaringDaughters: show #1
— on BlogTalkRadio30 minutes — During their very first “TESTER” blogtalk radio broadcast, Ann and Christi learn “on-their-feet” about how to utilize this online media tool as they present an introduction to their new vision for Daring Daughters. They chat about true beauty, what it means to “cry” for the needs of this world, the importance of being to content during a season of waiting (when “hope deferred makes the heart sick”), and the powerful potential of teen-girl influence to make a difference in the world. Key verses include: Jeremiah 9:17,18,20, Romans 10:15, and Proverbs 13:12.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire comes, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)
Daring Daughters Chat about Romance
On BlogTalk Radio — with co-hosts Ann and Christi Dunagan
Listen to DaringDaughters: show #2
— on BlogTalkRadio30 minutes — During this second broadcast, Ann & Christi continue to learn the logistics of blogtalk radio (with a few kinks!!!) as they share from their hearts to inspire girls to purity and godly romance. As Daring Daughters, we’re called to be bright lights in a dark world. They chat about trusting God in the area of romance and love, and Christi shares a bit about her recent engagement to Trae Childs. A godly relationship and future marriage should “multiply” the call of God and His purpose on your life, not divide it. Key verses include: Jeremiah 9:17,18,20 and Proverbs 31:12
Referring to the Virtuous Woman: “She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” (Proverbs 31:12)
Daring Daughters Chat about Darkness
On BlogTalk Radio — with co-hosts Ann and Christi Dunagan
Listen to Daring Daughters show #3
–on Blog Talk Radio30 minutes — On this third broadcast, Ann & Christi chat about how to be a pure girl with a heart to shine God’s light to unsaved girls caught in a lifestyle (or slavery) of impurity and darkness? When we’ve been blessed with purity and parental protection, how can we have a heart for girls who are impure and immodest, and lost? Ann shares about discussions with several international missionaries she recently met at a Global Missions Conference in Alaska, including a homeschool missionary mom (with three daring daughters) who ministers in Costa Rica to expose the evils of human trafficking and shares the love of Jesus (on a regular basis) to prostitutes on the streets. Christi also talks about several books she recently reviewed, contrasting Rob Bell’s message in Love Wins (which we don’t recommend) to awesome books like Radical by David Platt, Erasing Hell by Francis Chan, and Jesus Freaks by dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs. A Key Quote from the broadcast: “Never pity missionaries; envy them. They are where the real action is, where life and death, sin and grace, Heaven and Hell converge.” –Robert C. Shannon
Daring Daughters Chat about Sin
On BlogTalk Radio — with co-hosts Ann and Christi Dunagan
Listen to Daring Daughters #4
— on Blog Talk Radio30 minutes — On this fourth broadcast, Ann & Christi discuss the issue of “sin” from a biblical and practical perspective, and chat about living for God in righteousness, by his grace. What is sin, and are some sins worse than others? As Daring Daughters, how can we keep a heart fervent toward God, with compassion for the lost and those trapped in sin without religious pride? How can we stay sensitive to quickly repent and turn from our own sins as God convicts our hearts? Bible verses discussed include: I Peter 2:24, Isiah 59:2, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and I Corinthians 10:13.
Key Verse: Isaiah 59: 2 “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
A Daring Daughter: Amy Carmichael
On blogtalk radio — with co-hosts, Ann & Christi Dunagan
Listen to DaringDaughters show #5
— on Blog Talk RadioOn this broadcast, you’ll learn about an exciting Daring Daughter from history, Amy Carmichael. Christi opens the program by sharing how this courageous missionary to India has been a role model in her life, and then reads a compelling vision Amy Carmichael wrote, called “Thy Brother’s Blood” — about hearing the cry of the lost.
Ann shares from her heart about how to have a missions-heart while maintaining a heart for being a mom, and how to balance multiple callings to follow the Lord, have a happy marriage, raise God-loving children, and to still keep world missions and reaching the lost as a priority in life. As Ann quotes from author, Gregg Harris, “God does not give conflicting obligations. Every calling from God is mutually compatible with every other calling that is from God.” Having a family does not need to detract from a call to ministry; a family can multiply God’s calling, not only now, but in future generations.
Key Quote: (from Thy Brother’s Blood, by Amy Carmichael) ” . . . and over and over they fell, like a waterfall of souls.”
More about Amy Carmichael, including the full text of Thy Brother’s Blood
Watch a Daring Daughters YouTube interview
PRAY for people trapped in prostitution and human trafficking in Costa Rica
— Daring Daughters, let’s stir our hearts to PRAY for a huge dark need. At the Global Missions Conference in Alaska, Ann interviewed Costa Rica missionary Elizabeth Gilroy (also a mom with three daring daughters) who has a deep heart for people (including young girls) who are literally enslaved through human trafficking. Elizabeth regularly shares Jesus, face-to-face, with prostitutes on the streets. Her perspective is challenging.
PRAY for believers facing flooding in Cambodia
— Daughters, this precious lady, Joyce Morris is a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) missionary to Cambodia, working with her husband to lead churches. As we were enjoying the conference, Joyce and her husband were receiving urgent texts from pastors & close friends in Cambodia, needing help for people dying in the flooding. During a small group prayer time with just the missionaries, Joyce broke down and began weeping for the needs in Cambodia. I asked her to share the needs with you. These people need PRAYER!!!
Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny
Often, parents and teachers ask their children, “What do YOU want to be when you grow up?” In a world that is increasingly self-seeking, self-centered, and self-absorbed, the answers are consistently more egocentric–”a movie star,” “a rock star,” “a dance star . . . ”
Introducing:
THE MISSION-MINDED FAMILY
Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny
By Ann Dunagan (Published by InterVarsity Press)
Seeking First the Kingdom in a Self-Absorbed Culture
A Press Release by B & B Media Group, Dallas, TX:
Often, parents and teachers ask their children, “What do YOU want to be when you grow up?” In a world that is increasingly self-seeking, self-centered, and self-absorbed, the answers are consistently more egocentric–”a movie star,” “a rock star,” “a dance star.”
Even within the church, this present generation is fixated on obtaining fame, wealth, and pleasure. But shouldn’t we be encouraging our children’s willingness to surrender to God’s plans for their futures? Shouldn’t our question instead be, “Oh, I wonder what awesome plans God has for your life! When you grow up, will you do whatever GOD wants you to do?”
In her book, The Mission-Minded Family: Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny (InterVarsity Press), author, teacher, and missionary, Ann Dunagan shows parents how to combat the influence of the “Me Generation” by giving readers the tools to revolutionize their families into ones dedicated to fulfilling God’s will and potential, instead of their own. In the first chapter of her book, Dunagan quotes David Shibley as he clearly addresses the current crisis within the church.
“We whine, ‘I just want to know my purpose; I’ve got to reach my destiny.” We race all over the country to attend ‘destiny conferences,’ and we devour tapes and books on ‘reaching your full potential . . . ‘ Even cloaking our self-centeredness in Christian garb and jargon cannot cover the nakedness of this cult of self that has infested much of the church . . . How can we ever hope to discover our purpose in the earth with little or no interest in His purpose?”
Dunagan, who also wrote The Mission-Minded Child, brings the same perspective to what it means to be a mission-minded family. Her goal is to equip today’s godly parents to train our next generation to make a powerful impact for Jesus Christ by directing their focus outward. “Every day, approximately 150,000 people die; the majority of these people are not saved, and far too many have never even heard God’s Good News of salvation,” says Dunagan. “How can we sit back and hear the Gospel again and again, while many are still waiting to hear it for the first time? [adapted from a mission quote by Oswald J. Smith]. Today’s Christian families desperately need to remember that our purpose in this world involves so much more than what we can attain for ourselves. We’re here to reach the lost.”
The Mission-Minded Family includes suggested activities for families to participate in missions together, as well as resources to help families develop the desire to become more missions-focused. Dunagan discusses the need for families to balance and prioritize their everyday lives and delves into what a family’s finances would look like if they were focused on missions. Families who read and practice principles from this book will receive a rekindled closeness as they participate in ministry together.
“In a mission-minded family, there’s a God-infused energy,” Dunagan explains. “There’s a focus on God’s worldwide purpose and a passion for the lost.” There’s a spiritual depth and hunger that reaches beyond the maintenance mode of cultural Christianity.”
Packed with motivating missions stories, hymns, and quotes, The Mission-Minded Family is a quick resource tool with examples of missionary family heroes, ministry ideas, exciting prayer projects, and even practical tips for international travel. Filled with passionate inspiration, The Mission-Minded Family will be picked up again and again, read aloud, and used as a reference for years to come.
You can also find The Mission-Minded Family at ChristianBook.com, YWAM Publishing, Amazon.com, CBN’s Parable.com, and STL – Authentic Books
Inspire your family, and others, for missions!
Discounts for BULK orders or MINISTRY/CHURCH orders
(For sets of 2, 12, or 24)
It’s easy to mentor FAMILIES with The Mission-Minded Child & The Mission-Minded Family. Get a set for yourself and a few friends, and go through the books together. Take the FREE 40-Day Family Challenge, or start a mentoring group in your home or church (be sure to see our new FREE online Mission-Minded Families study guide for small groups…)
The Praying Mommas & the Screaming Babies
Finding God’s balance for motherhood and ministry is sometimes a difficult (and continually changing) tug-of-war; but I believe the struggle is healthy.
— By Ann Dunagan
As a homeschooling mother of seven, I place a high priority on God’s calling to care for our own children; however, I also feel a call of God’s heart for the needs of world missions, and for the lost. I know that multitudes around the world desperately need God’s salvation, and multitudes of orphan children are in need.
Most of the time, just doing another load of laundry . . . or drilling the kids on their grammar . . . or reading a bedtime story . . . doesn’t seem as vital. But God sees the big picture. He highly esteems motherhood, and He values a faithful mom who is willing to lay down her “big dreams” . . . to serve her family.
The “healthy” ministry/motherhood tug-of-war
If you’re a mission-minded mother (a Christian mom with a heart for others), I’m sure you’ve felt this tug-of-war between motherhood and ministry.
Our children need to know that we love them; but they also need to know that we have a heart for others. Our kids need to know that we care about their needs, but also that they’re not the center of the universe, and that others are also in need. Finding the balance can be a struggle; but I believe the process of finding God’s daily divine balance is a healthy evaluation process, both for ourselves and for our family.
We all face this struggle . . .
Perhaps the phone rings, and your friend begins pouring our her heart about a desperate situation. Maybe a fragile marriage is falling apart, or someone at church was just rushed to the hospital. These needs are real, and often urgent. How do we find the right “combo” for each day, and each season of our lives? How do we balance these pressing needs with the ongoing “everyday” needs of our own family?
This personal testimony of “The Praying Mommas and the Screaming Babies” is from one of our Africa mission trips years ago. The story has continually reminded me to seek the Lord’s divine calling for each day. I have found that the key to finding God’s balance is to stay in communication with God through prayer; however, He sees the full picture of both motherhood and ministry.
God sees the world’s needs, and He also sees our children. And if you’re a mom, God will speak to you, as a mother.
The Praying Mommas and the Screaming Babies
About five thousand women gathered for a week of ministry, teaching, and worship. The accommodations for our African village conference were humble. Bamboo awnings covered with tarps provided shade from the hot sun, and most of the women simply brought straw mats for sleeping. Many women also brought little children and nursing babies, whom they cared for as they listened to the sessions.
One morning, I got up and took an early morning prayer-walk, and I was blessed (and challenged) to see hundreds of women gathered for a time of fervent prayer.
As I walked quietly behind the group, I noticed a few women who were praying very hard and loud, but then I noticed that these women were totally oblivious to the needs of their little babies–sitting with bare bottoms in wet little puddles in the dirt, screaming at the top of their lungs. As I watched for a few moments, I wondered what God thought about their fervent prayers. One by one I picked up the babies and tried to help them stop crying, handing each one to his or her momma.
Later that day I shared with the women about the importance of balancing our ministry with our family priorities. Yet I was also challenge on a personal level. How many times does God see my own out-of-balance efforts, like when I’m at work on the computer or busy with a mission project–and my little kids are plopped down in front of one-too-many videos?
I want God to hear my prayers, and I want my efforts to be actions of obedience. I need to keep balanced.
“Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.”
–Proverbs 4:26Mission-Minded Moms – on Revive Our Hearts
Interview on Revive Our Hearts — Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Wolgemuth) with Ann Dunagan
(The following is an excerpt from Ann’s interview about “The Mission-Minded Family” on Revive Our Hearts — a nation-wide radio program for Christian women.)
I WAS NAKED, AND YOU CLOTHED ME…
ANN: The Lord has dug deep in my heart about the need of orphans. There were times where we would be in an area, and there were all these little naked children around. I just remember it began to stir in my heart so deeply. There was one point in particular that reminded me of a Hudson Taylor quote. As a young man, he said, “I feel like I cannot go on living unless I do something for China.”
I had gotten to this point where I felt like I could not go back to Africa again unless we did something big for orphans. There was this burning desire that just kept burning deeper. I finally just got to the point where I felt like I was about to explode. “I can’t come back here again unless we do something for these orphan children.”
NANCY: There’s a passage in Proverbs 31 that I know has been meaningful to you that talks about having this heart.
ANN: When we look at Proverbs 31, we usually start in verse 10. Proverbs 31:10 begins, “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies” (KJV). Well, if you read the whole thing in context, some of my favorite verses in the Bible are Proverbs 31:8-9, which say, “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of those who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and the needy.” (NKJV) The Lord began working in my heart about the importance of opening up my mouth and sharing, pleading the cause. Being ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading though us. God is seeing the injustice in this world. He sees children who are dying. He sees all of these needs. He wants for us to open our mouth and plead the cause of the poor and the needy.
NANCY: And it goes on in Proverbs 31:20, “She opens her hands to poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy” (ESV). So she doesn’t just think about this. This isn’t a burden she carries on her heart. It’s something she actually does something about in some practical, tangible way to help to meet these needs of the needy and poor around her.
ANN: There was this one time that my kids and I had done this major closet purging effort. We had gotten some sacks of clothes. The kids’ closet was a major disaster area. I thought, “Okay, we are going to conquer the closets.” So we took a couple days and organized the closets. W e picked up all the hangers. We had the giveaway pile and the throwaway pile. It was a major effort to get all these clothes organized.
It was shortly after that that I headed over to Uganda. I was doing this one women’s conference, and there were children everywhere around that place that were naked. There was one little boy in particular that had this ripped up shirt. He was the same age as my son Daniel, who at that time was thirteen years old. This boy had a ripped up t-shirt, no shorts, and no underwear. When I would go by, he would pull his shirt down so I couldn’t see. It just dug in my heart because I was thinking of even how proud I felt of my ridiculously conquered closets.
I went back to this little room I was staying in under the mosquito net, and I just said, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” I remember that God just dropped in my heart and said, “Ann, I am the one naked on these streets. Are you going to do something about it?” I just remember thinking, “What can I do?” We had a little bit of money, and we went and bought armloads of clothes. I thought, “This will be fun. We’ll clothe all these little naked kids running around.”
So our family started passing out these clothes and were trying to match up boy with boy clothes and girl with girl clothes. I thought this was a little, noble fun thing; this will be great. As we began, mothers came running from different areas of the village. Then word began to spread, and people came running, holding up little naked children, asking, “Can we have some of some of these clothes?” There was such a swarm of people around us that we ended up getting in the back of the truck. That didn’t work. I ended up on top of the cab of the truck, trying to pass out these clothes.
What I thought was going to be a wonderful thing ended up in pathetic pandemonium. It did something deep in my heart where I thought, “You know, the Bible says, ‘I was naked, and you didn’t clothe me'” (Matthew 25:43). I just came home, and I got a bunch of kids’ churches together with our own family to be a part of this. We thought, “What can we do to clothe the children in this village? All those kids that weren’t able to get something.” That was exciting.
NANCY: What did you do?
ANN: We did! We got a bunch of kids’ churches together, put up these little thermometers, and said, “We’re going to clothe a few of these villages. Who wants to come and help with $5 or $10?”
Our son, Daniel, during this particular time, God moved in his heart in a very real way. He had some savings. He had some money he was trying to save up so he could open up a checking account. He kept thinking about that little kid that was his age that didn’t have any shorts, only had one ripped up t-shirt and not even underwear. It just moved his heart in a very deep way. I remember, he went and dumped out all the money on his bed and came and gave us all of his savings and said, “I want to help those kids.” It was exciting. It was something that God had moved in his heart.
NANCY: So his faith is becoming his own faith, not just riding the spiritual coattails of his parents.
ANN: When God does something inside the hearts of our children, it is so precious.
Missions and Family Finances
If you’re needing some help or ideas about raising money for missions, here is a chapter from The Mission-Minded Family. (Note, this is personally sent from Ann Dunagan. Out of respect from my book publisher, please do not share this publicly. Thanks.)
Money Chapter — from The Mission-Minded Family
Missions and Family Finances — click here < < <
Blessings to you!
AnnMission in East Africa
Harvest Ministry News:
Dear Friends and Family,
What a blessing you are! We are so thankful for your friendship and prayers. The Lord’s ongoing faithfulness and provision over all these years in missions and international evangelism (since Harvest Ministry was founded in 1987) continually fills us with gratitude.
During September, 2012, we will be ministering in East Africa, leading our second Harvest Ministry Fellowship International (HMFI) Conference. Hundreds of national ministers from remote villages and churches throughout Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Congo, are scheduled to attend for a special time of leadership training.
HMFI: Training Leaders in East Africa . . .
Our theme is “Raising the Next Generation for Christ” and we will also be encouraging these pastors and evangelists to keep training disciples and reaching the lost. Many will travel long distances to come, all eager to worship and to learn from God’s Word.
Philip’s 1st Mission Trip!
A highlight of this trip is that our youngest son, Philip, will be coming with us. Philip has been involved in some local ministry (community outreaches with acts-of-kindness and evangelism), but this will be his first international mission trip. He is especially looking forward to spending time with the orphan kids at Guma Na Yesu Children’s Center and being an “example to the believers”(as the Bible says in I Timothy 4:12), even at age 11.
Highlights from the Costa Rica Mission
Team Ministry in Costa Rica & Highlights from Mark:
This past month, Josh & Anna led a team mission trip to Costa Rica, where they distributed Bibles door-to-door and shared the love of Jesus on the streets. Our 16-year-old son, Mark, was a part of this outreach; his favorite moment was quietly singing (one-on-one for about 20 minutes) to a severely handicapped child at a home for abandoned children.
What a joy to our hearts!Family News . . .
In the past few weeks, all of our young adult “kids” moved away: Patrick is getting his MBA at Harvard; Josh & Anna are leading Gospel Projects International from a new home-base in Washington state; and Trae & Christi and Daniel & Anna are in Tulsa.
Our family is growing and shrinking at the same time. We are down to three kids at home now: Mark, Caela, and Philip.
Thank you for helping us to expand God’s kingdom!
Jon & Ann (& all)
