Dunns in Romania

Online Journal - Nov-Dec. 2005 Archive

Dec. 27, 2005 – We’ve had an answer to prayer that we need to share and give praise to God. Over the last couple of days we received information that we must transport our dog via cargo from Detroit to Romania via Budapest, Hungary. The cost came back over $2,000. We were astonished and heartbroken. That is indeed a lot of money and yet she is a part of our family and very necessary for our kids! We really began to fret today trying to figure out what to do. A kind man in the business of shipping animals recommended we call the airline again. (He also told us we could just show up at the airport and either yell a lot or cry! Neither idea was appealing to me!) I felt prompted to call the airline and gave them our story. I prayed before I called just asking God to get my phone call to a compassionate person. God answered that prayer in a big way! Turns out we were told wrong initially and she can fly with our luggage on our plane and the cost is less than $300. This is a huge load off of our minds and hearts. We thank God for seeing our need and providing a way! Paula

Dec. 23, 2005 - The night before Christmas Eve…only 18 days before we leave home. People have been asking if we are excited to which we respond, “That’s probably not the best word to describe it.” So many things to feel, think, and do right now...so many bittersweet moments.

Purchasing plane tickets, planning a 14^th birthday party with friends, trying to figure out how to ship our dog, attending a church Christmas party, packing the house into boxes, spending the day visiting my aunts…things to do to get ready to leave…people to see before we go. This is what our days are filled with right now. “Excited” isn’t the word although excitement is one of our feelings. The best word is probably a good dose of “reality.”

Obedience to God isn’t always easy…but it is always the right and most blessed thing. We are so thankful and humbled that God has asked us to follow and obey Him by ministering and serving in Romania. We know that, “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength” and are holding fast to this promise.

We look forward to spending these next 18 days with family and friends. However, we also look forward to seeing our friends and meeting new people in Romania. Bittersweet…excited…reality checks…these feelings and more but confidence that God is always in charge! Paula

Dec. 16, 2005 - Today is the day for which we've been waiting and working for more than a year now. We received the following email from our mission board giving us clearance to go:

Dear Scott and Paula,

Praise the Lord for his confirmation! We celebrate the securing of your full support -- both for prayer and for finances. And we also celebrate the completion -- or adequate plans for completion -- of your other pre-field requirements.

It's my privilege to say with great joy -- you are cleared to go to Romania. We are very thankful for the godly and persistent way that you have completed you pre-field deputation assignments. We believe that the Lord has provided additional confirmation of his direction in your lives.

Please work with Warren Hawkins on the details of your travel and set-up in Romania. Let me know if at any time I can be of help. My prayers are with you. May our Lord richly bless your ministry as you follow him.

For His Kingdom,

Art Brown, Executive Director Free Methodist World Missions

We, too, praise the Lord for His confirming provision for our ministry. It truly is amazing to look back over the last few months and see how God has provided. It is equally amazing to see how God's people have responded; who are we to deserve a support team of almost 600 people and over 40 churches who have entrusted their prayer and financial support to our ministry?

The truth is, we're not worthy of any of it. But the Lord we serve is worthy...worthy of our all.

So, now the real work begins: flight scheduling, luggage restrictions (could you boil your family's life essentials down to just twelve 50lb suitcases?), cargo arrangements for a dog, cello and guitar, packing/ selling/giving away our household stuff, transportation from Budapest to Arad...and that's just a partial list that only gets us to Arad!

However, we must not forget the most important work, and that is praising our Lord. The truth is, He would be worthy of our praise even if He had chosen to not give all this provision, even if He had not opened all the doors for us to go to Romania. What a great God we serve! Join us in praising Jehovah Jireh (the Lord who provides)! - Scott

Dec. 10, 2005 - Today is one month before we hope to board the plane bound for our new home in Romania. I told someone the other day that we feel like we are sitting on the edge of our seats in anticipation. We see all that is yet to be done but we have not been given the final go ahead to “get up and get moving.” Our anticipation contains feelings of excitement and a good healthy dose of reality of what is and what is to come. Many bittersweet moments are happening daily which turn our emotions in many different ways. Our Father is our constant and we look to Him continually for our strength and hope.

This evening three of us (Scott, Paula and Stephen) went to see the much anticipated (at least for us) Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. We thoroughly enjoyed the film and commented how wonderfully C.S. Lewis captured the essence of our faith in such a creative story. (I am a huge fan of great children’s literature so I really enjoyed it.) Lydia spent the evening with some girlfriends on a fun winter outing at the Columbus Zoo. We are so thankful for these moments she gets to spend with her friends!

It’s interesting to notice how our Christmas lists have changed this year. Everything we tell family that we could use must be completely portable. It is also amazing how cleaning out things in preparation for our move has changed what might be called “gotta have it” items. We’ve never had a lot of “stuff” but “stuff” is becoming less and less important. - Paula

Nov. 23, 2005 - On this day before our American holiday called Thanksgiving, I am particularly reminded of two things. First, how much we have to be thankful for! We have just finished our "tour" of churches, raising our support to go to Romania. We are very close to seeing the entire package provided in just six short months (since June). God really does own "the cattle on a thousand hills," and we have been privileged to see Him "sell" a few of them to fund the ministry to which He has called us in Romania. We are thankful for the church, God's family on earth. We are thankful for safety and an absence of car trouble in the 7600+ miles we have driven since June 1. And as we continue to go through the cleaning-out process of selling our home and getting ready to move over seas, we are thankful for the amazing and often-taken-for-granted abundance of the country in which we have been privileged to call home.

Second, I think about what the last Thursday of November will look and feel like a year from now when we find ourselves immersed in Romanian culture. The day will mean nothing to the Romanians. How will we celebrate Thanksgiving next year, and with whom? Will we be more or less thankful then? What will we miss? What will we be glad to miss (like the barrage of Christmas sale advertising!)? What Romanian holidays will we have experienced and maybe even adopted as our own? Next November 23, 2006 promises to be a very different day from what tomorrow will be. Scott