Ann | Heart of the Matter

May 27, 2010 By Ann 6 Comments

Do you have a child with a fervent love for God and a desire to fulfill Great Commission to “go into all the world to preach the Gospel” (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15)? Do you have a son or a daughter with a particular heart for international benevolence, or for orphan children, or for hurting people? If so, I encourage you, as a homeschooling parent, to begin to nurture this special calling and to prepare your heart to release your child to God’s purposes (as Hannah released her little Samuel to God in I Samuel 1-2). As parents, and as teachers, we can also seek the Lord to help us to provide appropriate opportunities to develop what He is doing in our child’s heart.

Just this week, our oldest daughter, Christi (who homeschooled K-12), graduated with a bachelor’s degree from a outstanding Christian university. In a few days, she will be traveling to Cambodia, Asia, as an ATL (Assistant Team Leader) for a two-month summer mission outreach to work with precious girls rescued out of horrendous child trafficking. After returning home for a brief visit, she will then travel on a second mission trip to Niger, West Africa, one of the world’s poorest unreached countries, to share the love of Jesus with youth and children.

As a parent, it can be a challenging and stretching time to see our little girl now growing up . . . and “stepping out” (that’s an understatement!!!) . . . yet it’s SO exciting.

Our daughter’s love for international missionary work didn’t just “happen.” For years, God has been developing this passion in her heart. Throughout her childhood years, my husband and I recognized and nurtured this mission call, and we made a focused effort to provide opportunities for her to learn and to experience world needs under the spiritual covering and protection of our home (and with lots of prayer!!!). For our daughter, homeschooling proved to be the perfect training for God’s unique calling on her life. The freedoms and flexibilities of home education helped to provide a foundation for God’s mission-minded purpose in her life, and it is exciting to see this plan beginning to unfold.

During high school, Christi wrote the following essay to explain her love for international orphan children. The process of writing and editing (and re-editing!) this essay not only helped to stir these needs and God’s compassion in her heart, but it also proved to be a tremendous confidence-builder. This essay helped her to earn several college scholarships, opened the door for speaking opportunities, and even established the groundwork for her college-level senior paper, which focused on the needs for emotional healing from human trafficking abuse in various international cultures.

So Many Orphans . . .

According to UNICEF, there are between 143,000,000 and 210,000,000 orphan children in the world today. This number is so huge, it’s hard to even comprehend. As a reference, the population of the USA is approximately 300,000,000 and the population of Russia is about 141,800,000. This means there are as many orphan children as about one-half of our entire US population, and more orphans than ALL of the people in Russia.

This need is huge, but I’ve seen the faces of many of these orphaned children . . . one by one . . . and they’re just as real to me as my own kids. These faces have impacted my life, and I’m praying hard for God to raise up MANY Christians, and even MANY of our own homeschooled teens and young adults, to help.

As homeschooling families, it’s true that God cares about us and our kids; but He also deeply cares for orphans; and if orphans matter to God, they should matter to us.

As you read this essay, I pray that God will help you to see beyond the needs of your own family, and your own local neighborhood, and your own homeschooling.

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit widows and orphans in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” James 1:27.

My Heart for Orphans
By Christi Dunagan (at age 15)

Eight-year-old Jennifer huddled in the dark corner of her grandmother’s hut. Once again, she was locked in this repulsive room with no food, and no hope. Sometimes she was left alone for days while her grandmother wasted what little money they had. Most likely, th old woman would return home — drunk — and beat the girl until she could barely stand.

Jennifer knew nothing of happiness.

When she was very young, her parents were victims of Uganda’s number one killer: AIDS; and now, she was yet another victim: of poverty, hunger, and abuse.

Hearing footsteps outside her door, Jennifer looked up hopefully. Maybe she would finally be released from this small damp prison she was forced to cal home . . . but no.

She crnged, as the footsteps drew nearer and she recognized them, not as those of her grandmother, but as the sound of one of her uncles. Again one was coming. Too often they came . . . to use little Jennifer to satisfy their physical pleasures. When they had enough of her, they left her once again, hurt and crying on the mud floor. The latch creaked . . . and Jennifer prepared herself for yet another night of agony and heartache.

She knew she could not last much longer . . .

. . .

Somehow, the frightened girl escaped and began wandering her village streets. With nowhere to go, Jennifer leaned against the closest building she could find . . . and wept.

. . .

A hand touched her shoulder, startling her; but as she looked up, the girl stared into the face of a kind woman. It was Alice, a long0time friend of my family, and the local director of an AIDS orphanage, today called Guma Na Yesu (“Keep With Jesus”) Children’s Center, which my parents helped establish in 1995 in Mbarara, Uganda.

Along with hundreds of other orphans, this child finally has a home. People are now feedng her, ministering to her hurts, and loving her. Slowly, she is learning life is not just pain and horror, and she is discovering joy. Slowly, her emotional wounds are healing. Finally, Jennifer is becoming the girl she was born to be.

. . .

During November and December of my Junior year of high school, I had the incredible esperience of traveling to Uganda along with my mother and a precious elderly minister’s wife. There, I met Jennifer and many orphans just like her — and it made an incredible impact on my life. Beginning on that trip, my mom and I have been establishing a brand new orphanage (called Osanidde Village, primarily for AIDS victims. (“Osanidde” is an African word, common in many Lugandan worship songs; it sounds like “Oh Sunny Day” and means “You are Worthy.”) There are many details — organizing orphan photos, recruiting sponsors, doing computer work — but it’s worth it. I want to help rescue as many hurting children as I can.

During my journey, I traveled my a rugged dugout canoe to a remote island. There, the poverty was so great, and many children were left as orphans due to the trauma of war and AIDS. My mom and I decided we couldn’t just sit back. Thousands of children were dying from malnutrition and neglect. We knew we had to do something.

As I walked through the narrow village streets, the air reeked of fish, body odor, and garbage. Little children flocked around me, holding my hands, touching my hair, and gazing deeply into my eyes. As they longed for some sort of love and affection, I wished I could just “wrap them up,” hide them in my suitcase and take them all home.

But obviously, that wasn’t possible.

Yet since our return to the U.S., my mom and I have been working with some Ugandan nationals to build an orphanage on that island for as many children as possible. Our desire is for these orphan children to grow up in an environment where they will be loved and wanted, to provide a happy place where hurting children can receive quality care, nutrition, and education.

Right now, our new orphanage is small, but it is growing. Currently, we have 16 orphans and 16 orphanage houses. My mom and I know we will never be able to help every orphan in Uganda; but we’re doing what we can, and we won’t give up.

For these children, it is finally an “Oh Sunny Day.” No longer will they roam the streets, beg for meals, or sleep “wherever.”

These little ones will be safe and cared for.

And with smiles on their faces — just like Jennifer now has — these orphans will finally have a change to become the children they were born to be.

Note: As a followup, in March and April, 2010, our family traveled to Uganda, East Africa to checkup on these two ongoing orphanage ministries of Guma Na Yesu Children’s Center and Osanidde Village, along with a new village network of church-and adoption-based Family Zone Centers. Currently, these orphan ministries are caring for over 700 orphan children. Jennifer is now a beautiful teenager, and she’s doing well; she’s living with a wonderful Christian family, leading worship in her local church, and loving Jesus.

Ann Dunagan is a longtime homeschool mother of 7 (with 4 high school graduates and 3 university graduates). Since 1987, she and her husband Jon, and their family, have ministered worldwide through Harvest Ministry, to a combined total of 70+ nations, on all 7 continents. Ann is co-founder of 2 African orphanages (with over 700 children); author of several books, including The Mission-Minded Family; and she blogs at Passionate Homemaking and “Better Parents, Better Families” on The Christian Post.

April 22, 2010 By Ann 9 Comments

For many homeschooling families, taking an overseas missions trip with a child (or several children) sounds utterly impossible. “How could our family afford it?” “How could we take that much time off work?” “How is it possible to travel with kids?” “But what about our homeschooling?”

These are all legitimate questions, but more importantly, why not ask, Dear Lord, would You ever want our family (or me, or one or my children, or a group from our homeschooling community, or a team from our church) to go on a mission outreach?

If God answers, “Yes,” then the only legitimate questions to ask are When? and Where? and, in faith, Well, Lord, then how do You want us to obey?

Instead of responding with fear and doubt like Zacharias (Luke 1:18), have a willing heart like Mary (Luke 1:38), when she said, “Let it be to me according to Your word. If God calls you or our child to missionary work, He will open the way for you, and He will provide more than enough of His grace and provision.

Different Family Mission Trip Possibilities

For over 20 years, our family has been actively HOMESCHOOLING (with a focus on Teaching With a Heart for the World) and GOING (with a focus on the needs of international evangelism and orphans through Harvest Ministry); but the specifics haven’t always looked the same.

Sometimes our entire family goes on mission outreaches together. Other times my husband goes by himself or takes one of our older children. We’ve gone on missions together as a couple or as a couple with a nursing baby and a few other children. (We’ve been blessed to have the option of godly parents, homeschooling relatives, and friends who have helped to care for our children while we minister overseas on short-term trips.) Each time God calls us to a specific outreach, we pray and seek His will for that particular mission trip . . . and then we obey!

Just last month, our 12-year-old daughter Caela and I went on an exciting mission to Uganda, to minister at a village women’s conference and to check-up on over 700 precious orphan children at our ministry’s two orphanages. In mid-April, my husband will go with our high school son Daniel, a homeschooling senior, on a remote outreach to another area in East Africa. It’s exciting!!! (And an added benefit is that world missions is a great way for homeschooling teenagers to get involved with community service!!!)

You may want to consider accompanying a younger child on a short-term children’s mission outreach, such as YWAM King’s Kids or a Teen Mania outreach for Juniors (preteens). If your child has a heart for missions, take seriously God’s calling for you as a homeschooling parent to nurture your child’s desire and to adequately train and equip your child for this possibly. Let’s encourage our children to pray regularly for world needs and to learn all they can about world missions.

If you have a high school or college student interested in missions, encourage him or her to check out short-term opportunities with mission organizations such as YWAM, Global Expeditions with Teen Mania, Teen Missions International, Master’s Commission or through your own church or denomination.

If you have a larger family, here are a few additional ideas. Perhaps Mom and Dad can go together on a mission trip (and perhaps enjoy a second honeymoon before or after the mission outreach) while the kids enjoy a few weeks at Grandma’s. Or you can all work together (praying, seeking God, and raising support) to send one parent or teenager on a short-term outreach. You can even establish a new family tradition: when each child reaches a certain age (e.g., sixteen or eighteen), you will present that teenager with an airline ticket for a summer mission trip.

Traveling with Young Children

When traveling with children, put together a small backpack for each child with activity books, art supplies, reading materials, small toys, and a few snacks.
If you are traveling with a ministry team of with a large family, assign each person a partner to help keep track of everyone.
When spending an extended time in an international airport, look for a nursery or a children’s play area Many major airports even provide cribs for little ones to sleep.
In order to alleviate the effects of increased air pressure, attempt to nurse or bottle-feed your baby during takeoff and landing. Don’t feed your baby for a while beforehand, so that he or she will be a little hungry when the plane is taking off. God young children, sucking on a piece of candy or chewing gum will help.
While traveling, watch for people with whom you can share Jesus Christ. You and your children can meet people from all over the world in an international airport, many with nothing to do as they wait for their flight. Be prepared to witness by packing small New Testaments, gospel tracks, or an EvangeCube (a witnessing tool) in your carry-on luggage.

Homeschooling and Missions

Schooling is a major challenge and expense for many missionary families. For homeschooling families, however, your children’s education can continue nearly the same as before. If God is calling your family to missions, He will direct you and provide all your needs.

Homeschooling on a Short-term Mission Trip

If taking a short-term mission trip, immerse yourself and your children in the culture you are reaching to make the most of our outreach.
When our children travel overseas on short-term outreaches (for two or three weeks), they usually leave behind all of their regular schoolwork, other than their Bible and journal, in order to have time for all there is to learn and enjoy.
Have your children compare their experiences to typical life back home. Taste the local food. Attempt to communicate in the local language. Watch unique characteristics of the people. Learn about the local geography, arts, and technology (or lack of it). Note different animals, birds, and plant life. Soak in the sights, smells, and sounds; and enjoy your time of ministry. This of it as an extended field trip and an exciting cross-cultural experience.

Homeschooling on a Long-term Outreach

When living among another people group for an extended time, you and your children will need to develop a routine for regular school subjects.
Instead of isolating your children, encourage them to play with nationals and to learn their language. A child can often learn a foreign language by exposure alone.
Most likely you will not have access to resources found in a quality library. A solution to this challenge is to acquire a good supply of CD reference tools and educational DVDs. Get a laptop that can connect to a car battery, enabling you child to access important reference information anywhere in the world–even when Internet access is unavailable.
Begin to build your own library or work with other missionary families to build an educational library. Perhaps your church, mission partners, or a local school group from home could specifically support you in the area of your schooling. they can help you with challenges, send interesting Internet links or encouraging care packages, or simply be available (through e-mail, facebook, skype, or traditional mail) to assist your educational endeavors.

There is no perfect time to step out into missionary work. At every stage in life there will always be challenges to overcome and barriers to cross. No matter what your current situation, God can make a way for you. He does not expect you to use what you don’t have; He simply expects you to love and serve Him with what you do have. As you obey the Lord, step by step, He will multiply your gifts and talents for His purposes. It is not about dong things for God, but being with God: living in His presence, hearing His voice and direction, and being available to serve him — through His strengths and gifts, not your own.

Homeschooling and missions fit together perfectly. You have the flexibility to travel, and your children can be involved in ministry. You can do it.

(Note: This article was adapted from Ann’s newest book, The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny. Click here to download a FREE sample.)

Ann Dunagan is a longtime homeschool mother of 7 (with 3 graduates). Since 1987, she and her husband Jon have ministered worldwide with Harvest Ministry. Ann is co-founder of two African orphanages, writer for “Better Parents, Better Families” on the Christian Post and “The Missional Mind” with Biblica, and author of several books including The Mission-Minded Family.

March 8, 2010 By Ann 3 Comments

All throughout the month of March, St. Patrick’s Day decorations can remind you and your family to pray for Christian missions 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 and preach the Gospel!

Enjoying Missions Throughout the Year: MARCH

For 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 (and low) we have come from the real story of St. Patrick and his early missionary sacrifices to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people of Ireland. Today, more than ever, our world desperately needs the Lord, and the message of the God’s salvation that St. Patrick preached.

Do your kids know that St. Patrick was a missionary?

All throughout the month of March, we should remember the real missionary story of St. Patrick. Whenever we see GREEN decorations (in stores, restaurants, etc.), we can use these as sporadic “reminders” to teach our children that we’re all called to GO and to share 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, 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 unreached 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 Jacksons 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

Focus on the Family has a surprisingly accurate Adventures in Odyssey that features St. Patrick’s Day. Also, 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.

Family Prayer Focus:

Pray for God’s peace throughout Ireland and Europe, especially between Protestants and Catholics. Pray for the true message of God’s salvation to spread throughout this area, and for today’s missionaries who are sharing the Gospel. Remember people in the United States who are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and for people who need Jesus to hear about the real story of St. Patrick, and the Gospel message he preached. Pray also for your family to have an obedient heart to go wherever God would call you to go.

This article is adapted from “Enjoying Missions Throughout the Year” from Ann’s new book, The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny. Ann is an international minister alongside her husband, Jon Dunagan (with Harvest Ministry) and a homeschooling mother of seven kids (ages 9 to 23). During the month of March, Ann and her 12-year-old homeschooled daughter, Caela, are on mission trip to help orphans in UGANDA, EAST AFRICA. You can follow Caela’s LIVE mission updates on Ann’s twitter updates, watching for posts marked #CaelaOnMission.

January 30, 2010 By Ann 9 Comments

The horrific news from Haiti has filled your living room. News reports a unimaginable death toll between 100,000 to 200,000 people. 3 million people were affected. Nearly the entire capital city of Port-au-Prince is devastated and covered in rubble. Is it too late to help? The initial media-enthusiasm is waning, yet millions of people in Haiti remain desperately in need.

As Christian families, what can we do?

As headlines begin to focus on other matters, how can you remember Haiti? In your homeschooling, how can you continue to share this situation with your children? Is it too late to give in a way that could genuinely make a difference? And yes, you know you could “pray” with you kids about this situation and need . . . but do you realize that PRAYER, especially as a family, is not a little thing!

PRAYER IS NEEDED. It’s something that your family can do. It’s something BIG.

Does PRAYER really make a difference?

We all know, at least in our heads, that prayer is important. Yet how many of us honestly believe that our prayers, the simple prayers of our far-from-perfect family, can really make a difference? If we could comprehend, deep down in our spirits, the true power of prayer, we would all pray more-and the difference would radically impact our lives and the lives of everyone around us.

James 5:16 tells us, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” We want our prayers to be effective, but what does it mean to stand “righteous” before God?

As a family, we’re very aware of our differences and our faults. We’ve all sinned, and we need to acknowledge that no one of earth can stand blameless before our perfect, holy, and awesome God. No matter how good we try to be, our own works are nothing but filthy rags in His sight (see Isaiah 64:6). To pray effectively as a family, we need to grasp the importance of the “fear of the Lord.” We don’t need to be “afraid” of God in a fearful sense of the word, but we need to realize how powerful and mighty He is.

IDEAS TO HELP YOUR FAMILY PRAY for HAITI:

LOOK AT PHOTOS:
Find pictures of the needs in Haiti, and talk with your kids about specific ways your family can pray. Encourage your kids to PRAY for both those who are hurting & those who are helping. Here are photos from the DAY of the EARTHQUAKE in HAITI, and also encouraging photos from SAMARITANS PURSE of the RESCUE EFFORT.

READ ABOUT HAITI:
For example, read pages about “HAITI – A LAND FREED BY SLAVES” – from children’s world mission book, WINDOW ON THE WORLD, the children’s version of Operation World, published by Authentic/Paternoster.

Other Helpful Links for Teaching about Haiti:

Caribbean Geography Quiz :
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/caribquiz.html

Facts about Haiti for Kids:
http://www.thejuliaproject.com/facts-about-haiti.html

Operation World – Praying for Haiti:
http://www.operationworld.org/country/hait/owtext.html

Missions Atlas Project – For World Missions:
http://worldmap.org/

Kids Around the World – Links to Learn about Haiti:
http://www.katw.org/pages/sitepage.cfm?id=154

40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE:
8 weeks to become a more effective family, for eternity. Daily 4-5 minute videos.
http://harvestministry.org/challenge

MAKE A POSTER:
Have your children print out pictures of children and people in Haiti. Put the photo up on your fridge, or on your kitchen wall.

USE A MAP:
Put a small map of Haiti on your refrigerator, and use this area to display current international news updates from the Haiti situation. Pray as a family, perhaps around the dinner table, for specific needs in Haiti, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

LEARN ABOUT FASTING:
WATCH a VIDEO with your CHILDREN about PRAYER & FASTING for KIDS. Consider taking a day, or a few days, to pray, and even to FAST for HAITI. Perhaps they could “fast” just one meal, or eat only fruit and vegetables. Many children in Haiti are deperately in need of food and water. As we fast, it can help us to remember those who are hungry, both physically and spiritually. They need prayer!!!

GIVE SOMETHING!
Your kids need to know that as a family, you care. My dad often said, “A little bit of somethin’ is better than a whole lot of nothin’!” In Luke 21:2, Jesus commended the widow who gave only two small coins!!! Our family knows a national minister in India who receives only $100 a month, and he chose to give $50 of his support to help the needs in Haiti, through Samaritan’s Purse. (And by the way, if your family has ever participated in “Operation Christmas Child” by filling shoeboxes, it’s wonderful to show your children that the ministry of Samaritan’s Purse is far-reaching in many other areas).

PRAY for ORPHANS of HAITI!!!
Even before the earthquake, there were many orphans in the country of Haiti. Now the need is even greater. PRAY HARD for these orphan children. Pray that Christian families around the world would feel God’s love for these children and want to open their homes to ADOPT a child from HAITI. PRAY for orphan children to be brought to a safe place (many orphanages were destroyed, and many orphans are now sleeping outside, with little food or water). Read James 1:27. God has a HUGE heart for orphan children. Do you?

TEACH YOUR KIDS ABOUT PRAYER, WITH FILTHY RAGS:
The next time you come across an extremely dirty rag in your house, use it an opportunity to share an important lesson with your kids. We may think our own self-efforts help us earn “Brownie points” with God. But, to Him, our human works are as worthless as stinky rags. If we try to earn favor with God-instead of trusting in Jesus-it’s like collecting yucky rags. The more they pile up, the more they stink and mildew.

In prayer, each of us must come to God in an attitude of total surrender and humility, keeping our hearts clean and open before Him. Through the cleansing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, every mom and dad, and boy and girl, can pray as a “righteous man” before God. Because of Christ’s forgiveness and righteousness, even your family can come before God with boldness and authority to effectively intercede on behalf of others.

Do something BIG for HAITI, as a FAMILY.

PRAY.

January 26, 2010 By Ann 10 Comments

Have you considered setting aside a few days in early January to seek the Lord’s will for this NEW YEAR? Do you desire for your family and personal life to become more effective for God’s Kingdom, and for ETERNITY?

At the end of each year, our family has always invested a few days to reflect upon the past 12 months, and to seek the Lord’s direction for the coming new year. Financially, as my husband and I close-up our end-of-the-year books, we consider our spending and giving, as we pray for God’s future wisdom and His direction for family needs and mission giving. In our family scheduling, as we consider the past year’s calendar, we take time to review the highs and lows, rejoice in what God has done, learn from past mistakes and challenges . . . then pray and dream about His ideas for our future.

Plan to become a MISSION-MINDED FAMILY in 2010

This year, I put together a FREE Mission-Minded New Year’s Guide to help woman and homeschooling families (like YOU!!!) to evaluate your past year and to seek God’s will for your future in 2010. This FREE guide is especially designed for Christian mothers who desire to become more MISSION-MINDED and eternally effective in this next year.

Take 7 – For Fulfillment, Completion, and Rest

This evaluation and prayer guide focuses on the number 7 (God’s number for fulfillment, completion, and rest), with the idea of investing 7 days at the beginning of this new year to look at the your days (each 24/7), your next 7 weeks, your next 7 months, your next 7 years, and even how your current decisions will look 70 years from now (with the belief that we should live EVERY DAY for God’s purposes, and in light of ETERNITY.)

Here’s a short video that explains more:

Also, for you and your family, here is my favorite One-Year Bible Reading Check-off Plan from www.Bible-reading.com.

Have a MISSION-MINDED New Year! May God bless you and your family, for His purposes, in 2010!

Learn more about The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny, by Ann Dunagan, or download a FREE Sample.

Ann Dunagan is a longtime homeschool mother of 7 (with 3 graduates). Since 1987, she and her husband Jon have ministered worldwide with Harvest Ministry. Ann is co-founder of two African orphanages, writer for “Better Parents, Better Families” on the Christian Post and “The Missional Mind” with Biblica, and author of several books including The Mission-Minded Family.

December 16, 2009 By Ann 3 Comments

“I’ll be Home for Christmas”

Isn’t it an awesome song, with a heart-tugging theme?

With three of our seven totally-homeschooled children now practically “grown-up” and beginning to live on their own, it’s a momma-dream I can relate to . . . sprinkled with annual hopes and anticipation. Christmas-at-home brings to mind favorite traditions, thoughts of yummy delicacies, memories of siblings laughing together and playing games, and of course, snow and mistletoe.

However, as a surrendered mission-minded believers, I’ve come to understand that my lovely “Home-Sweet-Home” Christmas-dream isn’t necessarily a guaranteed “right” I should always expect or think I “deserve.”

A Mission-Minded Christmas . . . focuses on GOD’S HOME:

As homeschooling families (and as the premier experts on the “home” front . . . right?) we especially need to keep in mind that Christmas is about far-more than our home and our family. The true meaning of Christmas centers on the reality of God’s home in heaven (because that’s why Jesus came), and loving people into His family, so that others can go to heaven too.

Christmas, and everything about true Christianity, is about God’s Greatness (including God’s Great Commandment, to love God and love others: Matthew 22:36-40, and God’s Great Commission, to go into all the world to share His love with others: Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15).

We all know the clichés, how, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” and “Wise men still seek Him”; but have you and your family ever considered your willingness to surrender to God’s purpose for Christmas, in every nitty-gritty area?

Recently, an informal “counseling” question with a newlywed bride turned to a passionate discussion about international missions and family life. This God-loving friend and her new husband were having a common early-marriage struggle about where to spend their first Christmas. Since they were already living near his family and relatives, wasn’t it “right” that they celebrate Christmastime with her family?

I shared with her a story:

I’ll be Home for Christmas?

It was only a few days before Christmas as Bernie May, a pilot for Wycliffe Bible Translators successfully delivered emergency medical supplies to the isolated Amazon village. Now he eagerly anticipated being back with his wife and children in their South American home-away-from-home. Yet as the evening grew dark, he knew he would not be able to fly out until the morning.

With his pontoon plane waiting on the river, Bernie arranged for temporary protection for the night. But then . . . it began to rain. The rain continued, even up until Christmas Eve, the missionary felt increasingly depressed by his misfortune. His wife, Nancy, and their boys were six hours away; and by this time, they would have received his radio message: he would not be home for Christmas.

As a family, they had prepared their hearts to be separated from their loved ones and friends, but it was Christmas Eve . . . and they were now separated even from each other.

Back in Pennsylvania, everyone would be coming home from church—to the sounds of caroling, the smell of roasting turkey, and the sight of falling snow. But where was God’s missionary? Here he was . . . stuck in a remote jungle . . . in a makeshift shelter . . . in the pouring rain . . . alone.

In Ruth Tucker’s book “From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya”, Bernie May tells of his experience:

“Oh God,” I moaned, “I’m in the wrong place.” . . . But that night, under my mosquito net, I had a visitation from God— something like those shepherds must have had on the hills of Bethlehem.

There were no angels, and no bright lights. But as I lay there in my hammock, desperately homesick, I felt I heard God say, “My son, this is what Christmas is all about. Jesus left heaven and on Christmas morning He woke up in the ‘wrong place’—a stable in Bethlehem. Christmas means leaving home, not going home. My only begotten Son did not come home for Christmas— He left home to be with you.”

(Excerpted from The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny, by Ann Dunagan – Published by Biblica/Authentic)

A Mission-Minded Christmas . . . focuses on SURRENDER:

Our Savior Jesus Christ surrendered everything when He came to this earth; and He did it to not only save us, but to provide His salvation for the whole world!

So, what if this Christmas, God would perhaps call upon your homeschooling family to give something BIGGER than ever?
What if He would ask you, as a mom or a dad, to give something even greater than an extra missions-offering or a few dollars in that red Salvation Army bucket?

Brace yourself . . . as you consider . . .

What if God wanted your family to pray about taking a short-term mission trip in 2010?
Or, what if God would want you to prepare yourself and your family . . . to perhaps pack up everything, and to move overseas to begin a season of fulltime foreign missionary work?

YIKES!!! – Have you ever, recently, given the Lord the opportunity to even whisper the suggestion?

Or, what if God would ask you, as a loving parent, to release one of your own precious children or teenagers or young adults into a non-conventional ministry, or perhaps into even dangerous, overseas Christian service?
What if someday one of your own big kids, out of direct obedience to God’s call, was called to live across the world as a missionary . . . and he or she wouldn’t always be able to be with you and your family for Christmas?

As parents, would you be supportive and encouraging toward God’s call on your child’s life . . . or would you be God’s greatest hindrance?

YIKES!!! YIKES!!! – I know it can be scary; but I also know that whenever God calls an individual to follow Him, He also provides His GRACE and JOY (and if God would someday call one of your kids to something a bit “out-of-your-comfort-zone” or downright SCARY, He also has a GRACE and JOY for you, as parents, to be able to handle it).

Mission-minded Christmas carols:

“Go, Tell it on the Mountain!”

“Silent Night”

“Joy to the World”

“Hark the Herald Angels Sing”

A Mission-Minded Christmas . . . focuses on GIVING IT ALL:

This Christmas, let’s do something different.
Let’s “get” what Christmas is really all about . . . and then “give it” all to God.

“I Gave Myself”

It was Christmas, and the Liberian Christians had been asked this year instead of receiving gifts, to help carry the gospel to others.

As in many mission fields, they brought, not money, but produce. Presently, the great plates were piled high with offerings of rice, cocoa, bananas, palm nuts, pineapple, and cassava.

There was a moment’s pause . . .

Slowly, a twelve-year-old boy walked forward and solemnly placed his feet in one of the plates. Afterward, when the missionary questioned him, the boy said, “We are very poor. I did not have anything else to give . . . so I gave myself.”

A Mission-Minded Christmas . . . focuses on GOD’S PRESENCE:

Christmas is not just about HOME, or PRESENTS; it’s about living in the PRESENCE of the Lord, and sharing His PRESENCE with others.

Here are a few baby-steps to incorporate a mission-mindset into your family’s yearly Christmas celebrations.

Incorporate a GLOBE into your Christmas celebrations. Perhaps use this to bring a mission theme into a corner of a room. Add some garland and lights, or place a mini-nativity beside this globe (or map) as you encourage your children that Jesus came to earth to be the Savior for ALL people. If your decorations are looking a bit old and shabby, and you’re wondering about using them for yet another year, remember that 1.6 million people around the world have yet to hear the Christmas story… for the first time!

Plan a specific family giving project for Christmas. Perhaps put a coin jar next to your Christmas cookie jar and begin saving coins for a specific mission need to help others.

Learn how Christmas is celebrated in different parts of the world, such as St. Lucia Day in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries (the legend of St. Lucia focuses on a Sicilian girl who gave away her dowry to feed the poor) or Las Pasadas from Mexico and Latin American countries. You can also learn about Hannakah (as you pray for the nation of Israel, and for Jewish families to come to know Jesus as their Messiah). Perhaps incorporate one or two new international traditions into your family celebration.

Remember that Christmas is one of the easiest times of the year to be a strong witness for Jesus. Whenever anyone says, “Happy Holidays,” encourage your children to be bold and friendly as you respond with a cheerful “Merry Christmas!” or “Jesus Loves You!” (and don’t be afraid to invite people to your church or to a special Christ-centered event). Pray specifically for your unsaved neighbors, and perhaps deliver a plate of Christmas cookies along with hand-written cards or loving notes about God’s salvation. Visit elderly people in a nursing home and sing God-glorifying Christmas carols and talk to these precious people about the Lord. Specifically pray for relatives who need Jesus (and maybe plan a little Christmas Eve “skit” performed by your sweet non-threatening kids, to clearly share the real salvation reason for Christ’s coming to earth).

Communicate a few times during December to your own missionary friends and their children. Today, most overseas missionaries and international ministers utilize online tools such as facebook, twitter, blogs, or websites, so it’s easier than ever to keep in touch. Don’t be afraid to share about your fun Christmas activities, but be sensitive and appreciative for the sacrifices they are making for Jesus to serve Him so far from home.

This Christmas, I invite you to seek God’s purposes for your family.

As homeschooling families, if we really want God’s direction in every areas of our lives, we need to begin by surrendering ALL of our “rights” to God.

All to Jesus, I surrender.
All to Him I freely give.
I will ever love and trust Him.
In His presence daily live.
I surrender all. I surrender all.
All to Thee, My Blessed Savior.
I surrender all.

God gave His Only Son for us; this Christmas, let’s give HIM the reigns, and make Him LORD over every area: over where we live, where we’re willing to go, how we spend money, how we use time, what we say, and over our children’s lives . . . and their futures. Let’s make Him LORD of our Christmas!

Have yourself a MISSION-MINDED CHRISTMAS!!!

Click here for a FREE Sample of THE MISSION-MINDED FAMILY:
http://harvestministry.org/mission-minded-family

October 28, 2009 By Ann 15 Comments

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

When Hudson Taylor was only five years old he said, “When I’m a man, I mean to be a missionary and go to China.” This mission call grew, until as a young adult Hudson Taylor exclaimed, “I feel I cannot go on living unless I do something for China.” Years later, after a lifetime of renowned missionary service throughout Inland China, the veteran spokesman addressed the next generation as he pleaded,“The Great Commission is not an option to consider. It is a command to obey.”

I was eight years old when God called me to missions. As a little girl, the Lord “spoke” to me at a Christian family camp through Jeremiah 1:4-8 about going “to the nations.” At sixteen, I headed to Mexico on my first mission trip; as young newlyweds, my husband and I surrendered everything to go wherever God would call; and for over 22 years, our homeschooling family has been actively involved, all across the globe, in fulltime international missions. We’ve ministered together as a family, in teams of two or three of us at a time, and as individuals. We’ve tasted strange foods, experienced fascinating cultures, and have seen – with our own eyes – some incredible needs.

All along the way, we’ve been living the homeschool life: taking care of toddlers, teaching grammar and math (and everything else!), training teens, and turning in college scholarship applications. We’ve always lived in the United States, but by God’s grace, His call on our lives has taken us, collectively, to nearly 70 nations on all 7 continents. We’ve dreamed some big dreams . . . and little dreams. We’ve rescued hundreds of orphan kids, established village churches, and made friends with our neighbors (and shared the Lord) during local soccer games. To our family, “MISSIONS” is not an extra-curricular subject or an optional add-on to our educational goals; living for God’s Great Commission is the central core of everything we do. Geography is more than a map and a textbook. World News is more than a “take-it-or-leave-it” headline report. Living with a mission perspective has dramatically impacted our purpose for homeschooling and for parenting.

As I look back, it’s been an incredible journey; as I look ahead, I know we have a long way to go (both in homeschooling and in God’s international plans); and even now, I’m excited! As a brand-new writer for Heart of the Matter Online, I’m looking forward to encouraging you and your family for missions, on your unique homeschool journey.

So, to get to the point of my first HOTM article, I have a quick question, with BIG implications:

If your family wants 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”), DO YOU HAVE YOUR PASSPORTS YET?

Included in this article are instructions to make mission-minded “Passports” – as a fun craft project and learning tool. However, I want to motivate you to go one step further and to apply for “real” passports for each member of your family. In the United States, adult passports last for ten years and child passports last for five years. Even the “process” of applying for passports is a great educational experience . . . and who knows where this simple step could lead you, or what impact this small step could make in the future, and for God’s kingdom?

JUST FOR FUN! – Make a Mission-Minded “Passport”

As you child learns about various areas of the world, a fun idea is to chart this progress on a special Mission-Minded “Passport.”

1. What you need:

A printed copy of the MISSION-MINDED passport pages (here’s a PDF file of these pages: http://bit.ly/9NO2r), your child’s photo, scissors, glue, colored construction paper, blank white paper, yarn, hole puncher, clear packing tape, and stapler.

2. What to do:

Have your child cut out the passport pages along the dotted lines and glue these pieces to a passport-sized booklet (made from a half-piece of colored construction paper with blank white pages stapled inside). Add your child’s photo to the appropriate box, and for strength and durability cover the entire passport with clear packing tape. Punch a hole in the top left corner, and insert a piece of yarn or cording so your child can wear the passport around his or her neck. For fun, add international stickers or stamps (here are FREE printable country flags and stamps which work well with passports: http://www.stickersandcharts.com/places.php).

3. How to use this passport:

As your child learns about an area of the world, stamp the passport with a culturally appropriate rubber stamp, international flag or globe-oriented sticker, or a foreign postage stamp—all available at most teacher supply stores. This passport can be used to keep track of achievements, such as Bible memory or Bible reading progress, or to record a child’s personal prayer time as he or she “travels” around the world through intercession.

JUST IN CASE! – Apply for Official Current Passports for Your Whole Family

3 Reasons WHY you should get Passports:

You’ll be ready to go anywhere in the world, at a moment’s notice.
You’ll instill a preliminary attitude of willingness to follow God – wherever He may lead – into the hearts of each member of your family.
You’ll open up a whole world of possibilities, as you pray and learn about different nations (with real passports ready “just in case”). It will change how you pray as you ask God where He may want you to travel someday, or potential mission trips He may want you to take.

3 Steps HOW to get Passports:

Print out passport applications (if you are US citizens, here is the US Passport Application site: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html. If you are Canadian citizens, here is the Passport Canada site: http://www.ppt.gc.ca/form/index.aspx).
Fill out the applications. Locate documentations and IDs. Get passport photos for each family member.
Submit applications at your local post office, with appropriate fees.

Even if your family is never called to fulltime foreign missions, it’s good to be prepared for the “possibility” of a short-term mission trip, an overseas emergency to help a friend or loved one, or even an international vacation. If you are willing to consider a mission adventure for any (or all) of your family within the next several years, I encourage you to quit procrastinating. Get your passports!

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