Todays blog is a painful one. It’s one that we knew would probably happen but hoped wouldn’t. Last night we said, “goodbye" to my brother-in-law, my sister-in-law and all my nieces and nephews as they boarded a plane headed back to the US not knowing if they’ll ever return. Being the only ones left (from the family, that is) in Brazil is a feeling that we’ve never encountered and quite frankly don’t know how it’ll play-out. But we know that God is faithful and that He knows what we need. So we’re trusting Him in spite of the heartache.
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| Me, Jubi, Calvary and MJ waiting before they left last night |
But I don’t want to talk about us (the Dunns) today through the blog. No, today I want to tell you a little about my in-laws the Atkinsons. Some of you know them but most of you probably don’t. But Brad and Carolyn are what I think of as real spiritual trailblazers or better yet- ‘Pathfinders.’ Let me explain.
When I was in the ARMY back in 87’ I was in the infantry. Well, within the infantry there were a group of guys called Pathfinders. They were the guys who would drop-in behind enemy lines (and into uncharted territory) and make a way for everyone who would come after them (creating drop zones). Because even though it would still be difficult for everyone who followed, them making a path (hence the name Pathfinders) by placing beacons, colored smoke, flash panels, etc. for everyone first, it would make it easier for all who came in after them- because they showed everyone else ‘the way.' And, because they showed everyone 'the way,’ it saved lives and made a huge impact on the success of each mission that took place.
Well, to me, that’s what Brad and Carolyn (the Atkinsons) are- Pathfinders. They’ve gone in ahead of us (and everyone else who’s watched them over the last several years) and shown us ‘the way’ by blazing a trail that nobody else was on. And because of their commitment to Jesus and the Gospel- them dropping in 'behind enemy lines' and showing us the way- it’s ‘made it easier for all of us who have and who will follow.
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| Carolyn, Brad, Zeke, Ike, Matthew, Eli and some friends who came to say goodbye at the airport |
Back in 07’ Brad and Carolyn adopted a sibling group of 4 children from Brazil. If you know anything about adoption and the church you’ll know that back in 07’ adoption wasn’t really mainstream (in the church) yet and it didn’t have anywhere close to the traction that is has today. But as people (a.k.a. ‘Pathfnders’) like Brad and Carolyn stepped-up and starting adopting others followed (Me and MJ included).
Because of them adopting from Brazil first, it made it easier for Me and MJ to adopt from Brazil in 08.’ And because they had already been here and done it they were able to show us the way. Not that it wasn’t difficult, no. But having someone to have gone ahead and cleared a path made it soooo much easier for us.
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| MJ and Carolyn last night (before the tears began) |
And if you know anything about our story and how we came to be missionaries here in Brazil, you’ll know that Brad and Carolyn moved here 2 years before we did. We were given the camp in 09’ but Brad and Carolyn were the ones who actually moved here in 2010’ to get things started. They were the ones who literally ‘cleared a path’ at the camp and did a majority of the repairs to get things going so that we could minister to hundreds and hundreds of kids over the last 5 years.
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| My nephew (Zeke) and 2 of the young men they've discipled over the last 5 years (Jonea and Rodrigo) |
They were the ones who began evangelizing the mountain and developing relationships with the people we live with before we arrived. They were the ones who figured out how to survive in a culture that’s totally different than the one we’re use to so they could pass on as much information to us as possible. They’re the ones who made it easier for us. I didn’t say, they made it easy for us, no. Because following Jesus is hard (Matthew 7:13-14) and living in the jungles of Brazil is extremely difficult. But when you have someone who’s done what God’s called you to do by going in first- it’s given us a huge advantage.
So, why do I think it’s important that you know all this? Well, last night around 6:00pm we hugged, kissed, cried and then waved goodbye as we stood and watched as Brad, Carolyn, Zeke, Eli, Boaz, Ike, Braidlyn, Reign, Zion, Calvary, Shiloh and Jubi all walked through security and down the corridor toward their terminal at Alfonso Pena Airport in Curitiba, Brazil. Leaving us here to carry-on what they made a way for us to do.
Even though we feel very sad right now, there’s a huge part of us that feels a tremendous amount of joy. Now, before you start thinking I’m bi-polar, I’ll explain. Those of you who have followed Brad and Carolyn over the last 5 years here in Brazil know that, for almost 3 years now, they’ve faced a tremendous amount of adversity (from outside sources) that’ve been coming against them. It’s put an enormous amount of stress on them as well as the entire family. So, for them to not be under the stress and the strain anymore makes us very happy for them.
As frustrating as it’s been for them and as difficult as the persecution made it for them to be here ministering- they continued. They continued to walk in a way that was pleasing to the Lord and they maintained a good testimony in the community through it all. If you ever want to see a living example of what it looks like to endure hardship as a good soldier ( II Timothy 2:3-4 ) Brad and Carolyn have done just that. Living here is extremely difficult and the fact that they did it without a break in 5 years is crazy!
I know, that as they land in the US today, that they’ll experience a myriad of emotions as they arrive home. All the family, friends, their home, clean water, reliable electricity, central heat/air, good internet, a ‘real' Wal-Mart… all the things that they’ve been without for the last 5 years will be overwhelming at first. But, as the weeks and the months pass, our prayer is that when they reflect back on the sacrifice that they’ve made for the sake of the Gospel over the last 5 years, that they’ll be able to relish in the fact that they did something that not many other followers of Christ have done- abandon everything for Jesus. And as they look back I just want them to know, as a fellow laborer, that I’m very appreciative of everything they’ve done for Me and MJ by making a path for us to further the Gospel in a place where people desperately need Jesus. We love you guys and miss you already.
Love Ya,
Jim
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