Unbeatable

Here's what we looked like September 22, 2011 as we were leaving Atlanta for the mission field of Brazil

This was us this past Sunday (a little over 5 years later). Man, how the kids have grown!

To say that our life has been crazy over the last 5 years that we’ve lived here in Brazil would be an understatement. If you would've told me that we’d be experiencing all the things that we’ve experienced I would have laughed in your face. We’re just ‘city folk’ with no desire to live like Swiss Family Robinson or The Alaskan Bush People. We like living comfortably and safely just as much as the next guy- we’re not crazy. 

But, it’s like, as soon as something occurs in our life that we think could never be topped- BAM! Something else happens. And believe me- we don’t go looking for things either. We would love to have some mundaneness (that’s an actually word- I looked it up).

Just like this past week, for example; right smack dab in the midst of all the drama we normally have, coupled with the busyness of trying to renovate the new place and maintain ministry, all at the same time-  things just keep happening. 

As most of you know MJ and Maryssa are HUGE animal lovers. We all love animals but they REALLY love animals. Maryssa is actually going to start taking some veterinary courses because eventually that’s what she wants to be- a vet. They've rescued and adopted out several animals over the last 5 years and it’s been very inspiring to see some of the work they’ve done here (on top of all the other things we have going on).

Well, a few weeks ago, Maryssa and Kevin were driving to the new property to do some work (before we moved-in) and they noticed a dog sitting on the side of the road, out in the middle of nowhere. It was just sitting there like it was waiting for someone. 

They passed this dog, just sitting in the same spot, several days in a row. So, Maryssa started bringing it food and water each day as they passed by. Later that same week Me and MJ passed by and there the dog was, sitting on the side of the road, in the rain, like it was waiting for someone. It reminded us of that movie Hachi, with Ricard Gere. 

It was so sad. Obviously this dog was dumped-off on the side of the road and it was just sitting there waiting for it’s owner to pick it back up. Literally sitting for days…

So Me and MJ pulled the van over and called the dog and it jumped in the van with us. It was a pit bull/lab mix and was actually a beautiful dog. It had a huge open scar on the back of it’s neck, like it had been abused or something, but other than that she looked great. We named her Scarlett (because of the scar).

This is where the dog sat for several days- just waiting for it's owner to come back!

We brought her to the new house and let her stay there with Matthew for a couple weeks (he was living there by himself while the renovations were taking place). And when it was time for the whole family to finally move to the new place we decided to bring Scarlett back to the Camp to live with the guy that we’re paying to guard and maintain the property until it sells.

This was Scarlett the first week we had her. She was such a great looking dog.
How could someone abandon her like that?

There have been several more murders and break-in's, on the mountain, over the last 6-7 months so having another guard dog there is a good thing. Plus, with all the wildlife that lives there in the jungle- the more dogs the better (for keeping other animals as well as the criminals away).

Well, we were (and still are) having to go to the camp every day to continue to do miscellaneous things trying to finalise the move. And every time we were there Scarlett  was always so happy to see us. 

One day MJ decided to bring her 12 year old Boston Terrier, Lulu, (that we brought with us from the States) to the Camp. And while we were in the kitchen doing a few things, Lulu wandered in. The only problem is that Scarlett was there and Lulu walked up behind her and startled her. It’s like a switch was flipped in her mind and she turned into a different dog as she turned to attack Lulu.

As she was about to latch on to Lulu’s neck, I jumped in and grabbed Scarlett on both side of her head to pull her off of Lulu. It was crazy! She bit my left hand and then turned and bit my right forearm. But this time, when she bit down, locked her jaw and started flailing her head from side to side- sinking her teeth deeper and deeper into my arm with every move. 

The blood started to pour out of my arm and she wasn't letting go. It felt like my arm was being crushed in a vice. I kept screaming Scarlett’s name, yelling for MJ to get Lulu out of the house and trying to pry the dog's mouth open so I could get my arm free- all at the same time. It was mass chaos. The kids were crying, MJ was trying to get the kids and Lulu out of harms way and my arm was spraying blood all over the kitchen. As I looked down at my arm, still locked in Scarlett’s jaws, I saw something hanging out of my arm that looked like a broken guitar string. I thought it was a ligament or a tendon but it was my radial nerve! It was just hanging there (about 6-8” long). Great.

Then, out of nowhere, Ana ran in with a bucket of water and threw it at Scarlett. As soon as it hit her she released my arm. I grabbed a metal chair and kept Scarlett back so that she didn't attack me or one of the kids as we tried to get outside the gate. And then I could see that this was bad. My adrenaline was pumping so much that the blood was spraying out like it was being pumped out of water hose. The wound was deep and was gaped open and you could see everything in my arm- fat tissue, muscle, tendons, everything. MJ quickly wrapped a towel around it but it wouldn't stop bleeding. We took my belt off and tied it around my bicep like a tourniquet and got the bleeding to at least slow down a little. 

My concern was that I was going to lose consciousness because I was losing so much blood. We were still a good 30 minutes from the hospital too, so time was of the essence. The other problem is that MJ can’t drive a stick shift so I was trying to drive with an injured arm (that was still spewing blood) down the mountain. I could tell that I wasn’t going to be able to make it so we pulled over and asked one of our neighbours (who doesn’t have a drivers’s licence, I might add) to drive me to the place on the highway where there was an ambulance.

He jumped-in and got me to the ambulance- who then took me to the hospital. What a fiasco.

I just went to the surgeon on Monday and he told me that since they cut my radial nerve off at the hospital (there was too much hanging out of my arm to re-attach) that I won’t have any feeling in my thumb and the top of my hand for the rest of my life. He also said that the constant pain (it feels like a combination of fire and being shocked) that I’m feeling in my hand and arm will pass with time. Great, huh?

The area in red is the area that the radial nerve controls (sensitivity/feeling)

Here’s the reason why I’m telling you this story- so stay with me for just a few more minutes. I know that this may seem like a horrible situation but actually I feel good about it, I feel empowered and honestly, I feel “unbeatable.”

Bad things will happen in our lives and we can either let those things shipwreck us or we can do something that will allow us to rise above the situation victorious- no matter how bad something is. And the thing I’m talking about doing (that allows us to rise above) is “being thankful.” That’s right, being thankful.

When something bad happens in our life we can either focus on all the negative aspects of what's happened (which changes nothing), we can try to place blame on someone for what's happened (which changes nothing), we can even get mad at God for allowing it to happen (which changes nothing), or we can look for a way to be thankful in the midst of the calamity (which changes everything).  By having an attitude of thankfulness, it allows us to find peace and keep moving forward in spite of any circumstance. 

Now don’t get me wrong… I am by no means saying that I’m an expert at this and that I always keep a thankful attitude about everything bad that happens in my life. Believe me, I fail often. But for some reason this time I felt good about things. And as I was trying to figure out how and why I felt good about what happened, that's when I noticed that it was all because I was thankful. Not thankful that my arm was mangled and that I was in pain, no.

I was thankful that it didn’t happen to MJ. I was thankful that Scarlett didn’t kill Lulu. I was thankful that it didn’t happen to one of my kids. I was thankful that God allowed me to spend about an hour and a half, by myself, with a paramedic (who spoke perfect English) talking about the Gospel and how much God loved him! This guy had been offended in church 20 years ago and hadn’t been back ever since. But I believe that God, in His infinite mercy and love for this man, allowed this calamity to happen to me so that our paths would cross. And for that I’m truly grateful. 

You see, the enemy wanted to use this situation to destroy me. But God has, by me keeping a thankful attitude, looking for the positive in this situation, and keeping my joy set on Him and not what’s happening in my life- it's only made me stronger. It’s made me unbeatable. 

What about you? Has something happened in your life that’s trying to sidetrack or even destroy you? If so, give thanks to God in whatever circumstance that you're going through and see what He can do through a person with a thankful heart. Because when the devil throws his best shot at you and you still keep going because you're thankful and grateful to God for all His blessings in your life and when your joy is terminated on Jesus and not just on life’s circumstances you’ll be unbeatable too: )

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”                  

                                                                                    Thessalonians 5:17

Love You Guys!

Jim

Here's me with Scarlett yesterday when I brought her food  to her in her pen.
I gotta be honest with you... not a super comfortable situation.

Even Though We've Moved- It’s Still Brazil!

After a long-gruelling-painful-tiring (feel free to inject every other negative adjective you could use here) 2 1/2 months of literally working ourselves into the ground it’s finally happened… we’ve moved into our new home and are no longer living on the mountain and in the jungle! That’s right, after 5 years of “roughing it” we’ve moved closer to the city and will hopefully get a break from all the craziness that has 'been our life' here in Terra Boa, Brazil.

When we signed the contract for the new place, on September 16th, we totally underestimated the amount of work and finances that it would take to actually get the house in a liveable condition so that our family could move in. I guess, if I was going to compare it to something in the States, it would be like buying a HUD home that had been vacant for a long time and not really taken care of when people lived in it. But after countless hours of painting, cleaning, plumbing, building and renovating-  we are officially moved-in to the new place. 

It's weird. We're able to take hot showers that actually stay hot the whole time and the water doesn't cut-off even once! And now MJ has hot water that comes out of the kitchen sink to wash dishes with (rather than having to heat water in a tea pot), we have internet (via radio waves) at home, our cell phones work (we haven't had any type of phone at home for 5 years), we're able to drive to town to get food in less than 5 minutes and I don't wake up in the middle of the night because of being bit by spiders! Sweet, huh? And those are just a few of the things that we've noticed: )

But don’t get me wrong- “Just because we’ve moved, we’re still in Brazil.” We’ve already had a porcupine attack on the dogs (which = another visit to the vet), I was attacked by a pit bull (I’ll write about it later) and am having to have surgery on my arm because of massive nerve damage, one of our dogs back on the mountain was attacked by a puma or a leopard (not good), Maryssa had a bat in her room last night, Robert killed a brown spider (extremely venomous) on my back as I was driving down the road yesterday… and the list could go on and on.

The point being, “we're still painfully aware that we’re still on the mission field.” But just moving closer to town is going to relieve so much of the pressure and stress that we’ve been carrying the last 5 years- so we’re very grateful.

We’ve especially been running ourselves ragged over the last few months. Trying to maintain a ministry, taking care of our family and getting the house ready to move-in to has taken everything we’ve had in the tank. I’m not gonna lie to you- we’ve been battling serious depression, fatigue and  stress trying to get to this point. But we’re finally here. Sure, it’s not perfect and there’s still a good bit of work to go- but it’s liveable and it’s not the jungle. 

Our prayer is that by making this move that we’ll be able to work in the orphanages and favelas even more than we have over the last 5 years and that we’ll be able to proclaim the Gospel to even more people than ever before. 

And we just want to take this time to say that, "we couldn't have made this transition without Graystone Church USA and all of our faithful supporters who gave toward this new endeavour.”  

So, thank you to everyone who helped to make this happen. We couldn't have done this without you guys!

Love Ya!

Jim, MJ, Maryssa, Matthew, Ana, Diogo, Gabriel and Robert

It's Time for a Change and the Time Is Now

Me and MJ celebrated our 27th Wedding Anniversary since we posted our last blog

Hey Guys!

Well, because of a recent storm, we’ve been without internet and cell phone service at our house again for over 2 months. And without either one of those things (and limited time in town where we can actually get on-line) it’s very difficult to stay in touch with the outside world- and especially with all of our friends, family and supporters back home. 

Because of that- this blog is going to be a little longer than usual. But it’s going to also be one of the most important ones that we’ve posted in the last 5 years- for sure. So, here ya go: )

We just finished hosting another mission team (a few weeks ago) from the US. 

The Team that was just with us from Graystone Church USA

Graystone Church, USA (in Grayson, GA) sent another team to minister alongside of us and it was a HUGE encouragement as we’re continuing to try and reach the children and teenagers of Brazil with the Gospel. Thanks Graystone!

Playing with the kids before service

During one of our services at Lar Herminia

Maryssa and some of the team doing manicures for the house moms who minister to the kids 24/7

Dinner on our last night with the kids was a HUGE hit

Our last night with the kids

 We had just picked-up a new orphanage (I’ll tell you guys about that later) and they were able to help us as we’re beginning to build relationships with 50 more children and all the house mothers who take care of them. We’re very excited about being able to impact a new group of kids with the life-changing message of the Gospel.

The i3C Worship Team leading worship during one of our services at the new orphanage
(Sorry, we can't show pictures of the kids because it's prohibited by law at this particular institution- for the kids safety)

We were also in a few more orphanages here in the Curitiba and in Columbo while they were here. 

We were able to take Diogo and Gabriel back to the orphanage that we adopted them from for the first time in 8 years.
This time they were missionaries rather than residents: )

We also ministered to the children that are a part of the day program at Patrick’s Place (Encontro com Deus) and to the battered women (most of which are teenagers) and their children that have been rescued by this amazing ministry.

Bible time at Patrick's Place

Doing a craft project with the kids (that correlated with the Bible story)

After a round of dodgeball on the roof

Ministry has been going good as we’re right in the middle of our Winter here at the camp. We also celebrated our 3rd year Anniversary at IBB (Igreja Batista do Bacacheri) as the lead pastors of the English church (the i3C) back in March and have seen amazing growth in the church and in the people. Time really has flown by. We’re very grateful to the Lord for allowing us to do everything we’re doing. 

Over the last 2 years we’ve been sensing that there was going to be a change in ministry but were unsure of what that change actually was. We’re firm believers in not making any changes until we know for certain that it’s The Lord’s timing. So, we’ve just been praying and have kept doing what we’ve been doing- just waiting on Him.

Back in 2008' when we were in Brazil adopting our kids

As most of you know, we adopted a sibling group of 5 children from Brazil back in 2008.’ It hasn’t been ‘totally public knowledge’ but we’ve had some major problems that we’ve had to navigate though from the beginning. Some things are just normal kid issues, but then there have been several things that have happened that are really serious (some things even criminal) and are beyond what we’ve felt equipped to handle. 

Here's the family back on Mother's Day. Man, how everyone has grown!

We reached out and spoke with a very reputable christian counsellor back in the States and he actually recommended that we consider terminating the adoption because the things they were doing were just escalating and were more than we were capable of handling. We tried getting help here locally but counselling through the school and the government wasn't helping at all. We were feeling like there wasn't any place here in Brazil that could help us. 

We really thought that all the issues we were having with the kids was going to cause us to have to leave the mission field and go back home so that we could try and get more support. But we’ve  started taking the kids to a christian counsellor at IBB and we seem to be making some progress, for now. They are seeing this counsellor weekly and we’re just praying that things will continue to get better. Please continue to pray with us.

Here's just one of the floods that has overtaken pour front porch this year

Here at the camp we’ve had sooooooo many windstorms, floods, mudslides, etc. over the last couple of years that it’s been all we could do to just keep everything repaired, cleaned-up and operational. It’s been very difficult. It’s a struggle just living here as it is even without all that extra drama happening. It’s been very tough on us physically and emotionally. 

All the weed eating (because there’s no lawn mowers here), all the repairs to the property, all the new construction, all the daily upkeep, every time the water goes out- it’s basically Me and Matthew that have to fix/do it! I just turned 51 years old back in June and man… I’m definitely feeling it.

Besides being beaten down by the elements- there’s the constant battle with all the snakes, spiders, bats and rats. And then, there’s the zika/dangue carrying mosquitos and the copious amount of other insects we face daily.  Geez. Even though it sounds bad, unless you actually have to deal with it personally, it’s still hard to understand how difficult it really is. 

Our house was overrun by rats this year. Here's one of the ones we killed.
There were actually so many rats that we were glad that we had snakes in the house too... so they could eat the rats!

Just one of the many spiders we get to remove from our bed on a regular basis. Gotta love it!

Next month will be our 5th year living here in the jungle. We’re really feeling the strain emotionally and in our physical bodies more than ever before and because of that we’re starting to re-evaluate things a lot closer. And that brings me to the reason for writing today’s blog.

We realize that we need to make a change and the time is now. After praying through this over the last couple of years here’s what we feel like our 2 Options are:

Option 1: Move to the City

Less than 10% of our ministry takes place at the camp but 90% of our physical labor/effort/finances  goes into maintaining and living at the camp. And, since it’s such a struggle living here, moving to the city would not only help us physically and emotionally- it would also allow us to focus more on actual ministry in the orphanages and in Vila Zumbi and focus less on labouring to maintaining this huge property (110 acres) where such a small portion of ministry actually takes place.

Some of the kids from an orphanage in Curitiba going through the obstacle course at the camp

One of the orphanages that we've hosted at the camp

Option 2: Move Back to the States

'In the natural'- this would be the easiest thing to do because it’s home, we miss our oldest son and daughter-in-law, we miss the rest of our family and friends and it’s our own culture. We would still be able to facilitate missions teams to Brazil and we’d still maintain ministry in the orphanages (through raising monthly sponsorship for the kids and hosting) from the US.

Our oldest son, Michael, and our daughter-in-law, Sarah, who live back in the states

Those are our options.

God has supernaturally provided and allowed us to minister to literally thousands of kids through the camp, in the orphanages and in the local favelas over the last 5 years doing what we’re doing and for that we’re very grateful. But for the ministry to grow (and continue) we’ve got to make a change. There’s no way to continue the way we’re doing things right now- it’s not sustainable physically or emotionally anymore. We all feel like we’re at our breaking point.

Some of the children we minister to in Vila Zumbi

The giant parachute is always a big hit with the kids

5 years ago we sold almost everything we had to come and proclaim the Gospel here in Brazil. And, over the last 5 years, we’ve spent all that we've had to get the camp to where the conditions were liveable, to build the camp (for the kids) to where it was safe and we had things that would attract more people here so that they could hear the Gospel. Over the years we’ve depleted all of our savings and have spent almost every dollar we have on restoring, constructing and maintaining the camp over the last 5 years. And we don’t regret any if it. It’s been an amazing journey seeing what God’s been able to do here through our family and the people who support us.

But, like I said, “it's time for a change and the time is now.” So, considering our 2 Options, here’s what it will look like for either of them to work:

Either way, we can’t continue to maintain the camp, so we’re in the process of selling it. But the economy (here in Brazil) is the worst that it’s been since the 1930’s. The current President is going through the impeachment process, the crime rate is high, people are unsure of the future, the Brazilian Realis (their currency) is the lowest that it’s been in recent history and people aren’t buying real estate right now. So, we have no idea how long that it will take for the property to sell. But ministry needs to continue and we we’re moving forward regardless of that fact.

Option 1- Move to the City

We found a property that’s literally 10 minutes from all the orphanages that we work in, it’s 15 minutes from church, there’s better schools for the kids, there’s grocery stores and pharmacies, and… get this-  it’s in town where we could actually have a phone and internet 24/7 at home again!

A view of the front of the house we're looking at

We spoke with the owners (who live in Argentina) and they've agreed to let us rent the property for the next 12 months or until the camp sells. It will cost us (with the current exchange rate) around US$1,500 per month to rent the property and still maintain the camp. This is monthly support that we would need to raise in addition to what we currently receive. Plus, we would need US$1,000 as a deposit to move in. There’s Option 1.

Option 2: Move Back to the States

Although we’d love it and this would be great, we honestly don’t feel like we’re done here in Brazil yet. So option 2 would only happen if Option 1 doesn’t work-out. So, until that happens I’m not gonna list out all the steps for Option 2 just yet: ) 

Here’s how you can help right now

It’s simple and I'm not gonna drag this on… we need your help. Would you prayerfully consider supporting us for the next 12 months to help us move to the city so that we can continue ministry in the orphanages and in the favelas in and around Curitiba? 

Some of you may want to give a one time gift instead and that’s great- but either way (monthly or one time) we need your help. No gift is too small either. If everyone who read this blog gave something we’d have what we needed to continue: )

I know that was a lot of information to give you just to get to the last couple of paragraphs but there’s a lot going on here right now and this is a HUGE decision for our family: ) So, just let us know what you think. And, even if you decide that you can’t give, please do pray for us. Pray specifically that God’s perfect will is done in and through this ministry and that He is glorified in all that we do.

We love you guys!

Jim, MJ, Maryssa, Matthew, Ana, Diogo, Gabriel and Bob (formerly known as Robert- by his request, lol!)

You Can Give By…

Your tax deductible donations can be made securely through Paypal by clicking HERE, 

through our website www.HopeAndLifeBrazil.com 

or by mailing a check to PO Box 231 Loganville, GA 30052

First of all, let me just say, “thank you” to everyone who responded and gave in response to our last blog. The love and support that you’ve shown has really encouraged us. Like we told you- it was probably the most important blog we had posted in the 5 years that we’ve lived here in Brazil. If you didn't get a chance to read it, and have no idea what I’m talking about, click HERE to see.

I have some great news and a great opportunity to announce concerning our progress of reaching our goal for Option 1 (Moving to Town) in the last blog. 

As most of you probably know- over the last couple of years Graystone Church USA has played a major role in us being able to reach thousands of children and teenagers with the Gospel. Whether it’s been through their monthly support, the purchase of a van for our family and ministry back in 2014', sending numerous mission teams to minister alongside of us, or by their faithful prayers and correspondence with us- it’s all been a major factor in us doing what we do. 

Well, they've stepped-up (again) and made an amazing offer to us. They’ve committed to matching all the funds we’ve already raised (and that we’re continuing to raise over the next few weeks) to help us reach our goal of US$1,500 per month for 12 months so that our family can move to town and continue ministering, more effectively, here in Brazil! That’s right, we needed to raise US$18,000 and they’ve offered to give us US$9,000 if we can raise the other US$9,000!

So, if you've ever considered giving to help support the ministry here in Brazil- now is the time! Ít doesn't matter the amount because it all adds up. So, please prayerfully consider helping. We’re very excited about the possibility of being able to focus more on ministry and less on all the difficulties that we face daily in the jungle by moving to the city- so thank you for your support.

We Love You Guys!

Jim, MJ and the Entire Dunn Family 

You Can Give By…

Your tax deductible donations can be made securely through Paypal by clicking HERE

or

through our website www.HopeAndLifeBrazil.com 

or

by mailing a check to PO Box 231 Loganville, GA 30052

Exciting Update and Opportunity

Some of the Kids we minister to in Vila Zumbi

First of all, let me just say, “thank you” to everyone who responded and gave in response to our last blog. The love and support that you’ve shown has really encouraged us. Like we told you- it was probably the most important blog we had posted in the 5 years that we’ve lived here in Brazil. If you didn't get a chance to read it, and have no idea what I’m talking about, click HERE to see.

I have some great news and a great opportunity to announce concerning our progress of reaching our goal for Option 1 (Moving to Town) in the last blog. 

As most of you probably know- over the last couple of years Graystone Church USA has played a major role in us being able to reach thousands of children and teenagers with the Gospel. Whether it’s been through their monthly support, the purchase of a van for our family and ministry back in 2014', sending numerous mission teams to minister alongside of us, or by their faithful prayers and correspondence with us- it’s all been a major factor in us doing what we do. 

Our Family when we got our van back in 2014

Well, they've stepped-up (again) and made an amazing offer to us. They’ve committed to matching all the funds we’ve already raised (and that we’re continuing to raise over the next few weeks) to help us reach our goal of US$1,500 per month for 12 months so that our family can move to town and continue ministering, more effectively, here in Brazil! That’s right, we needed to raise US$18,000 and they’ve offered to give us US$9,000 if we can raise the other US$9,000!

So, if you've ever considered giving to help support the ministry here in Brazil- now is the time! Ít doesn't matter the amount because it all adds up. So, please prayerfully consider helping. We’re very excited about the possibility of being able to focus more on ministry and less on all the difficulties that we face daily in the jungle by moving to the city- so thank you for your support.

We Love You Guys!

Jim, MJ and the Entire Dunn Family 

You Can Give By…

Your tax deductible donations can be made securely through Paypal by clicking HERE

or

through our website www.HopeAndLifeBrazil.com 

or

by mailing a check to PO Box 231 Loganville, GA 30052

How Much Do We Really Trust God?

OK. It’s been several weeks since we’ve posted a blog so today’s (blog) may be a little longer than normal, I don’t know?… we’ll see. I probably need to do more of 'a journal entry’ (for myself) than I do a blog (for everyone to see) but I feel like this might help someone else too- so here goes: )

Well, we’re still trying to get re-acclimated to being back in Brazil after our short visit home to the States. Me and MJ went home to attend our oldest son’s graduation from college. We’re so very proud of Michael and this newest accomplishment that he’s added to his life. He graduated Cum Laude with a BA in History (he also received his teaching certificate) and is going to teach History in a high school there in Georgia. We’re so proud of him.

The negative part of this whole thing is that we're still very emotional about ‘not' being able to be more a part of him and our daughter-in-law’s lives (because of living on the other side of the equator). It’s heart-wrenching every time we have to say goodbye because we know that, in all probability, it’ll be a couple years before we see them again. And, as much as we’re honored to serve on the mission field, it still doesn't take the sting out of some of the things (like this) that we have to sacrifice, so please pray for us because it’s hard. So, there’s that.

Michael and our daughter-in-law, Sarah

Then, a couple weekends ago, Matthew had a race. It’s Wintertime here in Brazil and the weather has been really nasty (wet and record cold temperatures). This was only his second time racing and the condition of the track was horrible. His race was the 7th race of the day and, as we watched the first 6 races, we knew it was gonna be difficult. Everyone was falling, getting stuck in the deep mud and it was just down-right ridiculous. Actually, in my opinion, they probably should've cancelled the races because of how dangerous and wet it was- but what do I know, right?

Here's Matthew's motorcycle stuck in the mud during practice. Like I said, the track was horrible!

So, anyway, I stood there on the starting line with him as he was waiting for the green flag. We had prayed there together before I went back to where all the other spectators were. We prayed specifically for safety, protection and that he’d be able to have fun. After we prayed I took his jacket (he had it on because it was still drizzling rain while they were waiting there at the starting line) and then I went to watch my boy: )

Matthew, #387, on the starting line

As the flag dropped Matthew was the first one out of the gate! This is huge in motocross because whoever hits the first turn in the lead usually has a great chance of winning the whole race (by pulling away from everyone else and maintaining their lead, of course).

Matthew got out of the gate first and hit the first turn in first place. But as we stood there waiting for everyone to emerge from the first turn- nobody was coming!? Wait a minute… where is everyone? Eventually racers started flying out of the first turn but Matthew was nowhere to be seen. There must have been a pile-up or something. Then, out of nowhere, Matthew comes flying past us. Here’s the video:

Matthew (and all the other racers) fell on the first turn because it was soooo muddy. Man, he was in first place but now had fallen back into 5th because of the pile-up: (

And then it happened. As we stood there watching, we saw Matthew (in the distance) just stop and get off his motorcycle. Something was wrong… his arm was just hanging there, lifeless. The adrenaline had worn off from when he had fallen and he realised that he was hurt. 

A paramedic and a few other people ran out to him and eventually were able to get him to the sidelines where the ambulance was parked. When they were finally able to get his chest protector and racing jersey off we could see his collar bone protruding from inside his skin. His arm was out of the socket and his collar bone was so out of place (and pressing so tight against his skin) that it looked like it was gonna poke right through the skin! He was in unbelievable pain, he had turned a kind of a yellowish color and actually almost fainted several times because of how bad it was hurting. They said that he needed to get to the hospital so we left his motorcycle there and loaded him into the van and off we went.

You can see the bone protruding out of place: (

It was the longest 30 minute ride of our lives (trying to get to the hospital) as Matthew was in the back writhing in pain. Man, it was so frustrating being so far away from the hospital. But we finally arrived and after a few hours they got him fixed-up and we were able to leave.

Matthew being administered pain medication after they got his shoulder/arm back into place

So, here’s the point of the blog… We prayed, so what’s up with that? We specifically prayed for protection and in less than 5 minutes after we uttered the prayer my son was injured and we’re on our way to the hospital! Is God not listening to our prayers? Does prayer not really work?!

Of course God hears our prayers and prayer most definitely works! This is where “the trust part of prayer" comes in. When we pray we know He hears us (I Peter 3:12). But sometimes our prayers aren't answered in the exact way that we want them to be answered. And that’s where we need to fully trust Him in spite of it.

Our minds may be screaming, “why do I even pray when it doesn't turn out the way I want it to?” But we’ve got to throw that kind of thinking to the side because we serve a God who knows everything past present and future (omniscient), who has all power to do whatever He wants (omnipotent) and who loves us beyond comprehension. So, if we pray for… I don’t know… let’s say “protection.” And someone does something like… “get's injured anyway” what do we do? We trust. We don’t try to figure it out either- we just trust Him. Especially when we’re praying in-line with scripture.

When Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:5-15) He told them to pray for protection from temptation (testings, trials, etc.) and for deliverance from evil (or the evil one, aka- the devil). So that’s what we (The Dunns) endeavour to do each day. But when we do pray for God to not lead us into temptations (testings, trials, etc.) and to deliver us from evil (or the devil) and it’s seems like we’re still facing trials and that evil is right up in our face anyway- what’s going on? Here’s (what I believe) is the answer:

Jesus tells us to pray that God won’t lead us into temptation and that we’re delivered from evil because "some temptations, testings and trials aren't necessary and it isn't necessary that the enemy is able to buffet us at every turn. But some temptations, testings and trials are necessary. And it is necessary that the enemy (or evil) is able to touch our lives sometimes.” So, if I pray specifically to not be led into temptation and delivered from evil but yet I still encounter it- it must be necessary for me to face it. I have to trust Him and trust that it’s all part of His plan.

You see, the only way that growth will occur in our lives (whether it’s in faith/spiritual development/maturity, etc.) is when we’re able to face difficulty and be tested. And the test is usually “will we trust God or will we doubt Him and His Word?” It’s easy to trust in God when everything is going the way we think it should, right? But the real test is when we face difficulties (i.e., prayers not answered the way we want) and we still choose to trust Him and not get frustrated, bitter and doubt His goodness. 

Ultimately tests, trials and temptations make us stronger anyway. That’s why James 1:2-4 tells us to “count it all joy when we face them- because they're producing perfection and completeness in us."  

So, the fact that our prayer for protection wasn't answered the way we had anticipated- is OK. Because we trust God and his sovereignty. And like I said a second go- “we don’t need to try and figure out why either.” We just trust: )

What about you? Do you find it difficult to trust when your prayer isn't answered in the way that you prayed it? If so, endeavour to try trusting in spite of the fact that things turned out different than what you'd hoped. There’s soooo much freedom in trusting Him and knowing that whatever the outcome of a prayer is that your still gonna trust and rest  fully in Him.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones."

                                                                                    Proverbs 3:5-8

Love Ya,

Jim and MJ