2012 Ministry Plans - Venezuela and Costa Rica

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,

We hope your Christmas season was filled with the love of Jesus, and that your New Year has been saturated with God’s grace.  We have been richly blessed during this season of our lives:

• ·        Jace came home from Ethiopia on December 2^nd and we LOVE being Granddaddy and Gram!!!
• ·        Dan passed his dissertation defense on December 16th, and has almost finished his revisions – things are on track for him to graduate on May 19^th – (God is faithful)
• ·        We have been able to enjoy several visits with family and friends during our time in the States

Our 2012 plans are pretty well set now, and we want to let you know what those plans look like.  Please see a few details about those plans below.  As always, please know how much we appreciate your prayer support and financial support, both of which are vital to our continued ability to minister in Venezuela and Costa Rica.

Much Love, Dan and Nancy

• ·        January 23-31: Ministry Time with Due West UMC, along with Edwin and Sonia Brenes, from Costa Rica
• ·        February 1 – March 27: we return to Venezuela Feb. 1 – Dan will teach, preach, translate, and host other professors – Nancy will continue her work with Seminary finances and will also sew some more curtains for Seminary dorm rooms – together we will host a mission team from Due West – we are looking forward to this time of ministry
• ·        March 27-April 16 : we will be in the States to spend some time with family and enjoy Easter worship 
• ·        April 17-May 14: Dan returns to Venezuela, where he will teach two Seminary classes on Colossians and host a guest professor for another week of classes 
• ·        May 15-May 22: Dan returns from VZ so that we can both drive to Wilmore to enjoy his May 19 graduation, and then celebrate our 36^th anniversary on May 22^nd
• ·        May 23-June 8: Dan will be in Venezuela, where he will host two weeks of classes – since this is such a short time in VZ, it makes more financial sense for Nancy to stay in the States, rather than buying another plane ticket
• ·        June 9^th: Dan returns to the States for Annual Conference and two Costa Rica trips
• ·        June 12-14: We will be in Athens for the North Georgia Annual Conference
• ·        June 16-23: We fly to Costa Rica to serve as leaders and translators for a mission team from Due West UMC, working with Sonia and Edwin in Guaplies
• ·        June 30-July 7: We fly to Costa Rica to serve with a second mission team from Due West
• ·        July 31-August 21: We will fly to Venezuela – Dan will translate for two classes, and we will both help make preparations for, and then enjoy celebrating, the third graduating class of the Seminary (12 graduates!), PLUS the TENTH ANNIVERSARY of the Seminary – we are very excited about this
• ·        August 21-October 1: we are going to visit some with our families in Jacksonville – Dan’s mother is in her 80s, and we want to be sure we get down to visit with her – plus almost all of our siblings and nieces and nephews are there - we will also do preparatory work in advance of our upcoming 6-week trip to Venezuela
• ·        October 2-November 13: we return to Venezuela – Dan will translate for 2 classes, teach his own class on the Gospel of John, and then translate for two weekends of ministry in UMC churches, as we partner with the Lathems to encourage pastors and their congregations
• ·        December: at some point in December, we may be flying to Costa Rica to translate for another Due West UMC team that will be serving in San Jose to help the Amor en la Calle Ministry with their Christmas ministry preparations

As you can see from the information above, Nancy will spend more time in the States in 2012 than Dan will.  During her time in the States, however, she will continue to work with the Seminary finances, getting the information she needs from VZ via phone and email. Beginning with his April trip to VZ, Dan will stay on the Seminary property in VZ rather than in the house we are currently living in, because the owners of the house are planning to sell.

One great blessing we are excited to share with you is that God has provided a place for us to be based in Athens when we are in the States.  This is wonderful for us, because it means that whenever we return to the States from Venezuela or Costa Rica, we will no longer be homeless.  We appreciate the generous hospitality of many friends and family over the past 18 months during our visits Stateside, but it will also be very nice to have our own base in the States again.  Thanks to all of you who have been praying for God’s guidance concerning this process.  We can testify yet again in our lives that God is faithful, so very faithful.

Thank you again for your prayer support and your financial support.  To give, please make your check payable to VNI, write “Project 3455” on the memo line, and mail to: VNI, P. O. Box 1655, Duluth, GA  30096.

Much Love, Dan and Nancy

More Frequent Updates on Facebook

We are very grateful for the opportunity to serve Christ's Kingdom in Venezuela, and appreciate your friendship and your prayer support.  Just a quick word to remind you that we don't update the blog nearly as often as Dan posts updates on Facebook.  So if you're a Facebook user and want to keep up with what's happening with us on a more regular basis, invite Dan W. Dunn to be your Facebook friend.  Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Navidad 2010 - La Flor de Venezuela

 

 

On the evening of December 14th we went with friends to a cultural site called La Flor de Venezuela. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and they had various musical groups ranging from elementary through high school.  There was also an area with kiosks for purchasing Christmas gifts, most of which were pretty standard, but some of which featured interesting handmade products.  We had a wonderful time and it helped lead us more into feeling a little Christmas spirit.  With highs each in the upper 80s it's been tough to "feel" Christmassy, since we're accustomed to cold weather at this time of the year.  So last night really helped a lot.  We are so thankful to be here, and appreciate your prayers.  Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Back in Swing, Seminary Next Week

We returned from our brief trip to the States on November 16th.  Since then Nancy has been catching up on her work with the financial side of the ministry here, updating accounts, creating needed reports, etc.  Dan has been focusing more on his dissertation, and actually got 6 pages of a new chapter written this week, which is very exciting.  Today we picked up a used car, so we finally have our own transportation, which is a huge answer to prayer.  We have another week of Seminary classes next week.  David Cosby will be teaching on The Person and Ministry of the Holy Spirit, and Wilmer Perez will be teaching Inductive Bible Study.  Please pray for God to move powerfully in their classes.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers.  If you want to keep up with us more frequently, you can befriend Dan on Facebook.  He posts things on there fairly regularly.  Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Heading Home

 

We have had a whirlwind trip in the States, visiting family and friends (pictured above left is Nancy with her brother Harvey and niece Anna, and pictured above right is our oldest son Chris).  We head back to Venezuela tomorrow, where Dan will begin final preparations for hosting the December week of Seminary classes, and Nancy will try to catch up on financial accounting/reporting, plus get more work done on curtains for the Seminary dorm rooms.  Additionally, Dan is reaching the must-buckle-down-hard stage of dissertation writing, so please pray for the ability to focus and the ability to analyze, read, and write well, and FAST!  Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement.  Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Visiting Family and Friends Before Heading Home Again

 

We safely arrived in the States yesterday for a 3-week period of visiting with family and friends before we head back home down south.  Please pray for continued safe travel.  The Seminary week ended very well, and then Dan got re-focused on dissertation research, developing more complete student records for the Seminary, and future course scheduling for the Seminary.  He also preached at Ondas de Paz last Sunday, and 3 persons made first-time decisions to follow Jesus (a party was celebrated in heaven!).  Nancy continues to oversee the financial aspects of the Seminary, develop her Spanish understanding, and many other tasks to help keep the overall ministry functioning smoothly.  When we return, we'll begin making final preparation for the December week of Seminary classes.  Thank you for your continued prayers.  Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Seminary Week Going Well

We are thankful for a blessed Seminary week to this point.  Three intensive courses are being taught: Global Outreach (Dan), Inductive Bible Study (Wilmer Perez), and Prayer/Devotional Life of the Pastor (Carey Akin).  There are 45 students in all, which is very encouraging, because we had been averaging 42-44 students, and then we graduated 11 students in August, so God has sent new students to start their training process.  Yesterday (Tuesday) in Dan's course on Global Outreach, the students were asked to name the various countries where they know of Venezuelan missionaries serving (small discussion groups are pictured above).  We were thrilled to hear that there are VZ missionaries in Egypt, Pakistan, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Peru, Congo, Cuba, USA, Spain, Germany, St. Lucia, Colombia, India, Curazao, Aruba, Haiti, Panama, Ecuador, Portugal, China, and among indigenous peoples in VZ.  God has been stirring some missionary fires here!  Thank you for yous continued prayers.