Dear friend,
Every Christian is called to use whatever passion and gift God has given them to bring Him glory and spread His worship among all people. I believe that God gave me a passion to be a pilot from when I was only 3 years old for this very purpose. In 2015, after years of seeking the Lord about how we can most glorify Him with our lives and giftings, my wife and I learned about Ethnos360 Aviation. This is an organization that uses aviation to plant and support churches in places that are either impossible or, at best, extremely difficult to reach through conventional means like a car. Just imagine the hopelessness of not knowing Christ while living in a place that makes it almost impossible to ever hear about Him. So, my wife, kids, and I packed our bags and moved from South Africa to the United States for me to study at Moody Aviation, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. Here, I will receive all the training needed to become a missionary pilot/mechanic.
Ethnos360 Aviation – A Thriving Church for Every People
Jesus’s final command before ascending to heaven was that we need to go out and make disciples of all nations (ethnicities/people groups), baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:18-20). Did you know that there are approximately 16,000 different people groups in the world today? Of those people groups, approximately 7,000 are classified as unreached which means that these people have never heard about Jesus, and even worse, have very little chance of ever hearing about Him. One of the main obstacles to these people hearing about Jesus is that they are extremely isolated geographically. Many of these places do not have roads, and it can take several days to walk, through dense and dangerous, leech-infested jungles, just to get to them. This is where missionary aviation comes in. While there are several mission aviation organizations in the world, we feel called to serve with Ethnos360 Aviation whose focus is on planting churches and supporting those churches until they are self-sustaining. Ethnos360 Aviation is an integral support system to the many missionaries and Bible translators who live among the people they are trying to reach with the gospel. They are also the only means by which these people can receive essential supplies such as food, medicine, and emergency services such as medical evacuations.
Papua New Guinea is Ripe for the Harvest
We also believe that the Lord has called us to serve the Papua New Guinean people, a people that have great spiritual as well as physical needs. There are approximately 800 different people groups in this small country, and they are all separated by dense forests, deep valleys, and beautiful, yet treacherous, mountains. It is a place where one people group, with one language and culture, is on one side of the valley, and another people group, with a completely different language and culture, is on the other side. Also, because of the treacherous landscape, travel from one village to another is extremely difficult. In Papua New Guinea it can take 6 days to walk from one village to the nearest medical clinic or hospital, but thanks to the airplane that journey takes less than an hour. This could mean the difference between life and death for many of these people. Aviation, which was used to bring death to millions during numerous wars, is being used by God to bring eternal hope and life to thousands of people in Papua New Guinea.
We Cannot Do This Alone!
The beauty of the Great Commission is that it is not just for certain ‘called’ or ‘special’ individuals. It is also your mission. You can be an integral part of what God is doing among these beautiful people in Papua New Guinea and all over the world by partnering with us. May I encourage you to pray about becoming our partners? If the Lord so leads you, here are some ways in which you can partner with us:
- Prayer support: Would you be our prayer support? If so, we need prayer in the following areas:
- My training. I need the Lord to help me to give my absolute best to my studies while still finding balance in all other areas of my life.
- My family. Please pray that the Lord will continue to show my wife and children His infinite worth so that they will always know that He is better than anything they have already given and might still have to give up for His sake.
- Wisdom in leading my family. Please pray that the Lord will give me wisdom to best serve my wife and children, and to lead them while still working hard with my training.
- Financial support: We cannot do this without financial support, so would you please pray about partnering with us financially?
- We are currently at only 50% financial support for our basic monthly living expenses. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us, in single payments or monthly, in amounts of $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or any other amount that the Lord lays on your heart?
- I also need to raise $2400 in seven months for a deposit for the special toolbox required for my maintenance training.
Should you wish to partner with us financially, you can do so through PayPal:
Or through Venmo @John-Dunn-190
Alternatively, you can contact me should you wish to make any other payment arrangements.
As you pray about partnering with us, may the Lord grow your passion for all nations to hear the gospel, and for His worship to be spread to all peoples.
Grace and peace,
John, Tanya, Michaela, Tristan, and Adaline
Website: admin@thefamilyofdunns.com
Tel: +1 509 263 1559