Always Abounding - Fall 2016_3

Joy Dunbar (‘10)
“Ate Joy! Ate Joy!” My
Filipino boys at the
provincial orphanage
have spotted me
coming down the
drive, and I smile as
I walk to meet their
pounding bare feet.
When we collide, I scoop them up one at a
time to say hello with a tight squeeze and
a kiss. They are dirty and ragged, but I love
them fiercely! They look forward to the
Saturday morning ministry to hear stories
of a Savior who loves them, will save them,
and has a purpose for their lives.
The unconditional love and security I
take for granted is a result of the Biblical
upbringing I received from my parents.
Comprehending God’s love and character
has always been easy due to the example
of my dad who has been a pastor for
forty-seven years. My mom grew up in
a preacher’s home, and she has always
shown me how to serve the Lord as a godly,
Christian lady. Life in the ministry is the
only life I can imagine, and the blessings
far outweigh the difficulties.
As a teenager I rebelled inwardly
against my parents; but when God brought
me to Bible college, He had a plan for me.
I fought against attending Fairhaven; but,
even in my backslidden state, I knew when
I was beaten. I had planned to attend for
the minimum degree of two years in the
secretarial program, but the Lord changed
it to four when I switched my major to
elementary education. I never wanted
to be a teacher, but God knew what
I needed. For the first few months
of college, I felt the Lord working
on my heart, changing me through
His Word and the godly focus of the
school. I vividly remember the day I
surrendered, and I have never wanted
to go back on that decision.
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I enjoyed teaching and realized the
Lord had given me an ability for it, but
after graduation, I went to work in retail.
It was the only job I could find, and it
was discouraging. Eventually, I got a job
working with children at a community
center; but finally found permanency as
an administrative assistant—ironically. For
three and a half years, God used that job to
improve my organizational and office skills.
When missionary friends, the Suteks,
asked me to start and administrate an
A.C.E. school for them in the Philippines,
I had no idea how God would use all the
experience He had been cultivating.
My year on the mission field in Cagayan
De Oro, Philippines, was certainly an
adventure! It was only the Lord who made
it possible, and His hand was evident in
every detail from the beginning to the end.
He used that year to do a mighty work in
the hearts and lives of my students, the
teachers, and especially me. I do not know
what my next adventure will be; but I know
the Lord is always preparing me for it, and
His will is perfect.
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