Long-time church members Tony and Joanna Dungca spoke with Pastor Walton this week about their family, community group, and ministry at Harvest.
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Episode Transcript:
Chris Harper: Welcome to Harvest Time. My name is Chris Harper, and our host on this program is pastor Gary Walton, the lead pastor of Harvest Baptist Church. Every week, we spend these 25 minutes together telling you the stories of our church by interviewing our members and other friends of the ministry. We’d like to invite you to join us at Harvest Baptist Church this week. There are 2 services every Sunday morning.
The first at 8:45 AM, the second at 10:45 AM. We have Japanese and Korean translation during our 10:45 AM service, and that’s also when we live stream at hbcguam.org, hbcguam.org. This week, things that really matter from Luke 17:1-6. Let’s begin today’s Harvest Time by welcoming pastor Gary Walton. Hi, pastor.
Gary Walton: Hey. Hafa adai, Chris. This Sunday, we’re gonna be, in God’s design and and process of our thinking, we’re actually gonna be following up somewhat on the message that pastor Larry Nagengast preached last Sunday where he talked about confession. And, we’re gonna talk about the topic of forgiveness. So the text that you mentioned, Chris, Luke 17:1-6, it’s a very interesting section of scriptures where it says that, if if we were to offend a little child, it would be better for us that a millstone would be hanged about our neck and, you know, would be thrown into the sea.
So the idea is that God really cares about how we treat each other. And it’s a serious matter for him and, so we’re just going to talk through what’s the Bible have to say about forgiveness and we’ll be teaching from Luke 17. We’d love to invite you to come and join us for both of our services this Sunday. I’m really thankful to have Tony and Joanna Dungca with us in studio. I’m going to share a little bit of their story.
First of all, welcome you guys. Thank you for joining us.
Tony Dungca: Thank you, Pastor.
Joanna Dungca: Welcome, Pastor.
Gary Walton: We are, Tony and Joanna have been a part of Harvest for a while and, you know, for a long time actually been a part of the the Harvest family. Thankful for your ministry over the years, very much involved. We’ve got your kids, grow up here. So that’s been awesome. What we do in these interviews, it’s kind of conversations with our Harvest family about life and about their relationships with God and so we’re looking forward to hearing that from both of you.
A little bit of background, Tony, you’re a long term, GDOE teacher then recently sort of semi retired, do a lot of property management. So a lot of things in your background there.
Tony Dungca: Yes. As of last August, I retired from the department and, so I’ve been doing property management simultaneously for the past 15 years. So that keeps me busy, but it’s a little bit more flexible and not as regimental as a teaching schedule.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Okay. Great. I wanna ask you about that a little bit. And then, Joanna, after a few years, you’re back, teaching and education here at Harvest, in the lower elementary first grade. Right?
Joanna Dungca: Yes.
Gary Walton: Okay. What’s it felt like being back in the classroom?
Joanna Dungca: Oh, I absolutely love it. My my class are we are Mrs. Dungca’s ducklings and we just have a great time together. We, learn a lot but we have a lot of fun and it’s it’s very, it gives a lot of life to be with 6 year olds all day.
Gary Walton: And, your family’s been very involved, you know, here at Harvest. Joanna, you taught here a while back And then that’s part of the story of how God brought you together, which I’m interested to talk about. Tony, you grew up here on island. Right?
Tony Dungca: That is correct.
Gary Walton: Okay. Tell us about growing up on island, kind of, you know, God’s process of, spiritually in your life.
Tony Dungca: Well, like most, local Chamorro families, I grew up Catholic and, you know, had gone to church. It was more of a ritual for me, but I really didn’t understand the Bible or God’s word. Came from a good family, but didn’t hear a lot about scripture and about the Lord. And so I got saved as an adult. And so it was all something very new to me.
I was a baby Christian and just overwhelmed by everything that had come my way. The church I had gone to at that time, they were very good about discipling me and helping me grow, and they loved watching, you know, fresh new excitement.
Gary Walton: About how old were you, Tony?
Tony Dungca: I was about maybe, in my early 20’s, about 22, 23, around there.
Gary Walton: Okay. And what what was going on in their life? I mean, I don’t need details, but what did God use to push you, press you, pull you spiritually?
Tony Dungca: I I think, disappointment after disappointment. You know, you you go to school and everybody’s telling you that you’re a champion, you’re doing well, and we’re proud of you, and we’re looking forward to what you can accomplish. And all of a sudden, you get out in the real world with no real, godly or Christian direction, and you get a little disillusioned. And so it was just disappointment after disappointment after disappointment. And then it was at the right time where all of a sudden, I came to an end of that, and it was the moment that some that my sister actually shared the Lord with me.
And and I went ahead and and said, you know what? It’s gotta be better than what’s going on in my life right now. And from that point on, I was just surrounded by other believers who were strong and encouraging and, were ready to challenge me as far as showing that and displaying that kind of newfound faith. And so that that became something that I I thought about for a long time as far as when people come to know the Lord is that sometimes it it is good depending upon the person and their their makeup as far as challenging them to grow because there there’s excitement, there’s momentum happening, and, and, many of them just take to it.
Gary Walton: When you came to Genuine Faith, was that was it hard for you? I mean, did it feel like a a battle to take this step or were you just so longing for truth and for life? Tell me about that.
Tony Dungca: I think it was a a combination of two emotions. One was, I mean, I was ecstatic. I was excited about this newfound faith, but I was also bitter and angry. I felt as if though I I had spent so many years not knowing what was going on, the truth. And so I literally had to separate myself from, associations and people that I know I’ve heard a few people along the way probably wondering why I wasn’t coming around, even family members that I could have spent more time with.
But I decided, you know, I I was just so angry at not knowing anything, and then all of a sudden given this information later on. And so that eventually had to get resolved because that was a kind of like a weight on me and not helping me, grow as quickly as I could have grown. And, it was it came to the point where I had to go ahead and forgive that and let that go.
Gary Walton: Yeah. I wanna track back to that. It’s really interesting. Joanna, your story is different from that. Did not grow up here. Right?
Joanna Dungca: I was born into a pastor’s home and I’m growing up in a pastor’s home is, can be a little bit of a heavy burden for a child growing up in that and I didn’t realize how wonderful it was until I, was an adult and realized how much grace that is from the Lord to be surrounded by, that Christian influence from basically the moment I was born. I’ve been in been in church and, coming from a family that passing on Christian faith was very important. You know, I think of, I think it’s Psalm 78 that it says that one generation will pass to the next, and that they will declare the things that the Lord has done. They will declare his works and, sometimes, when I see people around me, and I see the the life that they have, I am just overwhelmed at the goodness of God of sparing me from some of those things because of the faithfulness of generations that have come before me and I know that that did not save me, that that I have to have my own relationship with the Lord, but it definitely did direct my path And, you know, talking about coming up in a Christian home, my my dad, memories that I have of him are, every morning I would wake up and he would be at our dining table doing his devotions.
And, that is one of my most core memories of a child and and growing up. And that is something that he instilled in me, the importance of that. And that is something that I do myself every morning and my kids wake up and and, see us doing that. And, you know, I’m praying that I am instilling those things into the next generation as well, just the importance of time with the with the lord. But, yes, we did have different, backgrounds, but the lord has used the differing backgrounds to help us expand the way that we can speak into people’s lives.
Gary Walton: Yeah. It’s really cool. Thank you, both. It’s amazing how God brings us together. In fact, maybe I can ask that.
Tony, you can start with this, but, how did God connect you guys? I mean, join us from the states, here from Guam. That’s a long ways apart. What happened with that?
Tony Dungca: Well, when she came out to teach right after finishing college, I met her here at Harvest, and I was kidding around with the kids that I just talked to, or taught, Monday Tuesday. Told them a little bit about it, and I just said, you know, I knew 2 months after I got to know her and see her for the first time, I 2 months later, I knew I wanted to marry her. It it it it didn’t take long. And, you know, there are certain things that, I can be uncertain about and and waver about and whatever, but it was one of the few times in my life where I knew this isn’t, just a feeling. This is more like a command.
This is the woman that you’re going to marry no matter what. And so I I I expected her to to accept my proposal. It was just an expectation. I mean, you you can go wherever you wanna go. I’m gonna be there, you know, asking this question over and over again until you say yes. You know? And so, that was a real piece, of us coming together. And, and then just watching her falling in love with a culture here, We used to joke about it every time we go stateside. We’d be walking through a mall, and all of a sudden she see an Asian person. She’s like, oh my goodness. Home.
You know? And I’m like, okay. And I could tell that this is where she wanted to call home. God obviously gave me something better than what I deserved.
My background, I just, you know and and all of a sudden, God’s like, it’s okay. You know what? I know how you see yourself, Tony, but I see differently, you know. And, I can restore and, bless you, and and he has abundantly.
Gary Walton: I wanna ask you, Tony. Joanna mentioned this idea of, you know, generational impact and influence. And, you know, your guys now, you know, that generation you have a family. Right? 3 kids?
4. Four kids. That’s right. Tell me about your kids.
Tony Dungca: Well, we have an older son who’s in the Navy, and he’s out stateside right now. And, then, of course, we have, 3 that are going to school here. 2 are juniors and one’s a sophomore. 3 boys, 1 girl. And, we we love being a family.
We enjoy each other’s company. And it’s difficult when one’s away. But, we we just have a fun time, you know, with the simple things. I we’ve always, kinda taught them, you know. In fact, I was sharing with somebody today on campus.
I said, you know, the best thing you can teach your kids is, you know, much of life is repetitive. So, don’t think that every day is gonna be entertainment. And, and we also tell our kids, you know, there are sometimes 30, 31 boxes on a calendar. It’s okay if they’re empty. It’s okay.
There’s no need to fill it up to corner to corner. And so, they they get used to that after a while, and we just enjoy being at home and and, you know, playing cards or or, you know, watching a short video, whatever. But we we we love the family.
Gary Walton: Joanna, Tony kinda told your story together, but you came out here to teach. Yes. Tell me about meeting Tony.
Joanna Dungca: Yes. We are, our backgrounds, like we mentioned, are are different, and, we actually met at, a Bible study. A friend had asked me to come to a Bible study, and that’s where we really got to know each other. And, you know, when we were first getting to know each other, he I could tell he was kind of interested and he would he, said, oh, what what version of the Bible are you using? And just kind of wanting to be in my space, I guess, you know, just, so that was.
Gary Walton: Tony’s, I’m not going to say pick up lines. That’s not the right word. Tony’s introductory question in Bible study. Right? That’s how we meet.
Joanna Dungca: But, you know, it it was encouraging for me for him to be so confident and, I knew that he was going to be a good leader in our home and he has proved to be that many many times and, but yeah.
Gary Walton: No. It’s great. It’s great. Thankful that God brought you guys together and the family that he’s given you and, you know, back to this idea of, you know, investing in a next generation. You know, this grace of God that’s been given to me. We love watching that. You guys are an example and, and I know you’re still in the process.
Tony Dungca: Yeah. One of the things I wanted to also add was, you know, at another church before Harvest, we were asked to give our testimonies. And I remember, Joanna telling me before we gave them, she said, oh, my testimony is gonna be kind of boring. I said, why is that? And she told me, of course, all the things that she just said earlier about being raised in a pastor’s home, going to Christian school, going to a Christian college, and not working in a Christian school here.
And I said, no. Actually, I think it’s gonna be quite encouraging because there are many people in the church who are first generation Christians who are raising kids and can hear your testimony and realize that our kids don’t have to go through stuff. Mhmm. You know, of course, I told her. And then when it’s my turn, I’ll speak to the rest of the crowd.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Tony, I’m going to back up again. So we were talking about your spiritual growth and I want to ask this question to both of you, but spiritual growth can sometimes be challenging. You know, Joanna, you became a believer as a young child, a genuine believer, Tony, you’d say in your in your early twenties. What kinds of things were important for you or helpful, for you that God used to help you to grow? Let’s say in those early stages or maybe even, you know, along the path, of your growth.
Tony Dungca: We didn’t have a format, the church that I was going to, as the Harvest does, which I think is great with the community groups and the different events that bring people together. So we we had it had to be intentional of getting together, and it was any excuse. It could have been, you know, which is very popular on this island. You know, let’s get together and eat. So whatever brought people together.
So it would I would say association was was vital for growth. So that way, you know, you can have that conversation and ask those questions, and having people, who are more mature spend time with that new believer. So association has helped the growth.
Gary Walton: Let me ask you this then. So let’s talk about those people that invested in you spiritually. Both of you would have them. What was it about them? I mean, if you you identify them, you don’t have to tell us who they are, but what was it about them that was really helpful for your growth?
Tony Dungca: It for me, I can I can picture this gentleman who was a deacon of the church, and he was just rock solid in his faith? Now his his dad, like Joanna’s dad, was a pastor. So he grew up in that environment, and I could just tell there was something about him that told me that he is solid. He is, grounded in his faith. You know, he wasn’t stoic at all.
He was just, he was fun to be around with, but you could tell whatever came out of his mouth was designed it wasn’t it wasn’t wasteful. It was there to encourage and to challenge, and and so he challenged me several times in the very beginning, and, I thought I wasn’t up to it, but he would see something that I couldn’t see. And, so it was just getting around people like that and people like him wanting to, invest time in. Now I I didn’t know that this was being done to me. I mean, we call it discipling now.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Yeah.
Tony Dungca: But I didn’t know that’s what he was doing, but that’s exactly what he was doing.
Gary Walton: Yeah. It’s so important that time investment, right, of another life. You know, talk about life touching life. It’s very difficult for us to grow, without that personal connection with some others that that mentor for us that, you know, show us what this Christian life looks like. So, Joanna, what would you add to that?
Joanna Dungca: For me, going to a Christian school, going to a Christian college, it was I had a lot of people around me that were mentoring me. You know, obviously, my parents and but also teachers at the Christian school that I went to. There was one in particular who, I just, I asked her. I said, could you please help me be consistent with my Bible reading? And, you know, as a 15 or 16 year old, she’s a quirky lady and, she always wanted to come up with different, kind of silly silly things to help you remember.
So she would say to me, are you being a brat today? And what that meant is are are you is, are you doing Bible reading and talking to God? And so it wasn’t it was just kind of, hey, you being a brat today, you know, and didn’t have to, call me out in front of everybody, but she was checking up on me as a high schooler that was kind of, just really sweet thing for her. I think also, mentorship, as in different stages of life, you know, as I’m thinking of another time as a new mom, you know, having some mothers that were just a little bit further along that understood where I was was at and the busyness of, a young family and just reminding me of different ways to be able to get into the word when you didn’t have a lot of time, was just really encouraging as well. So, yeah, I think different seasons of life mentorship looks looks different.
Gary Walton: Yeah. That’s super helpful. And I’m really thankful. It’s one of the things that I’m so thankful for you guys. You have evidently it’s clear to everybody that you’ve invested in your family.
That’s an important priority for you. And at the same time, you’ve talked about these things but we’ve watched them. You’ve intentionally invested in the lives of others, both of you. I watch you do it as a couple and I watch you do it individually, caring for people. And sounds like doing what, you know, some people did for you, but then just intentionally being a part of others lives, a voice, an influence along the way, a counsel, you know, during critical times.
So thank you guys for that. It’s amazing how God puts a church together, right? Different gifts, different burdens, and, you guys, fit a very important need, you know, for many people in our church. I’m thankful for that. I have a couple more questions.
We’re gonna run out of time here. I did want to ask you about this, about community groups. You both lead a community group. Can you tell us about that?
Tony Dungca: Yeah. God has blessed us with some incredible people in our group. We, we love them dearly. It it really is a family. I mean, you know, you kinda laid out on the the the launch video.
We really are a family. And, everyone feels comfortable coming together and and, just sitting down and talking and enjoying time, and just sharing, the week, what it’s gonna be like, what their last week was like, and, getting all the prayer requests and the praises, and and then, not just leaving it there on a Sunday night, but actually continuing to connect during during the week as somebody would send something over, then we’d all pray about it or congratulate somebody about something. So it’s it’s really, really neat. We like I said, we have been blessed with some wonderful people in our in our group. We we look forward to it.
And, you know, truthfully, when I was asked to to lead a group, I I didn’t feel, qualified to lead one. And, there was no pressure from anybody in the group that I had to have all the answers. I said, well, I don’t. The Bible does, you know. So we’ll we’ll go there. And, but we’ve been really blessed. Yeah. We’re we’re thankful for them.
Gary Walton: We have this is actually appropriate for this time right now. We just launched our fall series. So our first community group was this last Sunday. 25 groups meeting, this last Sunday over 460 people in community groups all around the island, which is just such an amazing blessing on a Sunday night. We meet, once a week, on a Sunday night and, and not not usually 3 Sundays out of a month.
Joanna, let me ask you this, that Sunday night meeting, it’s there is a little bit of a challenge to it. Right? Because, you know, it’s at the end of the day, you’re getting ready to start another week. It’s not always the easiest thing. I think some people feel that.
Why is it valuable to you and what are you sensing from others? Why do you do that? Make that investment of time.
Joanna Dungca: I think for us, it actually isn’t that hard because we love being together and we we love sharing a meal with our with our community group family and we love coming together and encouraging each other. So for our group, I mean, I’m sure there’s there’s seasons of the year where, it might feel like just another thing to do. But for the most part, we really do enjoy being together because I think this is our 3rd year of all of the same people. We have that knowledge of each other already that when somebody does bring up a prayer request, we already know who that family member is or we know different different things that we’re praying for. And, so that’s that’s been really special to have our group kind of going together along the way.
Gary Walton: Sharing life together. Yeah. And, thank you for your investment in in that and and the testimony of it, not just for the community groups, but the testimony of your lives. Thank you guys for being committed to the Bible’s call to us to be disciplers and disciples of Jesus, and it’s evident in your life. So looking forward to how God’s gonna continue to use us together, as we, as we serve him and thankful for your ministry.
Joanna Dungca: Thank you. Thank you, pastor Gary.
Chris Harper: And thank you for listening to Harvest Time. Of course, at this point in the program, we always wanna personally invite you again to services at Harvest Baptist Church. We get together at 8:45 AM and 10:45 AM every Sunday morning. During that 10:45 AM service, We have Japanese and Korean translation available. That’s also the service we bring you live here on 88.1 FM and khmg.org.
We hope to see you this Sunday. Thanks again for listening to Harvest Time.