Fearless: The Miraculous Story of a Little Woman Who Trusted a Big God and Became the Most Traveled Missionary the World Has Ever Known

By Punkin Durio

This is the miraculous story of a little woman who chose to follow a big God and became the most traveled missionary who ever lived. The book includes vignettes of her travels and visits to other countries, as well as her own personal story, which led to her ministry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664233829

Punkin Durio

Since 1980 Punkin Durio served the Lord through ministry activities of evangelism, teaching English as a second language, and working with Internationals. She served as Chairman of the Board for the Association of Christians Ministering with Internationals (ACMI) for several years, and was on staff for many years as the Director of International Ministry and Missions Chairman at the Chapel on the Campus, at Louisiana State University. She also served twelve years on staff with Campus Crusade and the Jesus Film Project. In addition to speaking engagements around the globe, since 1994 Punkin led teams into the most exotic, remote, unreached areas of the world, taking the gospel to those who had not previously heard about Jesus. She led teams to every continent of the world and to 230 countries and territories, including the North and South Poles. Prior to her going home to be with the Lord in October 2020, this fearless woman was involved in the ministry of “Finishing the Footsteps,” as she helped train and equip others to fulfill the Great Commission by taking the gospel to every country and territory possible before being called home.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Punkin Durio.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names

of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International

Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc.

TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version® Copyright © 1982

by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3383-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-3382-9 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 06/04/2021

CONTENTS

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1 Antarctica: Delivering Bibles…and Booze?

Chapter 2 Bahrain: Protected by Our Enemies?

Chapter 3 Papua New Guinea: Flying Solo but Never Alone

Chapter 4 Cameroon: Evangelizing Cannibals

Chapter 5 Maldives: Surfing and Evangelizing

Chapter 6 China: A Team of Teens

Chapter 7 Iran: Jesus Film in Iranian Mosque

Chapter 8 Spain and Morocco: Double the Blessings

Chapter 9 Dominican Republic: Some Kind of Missionary

Chapter 10 Scandinavian Countries: Pizza and an Unexpected Opportunity

Chapter 11 Mauritius: Making Inroads on an Island

Chapter 12 Ukraine: Under His Wings

Chapter 13 Borneo: Experiencing God’s Divine Protection

Chapter 14 Botswana: Like the Apostle Paul …

Chapter 15 Columbia: Serendipitous Blessing

Chapter 16 Vietnam: Planting Hope in a War-torn Country

Chapter 17 Svalbard: Breaking the Ice for the Gospel

Chapter 18 Russia: A Third Son

Chapter 19 Syria: Praying and Providing for the People

A Fearless Woman’s Bio

DEDICATION

Dedicated to my family and to the men and women who have prayerfully and financially supported me throughout these years. God put us together to reach the people who had never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. Using the Jesus Film, based on the book of Luke, we have been able to present the glorious story of the Son of God to hungry hearts around the world. To Him be the glory, amen and AMEN!

***Punkin Durio

INTRODUCTION

FOR GOD HAS NOT GIVEN

US A SPIRIT OF FEAR,

BUT OF POWER AND OF LOVE

AND OF A SOUND MIND.

(2 TIMOTHY 1:7, NKJV)

Fear. The word itself has power. Fear is a great enemy, and it prevents many of us from living out our potential and calling in life. Punkin Durio at one time grappled with fear as many of us do, yet she overcame it in a most amazing way. This is her story.

Punkin was a hard worker and a good friend, but her success for the Kingdom cannot be explained by any natural trait she may have possessed. In fact, it is best explained by the trait she did not possess--fear. When God called Punkin, He equipped her in a way that is hard to comprehend: He took away her fear.

More than thirty years ago, Punkin received a call to take the gospel to every nation on earth. For three decades, she went about answering that call. At the time of this writing, Kashi Samaddar, a Dubai-based businessman (born in Calcutta, India) has travelled to 218 countries, setting the world record for the most countries visited. He is also the first person to visit all 194 sovereign states with his mission of travel, tourism, and peace. With absolutely no fanfare, Punkin has surpassed those numbers, having visited 230 countries. She is now the most traveled missionary, as well as one of the most traveled people, in the history of the world. And up to this moment, her story has never been told.

Punkin’s story is about the character of a creative God who will sometimes use the unexpected to fulfill His promise to the world. Her story is also about the heart of mankind. Perhaps like no one before, Punkin could report through personal experience that when you get past culture and language, all human beings are basically the same. They all show the faded signs that they were created by the Almighty, stamped with His likeness, even if they don’t personally acknowledge or cultivate it.

If God has secret agents on this earth, Punkin was in that corps. To the natural eye, she would quickly be lost in a crowd. However it seems she was noticed by all who needed to see her. Those who didn’t have that need let her pass by unseen. By any worldly measure, Punkin should long since have been captured and jailed—or worse. She was wanted—dead or alive—in an Asian country, sought in the Middle East, and on watch lists that no one wants to be on. Yet throughout these many years, God hid her in His cloak.

This book will attempt to show in a concrete way how God can use anyone who will answer His call. Nothing more is needed; He will provide everything else. That’s how it worked with Punkin, and God—as the Scriptures point out in Acts 10:34—is not a respecter of persons. What He does for one, He is willing and able to do for others. He has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives, and those plans and purposes are for peace and not of evil, to give [us] a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11, NKJV). All we need to do to fulfill those plans and purposes is to allow God to urge us past the fears that hold us back and to step out in faith, trusting Him to do His work in and through us, just as He did in Punkin’s life.

The chapters in this book will reveal the fantastic and hard-to-imagine events in Punkin’s life, such as her harrowing escape from the authorities in an Asian country. It will verbally paint her journeys to the ends of the earth, including her frozen brush with death in Antarctica. It will remember good friends made along the way, like the Massai Warriors of Africa who reckoned Punkin as one of their own. And the book will certainly not forget those who have paid the ultimate price for our suffering Savior. Readers will be reminded about the goodness of God and of His people in the far-flung recesses of this world.

In the end, readers will learn that it is the willingness to say yes to God’s calling that makes us into more than we could ever have dreamed or imagined.

1

ANTARCTICA: DELIVERING

BIBLES…AND BOOZE?

[JESUS] GOT UP, REBUKED

THE WIND AND SAID TO THE

WAVES, QUIET! BE STILL!

THEN THE WIND DIED DOWN AND

IT WAS COMPLETELY CALM.

(MARK 4:39)

O ne of the many things Punkin has learned while walking with the Lord is that opposition creates opportunity. Her trip to Antarctica was certainly no exception. Antarctica is the coldest place in the world. The lowest natural temperature ever recorded on earth was -135.8 degrees, but satellites report temperatures even lower. At these temperatures, even brief exposure (seconds, not minutes) can cause frostbite or worse. Antarctica is also one of the windiest places on earth, with an average altitude of 8,200 feet. Surprisingly it competes with the world’s deserts for being the driest place as well, with the interior receiving on average the equivalent of a mere 6.5 inches of rain annually, though the precipitation falls in the form of snow. In winter, much of the sea around Antarctica freezes into a layer of ice from one to two millimeters thick, effectively doubling the continent’s size. The only land animal native to Antarctica is a tiny insect, which lives on the bodies of penguins or on old feathers and droppings around penguin colonies. Though rich in plankton and massive shoals of krill, which attracts whales, Antarctic waters are home to only about 200 species of fish, most of them sea-bottom members of the perch family. Antarctica’s mammals are all sea-based, and are comprised of porpoises, dolphins, whales, and several species of seals. Approximately forty-six species of birds live in Antarctica, including albatross, gulls, and penguins.

For a human to disembark in Antarctica, it is best to wear several layers of light warm clothing, with a windproof and waterproof jacket for the outside layer, topped by a thick wool or fur hat. Clothes should be made of flannel, wool, or polar fleece. The best footwear is knee-high waterproof boots, and, of course, warm gloves are a must. Put simply, Antarctica is not for the faint of heart. In fact, few people have ever had even the slightest desire to go to Antarctica, and Punkin was no exception—until God spoke to her heart through Philemon 1:6 regarding the people who lived in that frozen, barren land: I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ..

Researchers from around the globe are drawn to the frozen continent. Top scientists from dozens of countries live in cramped facilities, waiting for the few months they can test, prod, and poke the land for some sort of clue, some small bit of knowledge that will give their country the edge over others. For the better part of the year, these dedicated researchers and scientists stay inside, watching movies and trying not to go crazy. God impressed upon Punkin that these people were not only cold and isolated, but they were also hungry for the truth.

Sometimes it’s important to be extravagant, to ask ourselves how far we are willing to go in trust and obedience—and just how much we love Jesus. This was one of those times for Punkin. When she felt the call to go to Antarctica, she stepped out in faith and bought a ticket at a cost of over $10,000. She was determined to obey God and bring the gospel to the people of that frozen land, so she booked a spot on an Argentinian ship. This ship, which would disembark from Ushuaia, Argentina, on January 28, 2005, was commissioned to deliver supplies to the scientific bases in the areas Punkin planned to visit. (January is the middle of summer in Antarctica, but it is still fiercely and dangerously cold.) The combined crew, most from Croatia, and passenger total was 100 people. Punkin had no sooner boarded the ship than she realized the crew probably thought she was crazy.

Pretty little lady, you know there is still time to get off this ship, the Croatian captain informed her in broken English. I will refund your money. Maybe you take that money and go to Buenos Aires and get some fine hotel.

Punkin’s reply was gracious but firm. Thanks for the offer, but I didn’t come this far for nothing.

But nothing can prepare you for what you will face on this journey, the captain argued. Have you ever been in a tall building?

Sure. Of course I have.

The captain continued. Have you ever ridden over a wave bigger than a tall building?

Punkin studied the man closely, trying to judge his motives. Was he really attempting to get her off the ship before they sailed? She gulped before she answered; not only had she not ridden over a wave bigger than a tall building, she’d never