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| Written by Aaron Cedeño | |||
| Wednesday, 03 February 2010 09:00 | |||
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Just before Caitlin Dunn embarked on an 18-month missionary trip in September, she made her mother, Ellen, promise her something.
 The two are really close, Ellen explained. Caitlin is her best friend, and one of their favorite shared activities has always been going to movies. So while she was gone, Caitlin made her mom promise to boycott the movie theater until she returned in March 2011. “I have, actually,” Ellen said, laughing, when asked if she had stuck to the vow. “My husband is not a movie-goer so I have held to that promise.” In the past year, the Dunns have temporarily parted ways with both of their children – Josh, to Veracruz, Mexico in January 2009, and Caitlin, to St. George, Utah – as they venture out into the world to work as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The missionary program is an important part of the LDS faith, and the religion maintains hundreds of missions throughout the world. The church encourages single men between the ages of 19 and 25 and women 21 and older to explore the possibility of missionary work, on two-year and 18-month trips respectively. Louisburg residents, the Dunns were excited, and maybe a bit nervous, when their children – both graduates of Louisburg High School – decided they wanted to become missionaries themselves. “They have to begin preparation years in advance, because it’s kind of a mindset,” said Bud Dunn, Ellen’s husband and father of Caitlin and Josh. “They have to decide it’s something they really want to do.” Living the life of a missionary obviously requires something of a transition, but the parents agree their children had taken to their new responsibilities and surroundings with ease. For them, however, it’s been a little more difficult. During their children’s time spent away, custom dictates they may only contact their parents once a week via e-mail, and twice a year on the telephone on Christmas Day and Mother’s Day. Those days are ones to which Ellen and Bud find themselves eagerly counting down. “It’s a struggle,” Bud said. “We are a close family anyway, and we know that they’re doing what they want to do in their missionary service, so that makes it a little easier.” Of course, they’re proud of Josh and Caitlin’s dedication as they attempt to make their own imprint on the world. As parents, however, they’re eagerly awaiting the day they can welcome their children home. “It’s hard and it’s wonderful at the same time,” Ellen said. “I know that they’re growing and they’re going to have some great life experiences that will be with them for the rest of their lives.”
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