The Inside Story - April Edition

An inside look at the stories of those behind Aglow Australia.   

The Inside Story takes an inside look at the lives we love, perhaps only heard about, or may not even know at all. Mentors, leaders, valued Kingdom partners, and most of all you, of whom, together, are forming the wider, magnificent story of Aglow Australia today.  

Shauna, it’s a joy to interview you this month in The Inside Story, where you’re sharing a new outreach opportunity that the Lord’s beginning to open through you. We’d love to hear your story and journey behind this! 

A: Thank you! It’s been amazing to watch how this road has unfolded, but to give it justice I know it’s longer than usual, but find it difficult to cut out stepping stones behind this story! 

(Editor: Don’t worry Shauna – we’ll settle in with a good cup of something in hand!) 

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound 

Q: Tell us about yourself Shauna and perhaps something most of us don’t know 

A:  I helped re-fire Caboolture Aglow in 2022. For the first 2 years, our group met monthly as I was a shift worker, working a 24/7 roster with Qld Police Service. I was an unsworn member of the force, in the role of an administration which meant that I was doing both police reports and public reports. I retired in 2024 and our Aglow group began meeting twice a month. 

I was a single mother, raising five children on my own. My husband was an alcoholic and anyone who has lived with alcoholism would know that life can be very unpleasant at times.  

By the time my marriage ended, my children were either early teenagers or about to enter that age group, where they were all hurting and acting out their hurt. I was involved in church, heading up prayer groups for many years.  

As my children grew older, they began getting into strife, mainly silly things, all while I was trying to be both mum and dad to them. Their father had no interest in the family, so it all rested on my shoulders. There were hard times, but God proved Himself always faithful. 

When my son Mark turned 18, however, he started getting in trouble with the police. By the age of 24, he had served six prison sentences. His life was a mess and although I knew that Christ was the answer, he struggled to see this truth.   

As my second youngest, I thought that prison would straighten him out, but this did not happen. Each time he was released, he was that little bit worse off. He only ever stayed out of jail for around 2 – 3 months. The last time he was released from prison was in July 2012. He then chose to live with his sister as he stated that if he came back home to me, he would end up hanging around the same people and end up back inside. He did not want to go back as he had had enough.  

Sadly, only 2 months later, Mark wanted to go to visit his father as Fathers Day was that weekend. Even though I told him not to, he still went. Unfortunately, his dad got Mark drinking and long story short, on the Monday morning, when their dad woke up, he realised Mark had died, 04/09/2012.  

This absolutely shattered my heart. I could not believe my son was gone. To say that his death took a toll on us all, is an absolute understatement. Mark was our protector, he was my son and he was much loved by us and so many.  

The miracle of it all, however, was that just a few weeks before he died, Mark had come to church with me and responded to the alter call, where he went up for prayer and gave his life to the Lord. It was His pure mercy and compassion. 

My eldest son, Ashley, to whom was very close to Mark, however, did not cope with his death at all. Ashley – to whom I had previously nursed through heroin withdrawals, slowly turned back to drugs, resulting in dying of an accidental drug overdose in July 2013, 10 months after Mark’s death. I was devastated, as was his other brother and sisters.  

I was so angry at God, blaming Him for not intervening and saving my sons or stopping them from dying. This was a very long process that took some years to work through. 

Q: What was the turning point in your life?  

A: The turning point came at the Aglow Conference in Tasmania during August 2025.  

Although I had been to many conferences over the years, this was the first conference that I walked away from knowing fully, that something changed within me – my heart was saying “Yes Lord, here I am send me.”  

Although I didn’t know what to or for, I just wanted the ‘more’ anointing and to be ready for the ‘whatever’. 

Q: Would you say this was a turning point in more ways than one?  

A: Yes, most definitely. After arriving home, a family friend’s daughter had come into a lot of trouble with the police. The seriousness of the situation was all over the news and this family were hounded by the media.  

Little did I realise that with my own personal loss and this encounter would start making the way for the Lord’s new outreach initiative through Aglow. 

It was just a few weeks later I sat at the computer to write her a letter so she knew she wasn’t forgotten and cared for.

As I was writing this, I thought to myself that unless this girl - or any inmates - change on the inside, they will re-enter society worse than what they went inside. 

Then an idea began to form.  

Our Aglow group were doing Game Changers. Wow, what a book! The opportunity hit me – this is what these girls need - the opportunity to allow change on the inside of them and to then step into how God sees them.  

It would provide hope of better things. A whole new sense of their identity in Him ‘on the inside’ both literally and spiritually. 

So I rang my Aglow Mentor, Val Cairncross and asked about the possibility of taking Game Changers into the prisons. Val was excited but suggested that I contact Elizabeth West (National Leader) and speak with her regarding this. And so I did. 

Right from the very start of the conversation, Elizabeth was excited about it and on board knowing that correctional centres could be a viable outreach opportunity for what’s so relevantly named – a game changer for broken lives. I also contacted Rieke regarding this and she was also excited.  

Q: How did the Lord then begin opening doors? 

A: We developed a Prison Proposal and after several drafts, submitted it to the prison (QCS – QLD Corrective Services) for approval to bring Game Changers.  

Anyone who has dealt with Government departments knows that at times, this is not an easy or quick process. The proposal was passed around to different sections within Corrective Services. Even though I tried not to get frustrated, I did! With Christmas looming, we put the proposal aside knowing it would not get looked at over this period.  

Then in March 2026, I had a God appointment, by being introduced to a man who (just happened!) to sit on the state Chaplaincy Board for Corrective Services!  

Representing a major national prison ministry, I was able to explain what we were hoping to bring into the system, and while having submitted the proposal, were still awaiting a response.  

Requesting that I send it to him directly for review, he would then advise of next steps. A month later, I received an email from him stating that he really liked the proposal, advising of a couple of things that would be required by QCS to approve the program.  

This is currently being followed up, and as mentioned, believe this may be the first of several Correctional Centres God’s opening up for Game Changers.   

I marvel at how relevant Game Changers is, not only by ministering to hurting women in prison so they come to know Jesus and their identity in Him, but that it’s so aligned with Aglow’s new call that’s built on Identity.  

Q: What is the current status of this now?   

A: With the prison proposal, I had not heard anything, and although I tried not to get upset about it, I did.  

In early April, I was reading Luke 1:26 – 38 which is the story of Jesus’ conception and birth. I realised while reading this that Mary had a choice to make! She could either accept the pregnancy (which was a criminal offence in that day given her age which could have resulted in a death sentence by stoning,) or she could agree to the calling. 

What impacted me was Mary’s word, “Be it unto me according to your word”. When I read this, I remember almost leaping up and saying to God, “Yes, that is what I want for my life – to follow you, not the world or its trends. But be it unto me according to Your word!”  

This was very exciting to me, but then the frustration of not hearing about the proposal surfaced yet again.  

I said to God (this conversation took place in my head) for goodness sake, it is almost May, God. This is ridiculous, you need to move now”.  

I then felt God say back to me, “Shauna, lay it down!” to which I replied, “I have many times.” Again, I sensed His response, “You may have laid it down, but then you pick it back up again where you’ve left it.”  

I then found myself responding, “But it’s my baby!” to which God straight away said, “No, it’s not Shauna – it is mine.’  

I need to be honest, that straight away I replied with something that came from very deep within; I cried out, “Why, so you can kill it too?” 

Immediately I realised that I still had an open wound that I had not dealt with or even knew was there, until those very words came tumbling out. 

I was able to repent straight away in tears and asked God to heal that piece of my heart that was buried so deep within. Not knowing it was there, it was a barrier that I had built between me and God. 

When I repented of this and broke the power of those words, it was like the flood gates of blessings began to flow!  

Suddenly I received a favourable email regarding the prison proposal and invitations to speak at a church and an Aglow meeting also came. 

I believe that it all really kicked in when my response to God – be it unto me according to your Word – was given and that I was prepared to allow God access into all areas of my life that I didn’t even realise were there.  

Without God showing me this, I would have gone in with a ‘Shauna Dunne’ project and really ‘mucked it up.’ But Game Changers is about God and He doesn’t muck up anything!   

Editor: So many messages within this story. Again, we say thanks Shauna for sharing your life, heart, and deep desire to outwalk it all by bringing new outreach opportunities that will literally be a ‘game changer’ to lives of women in Correction centres.