"..Do not Fear.." a Simple but Difficult Command

As we focus on the birth of Christ at the close of 2011, I'd like to share with you a scripture I read one morning.  The passage is speaking of Joseph, Jesus Step Dad.

                    “But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, Son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in here is from the Holy Spirit.” Mat. 1:20

          Sometimes God will birth a vision inside of us directing us to something new, challenging or dangerous.  But a heavenly messenger greets us with the same line almost every time, “Do not fear”.  I think fear is a very normal response to the call of God.  Keep in mind that Joseph was in right relationship with God, he could hear God's voice.  As he (and we) move forward with these God sized challenges and visions you can count on some bumps along the road.  Doubt, reason and anxiety all call us back to a safe place.  As we sit in our fear considering whether to obey God's call or not, remember who called you.  God did not call us to failure.  God has an end result that He will accomplish, He gives you and I opportunity to work together with Him to accomplish His purpose.

          God has encouraged us during our journey; through the Scriptures, through people and through life's circumstances.  May God bless you with dreams, visions and calling this Christmas season.

Here are some updates and prayer requests:

• A new recreation center is under construction at Grace Children's Home!
•  Michael has started meeting with our interns once a week for study and instruction (We're reading “Radical”).
• God has brought us another homeschool co-op that is awesome!
• Please pray for wisdom and provision in the new projects under way.
• Pray that we'll demonstrate Christ's love in all we say and do.
• Pray for continued provision and protection.

“For our God will do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us”. (Eph. 3:20)

¡Feliz Navidad! (C'mon, sing the song....you know you want to.)

The Hanson's

Ps.  As we near the end of the tax year, we'd love to be an outlet for that last minute charitable donation tax write off you are looking for.  We have special projects at GCH and a need for monthly supporters.  Thank you for your consideration.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, you made it through Thanksgiving, Black Friday and now Cyber Monday. It seems like our retailers these days have a name for any day in which lots of our money flows through their stores.

We had a great weekend down here. My folks came down (Dennis and Ida) and we had some friends in from the Scotts Valley area; Dave and Ruth Diepersloot with their two kids. Ruth and my Mom each cooked a turkey. We invited our landlords over, and all of us ate together in our rented home. It was awesome. We all ate like it was going to be our last meal and had a wonderful evening.

On Friday night a team from Westgate Church prepared a Turkey dinner for the kids in the home to enjoy and we were invited too. After the meal we had an opportunity to say what we were thankful for. It was awesome hearing what the kids had to say. When it came to my turn to share, I was literally speechless. I had no idea what to share. The Lord and you all have been so good to us. As corny as it sounds it was hard to be specific because there are so many things.

I wanted to acknowledge your sacrifice and share our gratitude to you, our supporters.

We have been so blessed down here and have had so many wonderful surprises. Like the church we attend, our fellow missionary neighbor Barb Jackson, the Fruin family, my surf buddy Jeff Johnson, Scott Wester a friend I graduated high school with is now the new director of field operations within Yugo, and all the GCH staff and ministry partners. What a crew. The Lord is at work in Mexico as evidenced by his hand of blessing on the ministries represented by all these people. People are coming to Christ down here nearly every weekend in our church. It is fantastic what God is doing.

Hearing the kids speak at the home that evening was a good reminder of the many things I have to be thankful for. Almost every one of the children at GCH mentioned they were thankful for their “family”. Some said they had never had a family before.

Thanksgiving stirs many things in all of us. But I think the point is to show gratitude. Gratitude to our Maker, as well as those who are around us.

Thank you for the opportunity to be here. Christmas is coming!

Blessings,

The Hanson's

Surprise!

I think we’ve discovered one of the biggest shocks all rooky missionary families realize when they settle into their mission.  I think we all discover that life “out on the field” is the exact same as it is at home!  I’ve been told this by missionary’s for 15 years; but never believed them.  Now that we’ve here I see they were right.  I assumed everything would seem more spiritual, more full of joy, more “intentional”.  And you know what?  It can.  However, it’s no different than at home.  As I was reading Luke 6 this morning, as these thoughts came to me.

³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

This scripture has inspired a renewed desire to bless those who are around me by giving freely.  What do I have that the Lord has not provided?  Has God provided these things for my benefit alone?  As my brother (Christian Brother) Russ has always told me; “You don’t need to move anywhere to serve the Lord”.  So, there you have it; it’s the same.  I think that’s great news.  Any and all the blessings from the Lord that I have access to down here in Mexico, you have access to back home.

Isn’t it exciting to think that God is pleased to pour out abundant blessing and life on us in order that we can bless those that are around us?!!  Who loses on that deal??  The answer is, there is only one group that loses.  The ones who reject the Lords blessing by rejecting him are the only people that lose.  These perks of blessings are only available to seekers/followers.  The only scary part is kick starting the process.  God doesn’t need any encouragement, he needs to see obedience and sacrifice before he’ll start the process.  The fact is, he has already started the process of blessing.  We (typically or at least speaking from myself) just haven’t given enough away yet.  We need to empty our pockets of what we possess.   Then God will refill them with true riches and blessing.

We just recently hosted a team from Santa Cruz Bible Church (our home church).  What a blessing to be with friends and loved ones again.  We spent every waking moment we could with them just enjoying being around them.  They gave sacrificially and will be blessed for it.  It was strange seeing them off a few days later watching them leave as we stayed.  So many times we’ve gone home with them.  They are like family.  We miss them already.

I have yet to find a passage in the Bible were one of his saints comes up short when fulfilling his will.  God has always provided.  Be encouraged; the Lord is watching and waiting.

Blessings,

The Hanson’s

Now that we are here.....

Disappointment-

You are probably afraid that I’m referring to the Lord’s provision.  Rest assured; I’m not.  I’m referring to myself and how I am responding at times with my attitude.  You know, I think most of us assume that when we reach our goal (whatever that may be) that we’ll be automatically happier and more resilient under stress and pressure.  You’d think there’d be some benefit to finally reaching the “end of your rainbow”.

Melissa and I have had this goal (serving cross culturally) for a long time; over ten years.  I just assumed I’d be happier, less grumpy and overall a “jolly well big fellow”.  Turns out I’m just as grumpy as I was back home.  Furthermore, all the bad little things within my character that I hadn’t dealt with back home, got bigger down here.  It turns out that I’m the same as everyone else, and respond the same way as most people do to a big move in ministry.  So much for being Super Spiritual.  So, one of the lessons are, deal with your “junk” when you realize it.  Don’t put it off for a rainy day.

Melissa and I have been reading a great book and it’s been helping us clarify a number of things as well as our goals down here in Mexico.  It turns out in my own mind I had devalued our administrative role down here which lead to other negative attitudes.  Our admin role will offload our visionary bosses and grow the ministry.  Melissa and I are growing the ministry indirectly; which is an important role.  I guess I forgot that for a couple minutes J.  I’ll be responsible for the management of the vehicle fleet; and Melissa and I together will facilitate the work the short term teams will be engaged in while here.  Melissa is also going to be doing some health screenings and fitness classes as well as helping the kids with homework at night.  She’s busy!  But she loves it.

Secondly, we are going to start a discipleship program with the children from Grace Children’s Home (GCH).  We are going to call it “Camp Out”.  It will be on Friday nights, sometimes at our home; other times somewhere else.  Our hope is to do some fun stuff like camping etc but also have a time where these young people can connect with us or other mentors individually in a small group setting so we can get some issues young people face out on the table.  Yep, small groups; that’s what we are going to try to facilitate here.

Please continue to pray for us as we get into the swing of things down here and move past “transition mode”.  Home schooling is going great but can be a challenge at times.  Pray for Melissa and the kids as they work on their education together.  Pray for the spiritual development of our family.  We’ve switched churches and cultures and that stuff just doesn’t happen automatically.

Today was Sarah’s birthday.  We crossed over the border last night and stayed with our cousins in San Diego (The Linde's).  We went to the Zoo today and had a blast just relaxing and staring in amazement at God’s creativity in our animal kingdom.  What a blessing.

Thank you for praying for us and/or supporting us financially.  It is such a blessing to be here and the ministry can be so full of joy and encouragement as we try to bless others.  Thank you so much for partnering with us!

Blessings,

The Hanson’s

The Goodness and Grace of God-

John 1:16-

“From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.”

If grace and blessing can be an indicator of ones adherence to God’s will then we must be smack dab in the middle of it.  This has been the story of our life lately.  I cannot think of another time in my life when I have experienced such a solid stream of divine provision and blessing.

I know it’s risky to name individuals because it’s likely that you’ll offend another who was a tremendous help but not mentioned.  With that said (please forgive me if I leave you out) I’d like to publicly thank a few by name. 

My folks Dennis and Ida and Melissa’s folks Bob and Holli.  Bob and Holli had been coming over to our house for months preparing our yard and packing our home into small boxes.  What a huge job that was.  They’ve been in for the long haul.  My Dad and Mom showed up with a vengeance a couple weeks before our move and a couple weeks since.  Dad’s been doing long overdue house repair and maintenance in preparation for our new renters.  Both sets of parents have put in long hours over the last several months.  We cannot express the depth of our thanks for them.  We very much appreciate what they’ve done for us and the preparation for our work here.  Blessings back on ya Mom’s and Dad’s!

The Lebovitz family just showed up at SCBC one day (from my perspective) and invaded our lives.  They instantly stepped into our mission effort which began over a year ago.  Gregory recognized my need for help in fund raising and was glad to step up as my coach and also as a financial supporter.  Then later on, move in week; the whole family came.  They stayed with us a week here in Mexico and set us up by helping us move stuff, shop for food prepare meals and set up computers etc.  Then they showed us how to survive in a place where the facets dispense unsafe water.  They taught us how to rinse our veggies and fruit and wash dishes.  What a blessing.

Celia Cuara started texting us about a week before we moved down here from the Los Angeles area.  She started to warn me about her damaged back and how she would not be able to help move anything heavy but she would love to come and help anyway she could.  I’m ashamed to say at first I didn’t know what she could do to help us move in.  However, when we picked up this little powerhouse in Anaheim on our way down, our days changed.  This gal radiates the love of Christ.  She stayed with us for almost two weeks.  She did our laundry, folded our clothes, helped our kids, cooked our meals, prayed with us, translated for us, encouraged us- we would have been lost without her.  We ALL cried when she had to head back home to prepare for her work as a school teacher.  Please pray for Cecilia.  She fell on her way out of the library a week ago and broke her arm.  Her arm required a surgery and some new hardware, but she is doing quite well now. 

On move out day, Tim Anderson and his son showed up.  They worked all day long moving our stuff and packing it into a trailer headed for Mexico.  Then a week later, Tim and Jim Moore met us at the church the morning of our departure and drove down with us to Mexico to help us move in.  These guys were here all week and worked unattended just taking care of things repairing things installing stuff and buying shelving units and installing them.  Completely hands off, these guys were just here and just got the job done whatever it was.  Again, what a blessing.  Thank you guys.

And then there's the Baker Family.  The quiet dynamo's that slip in the front door with large smiles and work so quietly and efficiently you hardly know they are there until you realize the amount of work that just got done.  If you ever have to cram a bunch of stuff into small spaces (like trailers or storage units) call Fred and his family.  Fred packed the truck like it was a jig saw puzzle with room to spare.

Then there are those individuals that you don't even know that change everything; "wildcards" if you will.  The Searle family from Seacoast Church in San Diego not only opened their home to some weary travelers, but fed us dinner as well.  Then got up the next morning (early I might add) and drove down with us to the boarder to unload our trailer into the storage unit.

There are many more who have done so much for us.  Are hearts are full of gratitude and thanks giving for each one of you, the Tarr family, the Frankl’s, Kevin Clark, the Millers, the Bruce family, the list goes on...  We feel so blessed for your energies toward us and this work.  We pray for you and ask God’s blessing on you and your days.

Many of you have been an unexpected blessing to us, a gift from the grace of God.  What a wonderful God we serve.  He meets our EVERY need in exciting ways every day.  Please let us know how Melissa and I can pray for and bless you as well.  Please keep us posted on your current events.

For those of you who have already committed to giving monthly please set up an automatic transfer through Yugo (here).  If the previous link doesn’t work, please feel free to contact me.  If you prefer sending checks please make them payable to “Yugo” with our account number in the notes field:  653100.

The Yugo mailing address is:

Yugo Ministries

PO Box 58

National City, CA 91951-0058

Thank you for caring enough to read this blog.  Next week I’ll share with you how God is refining our vision for our work here and teaching us new things everyday.

Blessings,

-The Hanson Family

It all started with Jury Duty...

There has been such an amazing chain of events to lead us to this point, there is NO way I could have coordinated this on my own.  There is WAY to much to share, so I'll give an example in the following story.  God is at work in our lives and has brought us to this point today.  Miraculously.

Back near the end of June, I was cramming in all the work that I could to get us through our move.  I had a jury summons in my bill drawer that I had ignored, just kinda hoping it would go away.  Dumb.  I called in the morning I was supposed to, only to find out that- yep, I had to report in.  "Uh-oh" I thought.  No work equals no money in my situation.  So, I reported to the courthouse and sat down in the jury assembly room.   I was tempted to say something like, "Uh,.. I'm leaving the Country in three weeks", and "I have one last trip planned to visit our family in Washington" or "Being here will ruin my family financially".   But I didn't.  I just sat there and watched all the other people stress, squirm and make lame excuses, while I just sat and trusted that God would take care of it.  In fact, a courage and a hope began to well up inside me.  I was becoming more and more encouraged to not manipulate the situation; and to trust God with it all.

Then we all filed into the court room (about 120 of us).  I was thinking, "Wow, this must be a big deal, there are a lot of people here."  The judge went on to explain how serving was our obligation and that we needed to take part in this service to our county.  More lame excuses came from people.  I became more and more motivated to actually serve here and trust God with it.  As I sat there and prayed, I resolved in my mind that my ministry as a missionary would begin today; right there in that courtroom.  I prayed more.  The judge then began to read the charges against the man.  He was accused of some really bad things.  Lots of them.  Then, the Judge dropped the bomb.  She estimated that this was going to be a three to four week trial!  My heart sank.  Another "Uh-oh" screamed through my head.  This was a big deal and had some big consequences for my family and I.  Timelines for Mexico, commitments and finances.  All the consequences of a four week interrupt ran through my head.  As I continued to listen and pray I became more and more determined to not be concerned about my situation, but to bring justice to this man.  I thought, "Hey, I'm a missionary, it's God's time anyway.  He can take care of us financially, our timeline to Mexico, and He must have other plans for us to say good bye to our family up North."

Once in a while you realize that some things are just bigger than you, your situation and they just need to be done.  And you know that you are the right man or woman to do it.  I was not going to wimp out of this deal.  What kind of man would I be, ...further, how could I hold my head up, IF, I let an innocent man sit in jail or a creep like this roam the streets.  There were so many of us in the courtroom that 30 of us couldn't even sit down, we were standing in the aisle.  The judge began to read the names of people she wanted to sit up in the jury box.  I didn't have to stand long, because mine was the fifth name read.  Shocked, I walked up to the Jury box with my head hung low kissing my savings and our trip to Washington good-bye.  It was a funny feeling, but I knew I had trusted God with it, and that really He would take care of everything.  I knew He good things in store for us, even in this situation.  Confidently, I knew he would handle it.

I sat there in the jury box, reporting back to the courthouse for three days.  Sometimes we would come in the mornings, sometimes in the afternoons.  It took almost a week to get through the whole process.  Ultimately, I was dismissed by the prosecution during the interview process because of my volunteering with the Sheriff's office.  The prosecution asked if I viewed Mr. So and So as 100% innocent and that the DA had to prove him guilty by showing evidence.  I said, "I've been instructed to do so, so I will operate under that assumption."  The defense reiterated their "100% innocent until proved guilty question" to which I replied, "Well, the deputies did their job compling evidence, and made their arrest" as I shrugged my shoulders and gestured.  I was dismissed the following morning.

Shocked again, an tremendous sense of sadness came over me.  I wanted to bring justice to that guy.  I wanted him free or imprisoned.  Disappointed I stepped down from the jury box and gestured a good-bye to my new found friends I spent the last week with.  I had told many our story regarding our mission to Mexico and Grace Children's Home.  It's weird sometimes how community develops and how God gives us chances to share our testimony and encourage others.

As I walked out of the courthouse for the last time, and down the steps to the parking lot, I began to wonder why God had brought me so close to serving without actually serving Jury Duty.  I waited for His response and a few things came to mind.  First, this experience was my first lesson to trust God with everything and not doubt the scope of His control.  He knows all, considers all, and helps those who are submitted to him.  Second, I was able to share our story with a number of people and hopefully encourage them in their journey of faith.  Lastly, maybe God was reminding me of how important justice is.  In Mexico, you are guilty until proven innocent.  God used this experience to well up a need of "rightness" and justice in me as we move to a country historically known for corruption.  I always have been a fighter when it comes to convictions.  Maybe this was my "pep talk" as we head into the ring for our bout.  Pray that we have our gloves on, our hands up, and our mouthpieces in.  We're sure to take some "shots".

We were able to go on our trip to Washington, and had a FANTASTIC time with our family.  We've had 20 people help us pack our house into a truck that my cousin provided just in time for free.  We had a totally different set of people help us cram our entire house of stuff into ONE storage unit in San Diego.  We spent only three days in Mexico and were able to make a deposit on a great house near our new jobs at Grace Children's Home.  Please remember, this is Mexico were things take twice as long if they even happen at all.

Every step of the way, God has encouraged us through the community of saints, and directed the events around us showing us that He is at work, and goes before us taking care of ALL the details.  What a Gracious, Merciful and Kind God we serve!

I know I am WAY overdue in updating this Blog.  It has been very difficult to keep up.  Think of it and "quality verses quantity" :)  I'll try to do better.  Sorry, no pictures this time because we packed the camera cable we need to offload the pics!  Oops.

Monday, friends are helping us move into the house God provided for us to live in down there as we begin our ministry in Mexico.  Pray for us as we drive down again.  Pray that lessons He has been teaching us will sink in and that we (and you) will look for opportunities to, "Do Justice, love Mercy and Walk Humbly with Our God" (emphasis added by me).  The story of the house we are moving into is SO cool.  I wish I had more time to tell.  I guess you'll just have to come down to hear and see for yourself.

Blessings,

The Hanson's

Why are we doing this??

Why are we doing this?  Sometimes I wonder myself.  I think it’s simply because God called us (a long time ago) and we want to.

I was reading this morning in my Spanish/English Bible (for those of you who can, I would recommend reading in two languages) the Gospel of Mateo, chapter four verse sixteen (I can only read the narratives in Spanish, prophecies and poetries are still too difficult for me):

«el pueblo que habitaba en la oscuridad
      ha visto una gran luz;
   sobre los que vivían en densas tinieblas
      la luz ha resplandecido.»

(Translation:  “the people living in darkness
   have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
   a light has dawned.”)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not having visions of grandeur believing my family and I will be bringing a great harvest of Mexican souls to faith (by ourselves anyway).  I’ve read K.P. Yohannan’s book “Revolution in World Missions” (www.gfa.org).  What I see us doing is unique to us; something that us white skinned “gringo’s” are good at.

Most of the American church is fat and lazy.  Many of us who have even half-heartedly applied ourselves on Sunday morning understand more doctrine then probably most of the illiterate third world.  Yet we continue to misunderstand the simple truth in the Gospel.  I believe the common theme in the Gospels is to “Repent and Tell (tell others the Good News)”.  What the church needs to do now, is experience the freedom from sin within salvation, and then live like forgiven people.  The forgiveness God extended to us is complete.  There's no sin left.  How could we not be a blessing to others if this was our focus?  Blessing others should be almost automatic.

So, what are five white skinned gringo’s (namely me and my family) going to be good at in Mexico?  Supplying opportunity for other gringo’s to invest in God’s world works (time and money) and encouraging those gringos to do so.  That’s what we are going to do in Mexico.  I also intend to learn another language and be taught a few hundred things about the Gospel from approximately 30 Mexican street kids who God pulled out of the shadow of death.  Truly, a light has dawned in TJ.  Praise God.  As I learn these new things, I’ll come and tell you too!! 

About the picture; my youngest (Nathan) was asked in class the other day to write about someone important that he KNOWS (emphasis added by me).  Children sometimes have a great perspective on reality.  Read it for yourself; it's precious.  Please note the beard.

Blessings,

The Hanson’s