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