Kauai Blessings

  

    God continues to pour out His blessing on our family and ministry in so many ways.  Many of you know by now that we just got back from Kauai!  In celebration of my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary, they took us with them for two weeks.  It was an incredible experience.  I hope my folks were blessed too, because I think we may have run them ragged!  We tubed, snorkeled, hiked, swam, kayaked, paddle boarded, sun burned and surfed ourselves silly.  It was awesome.  We had a couple of days in Santa Cruz with our family and friends before returning home to Rosarito.  What a vacation!

 
   We are back to work in Mexico now, settling into ministry and the kids into homeschool.  It is awesome to see what God is doing through each of our children.  They are now plugged into ministry at the church.  Caleb is working Security in the Parking Lot (gotta protect the cars during service), Sarah is helping teach Sunday School (in Spanish) and Nathan is a part time translator in the Sunday School Classes.  We are so proud of each one of them!  Right before we left for Hawaii, Melissa and I finished teaching a six week parenting class at the church on Sunday mornings.  It was well attended, and reminded us of some things we need to work on in our own home.  Melissa is serving on the Women’s Ministries Leadership Team, planning events, teaching and coordinating the logistics of our Home Group.  I am learning a LOT in the Church Planting Course, teaching classes at church and substitute teaching at the Calvary Chapel Bible College down in Ensenada.   We are in a GREAT season of blessing right now, and we thank the Lord for each one of you sharing in this ministry.

    Can I ask you to pray for something?  Bear with me for a minute while I give you some background.  When we were up at SCBC during Resurrection Sunday (Easter), the Lord really rekindled my heart for the people of Santa Cruz.  Over the years at our church here in Mexico, we have seen many people land here (for whatever reason) become strengthened in their faith at our church, and return back to where they came from to serve as pastors or missionaries to their own communities.  The first day of our church planting class, Pastor Mike Vincent gave us a “pop quiz”.  He said, "Go up to the pulpit, and in 3 minutes or less, tell us your church planting dream", and we began going in order around the table.  My turn was coming, and I really didn’t know what to say.  So I prayed, asking the Lord for something to share.  Pastor Mike said, “This may never happen, but share it anyway.”  As my turn came, I stood up and said that my dream would be to plant a bilingual church on the East Side of Santa Cruz bridging the gap between the Latino Community and the White Community.  This church would eventually become a training center continuing to plant bilingual churches down the Salinas Valley all the way to Santa Maria (near San Luis Obispo). 
    That dream kinda makes sense doesn’t it?  Maybe God brought us down to Mexico to teach us the language and culture, and introduce us to a different way of doing church.  Not “celebrating our diversity” but embracing our common bond in Christ and need for His salvation.  Would you pray as God continues to confirm or redirect that “dream” I communicated in class?
    Meanwhile, please get a group together and come down to Mexico to serve.  We need YOU!  We need you in our church, our community and orphanages.  Please contact me with possible dates so we can create an outreach to a city in need of the love of Jesus.
    Thank you to those of you who have continued your support through our
transition to SCBC Global Impact!  If you are still giving to YUGO please switch
now!  
    August was the last month YUGO will
forward your gifts to us.  :)

Change is Hard!

Our last group!  Grace Community Church of Sandy Utah.

Change is hard! 

If you haven’t heard yet, we have resigned from Grace Children’s Home and will officially begin as volunteer staff at Calvary Chapel Rosarito, August first.  Meanwhile, we say goodbye. 

We recently had an all YUGO staff meeting at the children’s home where they recognized our service at the home for the last 4 years.  That was very kind, but the real thanks have come from the kids at GCH.  In various times and settings, some of the kids have approached us with puppy dog eyes expressing their sadness that we are leaving.  We assure each one that our desire is to continue to be part of their lives even though we will not be living there anymore.  Just knowing that we had became part of their lives is thanks enough.  What a blessing.

Moving.  Super Fun.

Regarding the YUGO administration, I have never seen a group of leaders work harder to bring a bunch of strays together.  Over the years the various missionaries within the organization “drifted further out” and really began working independently.  Scott Wester and Nathan Alpert have bent over backwards showing love and support to all of us in the field.  Their love and concern for Melissa and I really came through as we assured them our transition was from the Lord, not some lack of support or disagreement.  The farewell to my hardworking YUGO friends has been tough.  I’ll see some of them on Sundays, but it’s not the same as working together.  We’ve made a good family. 

Lastly, we’ve been saying goodbye to the teams who we have built relationships with over the years.  We’ll miss them too! 

All this to say; it’s been a bittersweet month of transition.  I thought this move would enable us to slow down a bit.  However, in true Hanson Family style, I think we’ve packed our new lives to the brim.  More on that later. 

Now it’s time for me to bring up “the change” I need from our financial supporters.  Our switch from YUGO ministries means that we will need those of you support us, to switch your giving from YUGO Ministries to Santa Cruz Bible Church.  The good news is, you can do it all on your own online, very simply.  Just go to www.santacruzbible.org and hover over the “Giving Online” button on the top right hand corner of the web page; and pick the “Register for ACH Access” button.  .  Just follow the steps from there.  If you run into any snags, you can check out our newly reactivated blog for step by step instructions.  If that doesn’t work, just give Santa Cruz Bible a call (831 429 1162) and they can help you through the process.

Thank you for your diligence in this matter.  We cannot express the gratitude we have in our hearts for you financial sacrifice.  We are well aware money does not come easy.  We could not be here in Mexico without you.  There is a great harvest of souls happening down here in Mexico.  Your uninterrupted giving will help us continue in this work.  Thank you for your faithfulness.

May God Richly  Bless You,
The Hanson Family  - 831 430 9028

New personal mailing address!
555 Saturn Blvd.  Suite B320
San Diego CA 92154

Four Years of Blessing~

We have been so blessed over the last four years here at Grace Children’s Home!  The Lord continues to bless and do great things through our children and staff.  The ministry is at the beginning of a great season filled with some awesome teenagers!

With our new directors in place, and our awesome staff, we have enjoyed a new stability in the ministry of GCH since the Palau’s resignation.  This stability has allowed us the freedom to really examine ourselves and our primary ministry emphasis here in Mexico.  Through this process, we believe the Lord has called us into a new phase of ministry.  God’s calling for Melissa and I has always been to teach.  GCH has been that outlet for the last four years; and now we know the Lord is calling us into ministry in the local church.  Our time at GCH has given us so many insights into ourselves and into the hearts of the hurting.  We are so grateful for the privilege to have served there.  God is good.  We are resigning from YUGO and GCH near the end of June (the 19^th) and will begin as volunteer staff at Calvary Chapel Rosarito (CCR) a month later.  Santa Cruz Bible Church will be our new sending organization handling all the financial contributions and administration.  Our new jobs will consist of teaching, learning and doing.  We will be teaching classes at two Bible Colleges (Ensenada and Rosarito), facilitating some Adult Education classes at the church, learning at a church planting class, and facilitating outreach trips through CCR.  Please consider coming down and working with us!

We have mixed feelings about our move because we have come to love the children and staff at the home and the groups that come to visit us at GCH.  We will continue to trust the Lord to provide for all their needs and ours as we step away.  We will still get to see the kids on Sundays, but it is not the same as living there. 

We are so grateful to all of you who have supported us through your prayers and giving over the last four years, and would ask that you continue on with us into this new phase of ministry.  My next newsletter will contain instructions on how to switch your gifts over, through Santa Cruz Bible Church.  If you would rather continue to support GCH with your gifts, we understand.  Contact me via phone or email so I can point you in the right direction.

Walk to the Beach

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have.

Thank you for your faithfulness,

The Hanson Family, Michael, Melissa, Caleb, Sarah and Nathan

MaxDonalds

I would like to tell you a story about a man I met the other day named Max.  Last night we stopped by McDonald’s on our way to Wednesday night church to get ice cream (we had just eaten fantastic Zurdo’s quesadillas).  I was sitting at a table with two of my kids and 3 female interns from the baby home (Melissa was home sick L); when a Mexican gentleman saunters up, and sits down (with no food) at a table nearby.  I prepared myself for “The Pitch”.  “Here it goes”, I thought to myself, “He’s going to hit up the rich American for some dinero”.  He opened up with something friendly in choppy English and stuck out his hand.  I responded with a smile and a handshake, impressed with his English.  He asked about the five “kids” I was with assuming we were all family.  I told him we were part of a ministry, and that we all worked together.  He smiled a jealous smile wanting my job at that point, assuming I spent all day long with attractive female teenagers (BTW, that is not the case, I work with Jesse Martinez J).  He then asked what church I attended.  It was at that moment I realized I had the whole situation backwards.  I started off resisting sharing my resources with Max, when actually the Lord had brought this man to me in order to introduce him to True Riches!

I immediately felt convicted and wondered how many other times I had made incorrect assumptions and skipped over an opportunity to talk about my faith with someone.  Max and I chatted for another minute before he showed me an invitation someone else from our church had given him.  It had a map on the back, and he began to ask for directions.  At that point I felt I should offer him a ride.  We walked out together, and Max sat down in the front seat.  When we arrived, I introduced him to Jesse (the guy I work with), because I wasn’t going able to sit with him during the service.  I was scheduled to help out that night; so after the introduction, I ran off to the tech booth.  After the message, Pastor Mike in standard form, issued an invitation to receive God’s gift of salvation.  As he began, I prayed from the tech booth, asking God to open hearts.  After what seemed like a long pause, everyone began clapping.  I opened my eyes looking over the crowd, and there was Max with his hand held up high!  I was shocked and thrilled at the same time.  I had been a part in his salvation decision!  It was awesome. 

There was another night at church this month when no one raised their hand to receive God’s gift of grace (that is odd for us down here).  What surprised me most is what came next.  Pastor Mike chastised us for not bringing any new people!  Again, another revelation hit me at that moment.  Pastors don’t have magic sermons!  It’s not even their job to come up with one.  It’s our job as the church (you and me) to introduce others to Jesus.  If we don’t do our part, how are our pastors going to be able to invite them into heaven?  The responsibility is really on us, not “the clergy”.  We don’t see many converts during our church services, because the buildings are full of Christians!  That is “messed up” as my kids would say.

We are so blessed to be working here in Mexico.  We just got back from representing Grace Children’s Home at a church up in Los Angeles.  I was so proud of my family, seeing my kids jump in, helping sign up new sponsors, introducing them to the children, and explaining the details of the ministry.  I was humbled watching my capable children serve others with such enthusiasm and joy.  I didn’t have to do much of anything!  We have an action packed summer ahead of us here at GCH as we solidify our plans to host a bunch of teams this summer.  We could not do this work without your prayers and support!  We are so grateful for your partnership.  Thank you.

As my earlier story illustrated, in Tijuana, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few”.  Please continue to lift us up in prayer and consider what the Lord may be calling you to do to serve those around you.  May God richly bless you as you step out in faith. 

With love, The Hanson Family (Michael, Melissa, Caleb, Sarah and Nathan)

 

Inflight Refueling

 What fills you up?  Sometimes to figure that out, you have to ask yourself, “What empties me out?”  Many times when I feel empty, I’ll focus on being tired or some form of self-pity.  Soon I’m reminded of the life Christ modeled for us.  He emptied Himself.  This is what all Christians are called to.  Once empty, you are ready to hear and receive from the Lord. 

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Rom. 15:13

Not only are we refilled, we are better than before!  Kind of like the old introduction to the TV drama, The 6 Million Dollar Man (if you are old enough to remember it!).  “We can rebuild him.  Better, stronger and faster than before”.  After an emptying or a tearing down, God’s Holy Spirit rebuilds us better than before if we submit ourselves to His process.  God’s process of rebuilding happens in His timing, so be patient. 

I believe that is where I am at today, and my family is at different stages of this same process (frankly, all Christians are).  My whole family is different than we were last year.  Personally, I have a more positive outlook.  God helps me see challenges that would have discouraged me last year, as an opportunity this year.  I am not 100% in this, but better than before!  God has uniquely gifted each person to fulfill His special mission for us.  No one else can do it, and there are no training short cuts.  It is really encouraging to see the Lord work in our lives when we wait, being patient and trusting Him to refill and rebuild us.  That is when we see real lasting change.  Otherwise it’s just us modifying a bad habit.  Generally, we run out of steam pretty quickly and slip back into our old patterns.

The challenges we face each day here in Mexico are outmatched by God’s Grace and Faithfulness.  He has done amazing things in the lives of the children at Grace Children’s Home and in my children as well as they continue to be challenged in school and ministry.  Each day we see our children growing through the difficulties life brings them and claiming each victory the Lord provides through obedience (contrasted by a vicious cycle through disobedience).  Step by step we see God’s healing and provision in their lives as each one grows in spiritual maturity. 

             

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Eph.  6:12

Would you please agree to join me in consistent prayer for our children?  I am a product of praying parents so I know it works.  Faithful Prayer is really the greatest thing you can do to help us and all our children here at GCH. 

I would like to extend an official and grateful thank you to all those who have supported us in 2014 through your prayers and generous giving.  You have impacted both Mexico today and eternity in Heaven.  We are looking forward to an even more victorious 2015!  Thank you for your labor in prayer and sacrifice.

May God richly bless you as you continue in your faithful service to Him,

The Hanson Family, Michael, Melissa, Caleb, Sarah and Nathan.