Hansen Both Hands Project

On September 7, 2013, we had the joy of doing a Both Hands Project!

What is a Both Hands Project?

I'm glad you asked...

It is a rescue mission for adoptive families to help raise funds for their adoption expenses.

 

This is how it works:

We search for a widow in our area who needs help with her home.

Our widow's name is Leigh Baker. She is only in her early 40's. She tragically lost her husband of 14 years last September, 2012. He also left behind two young children, Samuel, 9 and Abigail, 7. Leigh is disabled and couldn't take care of all the problems inside and outside their home.

 

Then we make a list of all the things that she needs help with, like painting, cleaning, yard work, etc.

Here is the list of things that we were able to complete for her:

Inside:

• Painting- Living room, Play room, Leigh's bedroom, Kid's bedroom, 2 bathrooms
• Cleaning- Whole house, top to bottom, including washing all the kids clothes and bedding
• Organizing- Toys and clothes, picking up clutter

Outside:

• Put up 125' of fence
• Put up skirting around trailer
• Power washed entire house
• Dug french drain and fixed driveway
• Finished building retaining wall
• Took out trees and brush

 

Get everything we need for the project, tools and supplies, donated by local merchants.

Here is a list of some of the things that were donated:

• Entire chain link fence
• Gravel
• Concrete
• Mortar
• Cleaning supplies
• Painting Supplies
• Organization bins/shelves
• Food and water for the volunteers

 

Then get a team together to spend an entire day working inside and outside the widow's home.

We had a total of 49 volunteers who gave up their Saturday to bless the Baker family. When the last volunteers left, we had been working for 12 hours!

 

Before the workday, the entire team sends out letters to friends and family asking for sponsorship while we work on the house. Since the materials for the workday are donated, 100% of the sponsorship that comes in goes directly to rescuing orphans.

We are trying to raise $30,000 for orphans. We could need anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 to finish our adoption expenses depending on how many children we get. We don't get any of the money personally. It all goes into an account at a non-profit organization (Lifesong for Orphans). Anything that comes in beyond what we need will go to another family in the form of a grant. So our goal is to raise as much as we can, so we can impact the lives of as many orphans as we can!

 

So that is why it is a "Both Hands" project. One hand is helping the widow, and the other hand is helping the orphan. Both hands come together to fulfill James 1:27

 

 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.”

 

We are so amazed by the support that we have gotten from our friends and family in this project and throughout the adoption process! We have seen God's hands touch so many lives and hearts in the last two years. We are truly grateful that God has allowed us to be a part of this amazing process and we just can't wait to meet our children!!

 

 

Watch our project video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWSz6_wSRD8&feature=youtu.be

 

You can still donate! For more information on how to donate, go to: http://bothhandsfoundation.org/Justin-and-Kathy-Hansen

 

 
 
For more information about Both Hands or Lifesong for Orphans, visit:
http://bothhandsfoundation.org/
http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/

Adoption Update

We have quite an update...

 

 I haven't written much lately, because frankly not much has been going on...

We have done a lot of waiting, and some more waiting, and then we waited a little more with really no word and hardly any referrals coming out of Bulgaria at all. There are always some kind of delays. It's hard not to get frustrated. It's really hard not to get impatient.

 

 We started this journey almost two years ago. We had so much excitement at the beginning about becoming parents, saving orphans, and following God's will for our lives. In the meantime, we have just been going on living life as usual and that excitement has dwindled, if not completely gone away. But then I got a call last Wednesday that changed everything...

 

 Now don't get too excited, it wasn't our official referral. Our adoption coordinator had information about a little boy that she wanted us to consider. This boy was referred to another couple who just didn't think he was right for their family. Instead of telling Bulgaria that it was a no, our coordinator wanted other families (who had matching criteria) to look at him. We were the first ones on the list. Of course we want to adopt a sibling group and this was just one boy, so my immediate reaction was "no". But I wanted us to be able to at least consider and pray about him first. So she sent us his information, pictures and medical report. He is an adorable 2 year old boy, he was born very premature, but is very healthy considering. His sweet chubby cheeks made my heart melt! Justin and I started talking, reading his information and praying immediately. Amazingly, neither one of us had peace about saying yes or no to him. Now, if you know us, then you know that Justin and I do not always (hardly ever) agree. But when it comes to the adoption, we are always on the same page. We spent the next 5 days considering everything. We prayed and talked and cried about a million tears; we even talked to family, friends, pastors and fellow adoptive parents. We had so many people praying with us and for us, but still we had no clear answer from God. This made us question everything. Justin and I discussed more about the adoption than we have in at least a year. I wanted this boy, I wanted to hold him in my arms, I wanted him to call me mom, and I wanted to call him my son (I even re-named him!). After a long talk and even more tears, I realized that every reason that I wanted him was completely selfish: I wanted to save an orphan, I wanted to be a mom, I didn't want to say no, I didn't want to wait anymore. While none of these reasons are necessarily bad, they are still all about me and not at all about this boy. This wasn't what God has for us, we had to say no.

 

 "Now, why would God ever want anyone to say 'no' to an orphan?" you may ask. This was never about the orphan, God has a specific family waiting for him, I have no doubt. God was teaching something through this.  Do I know exactly what? No, but I have a few suspicions: God wanted us to choose waiting over fulfilling our own desires, He wanted to remind us why we are adopting in the first place (it's about the orphan and following God's leading), He wanted us to get excited about the adoption again, He wanted Justin and I to grow closer and talk to each other about what God is telling each of us to do (We both still feel very strongly that God gave us the desire to adopt a sibling group, at least 2, maybe 3)... Whatever else he was using this situation for, we may never know, and that's okay. God's will is perfect and His timing is perfect! This didn't make it any easier though, it was extremely hard and still is. Our hearts are completely broken! I don't know when another chance like this will come, it could be another year or more, that is devastating! But this is where patience, faith, and trust in God come in. Our time is coming. There is a song by Tenth Avenue North that is basically exactly what I am feeling and going through right now. Listen to it if you get a chance, it's beautiful. Here are the lyrics:

"Worn"

 

I’m Tired, I’m worn
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes
To keep on breathing
I’ve made mistakes
I’ve let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world

And I know that you can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn
I wanna know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that’s dead inside can be reborn
Cause I’m worn

I know I need to lift my eyes up
But I'm too weak
Life just won’t let up
And I know that you can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn
I wanna know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that’s dead inside can be reborn
Cause I’m worn

My prayers are wearing thin
Yeah, I’m worn
Even before the day begins
Yeah, I’m worn
I’ve lost my will to fight
I’m worn
So, heaven come and flood my eyes

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends
That you can mend a heart
That’s frail and torn
I wanna know a song can rise
From the ashes of a broken life
And all that’s dead inside can be reborn
Cause all that’s dead inside will be reborn

Though I’m worn
Yeah I’m worn

 

 

 

 

Please continue to pray for us: that our broken hearts are healed, that we get renewed strength and patience. And please pray for this little boy: that his family will find him very soon. I can't give out his information, just call him "Ray in Bulgaria" and God will know who you are praying about.

 

 

 

Another Mother's Day...

For the last several years, Mother's Day has been a hard day for me. I was always sad that I wasn't a mother, even though God had given me such a strong desire to be one. I would look at young mothers and feel sorry for myself.

 

I decided that this year was going to be different...

God has blessed me so much. He has allowed me to observe so many wonderful mothers, young and old, over the last several years. He hasn't done this to punish me, but to teach me. I feel like God is preparing me to be a mother to my own children, by watching those around me. Adopting older children from another country is going to be hard, and God knows that I need all the help that I can get. I have also been learning that there are no perfect mothers out there. We all make mistakes, but that's how we learn to depend on God. Thank you to all the mothers that have been a good influence and encouragement to me over the years.

 

Happy Mother's Day!

The one mother that I am the most grateful for is my own. My mother has such a tender heart and a compassionate spirit. I am so thankful that she has passed even some of that down to me.

 

I remember, as a child, that my mom would give me a kiss and say "I love you" every night. One night, for whatever reason, I wasn't able to tell her "I love you" and I actually laid awake that night worrying that something could happen to me and she wouldn't know that I loved her. I realize now that it isn't about saying those words to one another. Even if my mom never said "I love you" to me, I would still know that she loved me through her actions.

Mom, thank you for being such a loving example for me. You have taught me more than you will ever know. Even though I don't say it every night anymore, please know that I always have and always will love you with all my heart!

Happy Mother's Day!

So this year, I may not physically have my children with me. But they are in my heart and my prayers always. Everyday that I am not with them, I am learning patience and my love for them is growing more and more. Please continue to pray for all of us. Maybe they will be here with us next year! :)