The Hankens [The Hanken's testimony]

Ministry

Over a year ago TJ and I began to feel God moving in our hearts and lives towards a new ministry
opportunity. Through a whole series of events we became aware of an organization called New Life
Advance International. NLAI has an active ministry in Guatemala. There they own and operate a
children’s home, medical clinic and Christian school designed to reach out on behalf of Jesus to the
people of Guatemala. In April, TJ and I visited along with friends of ours and came away completely
convinced that the “hands and feet” of Jesus were at work on the NLAI ministry in Guatemala City. Also, while in Guatemala, we visited the Christian Academy of Guatemala. This is a K-12 school designed to serve the children of missionaries as well as diplomats or other “displaced” students.
During our time in Guatemala we were able to identify a few specific needs that we feel God has given
us the gifting and abilities to meet. The first has to do with the New Life Children’s Home. This home is
doing an incredible job of caring physically, emotionally and spiritually for children who otherwise would go without their basic needs being met. The staff there also desires to spiritually mentor each child in a way that is age appropriate and relative to their lives. In the past, individuals have served with special attention to the high school and elementary age children. A real need is for someone who is gifted in working with middle school aged children to come alongside and mentor and encourage them in their walk with Jesus. TJ plans to serve in this area and is so excited that he can put his love for middle schoolers to good use with children who have suffered so much in their young lives. The other aspect of our ministry in Guatemala has to do with the Christian Academy. They are always in need of staff and have expressed an interest in having a “spiritual life pastor” for the students. After serving teens for fifteen years, the Academy kind of looks like one major youth group to us! It seems the chances to serve Jesus by serving students would be endless! The plan is that TJ and I will go to Guatemala as missionaries with New Life Advance International and then as well as working with students at the children’s home, TJ will be appointed by New Life as a staff member at the Academy

Testimony

T.J. Hanken's Story

I grew up in Fremont, NE the youngest of eight children. Although I attended church regularly I never made a faith commitment to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior during my younger years. I began to experiment with drugs in Middle School and by High School was using and buying drugs on a regular basis. During my 11th grade year of High School I was invited to a Bible study by a Christian family who had befriended me. Through this study I understood what it meant to be follower of Jesus Christ and made a faith commitment to believe and accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. Although I believe this commitment was real I was unwilling to give up my current lifestyle. I continued using drugs throughout High School. After High School I went through a series of events that made me realize my need to give Jesus Christ Lordship of my life. In November of 1985 I completely surrendered control of my life to Christ.

In August of 1986 in began attending Grace College of the Bible in Omaha, NE. I graduated in 1990 with a degree in Bible and Christian Education. During my years at Grace I spent two summers working as a lifeguard and Cabin Counselor at Camp Forest Springs in Westboro, WI.

On January 12, 1991 I was married to Dina Joy Gurney in Fremont, NE. Dina and I met while on a Holy Land tour to Israel. We lived in Omaha, NE where I worked at a home health care. After spending the summer of 1993 on staff at Maranatha Bible Camp in Maxwell, NE I took my first church ministry position at the Colby Berean Church in Colby, KS. There I served almost six years as Youth Pastor. On January 1, 2000 I started my ministry as Youth Pastor at Aplington Baptist Church in Aplington, IA. Through this ministry I began a 501(c)(3) community youth ministry in Aplington called the Student Connection. This ministry is supported by seven area churches from four different denominations and continues to reach hundreds of students each year.

Dina and I have five wonderful children who have each accepted Christ as their personal savior. Being a parent has been both incredibly rewarding and difficult. It is hard to believe that God the Father loves me as much as I love my children but I still believe it to be true.

During the summer of 2007 Dina and I began to pray about the possibility of serving as missionaries to Guatemala. Sensing God's leading we applied to New Life Advance International and on August 6, 2008 we were appointed as missionaries with NLAI to Guatemala.

I give all the praise to God for what he has done in and through my life.

Dina Hanken's Story

I was born in Burwell, NE, the daughter of Stan and Olive Gurney.  I joined twin brothers, Clayton and Curtis and one sister, Tammy. I spent my first fifteen years on a cattle ranch forty miles north of Burwell.  I attended a one room school house through eighth grade, and attended Cedar Creek Berean Church every Sunday.  When I was fourteen I began high school at Nebraska Christian High School and lived in the dormitory Monday through Friday.  I loved dorm life and built life long friendships while short-sheeting beds and taking cold showers.

I accepted Jesus as my Savior as a small child and was baptized in believer's baptism when I was eleven.  I attended summer Bible camp several different times and at one camp felt God's call on my life for full time Christian ministry.  I told Jesus I would go wherever He wanted and do whatever He wanted for the rest of my life.  Little did I know then the adventures that commitment would allow me to enjoy!

When I was fifteen my dad felt God's call to leave ranching and return to Bible College to train as a pastor.  So against MY better judgment, my parents and I packed up and left the ranch we all loved and moved into an apartment in Omaha, NE.  Talk about culture shock!  One of my most vivid memories of that time was of an afternoon soon after the move when I was feeling especially homesick and was in my bedroom crying.  Dad came to the door and asked what was wrong. 

"I'm homesick," I said through tears.  Much to my surprise and comfort, Dad came to me, put his arms around me and through tears of his own Dad said, "So am I."  I learned such a valuable lesson that day.  Obedience to God is not always easy, and sometimes its not even fun, but it is always the right thing to do.

I graduated from Nebraska Christian High School in 1988 and spent the summer following my senior year as a nanny to a missionary family serving with Campus Crusade in Hungary.  In the fall I started my studies at Grace College of the Bible in Omaha.  I was able to live at home with my parents full time for the first time since I started ninth grade!

In January of that school year, my parents and I went on a trip to Israel and Greece sponsored by the college.  It was on that trip that I got to know TJ Hanken.  Although it took him three months to eventually ask me on a date, he eventually caught on to the fact that he couldn't live without me and we were married two years later. (January 12, 1991)  We lived in an apartment in Omaha and attended Community Bible Church.  There we got involved in a small group and were really nurtured in our faith. 

On December 10, 1992, God gave TJ and me our first child, Jessalyn Joy.  I began my twelve year stint as a full time stay at home mom. 

In May of 1993 TJ and I made our first move in to full time Christian ministry.  We worked that summer at Maranatha Bible Camp near North Platte, NE.  After that summer we moved to Colby, KS and served as youth pastor at Colby Berean Church.  Our time there was amazing.  We realize now more than ever the loving care those people showed to us.  While living in Colby we gave birth to Cheney Elias (October 3, 1994), Olivia Hope (January 8, 1997) and Gabrielle Faith (June 14, 1998). 

From Colby, we moved to Great Bend, KS and served for a very short time at Grace Community Church.  In Great Bend our fifth child was born.  Sydney Grace arrived on August 1, 1999.

We are currently living in Aplington, IA where TJ serves as the area youth pastor through an organization called the Student Connection. During our nine years on this area we have grown to love this place and the people who live here.

Now TJ and I sense God's calling into a cross-cultural ministry.  We hope to be living in Guatemala City, Guatemala by next summer or ASAP.    I know there will be many times in the next few months when I say "Whose stupid idea was this?"  That's why I am so glad I can say that this is God's plan for us and not just another crazy Hanken idea.

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