The King's Speech

I, too, stutter. There are not too many things in life that I can say that I share with royalty. Now I have one. King George VI of England had a speech impediment and so do I. That is no surprise to anyone that has met me personally. But, as it is not an attribute that one proclaims in an online profile, I suppose it is surprising to many. The recently-released movie starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush has brought attention to the condition of speech impediments. The King’s Speech went to the top of my “Must See” list at the moment I heard a review on the day of its release in December. Normally that means I wait several months until its release on DVD or Netflix. This time Donna and I decided to see it in the theatre. It was well worth the cost, but that is not why you should see the movie. You should see the film because it is a moving story of determination in facing personal challenges.

The Internal Struggle

Clip: If we were equals, I wouldn't be here. I would be home with my wife and no one would give a damn."

How do you face struggles? Prince Albert (soon-to-be King George VI) fought with all his royal might to avoid dealing with his problem. Yet it was his sense of duty, his personal calling, and a loving wife that forced him out of his royal shell and into the office of a commoner to face his struggle and seek a solution. His cry, “If we were equals, I wouldn’t be here. I would be home with my wife and no one would give a damn,” points to a familiar bunker for those of us with public struggles. We seek a cave to hide in, an easy way out. We establish enough of an ordinary life-- a wife, a family, a job and a lifestyle that protects our secret—so we don’t have to face the issue. The comfortable life becomes our bunker, and there inside we try live our lives. Nobody gives a damn and we like that.

For many, life in the protective bunker works. But what happens when life beckons? Some call it fate; some, a calling. For others, it is a duty. It was Prince Albert’s sense of duty—to his family, to his country, to royalty itself—that caused him to face his struggle head on. In the film, the contrast with the way his brother faced his princely duty was striking. Older brother David – Prince of Wales and later King Edward VIII—chose personal comfort over duty and abdicated the throne. Albert on the other hand, sought a solution to his struggle well before he knew that he would someday be king. That makes the storyline of The King’s Speech inspirational.

My bunker was an engineering job. I was comfortably successful and happy at home with my wife and children. Then, the call came. What was I to do about it?  The call came from none other than God Himself and that is not an easy call to ignore. I imagine I could have hidden my call a lot easier than a Crown Prince of England could hide his, but still, it was a call. Does knowledge of the struggles we face cause us to ignore a call on our life? Sadly, I’m afraid that too often it does. Too many opportunities in life are lost because we choose to stay in our bunker and refuse to leave.

My calling was to enter into full-time missionary service. That meant public speaking, knocking on doors, learning a new language, meeting lots of new people. There were plenty of good reasons—excuses—to decline. No one would have blamed me for staying home with my wife. No one would have given a damn. Yet because I stepped out of my bunker and went through the open door laid before me, my life is richer in experiences I never would have otherwise enjoyed. And I have God, and my wife, to thank for moving me out.

The External Struggle

St. Edward's Chair
The King's Speech at MOVIECLIPS.com

If only overcoming the internal struggle would make the rest easy. One of the film’s many strong points is revealing the harsh reality of carrying out the difficult task of change. When the king is just hours away from his coronation, his frustration reaches a breaking point. “Listen to me!”, he shouts. His tutor’s response, “Listen to you? By what right?” touches the fundamental question for which many of those who struggle with stammering seek an answer. In other words, “Why should I waste my time listening to you?”

Why is it that those who are not fluent in their mannerisms-- not among the “beautiful people”-- need to give evidence of their right to be heard? There is a clear bias in our culture to promote those who can clearly articulate their ideas in public. Without exception, in my professional experience,  there came a point when every one of my employers asked me about my stuttering. Most wanted to understand it and help me be successful. There were a few notable exceptions, however. Christians ministries are far from exempt at pre-judging their own. By the time I had reached the mission field, I had already learned to ignore judgmental pastors and mission leaders, learn from the mature ones and follow the path God had laid out for me. A key to success for those who struggle with speech impediments centers on the correct answer to the question “Why should I listen to you.”  In the words of the King George character in “The King’s Speech,” the answer was poignant: “Because I have a voice!”.

It is time for the world to hear your voice. You have something important to say. King George VI knew his voice would cause a nation to succeed or fail in its ability to confidently face a foreign adversary. For those of us with less-than-kingly responsibilities, our voices, too, have something important to say. God has given each of us a uniqueness that deserves attention. No one else has your perspective nor your gifts. Take time out to watch “The King’s Speech” then let your voice be heard.


-Gregg Hanchett worked 10 years in the US paper industry and later served 12 years in Spain as a missionary. He currently lives in South Carolina, once again serving the paper industry. You can reach him at hanch6@gmail.com .

Costa Rica

While the snow falls in Toronto, three of our German volunteers have started a service project in the summer climate of Central America. Muskoka Bible Centre has partnered with a sister organization to give their interns --including our volunteers-- a one month mission experience in Costa Rica.

The interns, those with the program they call "Stepping Stones", serve with Muskoka Bible Centre (MBC) and Fair Havens Ministries in an 8- month internship program. Part of their program is a month long cross-cultural camp experience, which takes place at Campamento Roblealto, in beautiful Costa Rica. They left Canada on January 7 and will be gone until February 4. You can follow their service project on their blog page.

As you view the photos and read about their experiences, please pray especially for Micha, David, and Harald (pictured here during our August orientation) as this is a double cross-cultural experience for them. These German youths only arrived in Canada in August and have given much effort to improve their English and have been excelling in their duties at the camp in Northern Ontario. Now they are in Costa Rica, working hard to communicate in Spanish as well as picking up the cultural cues necessary for survival in any new country!

That's cross cultural missions in action!

Merry Christmas from VYT

Merry Christmas from Volunteer Year Toronto. Donna and I want to wish you a warm and blessed Christmas. Whether you are with family or far from home (or both!) please take a moment to reflect on our wonderful Creator God and His Gift to each of us. Christmas is just a small manifestation of the incredible celebration that God is planning for His children when He gathers us all together in the future. His Gift of Jesus, His Son and Our Saviour, was the start of the Father's plan to redeem us from a future with no hope into a future with endless praise and joy! He's just starting on your life and has a lot more in store for your future!
Many of our volunteers are spending their first Christmas away from family. We minister to many people through Adam House and BLCF who have no family or have had to leave them for a season. During 12 years on the mission field our own children have often been separated at this time of year. No matter your present situation or family state, God loves you deeply and offers relationship with Himself. Christmas is His reminder to each one of us.
Thank you for your prayers for us and for this ministry during the past year.
Gregg and Donna

With God's Love

Dear Friends,

Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is just around the corner. As the year 2010 nears its end, Donna and I remind ourselves of the foundational truths of our ministry. I am energized by the vision statement of the Liebenzell Mission of Canada:

" Helping people reach people with God's love."

There is an intended ambiguity in the statement that reflects quite accurately the dynamic process of daily ministry here in Toronto. Two verb phrases:  "Helping People" and "Reaching People".

Are we training or are we evangelizing?

We are doing both. We are sharing the the Gospel through word and deed. And we are training future missionaries and current ministry leaders with practical service projects and collaboration opportunities.

The action words go together with the modifier: "with God's love". In evangelism, we reach people with God's Love revealed in His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. But what sets Liebenzell apart as a mission, and we have seen wonderfully present in our first months here in Canada is this: In our "Helping people reach people", we do it with God's Love! Helping, and more specifically "training", "discipling", "teaching", and "enabling", can not be void of the presence of God's love and grace. After more than 20 years in Christian ministry I have learned that the application of these two key ingredients, grace and love, is too often missing among leaders towards those they lead. This lack of grace results in deep and painful wounds that I have witnessed way too often and is counter-productive for the growth of the Church. As we enter 2011, we are committed to help Liebenzell develop leaders who will reverse that trend in their own ministries. Would you join us in prayer as we do that? I hope that as you read the details of our work these past several months you can see the evidences of grace and love in action.

Blessings to you throughout the Christmas season and into the new year of 2011!

Gregg

First Weeks: Newbies guiding newbies

Liebenzell Volunteers 2010

 

Our first week in Canada in mid August was focused on quickly learning about the ministry before the arrival of 17 young people from Germany. We, the newly arrived, had to orient those who were even newer! The mission directors, Jakob and Lorie Koch, spent several days introducing us to the various ministry partners who would be receiving our volunteers. We became good friends with teammates, Jeff and Ursi Wilson, the managers of the Liebenzell Mission Centre, and their two children. 

The next 10 days were filled with guiding our energetic German youth, getting to know their names, faces, personalities and gifts. They are among those pictured at the left. Mornings were filled with praise, worship, and teachings about their stay in Canada. By the end of the week, we began driving them to their respective ministry placement locations. Some are now at camps several hours to the north of Toronto; others are in the city itself. Sent out, scattered abroad to sow the seed of Jesus' love throughout Ontario. Please pray for them as they serve with the heart of Jesus that they would reap a great harvest.

September: Constructing a ministry base

Priming

 

In early September, while a few of the volunteers were still waiting for their ministries to begin, they helped us in renovating the house where we are now living. We are renovating the half-duplex as a ministry to the inner-city church that owns it. We will be renting it from the church as our residence and ministry center.  In the photo, Micha is priming the new drywall in the entrance hall. The search for low-cost flooring options put us in touch with other ministries. It was a blessed time of collaboration as we met many local pastors and believers who were donating their expertise to help complete the renovation. Several ethnic  congregations have benefited from the LM Canada ministry and enjoy giving something back.  What a great illustration of unity in God's name, each one working as he is able to benefit the rest of the Body, the Church.

Micha, by the way, has now started his new ministry. Along with six other of our volunteers, he is involved with UrbanPromise of Toronto working with at-risk kids organizing after-school activities and loving the kids unconditionally!

October: Being the hands of Christ

Our Home

 

In early October, we made the move into the house. It was not finished, but with the kitchen, bath, living room, and one bedroom near completion, it was possible. We settled in and began the pastoral care portion of our ministry, visiting the young people in their ministry locations, encouraging and blessing them. What great hearts they have! Their ministry supervisors are, without exception, thrilled with their service. Liebenzell has made great strides over the years in developing the Volunteer Program and providing qualified young people as a means to bless Christian organizations throughout the Greater Toronto region. Our prayer burden while they are here is to encourage them towards full-time Christian service. Please pray with us towards that end.

Adam House

Since we were now living in the city, we also visited several local ministries to determine other ways the Lord could use us in the city. One of them we discovered was Adam House, a refugee transition home. (See our blog post: "What, exactly, is a refugee?") Donna has been able to show the love of Christ by helping with reception of donated food, meal preparation, and some housekeeping. She helps a few days a week serving families and individuals who have recently arrived at Adam House from countries such as Hungary, Honduras, Serbia, Nigeria, Namibia, Columbia, and Russia. I am now on the schedule to lead a Bible Study session during Thanksgiving week. We also help on Wednesday evening serving a meal at a nearby soup kitchen run through a local church.

A Gift by which to minister

Now, here in November and December, we are in another transition. Our focus now is on discovering how God will provide the financial base for this ministry. This ministry is clearly His work and we want to be faithful to His calling for us to be here. To date, we have been living on less than $1000 per month of salary. We cannot continue at such a low income. Would you consider sending a one-time gift of perhaps $30, $50, or $75 or more to Liebenzell at this time? The economic downturn has been difficult for everyone, but ministries like this one that depend on charitable contributions have been especially hurt. Your end-of-the-year gift of any amount, when combined with gifts from others, will make a difference in keeping this training and evangelistic work moving forward. Thank you in advance!
How to donate to the ministry:

There are several options for making your gift to Liebenzell. 

On-line donations can be made through the Liebenzell USA website, here: www.liebenzellusa.org; 

or through the Liebenzell Mission of Canada website, here: www.liebenzell.ca.

By mail, checks can be sent, in the US, to:

Liebenzell Mission USAP.O. Box 66Schooley's Mountain, NJ 07870

In Canada, address your envelope to:

Liebenzell Mission of CanadaR.R.#1Moffat, ON, Canada L0P 1J0

Please be sure to include a separate note indicating "For the ministry of Gregg and Donna Hanchett- Toronto".

Gifts to Liebenzell are acknowledged with a return receipt suitable for tax-deduction regulations.

Thanks for participating with us in this way!

What, exactly, is a refugee?

One of the ministries that we have been blessed to serve during our free time is Adam House, a Christian-based ministry in Toronto. They provide a safe and comfortable home for newly arrived refugee claimants who have chosen to settle, at least temporarily, in the Greater Toronto area.
There is some confusion about the term "refugee". A refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country"[1]. Canada has a policy of being pro-active in helping refugees, and they do it through facilities like Adam House. Once approved, a refugee becomes one of the millions of immigrants welcomed each year to Canada.  On the theme of immigration, I find it interesting that because Canada's immigration quotas are set by the nation's department of labor, rather than by the State department, as in the USA, immigration is a much less controversial issue.

Donna has been able to serve Adam House in her free time by helping with food preparation and serving hot meals to staff and resident. Our son Tim has also been able to lend a hand with nighttime security duties.

Adam House is a great Christian ministry worthy of your prayers and financial support. Check out their webpage at www.adamhouse.org. Also, Check out an earlier blog post that I made that includes a video about two refugees that found hope when they arrived in Canada.

[1] Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee