Why? Why are you doing this? Why do you think starting a business, working like a dog to make it succeed and immersing yourself in all things related to your business is a good idea? I have to admit...the question made me pause. Why are TJ and I at an age categorized as slightly past young embarking on this new adventure? Why are we putting ourselves out there? Becoming vulnerable and almost audacious as we ask others to buy our coffee? What will people think? What if we can’t do it? All valid questions. So for the past few days, I wrestled with our why...MY why.
A few minutes ago my sweet husband of 30 years shared a picture. A picture of a shipping container full to the brim of Bibles, Bible resources and amazing Christian materials. This container will leave the US and land in a port far away. It will be delivered and unloaded by eager hands. The boxes will be cut open and the contents will be distributed for free. Tears will run down cheeks as thankful hearts receive for free Bibles and materials they never could have afforded to purchase.
A couple of months ago, I had the incredible privilege of visiting a women's prison in Guatemala. We gave away Bibles to each of the women that asked. A few minutes after passing out the Bibles, a woman approached. She explained that she had been faithfully praying for a Bible...and now she owned her very own Bible! Her very first Bible. She was thanking us over and over. I was covered in goosebumps and tears formed in my eyes.
And that’s my why. Because there are a lot of people all over the world asking God for a Bible. Pastors are leading churches with absolutely no study materials. Faithful saints are leading classes of squirming children with no books or helps of any kind. I believe in a God who wants to answer those prayers. And He wants to use TJ and Dina to help to do it. We sell coffee to support our work with ResourcingNow.com, (a ministry that provides bibles and Christian resources to countries that do not have affordable access to these materials) proceeds help buy more literature, to ship to more places, and to put Bibles into waiting hands. We have put a special emphasis on purchasing more Bibles to give away. There are never enough.
I love coffee...I love OUR coffee. I believe its a great product and I am proud to offer it for sale. But that’s not my why. When I make a post about coffee, or run to the post office to send out an order...in my mind's eye, I am in a women's prison in Guatemala giving away Bibles, or in a squatter's village in Guatemala City offering free materials to a Pastor who showed up with a wheel barrel to carry away his prize. And that is a pretty great why. I am thankful its mine.
-Dina Hanken