Preston Hanschen
At Thanksgiving, 2010, my sister announced to the family that she was pregnant. Her announcement prompted Rayna to take a test because she hadn't been feeling well for a couple of weeks. Sure enough, that weekend we learned that God was bigger than 99% effective. We thought we were done having kids. God thought otherwise.
In July of 2011, Preston joined the family picture. His smile is an infectious source of joy. With three red-headed firstborns already in the house, he's got his work cut out for him to establish his voice and personality in the family. One of the cutest sights, though, is to watch him and his big sister play together.
One of my favorite stories about Preston dates back to January, 2013, when my wife took Peyton and Preston to play on the playscape of a nearby Chick-fil-a. This playground was designed for younger kids, but occasionally an older child decides to avail himself of the recreational opportunity. Well, this day a six-plus-year-old was there. He came over to three-and-half-year-old Peyton and started yelling at her. Doing his own thing at the time, sixteen-month-old Preston heard the boy start to yell at Peyton. Preston stood up, walked over, put his body between Peyton and the boy. He turned to the boy, shook his finger at him, and said, "No, sir!" The boy immediately backed down and left the play area.
My prayer for Preston has become that this is not an isolated incident, but that God would grow his heart for the marginalized and helpless. I pray that He would continue to use Preston to stand in the gap between the oppressor and the oppressed, between the powerful and the powerless. I pray that Preston would stand for justice and peace (mishpat and shalom), telling the world that this is not how it is supposed to be and that this is not how it will ultimately be.
In July of 2011, Preston joined the family picture. His smile is an infectious source of joy. With three red-headed firstborns already in the house, he's got his work cut out for him to establish his voice and personality in the family. One of the cutest sights, though, is to watch him and his big sister play together.
One of my favorite stories about Preston dates back to January, 2013, when my wife took Peyton and Preston to play on the playscape of a nearby Chick-fil-a. This playground was designed for younger kids, but occasionally an older child decides to avail himself of the recreational opportunity. Well, this day a six-plus-year-old was there. He came over to three-and-half-year-old Peyton and started yelling at her. Doing his own thing at the time, sixteen-month-old Preston heard the boy start to yell at Peyton. Preston stood up, walked over, put his body between Peyton and the boy. He turned to the boy, shook his finger at him, and said, "No, sir!" The boy immediately backed down and left the play area.
My prayer for Preston has become that this is not an isolated incident, but that God would grow his heart for the marginalized and helpless. I pray that He would continue to use Preston to stand in the gap between the oppressor and the oppressed, between the powerful and the powerless. I pray that Preston would stand for justice and peace (mishpat and shalom), telling the world that this is not how it is supposed to be and that this is not how it will ultimately be.
