Married: 25 years
Kids: 4
Home: Mustang, OK
Time with RYFO: 5 years
Got involved with RYFO by: A dream Tina had in ’92 about servings bands. Years later, at Cornerstone, God made this dream a reality by introducing the Hamman family to RYFO.
Fun Fact: The Hamman’s purchase auctioned storage units and flip the fun finds for income, donations, and personal inventory.
When we first arrived at the Hammans we weren’t exactly sure what to expect. I mean, what can you expect to happen when you pull up to someone’s house after 12 hours of traveling and you are totally exhausted? At the very least we assumed we would be greeted, shown our accommodations, and perhaps fed. However, as soon as we pulled into the drive way we were greeted with smiles, hugs, and a strong sense of coming home (and some awesome tostadas). We both felt like we had arrived home with family and that we belonged.
What a powerful testimony to the presence and peace of our Lord who dwells with and in His children.
Our conversation with the Hamman’s quickly went to deep places and within only a few hours we learned that we had many things in common. Our time with the Hamman’s was a tremendous blessing and completely confirmed for us why God called us on the road. There are many, many things that we could share about the Hamman’s because of how rich and full their lives are being lived. For example, Lonnie and Tina are in the process of preparing 3 sober living homes. Tina currently serves and teaches at a Sober living home and they serve bands on a regular basis. But folks, that’s just the beginning! The Hamman’s serve with every ounce of resource God has given them! We were blessed to witness the gospel in action through their lives and we learned so much from them in a short amount of time. One of the greatest lessons we learned from the Hamman’s was about resiliency.
The Webster Dictionary defines resiliency as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” As we spent time getting to know the Hamman family I can, with totally certainty, call them resilient. They are a family that has overcome so much: loss of several loved ones, loss of personal businesses, family crisis, health issues, worldly darkness, and the list goes on. The Hamman’s have responded to these challenges with grace and toughness. Each painful or difficult story we heard ended in a beautiful triumph. The Hamman’s have not only triumphed over bleak situations but they have truly become “more than conquerers in Christ Jesus.”
As a result of their own struggles the Hamman’s are fully relatable people. There isn’t a “religious” bone in their bodies. The Hamman’s have turned their sorrows into compassionate and heartfelt service toward others. They are living the gospel out loud, and filled with God’s presence. We believe that the following verse perfectly sums up the Hamman family:
“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “let light shine out of darkness.” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:6-9)
We are so thankful for this experience and we are well aware that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We believe that RYFO attracts families with this kind of caliber who not only have gifts of hospitality, but naturally live a life of service that mirrors the heart of Jesus. A broken, beautiful jar of clay poured out for the kingdom.
If our time with the Hamman’s is any indication of what’s ahead, we are in for endless treasures and amazing experiences!
Thank you Hamman family for all that you do!