Past Pioneers | Don and Twana Hawk

THE CALL: 2024-2025    |    2 MINUTE READ

The lean and tan farmer in Ohio was pulling ears of corn off the stalks he’d carefully planted months prior. But his mind was elsewhere.

Don Hawk couldn’t shake the sermon he and his wife, Twana, had heard a year ago. The missionary who preached had shared that there was a need for a farmer who could work with young boys in Honduras.

And that need was one that stuck with Don—unlike any missionary message he’d ever heard.

Packing up: Family and friends gather around as the Hawks prepare to leave for Honduras.

God was calling. And Don, like Moses, was listing off the many reasons the call wasn’t one he could answer.

What about the car? The baby? The teenager we’ve taken in? The farm? What people will think? 

But finally, Don found himself on his knees, in the middle of his cornfield, saying, “Yes, Lord. I don’t know what the future will hold, but I want you to have everything. I’ll do what you want me to do, come what may.”¹

While Don was no preacher or theologian, he was a farmer. And he and Twana were people who cared for young boys—after all, they had just taken in a young teen named Charles who needed guidance.

Over dinner and for several hours that evening, Don and Twana talked about what God was calling them to.

Early days in Honduras: Posing with the "moving" truck in front of their new home; children having fun.

With all the uncertainty and questions, Don and Twana and their young children set out for Honduras.

And that prayer: “Come what may.” Well, it was answered. And the “what may” wasn’t always easy. It looked like a small home with a dirt floor and chickens coming in and out. A house that held the Hawk family, nine students, and the teachers. And a farm that lacked the modern equipment they were used to, requiring much creativity in new ways to effectively farm.

But it became a farm that now encompasses over 2,000 acres with modern equipment. A farm that has become a model for others to follow. The school has 260 students today. It has seen hundreds of pastors receive the theological preparation necessary to lead churches across Honduras. It's a place that has instilled a biblical worldview in the students, who are becoming tomorrow’s leaders in Honduras.

Later in the ministry: Students standing in front of the chapel at El Sembrador; a delivery of modern farm equipment.

When God calls, His people often do not know what “come what may” will look like. When the Israelites left Egypt, they didn’t. When His disciples left their nets or jobs as tax collectors, they didn’t. And neither did Don and Twana.

But we’re reminded in His Word to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33 NIV).

¹ Hockett, Betty M., Come What May, p. 10