pat and rebekah had an amazing week together in haiti. all that i'm writing is from information i've gathered from them. i {obviously!} wasn't there...but their trip has to be included here! one of the moms was an incredible photographer and i'm SO thankful to have these pictures of their time there!
when the leader asked rebekah MONTHS ago why she wanted to go on this trip (in an interview), her #1 reason, without hesitation, was, "to spend a week with just my dad." she is and always has been "daddy's girl." she adores her dad. and she was quick to realize that this was a unique opportunity to have him all to herself.
these are the kids that went (each one had a parent along, also.)
team meeting. from what pat has shared, their leader did an outstanding job leading them as a team...and having the parent/child combo's have time to process together.
they also led a vacation bible school for kids. theirs was 3 days long. the first day, they had 200 kids, the second day they had 300 kids and the third day they had 400 kids show up!!
they fed the kids a MEAL every day of the camp. ALL those hundreds of kids!
this is Emile. he has my heart. i have his picture in my Bible and have prayed for and loved him ever since we were there last October. pat and rebekah had strict instructions to tell him "hi" from me and give him a hug :-)
and this one. Jenjefky. there's something about him that reminded pat and i of Levi. AND...when Pastor Francois and Madou were here in February, the MINUTE they met Levi, they said, "he looks like Jenjefky!" it was too funny!
all the dads with Pastor Francois.
the girls got their hair braided :-)
this picture. i love it so much. her smile. her joy. her love for those she is serving. i just LOVE it.
after looking through ALL the pictures over the last few days that all her friends sent her of their trip...she decided THIS one is her favorite. :-)
these are his girls. he loves them.
remember when i went back in the fall? and the same boy fell asleep on me every time i saw him? well, that boy, Peggy, attached himself to my rebekah and sat on her lap the whole week :-) and he's gotten SO much bigger!!
naica. she is a spitfire. they did an easter egg hunt for the kids (just Pastor Francois' kids - about 50 - not the 400 that were at the camp!) pat said they had no idea what an easter egg hunt was. but enjoyed it once they got the hang of it!
there's Emile and his smile that is bigger than life.
i'm so thankful that pat invested this time into rebekah and her heart.
the last day they took 20 or so of the kids to the beach for the day! and to a restaurant. the kids were so blessed to get to order their own food.
they had a GREAT time. the trip itself went really well. the kids did well. rebekah was a trooper with her cast and crutches...and her friends helped her so much. it's been wonderful to hear about their trip from each of them as they process.
rebekah starts a sentence with, "when i go back to haiti...." many times a day. haiti and those kids and pastor francois have worked themselves deep into our hearts. we don't love them because they "need something from us." we love them because, well, we just LOVE them and we know them and we pray for them and think about them and ache to be with them again. that's what love is, right?
2 comments:
This is so beautiful, Courtney. I remember questioning (though I'm ashamed to admit it) when missionaries and other people used to talk about how much they "loved" a certain people group or place they had served, thinking "How can you say that you love these people you barely know/aren't related to you/have nothing in common with you." But, now I KNOW. And I praise God for the gift of real LOVE He grants us for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Can't wait to see what He continues to do through your family and these people you're loving so well.
What a wonderful opportunity it was for Rebekah to go on the mission trip to Haiti with her Dad! I am envious of never having a similar time with Patrick when he was young. This trip will definitely have a lasting impact upon Rebekah's life and her ever-growing commitment in sharing God's love!
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