Remembering Papa George

Papa George would only let me take his picture with the wig.

This week I traveled home for the funeral of one of my favorite people, George Hatinger, or Papa George as many called him. Just a few weeks ago my younger sisters and I sat at his house with him and Grandma Joyce sharing about our lives and retelling old stories. I've made a habit of stopping by their house for a visit every time I'm home. Papa George always shared stories of his camping trips and visits to see his family. I could sit and listen to his stories for hours, because most of those stories contained great wisdom.

Papa George and Grandma Joyce are great heroes of faith on my journey. I don't remember many gatherings or events while growing up at our church that didn't involve the two of them. Hayrides, Sunday School parties, after-school programs, Vacation Bible School, you name it they were there. I can't even begin to count the hours that were put in to make sure that all of the children in the church knew who Jesus Christ was and how much God loved us. They taught me about prayer and the importance of memorizing Scripture.

I remember reciting verses to Papa George, even when he wasn't my Sunday School teacher, and getting so nervous I would forget it. He would always smile and say "You can do it." or "You'll figure it out."  I may not have had a clue what the verse was but Papa George believed I could do it and that was enough for me to try.

Even a few months ago on one of my visits home, I was sharing with Papa George and Grandma Joyce about some of the challenges I was facing at the time. Papa George looked across the room at me, as if I was a little girl again and said. "You'll figure it out." Suddenly those challenges didn't seem so huge.

I am so incredibly grateful that the Lord allowed Papa George to be a part of my life for so many years. This simple post hardly begins to scratch the surface of the influence he had and will continue to have on my life. He leaves a legacy that I believe will still have an impact on those who hear his story.

Thank you Papa George for countless hours of prayer and endless words of encouragement. Thank you God for Papa George's remarkable example of faith and servant leadership.

Rex and Papa George volunteering at VBS 2008.