Harder Family

Harder Family

Sunday, March 1, 2015

A Buttonwillow Hug - Wayne

Every once in a while, we are reminded by people who were present on a missions trip to Mexicali in 1998, that they knew there were sparks flying between Rebecca and me, even though I didn't want to admit it. What they don’t know is that it was a hug in Buttonwillow, CA that sealed the deal. Sitting next to Rebecca on the long bus ride down to Mexicali taught us a lot about each other. The bus driver, Kevin Peterson, said he had never seen so many facial expressions from one person in a day as Rebecca made while sitting next to me on the bus. Just for the record, Rebecca asked me to sit next to her on the bus ride. After a week of ministry in Mexicali, Mexico and the long bus ride back toward Santa Rosa, we arrived in the small town of Buttonwillow. This town is in the middle of nowhere along the I-5 and has about five gas stations and three hotels.  We were all hanging out talking and Rebecca and I decided to take a walk around the 2nd floor balcony of the hotel. I could tell Rebecca, who at the age of 19 had all the qualities of the woman of noble character from Proverbs 31, wanted to share something with me that was very deep and personal.  When I prodded a little, I figured out that she had been deeply hurt as a girl. I was moved to give her a hug to comfort her. What happened next has been part of who we are as couple to this day. In Genesis 2:24 it uses the word “cleave” or “cling” and that is exactly what Rebecca did. She clung to me and I thought, “Uh oh, this girl is serious.” That was in April, by the end of July, we were engaged, and in January of 1999, we were married. That was over 16 years ago and I still love my “Buttonwillow Hugs.” 


1 comment:

  1. Ahhh! That is so cute! I remember you both falling in love and thinking, "Wow, what is Rebecca getting herself into." But God is good and you two are perfect for each other.

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