by Len Gengel
Father’s day can mean many things to many people, it is a day of honoring our Fathers, our Grandfathers, our Guardians and Role Models who have helped us along the way! You never truly understand Father’s day until you become a Dad, then you start to get it. I raised 3 children with Cherylann and now we are raising 66 Children in Haiti along with our 2 boys in the US and our daughter’s legacy. As I write this email, I struggle with being worthy enough to celebrate on Father’s Day or maybe just pray for my Dad as he sacrificed so much for his 8 children, it was his love for us that kept us together as a Family. Being the youngest of 8 children I never thought I would have more kids than him, but I do! I never thought I was capable of becoming the man he was, but I have tried and I hope he’s proud of that! Raising 66 Children in the poorest country in the western hemisphere has its challenges, but the rewards you receive from our children, far outweigh the daily challenges. On a recent Britsionary Trip, a father of 3 teenage children asked me what keeps me up at night, eluding to being the Dad of 66 children. I smile and said, when we reach 100% of Child Sponsorships, I will sleep more soundly. He was taken back a bit by my answer, you see I had the same challenges he has as a dad, just on a larger scale, he smiled and said he would find a way to help us help the children of Haiti at BLB.
Asking for help is very tough for Haitians and our Family, it’s that we are a proud family and culture. Learning how to accept help, is a struggle for us internally, as we have always been givers and now we are receivers of international support from many in the US, Canada and abroad. I’m very grateful for all my children, they are all a blessing in my life and on this Father’s Day I need to recognize my sons Bernie and Richie! Who are named after their Grandfathers by the way, two men that Cherylann and I loved very much and left us way to early in their lives. Both young men have suffered greatly thru this tragedy, Bernie had to go thru his entire College career with this tragedy on his shoulders, it wasn’t until this past December when he graduated, that it occurred to me that he never experienced the joy and wonder of college life, as this black cloud hung over his head for the past 5 years. His commitment to honor his Sisters Legacy is obvious in his designing the 3 BLB websites over the past 5 ½ years and creating all the Social Media and IT for Be Like Brit. Richie has also gone thru the same thing, but thru his High School life! He persevered thru our darkest hours as a family and being 14 years old when we lost Brit, it was so tough for him to process, and his hero was gone into eternal life! Richie just returned from Italy after a 3 week course thru his NC College, he enters his Junior year in the fall as a Graphic Designer and works with Bernie on all Social Media Strategy. These two are my blessing today along with you and our children in Haiti. Please think about honoring your father with a sponsorship in his name at Be Like Brit? You will be helping one of Brit’s children, it will help us change the world, one child at a time!!!
Keeping the Faith in Haiti and the USA!!!
Proud Father,
Len Gengel
