On our way out of Houston we stopped by to visit the Van Leuven family. I was bummed that Sam wasn't there, but he is on a mission in Australia. I always said that if he was ten years older I would marry him. These guys will always hold a very special place in my heart and I will always consider them family. I know it was no accident that Brother V got a job in Houston and they moved into the area just as I was in need of a friend and a swift kick on the pants. They moved in right before my sophomore year of high school and he was immediately called to be our early morning Seminary teacher. Every morning at 6:00 we congregated in their living room and became part of their lives. I truly enjoyed Brother V's lessons and I know that is what held me by a thread to the straight and narrow.
Then my junior year came and I really started testing my boundaries and I began getting involved in...well...not so great things with not so great people. I was actually Seminary President during that time but I got to a point where I stopped going and wanted to stop going to church altogether. One night Brother V showed up at my house in his sweats and he told me to get in the car. His kids were all in their pjs in the back seat and Sister V was at a meeting or something. He took me to get a Blizzard at Dairy Queen and he talked some sense into me that night. I was back in Seminary the next week and things changed for the better.
Sometimes the Van Leuvens would catch wind of some dumb Friday night activity I was going to be a part of and they would talk me into watching a movie and eating ice cream with them, or just hang out at their house instead. I really grew to love these guys. I would go to them for advice and to vent, rather than my own parents because I felt that they were more objective since they weren't responsible for me. I think every teenager needs friends like them.
Years later, even after I moved away, we stayed in contact and they would continue to check up on me. They were actually at Cody's and my sealing and it was awesome. It was like everything came full circle. I hope to be able to touch someone's life one day like they touched mine. Thanks Brother and Sister V, for believing in me and loving me, even if I was a snot nosed teenager who thought she had all the answers.
2 comments:
I love that family too. Why is it that we all feel so indebted to them? They were just so wonderful and actually took an interest in us! I do hope to influence the people I get called to serve as much as he did for me! How are they doing? I still can't believe that Sam is on a mission. Didn't you love their pajamas when they'd sneak down the stairs to listen to the last bit of lesson?
That is so awesome. I always SOOO nice to have people like that in your lives. Without that person sometimes you think "what would my life have been like without their positive influence?" Glad they were there for you!
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