MK forum

I also had the Taylors as my dorm parents my Senior year. It was a great year! Aunt Gwen was ALWAYS there. She was always there to listen, to talk, just to be. She was a calm in the storm, a steady force. It was especially nice to know she and U. Calvin would believe us if we told them something was amiss. When something was amiss, they dealt with it right away, and I'm thankful.

Another special set of dorm parents to me were the Royers. Dan and Becky came into the dorm when no-one else would: the year after the "big split." Aunt Becky left us notes in our room- encouraging us and letting us know we were thought of and prayed for. She spent a lot of time preparing wonderful snacks that showed us we were important and cared about. U. Dan encouraged me in my walk with God- to not take sharing Jesus lightly.

I'm tearing up.

Not sure why.

I think it's just this thought, that people had such an opportunity to pour love and care and concern into our lives. And some did. And some did not. Some recognized the vulnerability and taught us to find our security in Christ. Others took advantage. Or simply did not care enough.

I kept those handwritten notes and those words of praise and affirmation. I still have some of them. At one point, I wrote letters to several of those people, telling them how much their efforts on my behalf meant. And then I stopped. I stopped because I began to see things through other's eyes...and I began to wonder what I really knew.

And now, I'm afraid. Afraid of whose name will show up next. Somebody I loved? Somebody I respected?

Still, the Holy Spirit compels me to push forward for the sake of my family and friends. For the sake of healing and hope.

I had Aunt Gwen in biology class. I HATED studying for all the fill-in-the-blanks questions and diagrams she had on the test. However, I still remember "ganglia" and diverse other terms from her tests. I still remember having to collect butterflies for a butterfly collection. I still remember trying to dissect a toad that was the very definition of rigor mortis! I remember Aunt Gwen dressing up VERY weird one day wearing sunglasses, I think a hat, and a few different colored beaded necklaces and handing out quizzes . . .not sure WHAT was going on that day.

I remember this lady ALWAYS challenged us in our studies--and we were the better for it. And she always caused my mom to start talking in a Kentuckian accent after my mother spent any time with her! LOL

Great woman . . .Aunt Gwen!

@ ornerythornery: BTW what "google" do you use to get all this information? I have some people I would like info on and to get in touch with... And for the record although it can be a pleasant experience, having a parent for a teacher is not always easy as sometimes they are harder on their own child so as not to appear to show favoritism. Trust me, I know...

But in all seriousness, I have always had much respect for U. Calvin and A. Gwen and have never heard any negative words against them the eight years I was at Via. Thank God that they were there to be a help/comfort to those of you who were hurting.

@ hurt-n-hopeful: I applaud all of you as you work through the pain either endured personally or witnessed. Continue to let God use you as you and do not be afraid of the "what ifs" that may or may not be out there.

I know how you feel about whose name may or may not appear in a thread about some kind of abuse or treatment that was not fair or just. BUT, listen to what is being said...although the abusers are out there and there may still be some that need to be identified, the one being abused knew something wasn't right and even though it wasn't discussed, their heart was unsettled. And someone who is abusive is not just abusive to one person and then they "get over it" like the flu. It is a cancer that eventually consumes them and becomes apparent to multiple persons.

Those who God brought to come along side to give you all the periods of peace and calm such as the Taylors and U. Dan and A. Becky and show you true love are ones who you can confidently speak fondly of because you knew in your hearts that they were there for you and not for themselves. Trust me, if you felt that way, then others did as well and I'd venture to say their names would not appear in the same negative light as those who abused those they were entrusted to care for. They do not necessarily "outweigh" or "compensate" for the evil ones, but there were/are some real spirit-filled missionaries who came through Via, whose records are untarnished. Savor your memories!

My mom and Aunt Becky were good friends and I can echo the sentiment. She was like a second mom for me and I loved spending time with them and babysitting for them. (The only thing that topped them being like second parents was the way in which Aunt Becky's parents made me feel special, treating me like their own grandchild!)

It's so nice to hear about the good memories and hear about the adults who had a positve impact on us. I always got such a good laugh from being around Uncle Calvin and Aunt Gwen couldn't be any sweeter. Aunt Becky was special to me to. Always taking time out to talk and invest her time in me. Good memories. One of my greatest memories of Aunt Velda is when I would come around the land selling bananas. She would come out and feel nearly all the bananans. She would usually buy two and then say, "They give me gas." I thought it was hilarious. Even today it makes me laugh. I also really appreciated Aunt Julie who taught me fifth grade, I think.

1.) John Denver songs take you back in time to U.Jack's art class
2.) You doubted Dan Bailey would ever finish leveling off his section of dirt when we built the TIM building
3.) You know who Veef, Gum, Pistiado, Wells, Sconta, Cow, Loch Ness, Drades, Caco, and Tizio are
4.) You fought against losing the big Eucalyptus tree
5.) Watching Aunt Jeanette run the 50 yard dash at field day was the highlight of your year (waggling her fingers at everyone)
6.) You swam at Retreat under the watchful eye of Ted Wright or Roger Bailey, both sporting their umbrella hats
7.) You remember when the Jane House fish pond actually had water & fish
8.) You rode the home-made zipline in front of the girls dorm or you witnessed William Drost lose half his scalp riding the zipline
9.) You paid 75 Cruzeiros for a coke from the Student Council
10.) You stayed up late at night listening to Patty Strickland laughing her head off at some radio show about Babycakes
Wow! Good things did happen. It helped to reflect on those times.

10. You passed your bikes over the locked gate at the boys dorm to Marc Key then rode downtown to buy a XTudo and coke,... many times, and were never caught.
9. Bife a Cavalo at the trevo was the always the answer to bad refei food.
8. Mickey's feet...need I say more.
7. You had the unfortunate wet disgusting experience of getting body slammed by a very sweaty Sr.Ted playing salao.
6. Salao balls were rubbed with animal fat nightly to help preserve them.
5. #779 still brings a smile to your face.
4. The principal's son was nicknamed after the Russian president.
3. Just saying "mooo" would solicit such a dramatic response.
2. The A-Team was the highlight of the week.
1. You may have used the word "jolly" once or twice in your life.

These are great - Does everyone know that U. Cal is the ONLY one who knows how to squeedgie correctly - did anyone else get lessons and actually enjoy the attention? What about that novela mexicana we were all allowed to watch except for that ONE episode. U. Cal and A. Gwen have always been the epitome of what happens when love is present in spite of views that conflict with how you interpret certain biblical passages. I´d almost like to start up a list of people who were great, but I´ve got the same "receio" as hurtnhopeful - I´m afraid of finding out something I wish I didn´t have to know. However, I think I can safely list U. Cal and A. Gwen and A. Velda, from what I´ve read so far. OT, I´m so glad you were able to gather some info from google, you should meet them sometime , you´d be surprised at how nice they are.

I´m going to have to watch that movie, although I may regret it, if it´s a dumb and dumber style And that quote´s so via like, "100 bottles of Coke on the wall", and "making bread out of nothin at all" (that was a special one of a dear friend of mine, the same one who taught me to economize on my aerobics), we thot we were so clever. As for the list, I´d love to remember the good stuff as well as recognize the need to remember and confront the bad.