The first Sunday that I was in Pensacola this past February, I went to church and providentially winded up being a little late because I could not find the church's location. As I entered the church, I noticed a well dressed man with an athletic build bringing his daughter and little boys into the church (Trina was home sick this Sunday). When he heard me coming behind him he turned around and said inquisitively in an aggressive, challenging manner, "What are you doing here?" and I shot right back, "I found this church on the internet." He just stared at me and slowly nodded his head. Right then and there, I knew there was something special about who I would later find out to be Todd Leonard. I could tell by the way he carried himself and his intense gaze that this man was a natural born leader. I could tell he was a Man's Man... Trust me, as a Marine officer, I work with some of the bravest, hardest men that you'll find on the face of the planet. I know how to spot them. But Todd had something more than just being a natural leader. After the service ended, as I was meeting and shaking hands, I asked the couple in front of me who the "well dressed guy with all the kids was on the back pew." They responded, "That's Todd Leonard, he's working through his Masters at RTS and is head of the men's ministry, Men for Modern Reformation." In my mind, I was thinking, "Of course he is. That makes perfect sense." So I walked over to Todd and formally introduced myself and we exchanged phone numbers.
I later found out through people in the church that Todd had been an Army Infantry Officer in the 90's and before that, had been Pensacola High's starting Quarterback (Emmett Smith played for their rival school, and Todd led Pensacola to victory when they played against each other his senior year).
Two Sundays later, I saw Trina for the first time. She was with two of Todd's kids, so I knew that this must be his wife (although, I think I would have guessed that she was Todd's wife without the kids just by the way she dressed {classy like Todd}, and the way she carried herself. Before Todd could come in the room with the other boys, she introduced herself to me and told me that Todd had told her about me. She invited me to come over to their house the next Friday to hang out with them after the church's Good Friday service. I was excited about finally getting the opportunity to hang with Todd.
On the drive out the next Friday to the Leonard house, I had no idea what to expect. I think that you can tell a lot about people by how they keep their house. I was expecting with all the young boys that Todd and Trina had, that their house would probably be a disaster. Nothing could have been further from the truth. As I pulled up their drive, it was like I was entering a plantation drive. To say that the grounds were well kept would be an understatement. Everything was in pristine condition. The two story white house with the white fence looked like a scene from the cover of Southern Living. I was impressed. Then, when I came into the house, I was even more surprised to see it spotless...but boys were running everywhere. I quickly found myself engaged in a wrestling match for my life (I think Jacob was legitimately trying to hurt me...but I wasn't about to let that happen) with all those boys (this would be a common theme with my time with the Leonards). Every time I entered the house, I was greeted with threats, and shouts of "Mr. Grant is here! Let's Fight!" I loved it!
That night after the Good Friday service, we ate dinner at Chili's and then went back to the Leonard house and shared stories. As Todd, Trina, Faith (the Leonard's oldest daughter), and I talked, God began to do something amazing in our lives. He knit our hearts together in ways that we could never have imagined. Over the next two months, Todd became like a Father/Brother to me and Trina like my second mom. Their children, Faith, Zach, Jacob, Jackson, and Gabriel were like my own brothers and sister. From that Easter weekend until I left Pensacola, we spent every minute of our free time together.
I learned so much from watching Todd and Trina and their children. I always knew that children were a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 127:3-5), but for some reason the actual working out of that blessing had escaped me until I saw it first hand with the Leonards. The other thing Todd taught me was the importance of fulfilling the Creation Mandate given to us in Genesis 1:28. I learned about taking dominion over the realms the God places me in. I saw Todd and Trina work to do that in everything they did, and it was inspiring. More than anything though, I learned that God is full of surprises and that we never know what blessings He has for us in relationship waiting just right around the corner.
So when I left Pensacola on May 27, we all had tears in our eyes. I hated having to leave. Little did I know that in August I was going to come back to the states and have a glorious reunion with the Leonards! The first picture above was taken right before I left Pensacola. The second picture was taken at a Cajun restaurant in Natchitoches, Louisiana during our reunion in August.
In the spirit of everything Leonard, this weekend the Leonard family is running a triathlon together (the three younger boys are going to watch)! They have been training together as a family for the past two months. I am praying that they all do well...Todd, don't let Trina pass you on the run!
