Mount Hermon Mornings

I had a Mount Hermon moment yesterday (Tuesday) morning as I walked from my office to the local elementary school.  I had a Mount Hermon moment and it's not even June.  It wasn't anything in particular.  Perhaps being from LA, I took a big deep breath of clean air slightly damp with morning mist...and that's what brought me back to Mount Hermon.


Mount Hermon is a week-long summer conference in NorCal with all the churches under our "umbrella" group.  It was the week of hanging out with friends from all over the California (and the Pacific Northwest).  Every year I spent a week at Mount Hermon in a cabin with other crazy girls and a cabin leader.  Every year I heard sermons and attended seminars and played ridiculous games (peanut butter elbow relays, capture the flag flour bombs in the rain, and ultimate relay race to name a few) and came up with crazy skits about the camp theme.  This was just junior high, interhigh, high school, and college camps.


I remember even back to Family camp when my dad was the dinner emcee.  Every night he awarded a dinner table with a pot of fresh white rice (only Asians might understand the significance).  During the afternoon free time, we went swimming and creek walking and hiking.  We stayed up late and ate candy and played ping-pong.  It was a week of hanging out with church families and convincing everyone's dad you needed another ice cream cone.


But that's not really what I thought about yesterday morning as I walked to school.  It wasn't some convicting message I heard because I honestly can't remember a single sermon or camp theme in the many years I went to camp.  It wasn't crazy games or sermon illustrations or funny skits or embarrassing moments--all though there are plenty of those.


What came to mind were the men and women who served me at camp all those years.  The cabin leaders of my cabin and the ones next door who prayed over me.  The staffers who took care of me when I was injured and sat next to me on the benches when I couldn't participate in the games.  The older men and women who invested in me for those week-long camp experiences, and the ones who continued to invest even after their obligation finished.


When I was a junior high, interhigh, high school, and college camper, I never would've imagined I'd be serving God in a tiny dairy farming village in the middle of nowhere Japan.  It's not because I didn't love Japan back then, but I was so angry at God.  Though it took years after my last summer as a camper to get things right with God, I'm thankful for those week-long God experiences every summer.  I never had the opportunity in college to serve at Mount Hermon to "pay my dues" but...


Thank you to all the cabin leaders and staffers who served me over the years at Mount Hermon.   Thank you for praying for me even when I could have cared less.  Thank you for trusting God had bigger plans for an angry and rebellious teenager who always seemed to get hurt at camp.  Thank you for having faith God could use a week-long summer camp to change hearts, especially angry teenage ones.  Thank you for loving Jesus and faithfully serving Him so one day I could do the same.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that isset before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." 

Hebrews 12:1-2

Defensive adjustment

When I was in high school, I wasn't afraid of anyone on the court...including a 6'2" center from Inglewood.  I never thought I couldn't take a girl.  I was fearless--which I think surprised most people as a 5'1" Japanese kid.  But I never thought I could get beat on defense.  I thought I could defensively take any girl on the court.

And this week reminded me that I am not in high school anymore.

We are gearing up for the junior high all-area tournament at the end of June.  There are 9 players, so I fill in to play the 10th.  I am not as fast as I used to be, and I have girls half my age driving past me and shooting over me.  We play full-court, game speed, 8-minute games with 2-minute breaks.  My legs are incredibly tired.  Not sore, just tired.  I can barely keep up with my team of junior high girls, and I cherry pick and let them shoot the three.  I'm not lazy...I'm old (as my students verbally reminded me Wednesday at the gym).

I had to adjust my game.  I am no longer on the court with amazingly talented teammates who could anticipate offenses and my reactions.  I can't beat them on the steals and quick cuts, but I can read their eyes and intercept the passing lane and hang back in help in just the right spot.  I know how far to close out without them flying by me, and to let them shoot the three when they're still 3-feet behind the arc.  Always, always, always stretch.

In the same way, I've had to adjust my defense against sin since moving to Japan.  I'm no longer surrounded with amazingly godly women who could anticipate when my stupidity was about to kick in.  I can't run to their apartments or call them for accountability, but I can recall the Scriptures they read to me and the prayers they prayed.  I know how to say 'no', and to remember the cross when I feel weak.  Always, always, always pray.

School disturbance

Monday’s big disturbance was the fact it was Monday and we were getting curry rice for lunch.  Friday is curry rice day, and for some reason things got switched up and there was great confusion and distress.  I heard 3 complaints that they had eaten curry rice for breakfast. 

Yesterday’s big disturbance was the fact it was Tuesday and we were getting bread instead of rice for lunch.  Every other Thursday we get bread instead of rice, and yet again, there was great confusion and distress.  The fish needed to be eaten with rice, not bread. 

Today’s big disturbance is lunchroom seating.  Two other schools are sending their 1^st & 2^nd graders over to play and have lunch.  They won’t fit in the 1^st/2^nd grade classroom.  Perhaps they’ll fit in the art room.  But the art room chairs are too tall.

I’m glad to know that of all things to wreak havoc at work this week have all been related to lunch. 

After lunch, 10 teachers rushed into the copy room to play with the science teacher’s planetarium.  We covered the window on the door and found an outlet.  The teachers laughed when one mentioned how confused the students would be if they came into a deserted teachers room.  We ooed and awed at the stars on the ceiling for about 5 minutes before someone realized they were late for a meeting.  One of the more random things I’ve done at work.

Dear Alfred

I knew I had a few very important things to do this week while I'm back home:
1) Watch my cousin get married
2) Spend time with my dad
3) Visit your parents

Saturday, I watched my cousin marry a beautiful woman, and we welcomed her into our family.  It was the first time my cousins were all together in over 15 years.  We even got Grandma out on the dance floor.  It was nice to see everyone together in one place.  Family will always be family.

Today, I took Dad down to Terranea for lunch.  We sat near the cliffs and shared a burger.  It was the perfect day.  Blue skies, no wind, lots of sunshine, and a clear view of the lighthouse.  I'm thankful that we got to share another lunch together.  It hasn't been an easy 3 weeks, but I'm thankful for that one more lunch today.  I know my time with him is short, especially since I'm only home 1 week this time.  But I'm glad we had lunch today, and some short hangouts and dinners interspersed.

Tonight, I went to see your parents.  I sat in the garage for a while, not sure of what I was going to say when I saw them.  I haven't seen your parents since our high school graduation.  It took a lot of deep breathing to get me to your house.  I still remember the shortcut you showed me years ago.  I listened to your mom play the piano for a long time before I rang the doorbell.  I didn't want to disrupt her.  She was wearing your varsity hoodie: #9.  She took me to your room, and it looked the same as it did back in high school.   You looked good; you always have.  She cried, and I hugged her and cried too.  She showed me stuff from your apartment, including your nerdy calculator.  We shared a couple quiet smiles.  We sat on the edge of your bed and talked--just like you and I used to back in high school when we'd study bio and pre-calc together.  Everything looked the same, and I forgot how much I love your parents.  We sat and talked for almost an hour, and I even got them to crack smiles.

I saw the program sitting on my desk when I came home Thursday night.  I looked through the pictures.  I pulled out my yearbooks and saw all the goofy things you wrote freshman year and the short sentimental note you wrote senior year.  I'm thankful for the memories I have with you--slow dancing in your kitchen, eating pancakes at IHOP, watching stars on your roof, catching sunsets at the cliffs, sitting on your bed making faces at each other for hours, walking together after school or practice, drawing walruses in each other's bio notebooks, serenading me with boy band songs, and all the other memories only you and I will share.  Thank you, thank you for those memories, those good times, those smiles.

I still miss you.  So do your parents and lots of your other friends.  I still can't believe you're gone.  Even though my heart hurts, I have a peace I don't understand.  God is still good.  He is still faithful.  He is still sovereign and omnipotent and omniscient.  He is still who He says He is.  I know where you are, and I know where I'm going.  And while my heart still aches, I know one day I'll see you again.