Homecoming 08 @ June Lake, Ca.

Hi everyone-


Devon and I had a great time @ June Lake this year. We were a bit apprehensive about going up. I was debating whether or not to bring Gail's ashes with us.....and decided that it was best not to, because we know that she was there with us in Spirit.

And what a wonderful Spirit it was. A few months before it all happened, I called Brice and told him that I could not do the trip this year, that is head it up.

Orignally, Brice, Steve Yahata, Jeff Sano and I conspired and plotted to pull the trip together with mucho other helping hands (eg. condo hosts etc.). This year, though, it seemed right to turn it over again to the very willing and capable hands of friends like these.

As it turned out, it was the right thing to do. I was able to take as much or as little time with people as I needed (wanted) to. And I savored the time that I had just sitting down and talking with you all. Normal prime fishing time was filled with conversation and reflection. It seemed that if there was ever a year to have mucho snowfall, it was this year. At least for me personally.

We still got out to fish, but it wasn't that much of a priority. And that was ok. I guess I'll have to make it up by fishing harder next time out. Oh well.

There was a memorial service for Gail on Sunday night @ the Community center. Sandee Hunt, brought river rocks and asked that each that wanted to, write one word or phrase on the rock that reminded them of Gail. The rocks were brought forward and laid on the ground. This symbolized to me, God's faithfulness and deliverance. Devon and I were able to receive from the body through prayer. It was a cleansing time, as I felt that though the grief was still there, much of the bitterness was washed away.

Devon had a good time condo hopping as did the other teens. It was good for Devon to be with his extended family both from Half Moon Bay and So Cal. We were do blessed to have friends from Half Moon Bay join us this time around.....and they had a stinkin BLAST! We want to thank you all for making them feel so welcome!

It really ministered to us to see you guys connect with one another. These folks are walking with us on more of a daily basis and it was good to see the body working.

A few weeks prior to coming up to June Lake, I had a session with my counselor. As usual, I did not know what I was going to talk about during our session. On this particular day, a lot of pent up fury came out. I didn't realize how pissed off I had been with God. I guess that I had been seething under the surface. Devon, ever perceptive, was always able to pick up on this, but I always made light of it.....until I just exploded. Several images came to mind while I was sharing with my therapist....One was me shaking my fist at God and just ranting at him and shaking my fist at him for screwing my and Devon over and complaining about the sorry life we had.....Another picture was one of me pounding my fists on God's chest and crying and yelling....asking why he took Gail away.

I realized that God can handle my grief, my fury, my pain...anything... I think that this letting go allowed me to receive more fully from the Father during our time together @ June Lake.
I long for Devon to be able to express his feelings too. Although he says that he is angry, I'm not sure if he has directed his anger, hurt toward the Lord. Please be praying about this. He did hear me sharing about my anger during one conversation @ June, and he too admitted that he was angry.

Starting last week, our church is entering into a period of Renewal as our pastor is on a 4 month Sabbatical. The theme today was about entering God's rest. You might be able to listen to the podcast by going to www.marinerschurch.org. or something like that. There are two Mariners, so go to the one in Half Moon Bay.

Right now our plan is to come down on June 7th to spend Gail's anniversary with family, then drive home.

The summer is still fairly open. Devon and I are going on a mission with Mariners to the Navajo nation in Arizona. We were all set to attend Redwood this summer, but heard about a high school trip and Devon and I felt that this is what God wanted us to do. As most of you know, Gail, Devon and I love to do ministry together, and this is just a continuation of this. It will be a neat opportunity to serve together in ministry.

He has applied to do Camp-by-the sea, to be a counselor in training. He did this last year also. Plus at least of few weeks down South. He will be going to summer school because he does not need any more credits. Please be praying for wisdom in these decisons regarding summer and check out the message about Rest from the Mariners website.

Love,
Jon and Devon

A letter to my mom

Mother's Day for Devon and Jon.

Devon wrote this letter to Gail. We tied it to a helium balloon and let it fly up to heaven. This letter evoked many tears from the both of us as it was a sad day.




Dear Mom,
I really miss you. How is it in Heaven? I hope you enjoy it. Thank you Mom for all the things you did for me like: cooking, loving me when I was in a bad mood, cuddle, and spend time with me. There is nothing I could do to repay you. I really miss having you around. I miss your smile and your kindness you always showed to me no matter what mood I was in. Thank you. I don’t know what life brings next. You’re the best Mom that I could ever have. Now I don’t know what to do without you. Will I ever see you again? I feel so helpless without you, because I was so dependent upon you. I want to thank you though for the impact you made on my life, as well as many others. You made me into a better and stronger person as a result. I hope I can honor your memory by my life. I love you.

Love,
Devon

Mother's Day...

All-

Your prayers have been keeping us going. Devon had his Math Exit exam today.

Thank you for praying. He took his sweet time. He checked his work and he said that he made approximately 20 corrections. The test proctor was his independent studies teacher and he told me that he would make sure that Devon took his time.

Good buddy, Steve Yahata coached and tutored Devon on a regular basis in order to prepare him for his exit exam.

Devon and I will both meet with his counselor, Cindy tomorrow evening. We will be discussing Mom's Day. Cindy suggested that Devon write a letter to Gail and tie it to a helium balloon and watch it sail heavenward. Wow.....this just floored me!

Good buddy Kenji will be with us on Mom's Day. It is still hard to believe in some ways.

Devon and I will be travelling to June Lake in a few weeks to be with family and friends. A part of the service will be to remember Gail.

It was at that time almost a year ago that we were together worshipping the Lord together. Gail's mom Merry was there and her nephew, Justin, Lauren, Tricia and Leigh and Katie. We celebrated communion together and the people that had been coming over the years took bread and gave it away.....

Thanks for being with us in Spirit, dear friends.

Lifehouse Everything Drama

GodTube.com - Lifehouse Everything Drama

Thanks Lauren, Watching this again, gives us great comfort.

Gail's Birthday

Today is Gail's birthday. She was born in St. Vincent's hospital in Los Angeles in 1954. The same one that I was.

I am grateful to God that he brought her into this world and into our lives to bless us, to love us and be with us.

Good friend, Brice called last night and we prayed and it was good.

Please pray for Devon and i today and as we prepare to be with friends and family on Memorial Day weekend and her passing on June 7th, 2007.

Prom Night-April 19, 2008

Good friend Emmy and Dev went to Treasure Island in San Francisco. About two miles away, the City of San Francisco shining brightly against a darkened sky.

Dad didn't miss out. Moms and Dads had a great night out at 1300 on Fillmore in the revitalized Fillmore District. Southern cooking and great company.

Devon had a great night out with friends, and from what I hear, no drama.

It was cool, and we were all glad for him.

beachcombing

Hi Everyone-

Jon and Devon here. Here to the left, Devon and three friends wrote their messages in their bottles, corked their bottles and I almost threw my arm out trying to throw the bottles out as far as I could. Pacifica pier, here we come. It was fun though. It was friend Alisa's idea and we tagged along last weekend after hoops practice.

Today, after church Devon and three friends and I took a walk along the bluffs. These three friends are part of our hoops team and Sunday (coffee hangout gang). They are affectionately known as the 'Road Warriors.' Why? Because the theme that we have now is called, "Glory Road." In fact, we are going to watch the movie at the Community Center this upcoming weekend.

We are sharing our stories with each other. Today, we shared prayer requests.
Some of them are: Keep my job, Get a job @ peets, Get a job at New Leaf, Big Wave go through, Keep walking, Mom's broken leg, Sick friends, that our families will come to the pancake breakfast and service on Easter Sunday. We wrote down the prayer requests and left the next page blank so that we can write down how the Father answered our prayers. Coach Jeff shared a joke about asking the Lord for his help.

He said that there was once a guy that said that he was going to win the lottery and was counting on the Lord to make him rich and started to complain as time went on that he wasn't winning the lottery. Then, one day, he heard a booming voice from the heavens say to him, 'Buy a lottery ticket.'

We don't have, because we do not ask.

Counseling update/Grief Process

Both Devon and I will continue the grief counseling through the one-year anniversary of Gail's passing. We are looking to transition into something else that will help us. There is an organization in Palo Alto, called KARA. Please pray for this to see if this is something that might be benefical. We are stretching out the period between sessions. Please pray for this transition.

The grief process is challenging still. We don't know what to expect. The Lord has been with us each step of the way. I am finding out how selfish that I am and how I get riled up over stupid stuff. Devon is good at pointing this out to me....in a loving way. This is good for me. The Lord is continuing to grow us up from the inside out. The battle is to self protect vs. God protect.

School/Math Update:

Devon is passing Algebra and his other classes. He has not been able to connect with Uncle Steve Yahata due to homework. Pray that we can find a good time to connect on this. Devon is starting to volunteer at the local hospital a few hours a week for community service. Coach Jeff did a mock interview with Devon and Devon did well. He still will have to work for free at home.

Dad's Work:

An exciting development is happening at Bay City. It is the development of a wellness program.

Also, Dad is being freed up to be with people at the different locations. He is enjoying it and is thankful. He is able to be used to build community at the marketplace.


Hoops

One thing occurred to me as I was yelling at my team from the sidelines to rebound......If you do not practice rebounding, don't expect to see it in the game.
Guess what we are practicing? We had a chalk talk this past week.

We are about:
1. Having fun.
2. Doing our best.
3. Never give up.


Community

• Dad went to Happy Taco with three friends from work.
• Coach Jeff, Devon and Benji and Dad went to Cameron's to watch UCLA vs. Stanford.
• Dad had an opportunity to connect with Lis' and Craig @ coffee co.
• Devon is continuing to go the guys group on Wednesday nights.
• Dad is meeting on Wednesday and Friday mornings with different guys.
• Dad is getting together with a friend periodically to talk and discuss 'The Essential Wooden'

Summer Plans

More about this next time.