From Tears of Sorrow to Tears of Joy
This is an article written for a friend of mine for his magazine.
by Sunny Arakawa with Tim Arakawa
“Good bye, Mom,” I yelled out, waving my hands as the automatic glass gate separating us slowly slid shut. Only 14 years old, I clutched my bag a little tighter and fought back my emotions, fearing that tears would only make things more difficult for the both of us. I turned and slowly headed down the jetway toward the airplane waiting to whisk me to the United States. My final destination was Oklahoma Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding high school located in the cornfields east of Oklahoma City. But during the ten hour flight from Seoul to Los Angeles, the tears began to flow as I realized what it meant to say good bye to my dear mother and hello to a new life in America.
When I first arrived at Oklahoma Academy, I had no real intention to become an Adventist. To be honest, I knew very little about Adventist beliefs except for the curious fact that they attended church on Saturday. This was in stark contrast to the many other Christians like me who went to church on Sundays. In fact, I would not even have known about Oklahoma Academy except that, back in Korea, an Adventist friend of my mother had taken an interest in me and recommended this school in America. At that time, I don’t believe that any one, including my mother, understood how much my life was about to change forever.
“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work” Exodus 20:9-10
One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at Oklahoma Academy was that we not only went to church on Saturdays but also didn’t do anything related to work, business, or school on that day. Our work-study program required students to work four hours every day except for Saturdays. Up to that point, I had never really worked in my life. Of course, I washed dishes at home and cleaned my room regularly, but besides that, I did not have much exposure to actual “work.” My body, unaccustomed to labor at all, now grew weary after a long week of toil. By the end of each work week, I was ready for a break. I also noticed that by late Friday afternoon, all class work was set aside, the laundry room was closed, and the dormitory was cleaned in preparation for Sabbath. Even the girls lined up to iron their dresses before sundown on Friday. Little by little, I was learning that the Sabbath was a special day to worship and meet with God, an occasion important enough to prepare for.
“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” Exodus 20:11
Much more than a time to be physically and mentally rejuvenated, the Sabbath hours provided an opportunity for gaining spiritual strength as well. Frequently, my classmates and I spent Sabbath afternoon in nature listening to the cheerful songs of the birds, the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, and the babbling of a sparkling stream as it meandered through the countryside. Sometimes the academy staff took all the students camping on the weekend. One of my fondest memories of these camping trips was sleeping on a dock over a lake. I remember gazing into the blackness of space at an incredible canopy of innumerable, twinkling stars as the water gently lapped against the wooden dock. There I could understand what it meant to hear the voice of God in the quietness of our soul and surroundings. In this kind of environment I could take the time to reflect on the priorities, the direction, and ultimately, the meaning of my life. In the cool, crisp air near a calm, peaceful lake with the majestic mountains rising all around, I could truly find rest for my soul and body.
“Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.” Matthew 12:12
The Sabbath also became a time to serve others, to spread this Sabbath rest to those less fortunate. On many Sabbath afternoons, the students visited with and sang for the lonely elderly people in the nursing home nearby. Looking back, they were always so glad to see us and hear us as we sang and played their favorite hymns. How they appreciated our youthful efforts to make a joyful noise! We sat next to their wheelchairs, sharing hymnals with them, singing with them, and mingling with them. As their hearts were touched through our company and in the powerful messages contained in the simple hymns, we too were blessed as we ministered to them.
Through these experiences I gained a new meaning for the Sabbath. I have come to understand that the Sabbath is a day set aside to think beyond myself and my own little world, and to look toward something much bigger -- a God of love and mercy whose greatest desire is to restore His image in us. Throughout my years at Oklahoma Academy, I became more and more convicted about Biblical truth, including the Sabbath, and during my senior year, I chose to be baptized as an expression of my love and commitment to Jesus Christ.
Immediately afterward, I began praying that my dear mother would experience the same rest that I had found in the Sabbath. Thirteen years later, I flew back to Korea to visit my mother. This time I did not have to fight back my emotions. Instead tears of joy streamed down my face as I watched my mother immersed under the waters of baptism into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. What a privilege it was to spend the Sabbath together as members of the Seventh-day Adventist church for the first time. My prayer is that God will help us to be faithful so that we may never have to say “good bye” again but enjoy the Sabbath together for eternity.
by Sunny Arakawa with Tim Arakawa
“Good bye, Mom,” I yelled out, waving my hands as the automatic glass gate separating us slowly slid shut. Only 14 years old, I clutched my bag a little tighter and fought back my emotions, fearing that tears would only make things more difficult for the both of us. I turned and slowly headed down the jetway toward the airplane waiting to whisk me to the United States. My final destination was Oklahoma Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding high school located in the cornfields east of Oklahoma City. But during the ten hour flight from Seoul to Los Angeles, the tears began to flow as I realized what it meant to say good bye to my dear mother and hello to a new life in America.
When I first arrived at Oklahoma Academy, I had no real intention to become an Adventist. To be honest, I knew very little about Adventist beliefs except for the curious fact that they attended church on Saturday. This was in stark contrast to the many other Christians like me who went to church on Sundays. In fact, I would not even have known about Oklahoma Academy except that, back in Korea, an Adventist friend of my mother had taken an interest in me and recommended this school in America. At that time, I don’t believe that any one, including my mother, understood how much my life was about to change forever.
“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work” Exodus 20:9-10
One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at Oklahoma Academy was that we not only went to church on Saturdays but also didn’t do anything related to work, business, or school on that day. Our work-study program required students to work four hours every day except for Saturdays. Up to that point, I had never really worked in my life. Of course, I washed dishes at home and cleaned my room regularly, but besides that, I did not have much exposure to actual “work.” My body, unaccustomed to labor at all, now grew weary after a long week of toil. By the end of each work week, I was ready for a break. I also noticed that by late Friday afternoon, all class work was set aside, the laundry room was closed, and the dormitory was cleaned in preparation for Sabbath. Even the girls lined up to iron their dresses before sundown on Friday. Little by little, I was learning that the Sabbath was a special day to worship and meet with God, an occasion important enough to prepare for.
“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” Exodus 20:11
Much more than a time to be physically and mentally rejuvenated, the Sabbath hours provided an opportunity for gaining spiritual strength as well. Frequently, my classmates and I spent Sabbath afternoon in nature listening to the cheerful songs of the birds, the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, and the babbling of a sparkling stream as it meandered through the countryside. Sometimes the academy staff took all the students camping on the weekend. One of my fondest memories of these camping trips was sleeping on a dock over a lake. I remember gazing into the blackness of space at an incredible canopy of innumerable, twinkling stars as the water gently lapped against the wooden dock. There I could understand what it meant to hear the voice of God in the quietness of our soul and surroundings. In this kind of environment I could take the time to reflect on the priorities, the direction, and ultimately, the meaning of my life. In the cool, crisp air near a calm, peaceful lake with the majestic mountains rising all around, I could truly find rest for my soul and body.
“Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.” Matthew 12:12
The Sabbath also became a time to serve others, to spread this Sabbath rest to those less fortunate. On many Sabbath afternoons, the students visited with and sang for the lonely elderly people in the nursing home nearby. Looking back, they were always so glad to see us and hear us as we sang and played their favorite hymns. How they appreciated our youthful efforts to make a joyful noise! We sat next to their wheelchairs, sharing hymnals with them, singing with them, and mingling with them. As their hearts were touched through our company and in the powerful messages contained in the simple hymns, we too were blessed as we ministered to them.
Through these experiences I gained a new meaning for the Sabbath. I have come to understand that the Sabbath is a day set aside to think beyond myself and my own little world, and to look toward something much bigger -- a God of love and mercy whose greatest desire is to restore His image in us. Throughout my years at Oklahoma Academy, I became more and more convicted about Biblical truth, including the Sabbath, and during my senior year, I chose to be baptized as an expression of my love and commitment to Jesus Christ.
Immediately afterward, I began praying that my dear mother would experience the same rest that I had found in the Sabbath. Thirteen years later, I flew back to Korea to visit my mother. This time I did not have to fight back my emotions. Instead tears of joy streamed down my face as I watched my mother immersed under the waters of baptism into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. What a privilege it was to spend the Sabbath together as members of the Seventh-day Adventist church for the first time. My prayer is that God will help us to be faithful so that we may never have to say “good bye” again but enjoy the Sabbath together for eternity.
posted by Sunny at 4:09 PM
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