And My Childhood Comes to an End

Back in Honolulu, I finished my schoolwork and prepared for my graduation. I was to be the valedictorian. Of course, I was the only graduate so that was an easy get. My parents flew in from Los Angeles to participate and the Outreach Team and I decided to give them a memorable welcome. We all dressed up in crazy outfits to meet them at the airport. I went punk with tight shorts, suspenders and a colored mohawk. Post 9/11, we probably would have been arrested but this was 1984.

My parents were surprised and amused but a bystander, not so much. I’m guessing he didn’t like punks. He said, 

“If I had a gun, I’d shoot him”. My mom tried to assure the man that it was just a joke but he said, 

“I don’t care. I’d shoot him anyway.” I’m glad he didn’t have a gun.

My dad combined the trip to my graduation with a speaking engagement in Hawaii, which paid for the flights. The place he was speaking also put him up in a condo where we stayed together for a few days. On one of those days, my father stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around him and we noticed some kind of ink on his lower back. Upon closer examination it turned out to be AW in large letters.

In YWAM, things are very communal. Oftentimes, laundry is a shared experience. To make sure you don’t keep losing your clothes, you label them. My dad’s name was Alan Williams, so he labeled his clothes (including his underwear) with a large AW. When they got damp, the writing had been transferred to his back.

In another incident, one time my father had been on the phone trying to talk to someone who did not speak English very well. He was exaggerating his words so that the other person could understand him. He was saying, 

“My naaame is Aahlahn Wiilleeaams. That is my naaamme, Aahlahn Wiilleeaams”. 

That had become another family joke. So when we saw the big AW on his back it inspired us to recount, 

“My naaame is Aahlahn Wiilleeaams. That is my naaaame”.

My graduation was a grand dinner and ceremony in the Aft dining room. I made a big speech about my aspirations and about the importance of Christians making films. Several other people spoke, including my teachers and friends. My friend, Steven Wallett had a few things to say. He wasn’t looking forward to me leaving but he was going to be in California for Christmas and we were going to get together. There was also a big prayer session at the end of the graduation when all the ship big wigs prayed for me. 

I got a very special gift from the Stephens. They had asked me what I wanted for a graduation gift. There was a Bible called the Thompson-Chain reference Bible that I really wanted but it cost more than I would have been comfortable in suggesting as a gift for me. But since they insisted on making me tell them what I wanted, I just told them that I would like an NIV (New International Version) Bible. I hadn’t told anyone about the Bible I really wanted. But when I opened the box, there it was.

My parents had always wondered how I was going to be able to afford to go to university since we had no money for that. But a friend whom they had helped with much time and care had given them a significant gift towards my education. They surprised me with it during the evening.

So my childhood came to a close and it was time to venture forth into new experiences as a man (if you could call me that). After graduation, my parents and I flew back to Los Angeles as I prepared to move on to Procla-Media in Switzerland.

Opening my present from the Stephens at my graduation.
My dad back left. Luke Stephens. Bill Horn. Heather Choate in the mirror.


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