Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


2.03.2004  

Never again. Again.

He never wasted time getting to the story. I was amazed, because Andrew is almost never that blunt and forthright in telling me how bad something went. I didn't prompt him, I didn't even ask him. He just came out and told me that it was...Chuck E. Cheese's Round 2! (You're supposed to gasp right about now. Trust me. Why? Because Round 1 was so horrificly scarring. It was done with the youth of Rolling Fields while Andrew was here. Because of that experience, we gave each other full permission to perform a full-on "gonfunnitwhatchutinkyoudoing!?!?" head slap on the other should either one of us ever walk into a Chuck E. Cheese ever again. Ever. EVER. Unless, of course, we were obliged to do so because some relative of ours tells us we must be there for their son or daughter. Then we'll comply and smile and act like we're having a good time, whilst the other fasts and prays for patience, wisdom, and strength to make it throug the event.) So. Anyway. Where was I? Oh yes. Round 2 (appropriate gasps, please)!



My sister Lisa asked Andrew to help out with YFC's "Report to the People" event. All he would be required to do was watch some kids, high school and middle school. Simple enough, right? Should be. Except, it just wasn't. Andrew ended up doing far more than watching kids, as you'll find out soon enough. He was promised a crew of guys to help unload a van full of ice and drinks. One guy helped him with one load, then bailed, which caused an hour and a half of moving the cargo to where it needed to go, which then caused a $10.50 parking bill. YFC only gave him $3.50 for parking, and he didn't have any cash on him. Doh! Where was the crew? One can only speculate.



After going home, picking up someone else who agreed to help out (a guest staying at the Uchida house, mind you), and making it back to the hotel, the real fun got started. There's a bunch of head-shakers, so I'll be brief. Three adults to watch 100 kids in one main room and two smaller rooms (one for the boy's and one for the girl's, which were SUPPOSED to be off limits to the opposite gender) and a balcony area, having to move all 100 kids at a moment's notice (several times) from the rooms down through a crowded kitchen and into the main hall with the benefit of only one service elevator, one of the people in charge asking Andrew if he could sing Ray Bolt's Thank You (the same song they've sang for the past...oh...since the song has come out, probably), since the four kids who were soloists...well...they were bad, and Andrew later found out they were only asked that day to sing it...doh! He refused to do it, by the way. What else...all 100 or so of the kids being locked out of the rooms (not Andrew's fault), which caused one of the kids to try to gain access to the room by way of the balcony, which then caused hotel security to come out and flood the area, thus scaring the heck out of the kid. Oh, and there weren't enough volunteers (any volunteers, really) at the event, so people were pulled out of the audience to help. Doh!



All through this, Andrew said he could only shake his head, smile, and laugh a little. Sometimes, he laughed a lot. When he related the day's events, I could only shake my head in disbelief. You feel sad for those involved, but after a certain point, you just ask yourself, "do they realize how bad it is?"



He told me that if ever he agreed to help out with an event like that again, I could fly home and slap him upside the head. I promised I would :) When I suggested I'd give some permanence to the tale by blogging it, he said I should - and that I could elaborate as much as I wanted to. Well, the story now being told, I can say with a clear conscience that I kept it very short...there was so much more to it than I related. Was it told to bash on YFC? Not at all. Much good has come of their ministry, and I'm grateful to the Lord for it. Was it told to show the wisdom of Andrew Uchida, who was able to keep his cool and laugh during a day where one thing went wrong after another? No, not that either, although I'm proud of him (but not surprised) for having done so. This is being told, above all, to remind the two of us of the things we'll Never Again do, but will probably end up doing, by God's sovereign hand. Again.



Hey, look on the bright side. At least I'll get to fly home :)

posted by Bolo | 8:03 PM
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