Dear China Lamattery,

I had a hard time believing it was you when I heard the accusations made against us on the Dr. Phil show last Monday by members of your husband and his family. I didn’t know them as well, but I know you. I grew up with you and I am still in the Family International. The reason I am still here is because I never saw any case of abuse in the Family except once, a man in our school had accosted you and the news shocked everyone. This man was immediately excommunicated and we felt stunned. This was and still is the only case that I in my 26 years in the Family have ever been close to.

We were friends, we had fun. We had over 40 students in our class, you were always popular in the ’singing group’ which meant you were talented and got to perform at Christmas and other special occasions. You and I were in a children’s television series which many other kids wished they could experience. I looked up to you and you taught me to harmonize which I still credit you for now that I sing professionally at hotels and functions.

You choreographed for dance groups with all the other ‘cool’ kids and when you became a teenager had a boyfriend before any of us. A great guy but then again you had many great guys after you and you finally picked one to marry. I was so happy for you when I heard. I hoped he would take care of you. I didn’t think he and his family would be there with you saying those things and backing you when you said you were incompetent in society due to your upbringing! Girl, I don’t know what you are trying to do in society but you knew at the very least how to cook, sing, dance and teach. Opening a bank account and writing a check was so easy I can’t even remember the first time I had to do it.

I don’t want to boast especially not to you who I’ve always looked up to and admire but I just can’t understand what you’re thinking and why you would forget friends like me and do and say things like this.

For the past five years, I have been Public Relations Manager for our Family missionary center in Africa, I’ve been teaching my 5 year old daughter Kaycee’s class which happens to be 3rd grade as home schooling always developes advanced children due to her reading since the age of 2. I have participated in teaching several seminars for teachers and parents here on our methods of Early Learning with great success. I also host a weekly radio show for children and a counseling show for parents and teachers. I co-ordinate donations to homes for mentally and physically disabled children, orphanages in Uganda and Congo with children who have faced horrible atrocities, too gruesome to mention, if you want to feel better about your lot in life come to Africa and see for yourself what abuse, neglect, mistreatment and defilement mean.

We help reach near-forgotten tribes who constantly face starvation and civil war with medicine and Bible stories in their own language which we had to put on tape and distribute with hand crank tape-recorders because their written language is so newly developed they don’t know it yet. I design and layout our project updates, newsletters, brochures and send out an inspirational, “Thought for the Day” e-mail to over 400 business friends and associates. I choreograph and dance for benefit concerts and national functions including Miss Uganda and AIDS or IDP charities. As a hobby, I have joined the local amateur dramatics society and have performed at the National Theatre, holding lead roles in several musicals.

We don’t just cope in society, we make a difference.

Don’t throw away your talents and opportunities with excuses of your past. You chose another lifestyle and I admired you for it. It always takes guts to follow your dreams whatever they are. Many, many of my friends have done so with great success. You know because you hang out with them I saw a lot of them last year. You all are having a ball and I was very happy for you! You certainly did not need to escape The Family it’s the opposite. It’s not easy to join and it’s even tougher to stay. It’s the hard life of a missionary where you live to help others. Your parents are wonderful people, I can’t imagine what pain they must be feeling with what you are saying to them. I miss the China of years ago. The one who held me up when I was down who didn’t complain except maybe when too many guys were in love with her at once and she didn’t know how to be nice to them all and let them down gently. You were crazy and fun and we had a great childhood.

“Sometimes I try so hard to work things out, but deep within I wonder what it’s all about,
I’m sailing out on a fast tide, under troubled skies.
But when I land in your sweet hands I’ll be home and dry.
One loving tender moment will lead me to your shores again.
One loving tender moment and I’m on my way back to you again.”

I’ll never forget being silly with you listening to that old love song. I hope that the China I remember will remember me and the life we lived and loved.

Tina Yamaguchi

This entry was posted on Friday, October 7th, 2005 and is filed under Archived, Letters to the Editor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.