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Happy Birthday to Hank
Watermark Dear Hank, In the three years that I have known you, you have struck me as a warm, caring, and compassionate person. Though I have not known you long, your colors show bright and true. You always seem to know what to say (and what not to say) when one of us is feeling down. You always know how to draw out a smile or a laugh from our tired and weary faces. Every week, you dedicate yourself to teaching us about God, each other, life, and ourselves. You lead us through scripture, through worship, and through example. You are a fantastic leader, a wise mentor, and a loving friend. Thank you so much for all that you've done. As a small token of our appreciation, we decided to dedicate a small portion of this newsletter to you. The following paragraphs are meant not only to show our love and appreciation to you for all the sacrifices you make, but also to offer our support and encouragement for all the mountains that you will climb. We love you. * Melissa Teng ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are no words to express the appreciation I have for Hank. I have known Hank since I was an annoying little boy and even today I still enjoy his humor, passion, and wisdom. I can still remember wanting to join Watermark since he started it in 1993 and now as a senior in high school, I still look forward to it every week. All the activities he has planned like the annual camping trips, Bay to Breakers, and KQED has given me an abundance of awesome memories that will last a lifetime. The weekly Bible studies have taught me how to be a leader while giving me an opportunity to grow in my faith. The loyalty and commitment he has for the group is shown by his willingness to drive hours every week just to be with us. Now, even with an age difference of up to fourteen years, Hank still finds ways to relate to us. Thank you Hank for being very much a part of all our lives. We love you and appreciate you. You are the man. * Patrick Ku ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hank's a great role model for all of us in terms of faith as well as character. There could be no better person to lead us. The commitment and time he puts into organizing Watermark is remarkable and the friendship he offers each and every one of us is priceless. I just want him to know how grateful we are for everything he has done for us. * Vincent Niou ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How do you fit into one short paragraph the warmth of a friend, the guidance of a leader, and the devotion of a big brother to dozens of unruly teens? Hank, thank you for caring. Thank you for all the time and hard work spent on Bible studies, commuting to and from events, preparing and organizing activities; thank you for sharing your music and your passion for ministry with us. Under your care, Watermark is a community of truly lovely people. YAY HANK! * Judy Tuan ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hey Hank, It's me, Johnson. Just want to publicly give you a few words of my appreciation, all that you've done, and all that you are doing. From the beginning of Tahoe 1999 "Jumpin' Jivin'", where I was first introduced to the community, everyone I met there (Jenny, Alan, Cheng, Chongai, Leon, Ray, & Judy) had nothing but good things to say about you. Like I said to you before, they were right. Your leadership and influence has shaped what Watermark is, and where Watermark is heading. I know our number one obligation is to serve God by following Jesus and his example. You have demonstrated that by serving us. We all see that in the many events that you took charge of or were part of; TIJUANA 2001 (directing all of us, team selections, renting the vans, etc.), FLEA MARKET FUND RAISER (reserving the space, almost getting banned from selling there [sorry 'bout that =\, that was my bad], transporting the goods, renting the truck), YOUTH BIBLE STUDIES (worship, leading, prayer, passing on the torch, did I mention worship), and all the other events not mentioned. Thank you for all you do for us. Thank you, personally, for what you do for me. You are a great example on what responsibility should be. If I could be half as responsible as you, I would be a greater person. God bless you Hank. Love, Johnson R. Hipona (the tall, dark, smart, good looking, & modest Filipino guy) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hank. I didn't think you were very much fun to hang around with when I first got to know you. You were the one who was responsible, making sure things turned out all right, never wanting to take any "risks" or do anything dangerous. The fact that Watermark existed, that there was bible study every Saturday, that there was fellowship with our friends at church was something I took for granted. But then I got to know you, to hang out with you, to become friends with you. I saw the kind of heart you put in Watermark, the kind of hope and love you had for us. When you were tired, I began to see the great effort and spirit you were pouring out, the lengths you made to teach us, to teach me, to teach me about leadership, about what it means to be a real Christian. God knows how much you have done and how much you have sacrificed to make this fellowship cohesive, Christian. Thanks dawg, for caring about me, about my problems, about others, for doing God's work. God Bless you, Hank! *masculine embrace* * Chongai Kuang ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We all love hank for his devotion to our youth group, and he is just a cool person in general. He has spent so much time preparing for our bible studies, and has been traveling all the way from Berkeley every Saturday night. THANKS HANK! * Jonathan Yu ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thank you Hank that you are very strive on our bible study. And we have a lot of fun and learn a lot of things. And you are really nice and funny. And we do appreciate you spent your time on us. Thank you! * Grace Tsai ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Although often at the cost of time and sleep, Hank Lee has always been willing to sacrifice to make things happen for Watermark. Whether it be spending his Saturday nights with a group of rambunctious disobedient children or taking time out of his schedule to talk me through some difficult times in life, Hank is always there. He's similar to the nice Terminator in Terminator 2 who would always be there for the John Conner that is Watermark. Although sometimes visibly shaken or flustered, Hank still never sways. Watermark always has had the proclivity to be supplanted by going to the movies with friends, on dates, or to parties, but Hank always showed up to lead the faithful few that would attend. Watermark has been a striking influence in my life, and, undoubtedly, the lives of all those who attend. Whether a lesson is learned or not and whether a teaching is applied or not is not necessarily all that matters; the love and fellowship felt between each and every member is something that no amount of reading or teaching could hope to achieve. And yet, all these things would never have been realized if it had not been for Hank and the rest of the leaders. Thanks a lot Hank; you are truly appreciated and loved. * Justin Cho ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ...................*aHeM*............... EvasOdearest Hank, heyyyylO~ *waves hi* wellz, time to tell u wut an oH sO very wOnderful person u r ...*cough cough*... hee, jp jp. don worri, i'm not writing this cuz its MANDATORY...its cuz u really are sooper de dooper. i don really knoe u except fro church but... from like bible study n stuf, yer the BESTEST! ...really! =) like u always spend so much time and effort to make church n bible study interesting so we actually want to come and not cuz our parents make us =) ...AND, i usually end up learning stuf too! hrmm... oh yea, yer also very VERY talented wit the guitar and yer singing isn't all dat bad. hee...jp jp. wellz, stay the swt guy dat u r, have the happiest Christmas, live happily eva after, and... don fergets! God luvs uuuuuuu~ *mwah* luvs n kisses, * Cathy Huang ------------------------------------------------------------------------Dear Hank, I really appreciate that you invest so much of your time into the Watermark youth group. Though this is my first year in the youth group, I know I will enjoy many more years to come! May God ALWAYS be with you! * Teresa Pan ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TO HANK, I don't know you all that well, but i just want to say thanks for spending so much time and effort into Bible Study. I really enjoy the music we sing and the games we play. You're also a funny guy. Well, keep it interesting! And again, THANKS! * Damian Wang ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Enough thank you's and appreciation. Here's the real story...Hank is the most immature 28-year-old (almost 29) you will ever meet. First of all, he looks nothing like a 28-year-old. Although he works hard, you could never tell by his bright eyes and blinding smile. Wrinkles? None. White hairs? Unheard of. He looks like he's 18, fresh out of high school. =) Did I mention he's a fabulous poet? On request and on the spot, he came up with the following poem for me: Scratch, scratch, itch, itch, (抓抓癢癢) Itch, itch, scratch, scratch, (癢癢抓抓) More scratch, more itch, (越抓越癢) More itch, more scratch, (越癢越抓) NO scratch, no itch,..........(不抓不癢) No itch, no scratch...........( 不癢不抓) It made my heart...uh...leap. [Refer to Flying Dragon Leaping Tiger by AA Productions.] Besides being incredibly creative with words, he is always creative with entertainment. Take for example, the famous lemon game. During my first quarter away at college, my sister called me and explained the elaborate preparations for the game: At Watermark youth Bible study... Hank: Do you have...THE STUFF? Melissa: I have...THE STUFF. (Holding large brown paper bag.) Others: What's the stuff? What's the stuff? Hank: (Pulls out pantyhose and lemons) This is THE STUFF. (If you want to know what the game was, go ask Hank or any other participant at this particular bible study.) After playing this particular game, Hank insisted on taking home THE STUFF to practice. He is the lemon game master. All kidding aside, Hank has a very serious and responsible side. He faithfully leads Bible study every Saturday even though he has a hectic work schedule and has to commute to and from Berkeley. When he can't make it, he always makes sure that someone is there to substitute for him. When there is a problem, Hank does his best to solve it. For example, before Charity Ball 2001 began, we realized we didn't have a VCR for the childcare center. After a few minutes of deliberation and finding no other alternative, Hank drove home to Cupertino, 15 minutes away, to pick up his own VCR. Hank has done countless other things whether it was something as small as giving an encouraging word or something as big as organizing the Tijuana 2001 trip. He is one of those stubborn people who you can always rely on. Thank you Hank, for all you have done for us, the numerous rides you have given us, all the punches and kicks and name-calling you've taken from me...I mean us...(It's the 11th house you idiot!) and all the love and encouragement you have for us. You are one of the most dedicated people I have met, sometimes not even having time for yourself. Thank you for dealing with us for so long. Thank you for being silly with us yet also keeping us in line. You are an irreplaceable part of all our lives and have set an unachievable example for the youth of St. Clare's. Annabelle Teng <回總年份目錄
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