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In Reply to: HCS Tateyama posted by Jewlz on March 15, 2005 at 19:06:54:
The HCS had a few purposes. First it was just a big house out in the country, used for meetings and stuff. I first went there for the Japan Teen Training Camp in ('85? 86?) then returned about a year later when the PI cleared out and the refugees landed in Japan, I was on the staff at that time, it was a fun time, there were a few of us in my age group, Byron, Marie Claire, Aaron, Hannah, and there were the teens from the PI who were just younger than us, we had a lot of fun actually.
After that it morphed into the JLC (Japan Leadership Camp) and there were 2 or 3 one-week meeting sessions to pull in all the field leadership and 'retrain' them. The same teens and other 'disciples' from the field were pulled in for staff purposes. I remember a few, my husband was there for translation and just getting off the hot seat of Newheart's retraining. Silas (Abby, Jericho) was there, I think Chris (of KV fame), I believe Mike was there, Merlin (Japanese), Johnny (Japanese), I can't remember the rest, oh yes, Ado was there to coordinate the teens and staff, perhaps French Joseph was there too.
We worked hard, but it was fun, we were the teens in charge, and we got to boss around the field leaders.
After this the HCS went through revamping (it wasn't the HCS yet). And a few months later the 'School' vision began. This was supposed to be a major revolution to better educate and organize the education of the ever-growing kids and teens. I went there about a month after it started, and was the 2nd oldest teen (18 I think). Angie (of Jesse and Deborah) was the oldest. There were a couple other 19 year olds, but they were new disciples, not SGAs.
From there it evolved into a training center/school/PR front. Berg and Zerby moved in, and the (in)famous pyramid was built on top of a nearby hill. Actually, the building was there already, but they had the Family artists (Jaques maybe, I don't know, they were selah and we were supposed to pretend they weren't there and look away whenever we saw these mysterious selah people). Peter took control of leadership of the HCS itself, and we had 2 or 3 times weekly meetings of all the possible adult population at the HCS, guidance talks, etc.
The original Jetts, called the HOTs at the time, were started there, Nathaniel and I along with an adult named Andrew, were overseeing them, and of course there was the main teen group, the OC group, the MC group and so on. Sara moved in with Dora and others, and began videoing classes with the different kids' groups in order to train the field teachers and parents.
From there the Kiddy Viddy was born and the whole video ministry which took over the direction for many years to come.
In the meantime there was the question of what to do with problem teens (both on the field and at the HCS). The first solution was the DTR which was held in Matsumoto, to which rotten apple teens were sent (amongst whom was my sister, James Paul and Paul, and a few adults, or one adult). From this the Victor program was born, the first Victors being sent off to Matsumoto again (I believe it was Matsumoto). Amongst these were my husband's son John Little, who was barely 11 or 12, Paul (I think) of Victor and Love, and a few others. Ricky's brother Martin was overseeing it under guidance from Ricky and Elaine, and Faithy was somehow involved, I don't remember how, but she was involved.
I moved around this time to Tokyo for awhile, but the IVM (International Video Ministry) continued to progress into the Treasure Attic Series and more Kiddy Viddys etc...
During the time Peter and crew were there, many leaders were pulled in from the fields for retraining courses, as well as leaders from other fields, to see how it's done at the HCS. I guess we were pretty proud of ourselves cause we were receiving direction from the very top. The teen department led some major changes in the international teen world, one of them was the Make it Work thing, trying to get teens married and reproducing. The first teens to get married at the HCS were Gabe and Christy (who are now split up), and Joy and Benji (who are now split up as well). And later others got together, TJ and Joy (I think--now split up).
In later years there were adult Victor programs held there (such as the one Watchman was in, actually, he was in the program by himself, he may have been the pioneer adult victor), and then other adults (Eman Artist, Canadian David, a few others). I felt sorry for those guys being herded around with another adult all the time in groups like kids, but who was I to question?
If you remember the Tony Series, this originated at the HCS when Toni (Gideon, probably the oldest SGA of the group, and still in last I heard), wrote Zerby during some teen meeting about why teens could roller blade or climb trees. Shortly after that he was tried out for a new video series (the original idea for Treasure Attic), and Zerby decided to make a lesson of him and his pride, resulting in the Toni Series.
As for location, Tateyama is in Chiba Prefecture, next to Tokyo. It is at the tip of the peninsula, and is a beautiful area. Of all the places I lived in Japan (probably around 30), Tateyama was the most beautiful. You had the ocean, the hills, the lush green countryside. It takes a couple hours to get there by car from Tokyo, and you can see Mt. Fuji on a clear day.
I have many mixed memories of my time there, it was difficult and it was fun, highly emotionally charged, depressing. I fought depression a lot, and condemnation cause I had this constant nagging to return to my systemite Mom that I was afraid to confess, and afraid to act on. I was treated as an adult and as a kid, the Family went through a lot of transitioning during that time, and I was caught in the middle of it, being not a teen, not an 'old' adult. I was never considered an EA or YA (Young Adult), nor was I ever really considered a fully matured adult, something that frustrated me on more than one occasion.
It's nice to be out from so much emotion and condemnation, constant worry that I'm screwing up somehow. I'm glad to be free, but honestly, when I look back at my time at the HCS, I have a lot of mixed feelings. It's part of what made me who I am today, like it or not.
