My parents got married on a lavender farm.
From ten to eighteen years old, I spent most weekends there, because that's where church was.
My Mom came across christianity while working at a sandwich shop. She had just immigrated from Korea to Los Angeles, and she was curious about life: Why we live, why things seemed pointless and sad. The sandwich shop owner was Korean. He told her to go read certain passages in the Bible. She did. She listened to recordings of sermons he gave her. She believed in it. And so she started going to this specific church, where she met my Dad.
My Dad was previously an atheist. I'm not sure what his story is, but I know that him and his two sisters all decided to go to that specific church. And that's how he met my Mom.
For a while, church was held in Orange County, but then it moved to this half-farm half-resort area.
In my young body, the place was huge. It had hiking trails, an old pool, ponds, old trees, antique buildings, cactuses, and critters— squirrels, ducks, deer. The young kids would run around all day and night. We'd play imaginary or stupid games: Choosing trees to lay on, writing on rocks and then hiding them, jumping onto the island in the pond only if you "had the password". Once there was a big drama, because the guys had played a game where they threw rocks in the air. One landed on a kid's face (surprise?) and he had to get stitches. We didn't have cell phones back then. I don't remember my parents ever keeping tabs on us. They probably expected us to show up for food, which of course we did, and was made by the Korean moms.
Volunteers from the church would be both sunday school and korean language teachers. I learned how to read and write Korean, and learned about Korean history. On weekdays I spoke English, on weekends I spoke mostly Korean. Then I would sit in to long sermons about the Bible. The sermons were very matter-of-fact and taught like an academic lesson. We went over a lot of history and how to live. I learned that Korean adults loved it when I bowed at a ninety degree angle. I think they thought it cute how respectful I was being.
It took over an hour to drive to church. My parents fought the whole drive almost every time. I would plug my ears and sing.
I haven't regularly gone to church since I was eighteen. It's a far drive. It's no longer even a consideration in my routine. Also, I'm not reminded to go either. Christianity isn't trending in the state I live, or amongst the friends I have. It doesn't come up in my day-to-day life like it might if I was living in the south.