also had a deep baritone singing voice. Another image that remains is of his pet monkey named Conko, a mischievous little fellow who often crawled along her grandfather’ s shoulders.
Among the enduring stories June holds dear, one that she heard later about her grandfather stands out as particularly compelling. Once, while Juji was preaching, someone in the crowd climbed the dais and slapped him in the face. His response was immediate. He calmly turned his face and said,“ Here’ s the other cheek.” Thinking of this, June says,“ That was an instant response of his obedience to the Lord, and it made a great impression on me. If the Lord can control a strong personality like my grandfather, he can certainly help us all in many ways.”
A Continued Missional Response
Grandparents have a way of indelibly passing on characteristics we’ re not always aware of until later in our lives. God plants seeds of faith in people that often span generations and can then be used repeatedly for his Gospel work. Such is the case with June’ s life.
Juji’ s heart for the Gospel and a lost world undoubtedly influenced her own ministry. Since coming to the U. S. during college and building a life and family in California, June has been amazed at how the Lord has blessed her ministry despite human failures. She has devoted much of her time and energy to the Japanese Free Methodist Church and has witnessed the Lord continually provide as her community established English-speaking congregations and expanded into a large, multi-cultural church vibrant with worship and praise, which she calls“ a little bit of heaven.”
June has a powerful message for us:“ For those of us who grew up in a Christian family with a Christian legacy, it’ s very easy to slide into comfort. And there comes a moment in all of our lives when the Lord must confront us individually … The Lord has given you such a tremendous gift in your heritage.
“ May the Lord, in your time and your culture, carry on the work because the Holy Scriptures will guide you, the Holy Spirit will guide you, and you will be an asset and a real joy, being one of the building blocks of the church for the times that you live in.”
photos, page 6: Juji Nakada’ s family; the Sumida family 7; June as a baby with her parents. June( right bottom), pictured with her family and other OMS attendees, including President Jeff Edwards.
7