Laura Fukumoto (Son's 5Th Grade Teacher) Brought Velma To Church On Sundays (Door Of Faith Church)
Velma Leeby Laura Fukumoto Scrape. . . Shuffle. . . (pause). . . Scrape. . . Shuffle. . . (pause). . Each Sunday for years and years, that familiar sound entered the front door of the Door of Faith Home Church on Young Street. Sister Velma Lee has made it to Sunday School. At seventy-nine, she is elated to catch a ride to her church, still able to walk with the assistance of her walker. Who is this diligent worshipper? Velma Lee was born on October 14, 1932 and raised in Bloomington, California. After marrying a Korean gentleman, John Lee, in 1952, she moved to Hawaii where She readily embraced the easy-going, warm, Hawaiian community, enjoying its diverse foods and cultures. A mother of five (2 sons and 3 daughters), Velma’s Christian walk has been riddled with struggles that may strangle many believers and cause them to doubt or falter. But through her struggles, Velma has nestled even closer to her Savior and Lord. Safe in the arms of her Jesus, she found comfort and hope. While pregnant with her third child (first son), Velma had a compulsive urge to eat sand. Odd, crazy, she thought. But the craving was real, and Velma found herself actually eating sand. Her body had an insatiable appetite for calcium. When her son was born, she understood why. Gerald was born with brittle bones. A lack of calcium had caused his bones to weaken. He spent his youth casted in metal braces and weary of any type of collision that would cause his brittle bones to break. At sixteen he was the height of a three-year-old. The weight of his metal braces made it difficult for him to maneuver, but he managed. One day in May 1970, Marcel Lee, Velma’s youngest son, brought home a flier near the end of his 4th grade year at Aliamanu Elementary School. The flier advertised a Vacation Bible School to be held at the Door of Faith Church on Young Street. Velma read the flier, called the number listed, and made arrangements for Marcel’s 4th grade teacher, Laura Fukumoto, to take Marcel and her youngest child, Hyenie, to church that summer. The summer turned into many years. Velma faithfully got her children dressed and ready for pick up each Sunday morning. Although she never attended church then, she was a Christian from youth and had a praying mother who modeled a strong belief in a wonderful God. Eventually she allowed Gerald to be carried to our church. When Gerald turned seventeen, he died. How does a parent deal with the loss of a young son? Velma asked Mildred J. Brostek, the pastor of the Door of Faith Church, to officiate Gerald’s funeral. That was the first time Velma met the old soldier of the cross, Mildred, who was dressed in her long, distinguished black and long white dress, stood behind the pulpit at the Mililani Mortuary, searching for the right words to comfort the grieving. family. Along with some comforting words the pastor told this story: “During a bitter, cold storm, a shepherd tried to lead his sheep to safety. As the sheep followed him, they suddenly halted when he approached a raging stream. Afraid to cross an old wooden bridge. that stretched over the rushing waters, the small herd stubbornly. resisted. Try as he may, he could not get his sheep to cross over. If only he could encourage the female sheep to cross first, he knew the others would follow. As he nudged her from the back, the frightened ewe rejected his urges. The shepherd’s only choice was to