Uncle Nat was always the “cool uncle”, the fun one. He was first person to ever spend money buying tickets for my cousin Naomi & I to go on rides at the county fair. I know that this sounds like a totally ordinary childhood experience, but coming from an upbringing where we didn’t splurge on entertainment, this was a huge deal and left us feeling absolutely special.
He spent time with us doing things we loved. One of the Kong kids favorite pastimes was hanging out at the creek in Howe Park catching crawdads to keep as pets. Uncle Nat joined us once and was so dedicated to helping us lure out this big crawdad that he got onto a stump in the middle of the creek and ended up falling into the water. He always gave 100% to whatever he did.
He was the most positive and enthusiastic serving one. I don’t remember much about the 6th grade conference, but I will always remember Uncle Nat playing the guitar and leading our singing. He had us sing the song “what is living all about” faster and faster and faster until he broke not one, but two guitar strings. Like I said, he always gave 100%.
Before moving to Europe, Uncle Nat would help with the semi-annual video trainings in Sacramento. I remember how he printed out the banners in an outlined font and asked some of us children who were hanging out at the meeting hall to help him color in the outlined letters. When completed the banners were far from perfect, obviously having been colored in by children, but he hung them up in the video training room anyways. Now he was probably just trying to conserve the meeting hall printer ink supply, but in doing so he was also helping us feel useful and involved in the church life.
His care was so normal, and his shepherding so human. When living in Massachusetts, I met a brother who had studied abroad in Prague during college. He told me how my uncle Nat found out he liked playing guitar, then lent him his personal guitar for the semester. This helped the brother come to all the meetings (because he now had the guitar) and cultivate his function as a member in the body.
1 Cor 9:22b says “to all men I have become all things that I might by all means save some.” This was my uncles testimony. Whether to children, or college students or any other age group, in various life situations, Uncle Nat was able to meet us with God’s love and care.