Along with InFaith co-worker Leeann Deutsch, June teaches English to adult speakers of other languages in Forks and Sequim, Washington. She typically offers in-person and group classes and tutoring, or online classes when needed and the student has access to the internet. Students come from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Venezuela, each with his or her own story that may include extremely hard life experiences. Learning a new language is usually difficult and intimidating, especially when working full time to support a family. Students often feel isolated in a strange country and culture, wondering if their neighbors “see” them. Offering free English classes (and subsequently other practical help requested by students) follows Jesus' example of meeting real needs at a personal level. It builds relationship bridges allowing the love of Jesus to be experienced and the gospel and Biblical truths to be shared with people who are often religious but may lack a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ—or may be saved but untaught Biblically and/or lacking discipleship opportunity. Inclusion of Bible verses, stories, and songs with English instruction (when appropriate—some students prefer to not have Bible content) has resulted in requests for Bibles, audio Scriptures, Bible study, and/or discipleship, and proven a fantastic way to come alongside and encourage the local Spanish-speaking Body of Christ.

Students’ educational backgrounds vary from no schooling to college degrees. Guatemalan students are typically from an oral culture, speak one (or more) of several tribal languages, and are often learning Spanish, English and literacy skills to survive and thrive in their new community. Reading even a simple Spanish Bible or understanding a Spanish-speaking pastor may be very challenging. These challenges can open doors to share CDs, Bible sticks or other audio / internet Bible, New Testament, or Bible teaching options in a student’s heart language (or closest dialect possible).

June has served as InFaith field staff since 2002.

June grew up in an ASSU Sunday School near Forks. (ASSU, American Sunday School Union, and AMF, American Missionary Fellowship, are two former names for InFaith). She trained as a nurse, believing God was calling her to be a missionary to Central or South America to meet both physical and spiritual needs. After nurse’s training and Bible school, God redirected her life to serve with Leeann as a youth leader at a local church. Searching for a local Bible camp for their youth brought her back into contact with, and eventually to join, American Missionary Fellowship (now InFaith).

Then God called June back to her hometown of Forks, where she serves people from Central America. Forks had very few Hispanic families when June left home to prepare to become a missionary to Central or South America. She never dreamed that in twenty years she would return to Forks as a missionary to the Spanish-speaking community! And now, God has expanded that ministry to include Hispanics in Sequim, WA.

In 2020, God unexpectedly directed to accept a temporary ministry that involved moving to a new house, along with co-worker Leeann Deutsch, to take in another single lady with an unusual, terminal disease that makes it difficult to live in a community care setting. While this has been challenging, it was clearly God’s directing, and has opened doors to serve and share spiritually with this third roommate, her family, and caregivers and others in their home daily.