The Gardener of Japan—A Naomi Sato Novel

The 21st Century House Churches Series (Book 10)

By: David Michael Curtis

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Naomi Sato, a master gardener presumed lost at sea, returns to her family in Kamakura, Japan, not as a victim, but as a woman transformed. Her two years of survival on a deserted island with nothing but a King James Bible have replaced her quiet family traditions with an unshakeable, scriptural faith.

But her newfound peace, a "peace that passeth all understanding," becomes a declaration of war against the cherished beliefs of her family. Her refusal to participate in the ancestral Obon ceremony creates a schism that threatens to tear her family apart, leaving her disowned and an outcast in her own home.

Alone and ostracized, Naomi begins a quiet rebellion. In her small apartment, a new kind of garden begins to grow—a house church, founded on the simple, radical principle of letting the Bible speak for itself. Her tiny fellowship soon attracts other broken souls: a curious young niece, a cynical university student, and a neighboring widower drowning in a secret addiction.

Together, they navigate the treacherous landscape of their new faith, facing persecution from the community, the pain of church discipline, and the profound cost of discipleship. They learn not from a pastor or a priest, but directly from the Word of God, discovering for themselves the Bible's harmonious answers to life's deepest questions—from the nature of temptation to the call of a minister.

The Gardener of Japan is a powerful story of faith, loss, and the quiet, world-changing power of a single seed of truth planted in a willing heart. It is a testament to the fact that the most beautiful gardens can grow in the most unexpected soil.

Book 10 in the 21st Century House Churches series, this novel can be read as a standalone story.