The Word of God is Living and Active

“No, Anna, I still don’t understand,” she said mournfully. “What does application mean in the Bible study?” As I write, my friend (also Ana, ha!) and I have completed the first of four weeks of study on the books of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. She is hungry to learn about the Bible, and has been studying the Bible on and off for years, but she is still spiritually blind to the truth of the gospel. She can summarize what we have read together, but struggles to connect the Bible to her daily life. Only the work of the Holy Spirit can bring about true understanding of who Jesus is, how we can receive the promised eternal life (1 John 2:25) through Him, and how to apply that truth in our daily lives. What a privilege to be the hands and feet of Jesus in my friend’s life as I attempt to help her see that God’s word is not just for knowledge, but is living and active, and has the power to change our lives (Hebrews 4:12). Will you pray for the Holy Spirit to work in her life, so that she comes to a true understanding and acceptance of the gospel?

Ministry Happenings

Kyu had the opportunity to serve on the planning committee for the ordination of 9 pastors within the local network of churches called El Redil (The Sheepfold). At the end of the service, Pastor Diego Cardona complimented Kyu, sharing publicly that “Kyu…has been a tremendous help because he has wonderful logistical and administrative capacity.” It is exciting to see skills learned in the secular workplace be useful for the local church in Medellín, Colombia. Though these are in Spanish, here is a link to the “meet the pastors” video (edited by Kyu), as well as the ordination service itself. <meet the pastor> <ordination service>

The 9 pastors with their ordination certificates

Jinneth (our local pastor’s wife) and Anna continue to co-lead the women’s Bible studies. More women have joined at the start of each new cycle (I personally have 3 new ladies in my small group this round!). The consistency and growth in our women is also inspiring the men to desire similar opportunities for study and companionship. We are now in the dreaming/developing phase for restarting (“post”-pandemic) men’s ministry events with the men of our local church.

Jonathan (our local pastor) and Kyu are intentionally mentoring/training a group of 4 youths to participate in the filming and production of the weekly sermon videos, which are still needed and highly relevant with the current COVID-19 protocols in Colombia.

Praying with the pastor before filming. The 4 youth on the right are helping on production days and will soon help with the post-production work.

Various pandemic factors have made previous in-person children’s ministry methods unworkable. While Kyu continues to record and produce weekly Bible lesson videos for use at home or in small church settings, discussions are taking place in our local church regarding how to revamp the children’s ministry to meet the current needs of the kids in our congregation and community. There are some exciting ideas and plans, but many details still need to be clarified before we can move forward.

Space has been a challenge for developing a healthy space for kids on Sundays.

Family Life

Our first year of homeschooling wrapped up June 4, and we have been thrilled with the girls’ progress in many areas. Lucia seems to be turning into a history geek like Kyu, and Noelia is growing a love for reading. We took a 6-week “summer” vacation and will start again this week! (Our calendar has both Colombian and American holidays to work around.)

The girls have joined an all-girls soccer team, and it feels SO good to have some “normal” socialization and exercise opportunities back on the schedule. There is a mix of Colombian and foreign kids, which is a nice bonus for our TCKs (third culture kids).

We were able to see Anna’s family when they visited in June – it was the first time the cousins have seen each other since January 2019! It was a full 2 weeks, and we were so happy to be together.

Colombia is still requiring masks in public at this time. We praise God that the healthcare system never collapsed despite nearly full ICUs for weeks on end.

Prayer Requests

For our endurance and faithfulness in ministry, with wisdom to rest well.
For Ana, and others (unnamed) who we are intentionally engaging in evangelism and/or discipleship
For a good start to the 2021-22 school year, and that our girls would grow in love, grace, and knowledge
For creativity, organization, and wisdom as we collaborate to plan and implement new and/or revamped ministries (men’s, children’s)

Thank You

We praise God for your, our financial partners, prayers partners, and loved ones! God has richly blessed us through your consistent giving and prayers. We know many of you have endured difficult circumstances through 2020 and now into 2021, and pray God will sustain and bless you for participating in ministry with Team Kim in Colombia. If you have specific prayer requests, please reach out to us by email or through social media.