Listen to our 2024Q2&3 Ministry Update

(Written and Read by Anna Kim)

I’d say sometimes it feels like we, as a missionary family, lead double lives. But wait! It’s not what you’d think! Obviously, the term “double life” usually gives the impression that someone is intentionally hiding a certain part of their life from others, like an undercover spy or a professional pastry chef who secretly likes Little Debbie oatmeal crème pies the best. What I mean when I say that it sometimes feels like we lead double lives is that we get to live in between cultures, participating in US culture when we are stateside, honoring the Korean heritage in our family, then living life and doing ministry in Colombia. We eat fried empanadas with spicy fermented kimchi, washing it all down with southern sweet tea. At home we speak English with a sprinkle of Korean and a spoonful of Spanish. In the community, we speak Spanish…and continue to learn new phrases all the time! My friends, we wouldn’t trade it! There are inherent stressors with this life, but it is such a grand privilege to see God working in all these cultures, and to be able to be Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands* in unique ways because of our experiences, cultures, and languages. We are truly content and joyful in the roles the Lord has given us to play in His kingdom—all glory goes to Him! Pray with us, that the Lord would continue to strengthen us for the work of discipleship and evangelism in Envigado (Medellín), Colombia, and anywhere we get to go!

*a wonderful book by Paul Tripp that Kyu and I are currently reading and recommend

Super Summer

After our Avant missionary conference in Panama, we had a whirlwind 6 weeks in Ohio to visit churches, family, and friends. It was honestly such fun to share ministry and life updates at some of our supporting churches, spend time with Anna’s family, visit local parks, experience Colonial Williamsburg, and reunite with friends. The girls were even sponsored to go to church camp!

In case we missed you while stateside, here is a summary of the main ministry updates we shared:

• The Raíces Profundas (Deep Roots) ministry offered our first marriage workshop in May, equipping Christian couples with tools for conversations about the health of 5 keys areas in their marriages: spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, and relational.
• Deep Roots continues to host a weekly prayer meeting via Zoom where parents gather to pray for our children.
• I (Anna) finished the formal mentorship with our local church’s new worship team leader, Rubiel. Our families celebrated this achievement by sharing lasagna and cake, and Rubiel is now 100% overseeing this ministry team!
• Kyu continued working with Travis and an indigenous language helper to record and edit oral Bible narratives to reach the unreached Embera de Alto Andágueda people. These oral narratives are shared widely between the Embera communities, and the people marvel over stories of Jesus’ power over demons, nature, and death!

New and Next

As soon as we returned at the end of July, it was time to start preparations for the Deep Roots Homeschool Expo. There are many Colombian Christian families who have decided to homeschool, would like to transition to homeschool, or consider it a good option for their future children. The biblical role of parenting includes the responsibility of overseeing our children’s education, whether in a traditional school or at home. At the expo, Kyu, Luis Carlos, and I (Anna) spoke on a variety of topics…the Biblical foundation for educating our kids, the role of dads in homeschooling, and how developmental stages affect homeschool/parenting. Then attendees had free time to interact with parents who currently homeschool using various methods and curriculums. Per data collected on an exit survey, attendees overwhelmingly felt they had gained valuable insight or encouragement through the expo. Equipping Christian families for discipleship and providing opportunities for like-minded families to connect is an essential goal of the Deep Roots ministry, and there are many creative ways we hope to continue doing this work in the future.

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🔹 As we enter a new stage of parenting adolescents, we are participating in 2 youth group ministries. First, Kyu has helped organize a weekly youth group meeting for missionary/ministry kids. He is facilitating discussion with the boys, while another missionary mom is leading discussion with the girls. This gives our kids an opportunity to learn from an adult Christian role model beside their own parents. Second, we will start hosting our local church’s youth group for a monthly breakfast and Bible study in October in cooperation with 2 young couples. We will be mentoring these couples over the next few months, as they take responsibility for a second monthly meeting with the youth at church.

🔹 I (Anna) will be traveling the first week of October to participate in a week long Women Leaders Development Conference at Avant headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. I look forward to growing as I participate in sessions, and serve my fellow missionary ladies by facilitating a discussion group. While the conference is hosted by Avant, we are asked to cover our own travel expense. Would you consider making a special gift to help cover this cost? (See giving link below.)

🔹 Moving into the final quarter of 2024, the Deep Roots ministry team has been requested to present the marriage workshop to two groups of couples. First, we will be working with a local church who has recently experienced a greater understanding of the gospel, and is working to equip their congregants with biblically based foundations for all area of life. We are revamping our workshop a little to make sure the gospel is clearly presented as the foundation for our desire to grow and improve in our marriages. Later, a small group of young Christian couples invited Kyu to mentor them using the marriage workshop material. Shortly before Christmas, our ministry team is planning on offering a peacemaker workshop, equipping Christian families with tools for dealing with conflict.

Kim Kids Highlight

The girls have been growing in many ways, and it has been exciting to see them have a desire to serve alongside us in ministry! For the Homeschool EXPO, Lucia accompanied us the day of the event to run errands and answer “homeschooling kid” questions alongside other Deep Roots ministry team kids. Noelia spent many hours leading up the expo preparing acrylic display stands and lanyards for our exhibitors to use. They also created choreography for a song our local church is using in children’s church. Little kids tend to follow Noelia around, and Lucia loves music/theatre, so it is a perfect fit for their God-given personalities and talents.

Thank You

Thank you for praying, for giving, and for encouraging us as we serve the Lord in Colombia. We are grateful for the many people God has used to support His work in and through us in Medellín.

An Appeal

Expenses are up and giving is down. If you have been encouraged by our story or have never given, now is a great time to join our monthly support team or increase your current amount. Your church or family can make an impact by partnering with us to strengthen families and Colombian churches.

Check out our personal giving link! 👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼 CLICK HERE

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• Email: kkim@avmi.org
• Facebook @ Team Kim: Camino to Colombia
• WhatsApp @ +57 310-334-7344
• US Cellphone @ 614-388-9555