Nearly three years ago, Rev. E. Kim,
his wife P. Kim and their two children
left home, their family and their friends
to live out God s call in a foreign land
6,000 miles away. Today, E. Kim and P.
Kim are missionaries with the General
Board of Global Ministries of The
United Methodist Church, serving as
co-directors of the United Methodist
Mission Center in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
E. Kim's call to serve in Kazakhstan
began four years ago when he joined a
short-term mission team to Kazakhstan
for a visioning trip. During his brief time
in Central Asia, the stark contrast
between the bounty of resources,
training and education, and spiritual
mentorship in his life and the utter
dearth of it in Kazakhstan became
impossible to ignore. After 15 years of
pastorate local churches in Flushing, NY,
a region teeming with churches and
Christian resources, E. Kim felt com-
pelled to do something for the local
pastors and congregation he encoun-
tered on his trip.
"From birth, I've been connected to
the church - my father and uncle are
pastors, so I basically grew up within
church," E. Kim said. "I realized that
God gave me all these life experiences
for a bigger purpose; for His purpose,
which is to help the church grow in
Central Asia." E. Kim dedicates much of
his time to pastoral training and
congregational development in
Kazakhstan.
The call to serve and grow the
emerging church in Kazakhstan and
throughout Central Asia was clear, and
yet, the complex, often-oppressive
political environment is one of the
greatest challenges. In addition to
language and cultural barriers, the lack
of freedom - both religious and
personal, create a pervasive mental and
spiritual stress for the Kims. The very
fact that they are foreigners invites
unwelcomed scrutiny.
On a more practical note, the Kims
have had to get accustomed to doing
more with less. After all, their motiva-
tion to serve in Kazakhstan was to leave
the over-resourced U.S. to serve the
under-resourced. "I like to use the term
downward mobility," E. Kim said with a
laugh. Rationalizing this choice to loved
ones back home isn't easy either. As the
2nd generation of immigrant families
who left everything behind to seek a
better life in the U.S., the reverse
decision is difficult for some to accept.
Interviewed and written by Jennifer Oh
Everything We Do Has
a Clear Purpose and
Helpful to God s Mission
.
Mission Journal
6
