pilgrim church

Yearly Picture (2011.12)

2012-01-11T07:05:00.000-08:00

Infant Baptisms (2011.12)

2012-01-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to: Matthew Han Lee & Tyler Noah Kim

Letter from Missionary Paul Kim (Flooding in Thailand)

2011-11-05T10:50:00.001-07:00

Hello,
This is a not-so-brief update about the flood that's still consuming central Thailand. Thanks all for your emails and prayers. And one of you even made a special donation for the flood victims-- thank you. We are also aware of the difficulty those of you in the east coast faced with the sudden snowstorm, and pray that electricity has been restored for all of you by now.

Sarah wrote in Korean (below), and included the "flood 2011" attached photo of a smiling mother and son who had evacuated underneath an expressway; it made us think of what we usually complain about. I posted some photos on Facebook already, but I'm attaching another one of my family and Newsong people helping make sandbags at the airport. It's been a true joy for me to see my young children eagerly help out in ways they can.

We were scared. We had made plans to evacuate to Chonburi Province 2 weeks ago; I was supposed to teach there last week anyway. Many of our friends did evacuate and are still not ready to return. But when we saw some of our friends in Newsong Bangkok Church busying themselves by helping out at the airport, food centers, and other evacuation centers, even making and delivering food supplies by row boat, we had a family meeting and decided to join in the fun! And it has been much more enjoyable to focus on helping others than in being mired by our own fears. I swapped my teaching schedule with another professor and will be teaching at Chonburi next week instead.

Our tap water smells a little funny as I type, as the inland-freshwater-slow-motion-tsunami is creeping our way. Our friends and pastors who live only a few miles away are now 1 meter under water. Overall, water is receding; but that simply means the immense water from the north is flowing into the center of Bangkok; so while those in rural north are now faring better (eg, down to 1 meter from 2 meters!), those inside Bangkok just a few minutes north of us are now themselves flooded. We are still a little concerned about our safety, and the grocery stores (even expensive ones) are still empty of basic supplies. We no longer want to use the filter for drinking water because of the questionable safety of our tap water, and it's difficult to find bottled water. Time to let our kids drink some soda!

It's been encouraging to see many people volunteer for making and packing food, even lining up to donate blood. At the main airport alone, about 10,000 volunteers come everyday to make 100,000 sandbags. But the weakest link is in the access to the flood victims that have not evacuated. Some of the packaged food gets spoiled before reaching the flood victims. Boats are required to reach them, but they're few in number and expensive.

Newsong Bangkok Church has decided to postpone the execution of our vision for decentralizing a few months while we deal with the great flood. Global Hope, a non-governmental organization, has donated $10,000 for GP Thai missionaries to use for relief work in Thailand. Please pray that God will give us wisdom and strength to help our neighbors, and let me know if you want to make a special donation for the flood victims.

Thank you,
Paul

Birth Announcement: Tyler Noah Kim

2011-11-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jay & Sunny for the birth of their first child!!!
Tyler Noah Kim was born on November 11, 9:39pm, at Hackensack University Medical Center. 7.6 pounds. 20 inches.

Letter from Missionary Paul Kim

2011-11-01T12:38:00.001-07:00

10/22/2011 Helping People!

HELPING PEOPLE is what missionaries are called to do, and that includes practical as well as spiritual help. Kilang is one of the two full-time staff at Newsong Bangkok, and he has started a ministry called Help Live, where he networks with the local musicians to help orphans of the Karen Hilltribe group. Dwight is another close friend who uses his free time to help refugees and asylum seekers, as well as children in one of the many slum communities of Thailand. They’ve helped me in my own ministries, and I’ve learned a lot from them about what it takes to help people. Along with missionaries, many of my Thai friends are eager to help the needy; pray with me as I try to help these leaders help people more effectively.

THAILAND IS IN A SPECIAL NEED right now, if you’ve seen the flood news recently. Chonburi Mission Center is fine, and we are fine too. But everybody in Bangkok is stocking up with food and water (and candles and propane gas). Stores and businesses (and some houses) in our own street are building temporary 1-meter cement walls just to tear down after the floods because sand bags are no longer available. So there’s some panicking going on, but we are hopeful that things will become more peaceful and dry over the next few weeks. One of my favorite news photos is of a boy who is trying to keep his two bills (120 baht or $4) dry, and another one of a highway intersection that we had crossed just a week before the photo was taken!

***BESTPIX***Flooding Ravages Provinces Threatening Bangkok

NEWSONG BANGKOK has come to a point after over five years where we’ve decided to restructure. We started out in a decentralized format that I found very attractive and effective, with a loose network of house church groups, but then centralized and regrouped for about three years. We’re now working on January as a target date to separate into five groups or house churches. We’ve already begun sharing with everybody and are still working out the logistics and details as well as financial issues. Our two full time staff, Yo and Kilang, are willing to risk not getting salaries in the long run, and this vision was in fact their initiative. I’m very honored to be helping church leaders who are prioritizing the larger church vision ahead of their livelihoods.

GP USA has a new website. They’d love your feedback, admin@gpusa.org

Please pray that:

God will help Thailand and the Thai people to deal with the heavy flooding.
I can provide greater strategic support for the leaders in Thailand who have a passion for helping people.
Newsong Bangkok Church will walk through their transition with wisdom and faith.

In Christ,

Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

Adelina Muller's Baptism

2011-09-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157627545608877/

Angelo Kim's Mailing Address

2011-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Angelo Kim is away for Basic Training.
His mailing address is:

SPC Kim, Angelo
Charlie Company 2nd BN 46th IN REGT
2nd Platoon, Roster #257
9587 2nd Armored Division Road, Bldg 3515
Fort Benning, GA 31905

Philippines Mission Trip

2011-06-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

Our Philippines Mission Team arrived home safely. We had an amazing ministry experience. Thank you for your support.
Pictures can be seen at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157627037751110/

Sara Kim's mailing address

2011-06-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

Sara Kim is away at Basic Training for the US Air Force.
She does not have access to email & facebook.
You can mail her at:

AB Kim, Sara
323 TRS/FLT B492 (Dorm B2)
1320 Truemper St. Unit
Lackland, AFB, TX 78236-6407

Birth Announcement: Adelina Muller

2011-05-19T06:34:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Darrin & Young-Min for the birth of their second daughter!!!
Adelina Muller was born on April 4 at 3:07am at NY Presbyterian Hospital.
Weight: 7.15 pounds
Height: 20.5 inches

We praise God for the blessing of such a beautiful and healthy baby.

Yucatan-Mexico Mission Trip (2011.4)

2011-05-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157626641965752/

2011 Pilgrim Basketball League Champions: Team White

2011-04-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Iron Chef

2011-04-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Team Mina Kang!!!
more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157626365793647/

Baby Shower for Julie & Youngmin

2011-04-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

Bible Memory Verse Club 3.22.11

2011-03-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

Bible Memory Verse Club is an email chain that goes out every week amongst members of Pilgrim Church. Every week, one member picks a verse to share and sends out an email. If you are interested in being part of this chain, contact Hannah Baek at hannahbaek@gmail.com.

Isaiah 40:30 - 31
"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."

I don't know about you guys, but after the retreat, I was so physically tired. Mentally and spiritually I was energized by Tim Haahs and his incredible testimony, but my physical limitations made me discouraged and I was sad at myself for not entering work on Monday with the renewed determination to bring all the learned lessons into the workplace and my life.

But more than that, I realized that we need Godly strength to really do His work. I don't know what is going on in all of your lives, but some of us are tired/weary/stumbling/fallen right now. Imagine soaring through the sky with the wind rushing against your face, running as fast as you can and not being tired, walking for miles on end and remaining upbeat. This is the freedom, peace, strength and hope that our God provides regardless of ANY circumstance.

Please join me in holding on to this hope. Pastor Pat always says, hope is not like a wish where you don't know the outcome. Hope in God is definite and assured. We have full assurance of all of His promises to us.

The Pulse Opening Celebration Service

2011-02-15T11:32:00.000-08:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157626057959484/
article in the korean daily newspaper: www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?page=1&branch=NY&source=NY&category=&art_id=1155804

Baptism (2011.2.6)

2011-02-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157626012912614/

Yearly Picture

2011-01-08T15:26:00.001-08:00

College Retreat

2011-01-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625779048670/

The Pulse (new worship service)

2011-01-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

The Pulse is a new English Ministry Worship Service in Queens, NY. It meets every Sunday at 3:30pm at Siloam Church, 137-70 Northern Blvd in Flushing. Two of our Youth Pastors (Eugene Kim & Pat Nam) are the leaders for this ministry. It was great to see many Pilgrim members go out to support their first Worship Service last Sunday.
more pictures at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625621272081/

newsletter from Missionary Paul Kim (Thailand)

2010-12-31T08:09:00.001-08:00

12/31/2010 Endless Need

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that all of us will be thankful as we reflect on God’s wonderful grace and blessings in our lives. I know that our plans don’t always work out, but we can take comfort in the fact that God certainly knows what He’s doing! My father is much better now; he can preach and write emails now. We’ll visit this weekend for church in Chonburi Mission Center as well as a family dinner. We were blessed to have Namseoul Church and GP sponsor a medical trip to Korea for my parents, where my dad got more rehab (and acupuncture). Many of his friends and people from other churches visited and encouraged him.

CORRECTION: RUBBER TREES NOT YET PLANTED! The order for 5,000 rubber tree saplings is still backlogged, and we expect them to be delivered in a few months; they were NOT planted as I had mistakenly heard. We may order 5,000 more rubber trees, or settle for a financially equivalent number of palm trees.

OLC (the English Bible study group) is restarted, and I’ve invited some of my American friends to help teach. John DiPilato (pictured left) has been joining me once a week, and has added more energy to the group. I think it’s cool that a descendant of Pontius Pilate is helping me teach Jesus to my Thai friends. God is funny. My old high school classmate, James, and his wife, Brenda, will also start helping from 2011.

NEWSONG BANGKOK has been a blessing for us too. As part of the “Sunday” team, I play a supporting role to our two full-time staff. There are many volunteers, and many different small groups, and getting to know them has been refreshing for our family. John and James are also part of NewSong Bangkok.

NEED BASED MISSIONS cannot work! There is endless need not only in “mission fields” but even in all the churches I know in the states. I remember serving the wealthy churches of California and dealing with staff from different departments competing for volunteers, sometimes in immature or self-centered ways. If anyone asks me what is the greatest need in Thailand, I just tell them to do what they want to do, and it’ll probably serve some great need. We ourselves want to focus on supporting individual Thai leaders for the long haul.

THAT MEANS WE MUST DO AWAY WITH FINANCIAL DEPENDENCY for the indigenous leaders. It can feel convenient to get money from the states to hire a local leader to do some great ministry. But when the financial support stops, so does the ministry, and the local leader hops around for another foreign missionary to sponsor some other ministry. The unfortunate thing is that this system is as convenient for the local leaders as it is for the foreign missionaries. If one missionary refuses to use easy money, the local leader will often partner with another missionary who would gladly bring in the dough. There’s a lot to reflect on this issue for missionaries like me.

Let’s enjoy the holidays and count our blessings!

Please pray that:

1. Our ministries for 2011 will be exciting as well as meaningful for the Thai church.
2. God will help all of us to remember to pray for our role in the Great Commission.
3. My father will continue to recover fully.

In Christ,

Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

Christmas Gift Boxes for Children from Hana Mission

2010-12-22T10:53:00.000-08:00

more pics at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625653453058/

SALT (Servant And Leadership Team) Retreat

2010-12-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Picking/Carving

2010-10-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625121484885/

Football w/Joy

2010-10-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625102219413/

Prayer Request for Missionary Paul Kim & his Father

2010-10-20T13:59:00.003-07:00

From: paul kim
Sent: Wed, October 20, 2010 2:23:03 PM
Subject: Re: emergency udpate
Hello,
I think this will be the third and final (emergency) bulletin. Thanks to many of your prayers, God has made my father recover faster than what the doctor expected. I heard he was conscious since yesterday, about 24 hours after the accident; and this morning when I greeted him he squeezed my hand firmly. I was glad to have rushed over here to see him and my mother. And, I really appreciate all the emails I received from so many of you.

They plan to take out the respirator tomorrow, so maybe he'll be able to speak to us. We expect him to be able to open his eyes later as the swelling goes down. And after that, the doctor will determine if surgery would be needed for a fracture in the face; there is more than one fracture in the skull, but this is the only one that might need surgery. CT scans of the head revealed that the bleeding damaged none of his important functions.

Many friends came to visit and encourage us. At this rate, he will be out of the ICU in a couple of days, and spend a few more days in the hospital before going home.

I have some documents to take care of in the Korean embassy to get his insurance company rolling, and will spend the rest of this week in the hospital. My family should be safe in Los Angeles by now (haven't confirmed yet), and will join me after a few days of packing.

My children were talking about how they missed their Thai food and friends, but seeing their dad rush off suddenly, and flying home from Maryland to Los Angeles unexpectedly must've been stressful for them. Please pray that they would use this incident to learn how precious life is for everybody, and how little control we have over our plans.

Thank you,
Paul
*I'll update you again in a regular newsletter update or if something unexpected happens.

On Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 11:58 PM, paul kim wrote:
Hello,
Thank you for your encouraging comments/emails and prayers.

I just arrived home in Bangkok (midnight here), and plan to drive down to Chonburi Province to see my dad tomorrow morning, assuming my car starts; I can always take the bus.

The Field Director updated us and said that his condition is more stable; the doctors don't think he'll need surgery on his head.

My family is about to leave Maryland, and will spend a few days in Los Angeles packing up, before joining me in Bangkok. We're sorry for not being able to visit those of you (between Maryland and San Diego) during this sabbatical.

God bless,
Paul

On Mon, Oct 18, 2010 at 8:45 PM, paul kim wrote:
Hello Friends,
I was in the middle of working on a newsletter update, to share the fun and productive experiences of our 2-month road trip, when I got an email from the Field Director in Thailand explaining that my father was in a car accident.

He's currently in a hospital in Sriracha, Chonburi Province, unconscious and in intensive care with a head injury. They performed a CT scan and will wait for him to regain consiousness instead of doing any surgery on the head.

Please pray for his speedy and full recovery; please pray also my mother, who must feel so alone; I tried many times but couldn't contact her by phone.

Please also pray for me, as I feel worried and at the same time consider returning to Thailand quickly.

Thank you,
Paul

Autumn Retreat

2010-10-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625199120474/

Missionary Paul Kim & Family Visit

2010-10-13T12:57:00.001-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625157830362/

Pittsburgh Roadtrip

2010-10-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625016468077/

Football w/Arcola

2010-10-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625016702101/

Random Pictures from Last Sunday

2010-10-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625103360352/

Football w/Metro

2010-10-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157624976670329/with/5054089221/

Football w/Hope

2010-09-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157624928348395/

football w/chodae

2010-09-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157625005830692/

football w/gcc

2010-09-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

more pics at: www.flickr.com/photos/pilgrimnj/sets/72157624956426184/

new member's class: food team

2010-09-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

bbq

2010-09-14T09:02:00.001-07:00

kickball

2010-09-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

letter from Missionary Paul Kim

2010-09-08T12:18:00.001-07:00

9/6/2010 The Rest of America

MY YOKE IS EASY! I hope you’re getting some rest on Labor Day in America. We’re enjoying the first 2 months of our furlough in California, and look forward to the next 2 months on the road. It’d be nice to have a stretch limo and driver for 2 months, but that’s something I won’t pray about! We hope to see you, and also say “thank you” to our supporting churches. And some of you have been donating to our ministries for over five years! See our webpage for more travel details.

BUT SERIOUSLY, we’re being spoiled, eating a lot of American beef, Brazilian beef, Korean beef, Mexican beef, and even exotic sushi! We check for sustainability ratings on the menu when available. People in various churches have made us feel welcome in California. And it’s been encouraging to see my friends doing their best to serve God’s people in their lives. I believe Jesus’ commission to each of us is to make disciples wherever we go/are. But we’re in this together, so we can encourage and help each other serve God’s kingdom more effectively.

MOST OF OUR DAYS have been filled with meetings and meals with friends. And we feel blessed to spend more time together as a family. We were treated to Disneyland, not once but twice! I also had a chance to take Lydia to the X Games in Los Angeles, and Timothy to WWE (wrestling) in Staples Center; that’s when I took the picture above. It was also a pleasure to officiate in a wedding of a former student in LAKMC. And we got to develop our relationships with members of our home church, TGSC (Torrance Good Shepherd Church). Over the next two months on the road, there will be long stretches in between cities where we’ll be alone, and I look forward to bonding with the family the old fashioned way. I’ll be uploading photos on Facebook.

While we’re having a blast in the states, we do miss Thailand, our friends and ministries there. OLC (the English Bible study group) is on break while I’m gone; please pray for at least one or more English-speakers to partner with me at OLC. We also miss the dynamic Newsong Bangkok Church and our friends there. Chonburi Center has a lot of ministries that I’ll look forward to helping once I get back. We’re in the middle of purchasing and planting rubber trees and palm trees.

God bless each of you, as you continue to trust Him. Thank you so much for reading this newsletter, and for praying for us, and for financially supporting us.

My friend’s encouraging quote, “Paul, with God there is no recession!”

Please pray that:

1.
God will grant us safety and joy in our 2 months on the road together.
2.
We will get renewed vision and strength for our ministry in Thailand.
3.
Thailand will continue to develop as a nation of peace and freedom.

In Christ,
Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

update from Missionary Paul Kim

2010-07-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

Thailand Global Partners
786/349 Soi Thonglor 18 Bangkok 10110
7/25/2010 America
HELLO FROM LOS ANGELES! How are you doing
these days? I arrived safely last Tuesday and reunited
with my family in Alhambra; we’re staying with
Sarah’s parents. We’ll be in the states for four months,
until November 17. My cell phone (thanks to GP) is
714-290-2430. We also thank Choong Hyun Mission
Church (Glendale) for the use of their car here. We
plan to rent a car for our road trip around the states
from September 6 to November 7. Please let us know
if you’d like us to visit. We want to visit you, and
share at your church or small group; but we don’t want
to bother people who have a busy schedule. I don’t
always take time off to see everyone that visits Thailand. See our webpage for more travel details.
Above is a picture of the team of ten from Irvine, CA (First Harvest Chapel, Rev. Rick Kim), who came and had a
great ministry in early July (see their video here). I really enjoy hosting short term mission teams; every team has
been a blessing to us. While I’d like to invite you to consider visiting us next year, I should also remind you that the
political situation in Bangkok is going to be uncertain for a while. I’ll update my checklist for short-term teams to
explain how we can plan better in this situation, especially with respect to last-minute cancellations.
Our first term of five years in Thailand has been a great journey of ministry as well as self-discovery. There was a
lot of learning we had to do, and it wasn’t always easy. We started by learning Thai, all four of us, and the girls also
had to deal with culture shock. Timothy was only three when we first arrived, so his (reverse) culture shock was
more when he visited the states three years ago at the age of five. I had grown up in Thailand, so my transition was
totally pleasant. Lydia was eight and had to leave her friends and award-winning school; so it was hard for her.
Sarah had spent all her life in Seoul and Los Angeles, surrounded by Koreans, so it also took a lot of effort for her
to adjust to a new environment the first two years. Five years later, we’re glad to be back but also miss Thailand at
the same time; our languages are kinda mixed up, and we have to remember to put away our trays at McDonald’s.
I’m excited to be visiting many of you over the next few months. I have a lot to share, and I’m also eager to hear
about what’s been happening in your lives. This furlough will be a great time to reflect, pray and think about
creative strategies to help my Thai friends over the next five years; I’ve come to know a lot of Thai leaders who are
making a difference. Random: I’m also dreaming about solar powered street lamps to light up Chonburi Center at
night!
We’re looking forward to polishing up our American English!
Please pray that:
1. Our time here will be a restful and inspiring one, as we
visit many churches and supporters.
2. God will enhance our vision for helping the people of
Thailand.
3. Our friends in Thailand will continue to follow Jesus in
exciting ways while we’re away.
In Christ,
Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy
www.paulmkim.com
Thailand Global Partners
786/349 Soi Thonglor 18 Bangkok 10110
We want to edify you. Let us know if you wish to UNSUBSCRIBE or keep in touch through other means (eg, emails, snail mails, or occasional postcards).
www.paulmkim.com

football: college vs working

2010-07-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

Philippines Mission Trip

2010-06-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

memorial day bbq

2010-06-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/album.sfly?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLIsA&startIndex=0&fid=9cb9abb6a2926aec3315f89dbf2f35f7

weekend w/george verwer

2010-06-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

last weekend we were privileged to have george verwer (founder of operation mobilization) deliver four messages at our church. we were so blessed and challenged by his life & ministry.

birth of Nathan Lee

2010-05-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

congratulations to louis & hyo eun for the birth of Nathan Lee on may 25!!!

pilgrim education departments: basic training retreat

2010-05-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLIkg

spring retreat

2010-04-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

congratulations to the winner of the finals: team dan kim

2010-04-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

more bball league pics

2010-04-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

letter from: Missionary Paul Kim

2010-04-16T07:34:00.001-07:00

4/14/2010 The Heat Is On

GREETINGS TO ALL OUR FRIENDS from Bangkok, Thailand. Things are certainly heating up this week, the hottest week of the year for Thailand. And the Bangkok protests took a deadly turn last Saturday as the government tried to wrap things up before the Thai new year celebrations (Songkran is April 13-15 every year). I know that there are many upsetting news around the world. But thank you for partnering with us for the Perfect News!

MY PARENTS have served as directors in Chonburi Mission Center for over 20 years. That’s what they’re known for in the missionary community. But I’ve always felt that my father’s 15 years as a board member of EFT (Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand), the biggest denomination or association of churches and ministries with over 800 missionary visas, was his greatest contribution to the Thai church community, especially as the only foreigner on the board. I admire his friendship with the Thai pastors. He and his old buddies ‘retired’ early to let the younger (people in their 50’s) generation take over. But this summer he was voted to be on board again for a 4-year term.

SUSTAINABILITY is a hot issue these days. Chonburi Center is planning to plant 10,000 rubber trees at a cost of 75 baht/tree (about $2.32). If you or your group would like to sponsor a tree (or a hundred trees!) please let us know. I’m also praying for some solar powered street lamps to light up the center at night. My teaching load at GTS (Global Theological Seminary) has doubled, as I will teach a couple of modular courses during summer break.

We are blessed by Poom, as he invites us to develop relationships with his Thai friends through regular dinners and retreats. You see Sarah cutting kimchi with Kwan, Poom’s wife. (Photos by Poom)

PILGRIM CHURCH EM (Joe Chu) and I are planning a MK Youth Retreat Chonburi in June 14-17. We have an endorsement from the Korean Missionary Association in Thailand, and the church will sponsor the expenses for up to 40 MKs. Please let us know if you’d like to sponsor or be involved in some way. One of the things we’re trying to do is to help the teenage missionary kids be thankful for their third-culture environment, and to prayerfully consider how God might be raising them up as global followers of Jesus in the 21st century. You can see our summer schedule for mission teams here. I had a great time helping out at a youth conference up north with my friends Bun, Oh and Kilang. And pray for me as I attend Tokyo 2010 conference in May; I’m excited to meet my friends Joe and Juliet Kim, old friends and young missionaries in Nagoya, Japan.

Please pray for a peaceful resolution to the current political deadlock in Thailand.

Please pray that:
1. The visiting mission teams will have a great experience of learning and helping my Thai friends.
2. God will guide us as we feel it’s time to raise the quality of our ministries while lowering the quantity.
3. We will plan well for our furlough planned for August – November of this year.

In Christ,
Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

mexico mission trip

2010-04-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLIfA
we returned safely from our mission trip. we had the privilege of leading youth retreats in the yucatan peninsula for the third consecutive year.

inter-church good friday service

2010-04-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLIXg&emid=sharview&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharview

more bball league pics

2010-03-24T12:34:00.001-07:00

pilgrim bball league

2010-03-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

iron chef pilgrim

2010-03-02T13:39:00.000-08:00

letter: missionary paul kim

2010-02-14T05:38:00.001-08:00

2/13/2010, Focus on Love

I JUST SAID NO TO RYAN, after he called from the detention center asking if I could help two refugees who couldn’t speak either English or Thai. I explained to him that it’s against agency policy, that it could lead to a whole flood of others like them who’d get my number and call me for help, that it’s not my mission, etc. Just yesterday, I had said no to a wealthy, 60-yr old man, who was in desperate need; the man was sobbing like a baby. I’m going to be a successful missionary; my agency and the Thai church would commend me for staying focused. But to keep this level of focus, I must stay numb to the pain of others…. Why am I afraid of what Jesus might say later on?

HOW ARE YOU? There’s a lot of snow in the states, and I wish I was there to feel the cold. I think it’s time for a brief furlough; we plan to visit the states on late August for 2-3 months. Our family is fine. Sarah is thankful that we’re here, the kids are growing fast, and my English seems to be getting a little rusty. Please plan to feed us like a pig when we visit you. We thank many of you for having supported us for the last 4-5 years. Below is a photo from a homeschool co-op group (ice skating) that Sarah and the kids have joined. Can you find Lydia and Timothy?

A LOT HAS HAPPENED since last September: Poom’s Verge Retreat in Pranburi (Oct 9-11), Sophia and Sam’s Wedding near the Cambodian border (Oct 20-21), the 100th bi-monthly Good Shepherd Institute in Chonburi Mission Center (Nov 10-13), Korean Missionary Association Retreat in Pattaya (Dec 21-23), Floating Mission School (a GP vision team, Jan 19-23), CBS (Dr. Joe Kim’s mission team from Japan, Jan 21-26; I will attend Tokyo 2010 Conference in May 11-14 and visit CBS too), Global Together (Dr. Myung Ken Lee’s team from Korea, including a special group of Thai-Korean kids, Feb 3-9).

PILGRIM CHURCH EM (Joe Chu) and I are planning a MK Youth Retreat Chonburi in June 14-17. We have an endorsement from the Korean Missionary Association in Thailand, and the church will sponsor the expenses for up to 40 MKs. Please let us know if you’d like to sponsor or be involved in some way. One of the things we’re trying to do is to help the teenage missionary kids be thankful for their third-culture environment, and to prayerfully consider how God might be raising them up as global followers of Jesus in the 21st century.

SHORT TERM TEAMS for the summer are filling up fast. Besides the team from Pilgrim Church in June, NYPC is planning a trip in the beginning of August, and two more teams are considering coming here for a short-term mission trip. There’s actually no more room for visiting teams, unless a team cancels. However, I’d be happy to introduce you to other missionaries, or help you plan your visit here without my being available full-time.

Please pray for us to maintain focus without losing focus on the love of Jesus.

Please pray that:

1. Our summer before furlough will be a productive one.
2. God will help us to be a family of missionaries, and not just a missionary family.
3. Sarah and I will continue to experience a deeper understanding of the grace of God.

In Christ,

Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

Baptisms

2010-01-19T13:23:00.001-08:00

Yearly Picture (you can download it)

2010-01-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

college & em retreat

2010-01-13T09:19:00.000-08:00

christmas dinner & gift exchange

2010-01-13T09:17:00.000-08:00

letter from Missionary Paul Kim

2009-11-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

11/19/2009 Four Years

Dear Friends,

HOW ARE YOU? We’re grateful and feel privileged that you continue to partner with us in prayer and financial support for the Good News of Jesus Christ in Thailand. We know that you will enjoy the fruits of our labor together, and pray that God will bless you in your work at home and in your families. Next week will mark the 4th anniversary of our arrival here in Thailand (Thanksgiving Day, 2005). Pray for Thailand as its leaders are working hard to weather the economic downturn and achieve political stability. Let me introduce my friend’s blog that shows how his family supports us.

POOM IS A DEAR FRIEND of us in Thailand; he’s been helpful in connecting us to many of his other Thai friends. He’s a natural connector, and last month he organized a retreat for his daughter’s school friends and their families. We were excited to fit in to this small retreat (photos) of about 70 people in Pranburi, 3 hours southwest of Bangkok on October 9 – 11. There were no services, because it was not a religious retreat. But, we had a good chance to mingle with the families and have gotten together for dinner with some of them in the weeks following the retreat.

NAMSEOUL CHURCH (est. 1975) has been a tremendous supporter of my parents since 1976, when they first brought my brother and me to Thailand. Actually, it was the first church to support my parents, and my parents were the first missionaries it supported. So, there’s a special relationship with my family, and even more so now that they support me financially. The senior pastor, Rev. Chul Lee and his team came for a short visit on October 15 to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of a seminary they help found in Bangkok, and we got to spend some time in fellowship as well. It was a special day for my father, since one of the seminary graduates was a young man who had gone through the drug rehab (and discipleship) program in Chonburi Center a few years ago.

AS THE FIELD COORDINATOR, assisting the field director here, I had to take care of our short-term missionary, Son Jihye, who had just gotten here at the end of August for a 2-yr term. Her health was not good, and after a fainting episode in language school, we sent her back to Korea on October 17. We felt sad that we were not informed of her health condition before her arrival.

MY FATHER HAS BEEN ORGANIZING a 4-day seminar (GSI, or Good Shepherd Institute) for church leaders every two months. And last week, we celebrated the 100th GSI. There are more seminars like this in Thailand these days, but a large network of church leaders has developed over the past 17 years or so through these bimonthly seminars.

OLC (Outreach Language Center) is facing another opportunity. At this point, I’m the only one teaching English Bible studies, and only once a week. But the pastor who has been letting us use his 4-story building for free has informed me that he plans to vacate the building early next year. That means, we should either prepare to move out (maybe to McDonald’s) or plan to develop our ministries to take over the building. An ideal situation would be where the top two floors are occupied by two or more volunteer teachers (short-term missionaries) and the bottom two floors used for more teaching sessions. Please join me in prayer for this opportunity, and let me know if you or someone you know might be interested in partnering with me to serve the Thai professionals.

GLOBAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY has begun its 2nd semester, and I’m teaching Systematic Theology and Beginning New Testament Greek 2. On the left is a photo of my class from last semester. Missionaries Park Soo-young and his wife have also joined the weekly teaching duties from this semester, but we also need a (Thai) cook for the students who are dorming there.

Please pray that God will help us to focus our ministry resources as we near the end of our first term and prepare for the second term.

In Christ,

Paul Kim

couples retreat (w/volunteers)

2009-10-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

football w/hope

2009-10-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

more pics at: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLHyA

football w/joy

2009-10-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

nice lateral john ye!!!
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letter from: missionary paul kim

2009-10-01T10:25:00.001-07:00

9/28/2009 vol 5.3, Project Kaolee

ONE YEAR INTO THE GREAT RECESSION, as some call it, we’re thankful for all of you that were able to keep supporting our ministries. We understand that a lot of people and churches had to be responsible and make adjustments in their budgets, but we’re also pleasantly surprised by a supporting church that actually increased their monthly financial support for us. We pray that you’re also enjoying God’s providence in your daily lives. I’m also glad that Sarah and the children are back from their visit to California over the summer.

SUMMER WAS FULL OF ACTIVITIES, as I ended up hosting four mission teams, and helping my dad host a 120-member international conference (G12) for two and a half weeks. The teams helped Chonburi Mission Center in many ways, and it was encouraging to see many individuals give up their time and money to serve in every way they can. I was also encouraged by their testimonies, and the good food we shared with their team budgets!

OLC (Outreach Language Center) is going strong, even while I remain as the sole English Bible study leader. The Thai professionals are proving to be very faithful to each other in this group, and people like Tu went ahead and decided to believe in Jesus without anyone directly challenging or inviting him to do so; he also helped himself to a church in his neighborhood. Pictured below is the OLC group with my family and Ms. Susie Lee with two of her friends who had come with a medical mission team. I’m actually praying for a partner who can teach with me; please let me know if God calls you.

PROJECT KAOLEE 2010 is something members of OLC are working on. Kaolee means Korea in Thai. The Thais are really interested in Korea and the Korean culture at this time. So, we’re planning a vision trip of sorts. They will save up for their own plane tickets; and we’re hoping for some help with food and lodging. About six people have shown interest for a one-week trip next fall. And half of the members are not believers. Please let us know if you would like to sponsor us in some way.

I’M PREPARING FOR A FOUR-DAY TRIP TO ISAAN (northeastern part of Thailand) this week. My father invited me to join him as he and his friends organize several training conferences for local pastors. Isaan is a poor part of Thailand, with bad weather, and frequent flooding. But the food is good, and their churches have been thriving in recent years. Please pray for safety and God’s presence for all of us. The month of October should be eventful, as we plan to attend a wedding of our Thai friend near the Cambodian border, as well as a couple of retreats.

Please consider being a sponsor for Project Kaolee 2010.

Please pray that:

1. God will lead us to focus our support on individual Thai leaders.
2. We will be more diligent in keeping in touch with our supporters.
3. Our children will have a positive learning experience through homeschooling.

In Christ,

Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

football w/metro

2009-09-29T12:54:00.001-07:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLHjA

please pray for peter chung

2009-09-09T08:20:00.001-07:00

please pray for our very own peter chung who will be doing about one year of mission work in yucatan, mexico. he will be assisting the ministry of pastor won. here is a picture of some of us sending him off when he left new jersey in his $500 used volvo.

Korea Mission Trip

2009-08-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

letter from Missionary Paul Kim

2009-07-08T10:48:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends,

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! Thank you for supporting and praying for Thailand, which means land of freedom.

SARAH AND THE KIDS are on an unofficial visit back to California; they will be back home on August 19. “Unofficial” means they did not use GP funds; Sarah’s sister purchased the plane tickets for them. They do not have a car or a cell phone; if you would like to visit them please plan to pick them up and drop them off. I’m pretty much out of Bangkok most of the summer working with visiting mission teams. I am happy to host them, and still try to maintain my weekly ministry duties.

LOTS OF VISITORS

My brother, Daniel (see photo above), who teaches Old Testament at Covenant Seminary (St. Louis) visited on June 1 – 6 and taught an entire class (30 hours of class time) in our seminary, while I acted as the sole translator; that’s my dad’s idea of a good family reunion.

A team from Pilgrim Church in New Jersey visited on June 2 – 12, teaching English, playing with the orphans, visiting a village of the Karen hilltribes near Myanmar, and also taking our center a step closer to going green with a gift of three push reel lawn mowers. See the photo on the left by Rev. Joseph Chu. Next step, wind mills and solar panels! Their senior pastor, Rev. Paul Yang, is the chairman of the international board for GP.

GP Thai had our annual conference (ARESCO) in Cha-Am, a beach city in southern Thailand, from June 15 – 17. Against my express wishes, they decided to make me the GP Thai Field Coordinator, which means I’ll have to cut down on my regular ministry duties; my job description is the run errands for the Field Director.

A group of 12 high school students and graduate student TA’s from Washington Leadership Academy (Dr. Myung-Ken Lee, Mercy Corps) visited on June 13 – 19. They taught English and played with the orphans, but also devoted a lot of time for field visits and seminars, and even a research paper at the end; the program was designed to encourage students to learn some of the international issues NGO’s are concerned with in Thailand, and apply what they learn here; some have started high school clubs in the past. See the photo above right by Christina Yoon.

I’m in the middle of helping my parents host a 120-member international mega-team of church leaders from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines and Thailand; they are here from June 29 – July 15. We’re doing a lot of simultaneous translations. A team from OM/Doulos ship will be in Chonburi Center from August 17 – 23, hanging out with the seminary students (English Camp, basically) and leading our weekly services and outreach events. Then a team from New York Presbyterian Church will visit on August 4 – 15 (Rev. Daevid Yoon, English Ministry).

GLOBAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: I am teaching Ecclesiology and Eschatology, as well as Beginning New Testament Greek. It’s fun to teach Greek in Thai; you should try it. Special thanks to John Chen for the helpful digital resources.

Please pray that God will help the various teams to learn about His work here.

In Christ,
Paul Kim

thailand mission trip

2009-06-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

thank you to everyone who supported our mission trip. we had an amazing experience teaching english in a public school, serving the chonburi mission center, and serving in a rural "karen" village.

memorial day picnic

2009-05-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

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letter from Missionary Paul Kim

2009-05-13T08:29:00.001-07:00

HOW ARE YOU? We are thankful for your continued support, emails, finances, and God knows, your precious prayers. We know that many of you are not in a very financially secure situation, and feel blessed to have your financial support. Widows, senior citizens, and even young missionaries are among some of our regular financial supporters. Besides a few cautious months, we feel happy that the economic downturn hasn’t forced us to change course in any major way.

SICAP CENTER IN SAMAR ISLAND is a wonderful place where young people are trained to serve God’s kingdom as teachers of the Bible. GP missionaries Daniel and Ruth have devoted over 12 years in directing Samar Integrated Community Advancement Project; and they invited me to speak at the seminary’s graduation service last month. Besides the ministry component itself, I felt blessed in the fellowship we shared, and in listening to their stories about how God proved faithful to them and their ministry over the years; and also Ruth’s cooking! I also had a chance to meet some of the other GP missionaries in the Philippines, including Konic Moon and his family that we had trained with back in 2005 in Kuala Lumpur.

ELI SPENT ONE YEAR serving Thailand in many many ways. After one month in language school, he spent eight months hanging out with the orphans in Chonburi Mission Center and teaching English in two local schools; he also spent all weekend with the church in the center for outreach and Sunday school. He got to learn a lot about missions. In the last three months in Bangkok he served in various ministries, including a slum community, Bangkok Refugee Center, administrative support for a ministry center for prostitutes, and OLC (Outreach Language Center). He lost a lot of weight and left two weeks ago, and we miss him dearly.

GLOBAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY will begin our new school year later this month, and I will continue to teach all day every Monday; I expect to start earlier and stay later, teaching more classes in that one day. I will also continue my ministry with OLC, including a biweekly business English session during lunch. Sarah has stopped leading the Friday lunch group, and is focusing on adding Timothy for homeschool. We still enjoy our involvement with Newsong Bangkok. Paul had a great eye-opening experience in an historical meeting of about 4,000 Thai church leaders last week, demonstrating their unity and the focus in sharing the love of Jesus Christ in every single district all over Thailand. Three teams are planning to visit this summer, including Pilgrim Church from NJ on June 2-10 (Rev. Joseph Chu, English Ministry), Washington Leadership Academy on June 13-19 (Dr. Myung Ken Lee, Mercy Corps), and New York Presbyterian Church on August 4-15 (Rev. Daevid Yoon, English Ministry).

Please pray for a long term solution for the political issues in Thailand.

Please pray that:

1. God will continue to equip us as we strive to equip the Thai leaders.
2. God will help all of us be more globally aware as we partner with each other in foreign missions.
3. God will use Chonburi Mission Center in a way that would help the local Thai community.

In Christ,

Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

mission trip: yucatan mexico, april 12-19

2009-04-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

last week, six of our church members went on a mission trip in yucatan, mexico. we spent the first three days leading a retreat for jovenes (young adults) at mesias church. we expected 20 jovenes, but over 50 showed up. we spent the next three days assisting the leadership of a youth conference for over 100 students. the highlight of the trip was doing evangelism in the parks late at night.
more pics at: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLG2A

basketball w/harvest

2009-04-07T07:48:00.001-07:00

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retreat

2009-03-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

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delivering food & donations to the community food bank of nj

2009-03-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

basketball w/arcola, march 15

2009-03-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=cf343ad43cf762295b2f2841c4d4a52e&sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLF6A

danny oertli concert

2009-03-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

letter from Missionary Paul Kim

2009-03-05T07:00:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends,How are you all doing? I know that the weather in Chicago is starting to thaw, but also remember reading about some snow storm in NY just a few days ago. I know Southern California is always perfect. Thailand is hot now; so if you want to visit, wait till the monsoon season begins in June! We want to thank you for your personal support and interest in our ministries here in Thailand. We also pray that God will help us to deal wisely with the many problems we're facing as a global economy. For myself, I've stopped going out of my way to meet new people and incur more expenses; this way, I'm also saving time for some office work. I actually thought about "faith" and just totally ignoring the current financial situation, and continuing to spend money trusting that God will provide. You can tell me if that's how a missionary is supposed to practice one's faith-- and put your money where your mouth is. Not that God has ever fallen short, but wise stewardship is also an important point to keep in mind. Seriously, it's a very interesting position to be in, to be living off financial donations of others; I feel even more conscious about it than I did when I was a full-time pastor, living off people's donations. But, the theology behind it is that it's all actually God's money. So, even though I'm living off people's donations, socially speaking, within the body of believers, we say that vocational Christians are supported by offerings that are first given to God, and then distributed to the vocational Christians. The thing is, coming to Thailand as a traditional missionary has made me feel that this theological perspective on monetary offering applies to all Christians, not just vocational Christians. Feel free to let me know what you think about that. We are still maintaining our regular ministry duties; I just finished my last lecture for the semester at Global Theological Seminary in Chonburi, and have a pile of papers to grade before summer break starts in a couple of weeks; I'm also excited in preparing for a few teams that are planning to visit us this summer. I'm continuing to lead English Bible studies for OLC (Outreach Langauge Center), in McDonald's, and guest-speak here and there. Sarah and I are continuing our weekly Thai tutoring to improve our language skills. Sarah also continues to lead a weekly group in the afternoons. She's busier now that Timothy's done with kindergarten and is at home all day, excited for homeschooling with his mom. Santosh, who has been a big part of many ministries here in Bangkok, including recruiting me to help lead OLC, has gone back to California to get married. Eli has taken up Santosh's old Monday evening spot, at least for the next two months where he'll be in Bangkok before also going back to California. Look us up on facebook for photos and other updates. And let me know if you want to come here for a year or so! Or, at least a few months of personal missionary service... Besides OLC on Mondays, Eli is actually involved in a wide variety of weekly ministries in Bangkok, including teaching kids in a slum community on Tuesdays, spending all day Wednesdays in Bangkok Refugee Center, Fridays in a ministry for prostitutes (in an administrative position), and these are just his basic weekly duties. He also is an active uncle to our kids, and a blessing to other friends in Bangkok. Thank you so much for your support! We really do appreciate your friendship and your support. Please feel free to share your prayer requests with us. Pray for us, as we include Timothy on our homeschool roster; pray also for me as I travel to Sicap Center in the Philippines to attend and speak at their seminary graduation service. Missionaries Daniel and Ruth Kim had invited me last year, but I couldn't go. God bless!Paul, with Sarah

basketball w/chodae, march 1

2009-03-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=fcbea40d7e05f94b6cbbd47cbb382743&sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLFrA

reach, jan 18

2009-01-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

in last sunday's game against reach, michael yang went to the free throw line twice at the end of regulation time. he made all four free throws to tie the game & put us into overtime. in overtime, we won :>

more pictures at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLFYA

letter: Missionary Paul Kim

2009-01-20T06:47:00.000-08:00

1/16/2009 vol 5.1, Shifting Down

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" can be said so casually and without much thought. But we'd like to encourage everyone by praying that 2009 will be as much of a blessing as it may be a challenge for you. Thank you for your friendship and emails and support and prayers. Timothy will graduate from kindergarten this March, and join Lydia for homeschooling thereafter. Lydia enjoys going with her mom to help take care of the little kids at a local MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group twice a month. Sarah has added another weekly responsibility by tutoring a friend's friend in English; she wants to focus on homeschooling, but our friends seem to demand more of her attention.

SHIFTING DOWN SOUNDS LIKE A STEP BACK. But, I've decided to spend less time meeting new people, and more time doing administrative work this year. This will have a double benefit in trimming our budget in line with the expected decrease in donations in 2009, and in increasing the structural framework for developing one or more of the ministries I'm focusing on: Chonburi Center, OLC (the English Bible study group), and Newsong Bangkok. I decided to stop going to BCIS to preach and teach the Bible every week. Still, upon request, I have begun teaching business English to a couple of OLC students on a bi-weekly basis. There is no tuition or fees for OLC. The photo above is of our Christmas dinner with OLC.

CHRISTMAS DAY IN THAILAND is not a holiday, not at all. People work and go to school like any other day. Ironically, Thais take no offense in celebrating Christmas as a cultural event. "Merry Christmas" banners can be seen everywhere, and traditional gospel melodies about Jesus Christ can be heard in the malls. Even more shocking for American educators, public schools welcome Christmas presentations! Seminary students in Chonburi Center spent the Christmas break going to about thirteen schools and several villages, as well as two malls, to sing, dance, act, and preach about how Jesus is the reason for the season. I've seen many many students raise their hands and pray to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior! The teachers and the administration sat by satisfied that their students were exposed to the Christmas tradition. Try that in your local school and get a taste of some American justice!

VISITORS ARE ALWAYS ENCOURAGING. Michael, from Pilgrim Church (English Ministry), visited last fall for a little over a week. We were encouraged by his taking his vacation time and money to visit a mission field, and also by his monthly donations. He happens to be the nephew of this pastor I had known since I was a kid, and also of our chairman of the board. The day after he left, Rev. Min and Elder Choi from Choonghyun Mission Church visited for a day on their way back from ministries in India. Sarah's parents have been long-time members of that church, and I had known Rev. Min since I was dating Sarah. Elder Choi, it turned out, is the father of another pastor in whose church I had guest-spoken. And I met many relatives in Korea at the end of November when I went to attend my grandfather's funeral. That was also encouraging.

You can read more about my grandfather and the nursing home he founded in my blog.

Please pray that:

1. My widowed grandmother will survive her first cold winter in her nursing home.
2. The OLC professionals will continue to grow in their knowledge of God, as well as in English.
3. We will be able to organize our ministry schedule to include time for both people and paper.

In Christ,

Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

Si On Jonathan Lee, 6.15 Lbs

2009-01-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Hyo Eun & Louis for the birth of Si On Jonathan Lee!!!
Friday morning, January 16 at 9:51am, 6.15 Lbs.

letter from missionary paul kim

2009-01-14T11:31:00.001-08:00

Hello Friends,
Happy New Year, and may 2009 be more fruitful than ever before!

My wife and I try to write our official newsletters in both Korean and English, and that tends to delay the whole process. We have something like a rough draft sitting on our desk, but I still wanted to contact at least those of you who specifically requested a frequent update, at least in English.

My Grandfather's wake and funeral services were comforting for our extended family. Sarah and the kids were not able to make the trip. But, with intense protests and closures of the two main airports at that time, my parents and I were really thankful we were able to fly out at all; and, we weren't sure how we'd return. But, we made it back home safe and on time as well; our return flight was to Phuket, about 12 hours south of Bangkok, and we took a minivan taxi up to Bangkok that night. Many tourists had died in traffic accidents as there were many taxis and minivans that seized this airport crisis to drive passengers to airports many hours away, at all hours, and without sleep. So, we're thankful for life (period). Please do continue to pray for Thai politics, even though things are calm right now. And, Thailand is bracing for the economic downturn to hit their exports hard this year.

This new year, we plan to make a little shift away from events or meeting people, and take more responsibility for office work or our administrative duties, including communicating with our supporters and updating our websites more frequently. A fringe benefit of this shift will be in decreasing our expenses; we are advised to prepare for less donations this year as everybody seems to be hurt by the financial crisis. But, we also think that after three years of learning and meeting new people, it's time to focus more on organizing our main ministries in Chonburi Center and Newsong Bangkok. We are also pleasantly surprised and challenged by the strong fellowship of the Thai professionals in OLC (Outreach Language Center), who study the Bible in English with us. There is a young man who has made a career decision not to leave Bangkok partially because of this study group. I have also decided to stop going to BCIS (Bangkok Christian International School) every week to preach at their chapel.

Timothy is in his last two months of kindergarten, since Thai schools end their final semester before summer begins in March. We will add him to our homeschooling roster, doubling the number students! Sarah will be a little more busy, but her two years of experience with Lydia will be a big help. Lydia is growing oh so very fast. But, our older friends advise us that her preteenish behavior is nothing-- wait till she's in high school! Sarah and I are learning about parenthood, and childhood, everyday. After three years here, we actually feel very comfortable here. Some would say that it's a bad sign for a missionary to be at home so comfortably in the mission field; but, the alternative to that means a difficult stay and ministry in the field; this is a dilemma, but we choose to settle here as well as we can, even if it means burning our bridge from usa more and more-- whatever that means...

Thank you for your support and friendship. Do pray also, that our ministry budget this year will not shrink in fear, but be recalibrated in faith, rooted in the reality of God's providence in this world. We want to be realistic and faithful at the same time.

God Bless!
Paul Kim

Group Picture

2009-01-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

Bball w/Arcola, 2009.1.3

2009-01-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLFJA

Christmas Party

2009-01-08T06:56:00.001-08:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLFBg

college retreat

2009-01-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLE-A

hana mission, paterson

2008-11-04T10:07:00.001-08:00

more football pics

2008-10-22T12:53:00.001-07:00

gracehouse/metro: http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=0512dc2e0a840f39&sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLD7g

arcola: http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=a940857770f1dfa7&sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLDzA

football pics (antioch)

2008-10-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

more pics at:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=40be4ba32e391aae&sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLDZg

football season has begun...

2008-09-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

more pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLDIg

letter from missionary paul kim

2008-09-11T11:25:00.001-07:00

SHE LOOKED ME STRAIGHT IN THE EYE, and said, "No! Only one of you is late." I tried to clarify that all four of us were late by one day, but she just laughed. This never happens in a government bureaucracy, especially the immigration department. I was stunned. But it didn't take much faith for me to think, "Amazing grace!", and just pay the late fee for one person. We're supposed to report to the immigration office every 90 days; but, we had lost track of time in the midst of our summer ministries.

DEAR FRIENDS, thank you for your friendship and emails and support and prayers. We pray that your life will be filled with many blessings from God, in addition to the excitement of elections and natural disasters. We have our share of excitement in Thailand. Our family is doing well, growing not in quantity but in experience and maturity. Sarah is enjoying her English Bible studies on Thursdays at lunch with Thai professionals; she will begin helping out at a local MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group each month. Lydia's homeschooling is going as well as hoped.

FOUR CHURCH TEAMS visited us this past summer and helped our ministries in many ways. Redeemer Presbyterian, Harvest Community, Torrance Good Shepherd, and New Life Community (pictured) helped out in Chonburi Mission Center, led worship and VBS (and farmed!) in a couple of Karen villages, taught English at schools, the slums, and also visited ministries that help prostitutes. We had a great time hanging out too.

JOAN is a nurse who came with the Redeemer short term team and has been volunteering at the clinic in Bangkok Refugee Center; she also teaches English at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters every week. Joan was helpful in leading some of the OLC Bible studies when I was out of town with visiting teams. Eli is doing well in Chonburi Center, working too hard everyday. In addition to teaching English at nearby schools in the weekdays, he leads the English portion of the Saturday outreach in two locations, and has started an English Sunday school program from this month. Both Joan and Eli have been very encouraging to us and the Thais in our ministry network.

THE OLC (Outreach Language Center in SDRF) building is no longer available for us to use for our English Bible studies. Instead of renting a meeting space we decided to just meet in a café nearby. We'll let you know if we develop a larger vision for OLC that requires a building.

CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY on Friday mornings was a blast. We ended the course with a weekend leadership camp (see photos on my facebook). I've also began preaching at the chapel in BCIS (Bangkok Christian Int'l School) on Wednesday mornings. Combined with all-day lectures in Chonburi Seminary on Tuesdays and a wife and two kids to remember, my blessed week does seem to boast more quantity than quality. I intend to trim down my schedule a bit in the coming months. I've neglected exercise and reading, along with personal visitations.

Pray for Thailand as we're now in a state of emergency amidst intense street protests.

Please also pray that:

The short-term teams that visited will continue to grow in their zeal for God's people, even in USA.
Newsong Bangkok will be a place for all kinds of people to know Jesus Christ creatively and fully.
God will help us to focus and strategize so we can help the Thai church effectively.

In Christ,

Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

retreat pictures

2008-09-04T07:08:00.001-07:00

letter from missionary paul kim

2008-07-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your prayers and strong interest in our ministries. I'm writing this casual update, between ouf official newsletters, to the 16 of you who expressed more interest in hearing from us. I hope you are doing well, and staying cool in the hot American summer. I'm enjoying the cooler rainy season here, since the Thai summer ended in May.

Right now, I'm in Chonburi Mission Center with a team of 7 college and high school students from my home church, Torrance Good Shepherd Church (TGSC, Rev. Nathan Kim). Pastor Lee J. Yi is leading them. We're having a great time getting to know each other, and they're really blessing our neighborhood by teaching English in the local elementary school; they've also dedicated most of the evenings to playing with the 37 orphans in the center. And, Pastor Lee will bless me by lecturing at the seminary tomorrow morning, so I can take a break and just translate. But, pray for them, since about 4 of them are sick from something they ate at a streetside restaurant last Saturday. My family and I've never been sick from food, and neither has the previous 4 teams I hosted. So, I'm humbled a bit, and will take more precautions from now on.

The teams from Redeemer Presbyterian (Rev. James Han) and Harvest Community (Rev. Jae W. Kim) came earlier this month, and we also had a great time. (See photo link 1, link 2.) They were an older group, and encouraged me a lot with their questions and a good listening ear. They focused their ministries in a Karen village and various urban ministries in Bangkok, including the slums and teaching English in the national police headquarters; they also visited The Well (a ministry for ex-prostitutes), Newsong Bangkok church, Tyrannus Publishing ministry (Rev. Joong-Shik Kim), Bangkok Refugee Center, and so on. The TGSC team will leave this Thursday, after vising Rahab's ministries and Night Light (ministries for ex-prostitutes). And, I will host my final team of the summer from New Life Community (Rev. Chris Lee) next week, August 5-12, who will divide their time between Chonburi Center and a Karen village.

So, I'm spending a lot of time with the 4 teams this (American) summer, but at the same time I've tried to maintain my weekly teaching duties. It's been tough, and I got sick early on; so I'll consider making changes for my ministry schedule for next year's summer. Joan (from Redeemer Presb) is staying on for 2.5 months volunteering as a nurse in Bangkok Refugee Center. She's off to a good start; and she's also subbing for me at OLC while I'm in Chonburi Province, and leading the English Bible studies on Thursday evenings. Sarah is also enjoying her Thursday afternoon teaching session. Eli in Chonburi Center is also doing very well, teaching English in two local schools and winning the hearts of all the orphans in the center. OLC had a retreat 2 weekends ago, and our whole family with Joan and Eli, and also Santosh and Christy-- Santosh's fiancee, had a very good time with the mostly non-Christian Thai group.

I also missed my 12th year wedding anniversary yesterday, but will try to remember to buy some flowers when I get back home to Bangkok later this week. My good wife is not angry, just a little depressed that she married a pastor in the middle of summer when the ministry schedule is the most hectic. She did bring the kids for a visit this past weekend, where they got to spend time with the team from Torrance and also play with the orphans. Lydia is growing very fast, and shocking people when I tell them that she's only 10. Timothy is also very social now, and makes a lot of friends everywhere he goes.

Please pray that the visiting teams will have a great learning experience here, and also for my family, that we will stay healthy and keep growing in Christ; pray also for my parents who are now in Chicago for the big mission conference for Korean missionaries; they will also visit my brother and his family in St. Louis. Finally, pray for OLC as we're looking for a place to continue meeting 3 times a week after August.

Thank you, and God bless!

Paul

mission trip: yucatan peninsula, mexico

2008-07-17T11:10:00.001-07:00

six of our em members went to yucatan peninsula to support pastor won & his ministry. our main focus was to lead an english camp/retreat for jovenes (15-18 year olds) from local churches.

more pics at: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLCug

jama conference

2008-07-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

p.esther, p.eugene & joonho did a great job singing at the jama conference this week. "look mom, no music stands!" they even memorized all the lyrics :>
more pics can be found at... share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbtWrNu5bsmLCmA

paintball fellowship

2008-06-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

letter from missionary paul kim & family

2008-06-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

6/12/2008 vol 4.3, Summer is Over

Dear Friends,

YOUR SUMMER IS JUST BEGINNING. I hope you stay cool in the body, while hot in the spirit. Call it inner spiritual beauty. Our summer ended last month, as Timothy and his Thai friends went back to school to begin their new year of school. The Thai summer is from March through May. Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support. We finally bought a car last April! Instead of a new Toyota, we settled for a used BMW 316i from a good friend, Lon. We did not want to keep telemarketing people to reach our goal of $25,000; and the weak dollar would've made it difficult to buy a new car even if we had reached our goal. See the picture of our old car in excellent condition. Lon will continue to help me not to get ripped off at the local auto garages; I just replaced the middle pipe for under $30. It's a great deal. We resisted the pressure not to offend those who think Christians should not drive BMW's, even 20-yr old ones, and chose not to buy a less reliable car for the same money.

SARAH WAS SPONSORED to attend and speak at the GP women's conference last month. She went not knowing what to expect; and I was a very supportive husband, since she left our two children with me for that week; but, Eli Pak came just in time to help me babysit! Sarah had a great time, and got much closer to the other women in our mission agency. Our children also had a great time with their father, who wasn't as good in getting them to bed on time, and let them play a lot longer through the whole week. By the way, see Lydia's webpage in our website, which she updated last February. Our newsletters are supposed to be bimonthly, but they're sometimes longer apart. Please email us if you'd like to hear from us more often; we've been sending casual email updates in between these official newsletters.

OLC (Outreach Language Center), which SDRF (Jim Gustafson) started three years ago is now a ministry of three weekly English Bible studies led by Santosh, Sarah (who started last month) and me. One of the members has been posting audio recordings of some of the sessions on his website here. We've been using the SDRF ministry center in downtown Bangkok; but they're vacating their office in August. We have to choose whether or not to take over their lease, or meet elsewhere. Please pray for wisdom, as this is a young ministry with young adults, and not really a part of any organization yet. The current rent is a little over $300 per month, and we haven't approached the landlord about signing a new lease yet. If you've been thinking of giving financially, now would be a good time to do so, encouraging us to take over the rent; but please let us know if it is for OLC that you're giving. There's also an option of having someone live there in one of the rooms and pay most of the rent.

FOUR CHURCH TEAMS, mostly from Los Angeles, will visit us: Redeemer Presbyterian (7/2-17), Harvest Community (7/5-12, Houston), Torrance Good Shepherd (7/21-31), and New Life Community (8/5-16). Eli Pak came on May 1, finished his month of intensive language learning, and moved to Chonburi Center yesterday to begin full-time English teaching in the nearby local school. See some photos of him on my facebook.

Please pray for my older cousin, mother of Sarah, Samuel and Sharon Kim, who just underwent surgery for stomach cancer.

Please also pray that:

Short-term mission teams visiting in the next two months will have a great time of learning.
Sarah will have a great time leading the new English Bible study group for Thai young adults.
Paul will be of help in Chulalongkorn University's leadership class as a discussion group leader.

In Christ,

Paul, with Sarah, Lydia and Timothy

Sunday, June 15, Outdoor Worship Service

2008-06-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

This Sunday's Service will be at 11am at Marian Shrine (174 Filors Ln. Stony Point, NY 10708). After Service we will have a BBQ Lunch & games.

*There will be no 2pm Service this Sunday!!!