Meet the neighbors: The Kim Family

Meet the Kim family! 

Gene, Minju, and their two girls Olivia and Justina moved here last year and we have enjoyed doing community events together. Gene has doctoral level education and they live in SC so he can work at USC. When he first moved to the community he had signed on for a 1-year project with USC but then decided to stay longer to help with other projects because they enjoyed the community of where they live. Prior to living in Columbia, they lived in Virginia for several years, and before that they were living in in their home of South Korea. Gene speaks the best English, Minju can hold a conversation for a few minutes, and the girls primarily speak Korean. Minju adores Ellette and screamed in excitement when I told her she was born and showed her a picture of her. Most folks in our community know that I am a hospice chaplain and a pastor at Beulah, and the Kim family is no exception. 

We are unsure of their spiritual and religious beliefs. They have attended Beulah's special events when invited (fall festival, this year's Christmas musical, etc), but have not attended any regular worship services when invited. At one point Minju asked Adelaide how far away Beulah was because they were considering attending a church because they have been lonely. 

I remember reading in a missions book that most people come to church at the personal inviation of a friend or to find socialization, and a much smaller percentage come exclusively seeking truth. Our earnest hope for the Kim family is that the small, friendly, and personal feeling of Beulah they experience at our events will give them a desire to become regularly involved. 

One of the primary needs we have been seeing in our community is loneliness and isolation. Last night I (Daniel) went to a school play that Mansi Gupta was in. For many of us, when our child is in a big play, all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents show up to watch and celebrate. For Mansi, I (and my kids) was the only person to attend outside of her immediate family. Many people that live here are in a transient stage of their life and have no community around them. In some cases, Adelaide and I are their only community. In other cases, like with the Kim and Lee families who are both Korean, we were able to facilitate an introduction and now they are being community for each other. 

Would you please say a prayer for the Kim family today? Pray that their eyes would be opened to their spiritual needs and that a local church would be able to surround them with Christ's community for as long as they are in our community.

 Please let me know how I can be praying for the lost around you.

In Christ,

Daniel Maggard