Dear Beeville Grace Church:

Greetings from Sierra Vista, AZ where Monsoon rain comes almost every day. God’s Common Grace can be very special, especially when we get the grace in a unique circumstance like here in Arizona in which most regions experience severely high temperatures. Summer rain as God’s common grace here is truly a special grace, as we define our Salvation as the Special Grace. So, by the grace of our Lord God, Barnabas and Joy are doing very well in life and missions. Actually today, Thursday, July 22, 2021, Joy is coming back from her ministry trip to Huntsville, Alabama. Joy was invited by her virtual prayer group to share the word of God and pray with them for 4 days since this Monday and is flowing back this afternoon. Gratefully the Lord has been using Joy to serve His people in 2-3 small groups virtually over one and half an years during the COVID-19 situation. One of the groups wanted to see her in person and per Joy’s brief report this morning, God showed great things in the meetings and through her visitations to their homes and a hospital – Praise the Lord! I shared the passage of Isiah 40:1-11, “Comfort, Comfort My People!”  before Joy departed on Monday. Once Rev. MacGregor shared about his ministry in Korea, many of the Korean American women who came to the States through international marriages have difficulties with cultural differences and loneliness as many of them live in remote rural towns. This time four Korean ladies gathered together at one of the members home in Huntsville, AL from TN, GA, and AL.  

Barnabas’ prison ministry as a part of the Korean International Ministries (KIM Mission) according to the strategy/motto of KIM Mission, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation!” (Mk 16:15) is going very well. My presence in the Whetstone Unit of AZ State Prison Tucson Complex gradually and visibly increases for the effective ministry. Thus far, I think I have personally contacted over 400 inmates out of 1100. Majority of the inmates are still hiding themselves from me as I round 2-3 times to their house every day. Roundings are one of my proactive strategies to approach inmates. Inmates tend to hide or be apathetic in order not to come out to the light. So, I want to be open all the time, especially through the roundings. Usually I go through all the 11 houses of the unit bringing Our Daily Bread and good reading materials. Whenever they need to request/utilize a Chaplain’s position, they have to write an Inmate Letter, approach me directly during my roundings, or visit my office. Then I can kindly and actively respond to them and take action for their needs. Particularly when there are Family Emergency Notifications such as Death Notification, I do provide all my best pastoral care to the inmates. Emergency Notifications mostly give me not only opportunity for pastoral care but also critical and personal opportunity for sharing the gospel as well as building personal relationships with the inmates. Recently, two weeks ago, one of the Native American Indian (NAI) inmates who claimed his religious preference as Native Indian (this is one of the largest religious groups in the AZ State Correctional Dept.) got sad news of the sudden death (in heart attack) of his mom who was a Christian. This young man in his mid 20s responded first very apathetic and avoided eye contact with me but as I invited him to my office, provided a comfortable space, a bereavement phone call to his family and empathic listening to him, he started crying and cried loudly over 20 minutes. I silently waited for him by providing my paper tissues from my lunch bag (prisoners use different paper tissues). After that, he lifted his head, made eye contact with me, and asked me to pray for him and his 5 younger siblings left behind. After I prayed and mourned with him he leaned to me and I gave him a big hug. He cried again in my breast. As I told him to remember his mom’s faith and prayers for him as well as about the great hope of reunion with mom in heaven through believing in Jesus Christ, he answered to return to the Lord.  Thank you again for all your love and prayers!

In His grip,
Barnabas Kim
Korean International Ministries