Jungshin Kim, Ukraine: “A Staff In God’s Hands”

About Jungshin

Jungshin and Vicki

As part of our ministry trip to Ukraine in November 2014, we shared the Spiritually Healthy Leader series with master’s degree candidates at Ukraine Evangelical Seminary. There we met Jungshin Kim and her husband, Pastor Young Bong Kwon, who is the seminary dean. Jungshin manages the seminary staff, guest services, and administration.

Hospitality among believers in Ukraine is amazing and even more so among the Korean brethren at the seminary. The seminary’s 120 students eat together in a large dining hall. Jungshin invited us to sit at her table to ensure that we could communicate with other guest faculty and staff who do not speak English. We were in a Russian-speaking nation, with a Korean translating for us in English!

The seminary student body and staff include representatives of five different countries who are challenged to serve the Lord in places where danger and political upheaval are the norm. Vicki was invited to share about our 16 challenging – and rewarding – years in the mission field in Colombia. The realization that not all Americans live the kind of life portrayed in the movies gave the seminarians a new appreciation for the call of God on each of their lives and reminded us once again of the call to encourage our brothers and sisters who are serving God in remote areas.

Jungshin’s Story

Jungshin and her husband Young Bong Kwon

My name is Jungshin Kim my husband’s name is Young Bong Kwon. My God gave us three wonderful sons. I praise the Lord for my family.

I was born in Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea. I was blessed to be in the fourth generation of faith in my family. From the time I was little, I went to church alongside my grandmother. I grew, played, and matured at church. At the age of 14 while I was studying the Bible, God opened my eyes and gave me a vision. God loves the world and wants to save them. He wants everyone to know Him. I promised God, “Lord! I will give my life for you. I will share the Gospel, share your love, and let others know who You are.”

Called to Missions as a Pastor’s Wife

I met my husband who also has a vision of missions, and after eight years of pastoral ministry and missions training in Korea, we moved with our three sons to a closed nation. It was a cold country. We prayed and planned to do ministry for the youth there. God guided us in His way with His plan for us. He opened an opportunity for us to serve within the department of education, allowing us to receive official visas, and be a part of building an institute. Our students loved us as they would love their own parents. If it weren’t for God, all this would be impossible. God is now working through those we led and discipled there.

Exiled to a Different Nation

We were forced to leave that nation, but we believe our removal made us stronger and deepened our faith. After being expelled, we sought the Lord fervently and He led us Ukraine. Looking back at the mission field we left behind, we were able to see that God’s plan is best for us. We were able to expect big things in He had for us here in Ukraine as He says in Deuteronomy 6:10: “The Lord your God will bring you into the land … and give you great and good (houses) that you did not build.”

Serving at Ukraine Evangelical Seminary

In Ukraine, we served youth one by one and led them to Jesus. One day God opened the door for us to serve at Ukraine Evangelical Seminary. The opportunity led us to much prayer and tears. We knew we lacked the ability to take on this responsibility and wanted to decline the offer. However, we trusted that God to fulfill His purpose in what He wants to do. So we accepted.

With Ukraine Evangelical Seminary team

We believe that through this seminary, God will train His servants to be worshipers of God with a renewed life and He will raise up churches to bring salvation to those He loves. Our job is to prepare the students. So as we moved into our role at the seminary, we called in the best lecturers to teach. In November 2014, Dalton and Vicki came to Ukraine Evangelical Seminary to speak and share during a time when the seminary was in the process of applying for accreditation from the Accreditation Council. They demonstrated mature leadership and provided strong teaching by challenging and equipping our students to be spiritually healthy leaders and to walk closely with God. We are grateful for their ministry to us and look forward to their return visit.

We also provide students with hospitality and good meals, doing our best to serve these students who will do His work. We visit students’ places of ministry, encourage them, and share their vision for God’s Kingdom. A good number of the students in the seminary have experienced freed from addictions and are now operating rehabilitation centers for other addicts, sharing the gospel, and praying for them. Some students travel to locations where there are no churches to share the Gospel. We go with them to the most rural areas to share the about good news, God’s love, the salvation He offers, and His plan for them.

As we became more familiar with God’s work through the seminary, we saw a need for training and support for pastors’ wives. So we started a new program to train wives to partner in ministry with their husbands. In four years, we have trained 120 women. One alumnus went back to her hometown and started the same program for spouses. God has done all this!

Satan has fooled and broken so many Christian families. We could not just sit and watch this. We believe that it is the church’s responsibility to teach God’s plan for families, so we began a family ministry program.. In the first year, God brought us 15 couples, both pastors and leaders of the church. Hallelujah! We pray and hope that through this training for the families in the church, unbelievers will come to God by seeing the beauty of a family in Christ and His love.

God is Almighty. He used Moses in the wilderness, giving Moses a staff to lift high so Israel could see it. I want God to be the master and use me as His staff as we manage a school of 120 students. These students are doing the work to share teh Gospel throughout Ukraine. I want to be this staff in God’s hands.

Jungshin Kim, Ukraine: “A Staff In God’s Hands”

About Jungshin