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Iowa UBF
March 13, 2014

Do What Is Good

Titus 3:8 “This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”

1. The work of God in 2013

My last year’s key verse was Hebrew 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Thank God for being with us throughout the year of 2013. Last year, we kept putting dots of faith on our life and experienced many evidences of faith showing God’s presence with us. For the last year we had experienced God’s love, mercy, grace and victory through our faith. Thank God for blessing our small faith like a mustard seed based upon the key verse.

George Blazek, a lawyer, had been joining our worship service faithfully every week in the midst of his busy school work. I give thanks to God for his graduation from the University of Iowa (UI) Law School on May 17th, 2013. Missionary James Ahn and Pastor Kevin Albright came to visit us from Chicago to attend the commencement to celebrate George’s graduation. I was so thankful for their visit and prayers, making such a long trip to Iowa City to support our small ministry. Also, we had a wonderful time with his parents and sister’s family at the Iowa City park right after his commencement. Since he had to prepare for the state bar exam for about two months, he was able to stay in Iowa City and attend our GBS until the end of July. We sincerely prayed for him to get a job around the Iowa City area so God could use him as a remnant servant for UI students. Even though he got several job interviews from places close to Iowa City, he failed to get a position or he decided not to take a position because it was not what he was looking for in terms of practicing law. After finishing the bar exam, he attended the UBF international Bible conference by faith; he made a decision to live as a Bible teacher wherever he was at the conference. God was so faithful to him and blessed him to pass the bar exam and get a job offer at a law firm in the small town of Denison, Iowa. It is about one and a half hours from Omaha, Nebraska, his hometown, and three and a half hours from Iowa City. He felt so blessed to have the opportunity to learn from them. He stopped by to see us on 10/10 and had a wonderful dinner with our coworkers. Personally, I’m praying for him to have a Bible key verse for this year and live according to the key verse in Denison, Iowa

Dr. Natalie Kamberos, a pediatric oncologist of UIHC, is a faithful woman of God in our ministry. She has saving faith and knows the love of Jesus’ saving grace in her heart, and she also loves God’s word. I know this because she has been joining our GBS faithfully in spite of her busy hospital work, being on call weekends. Last year, she traveled to Jamaica for a medical mission trip in September. Also, she traveled to China and gave a presentation for work. She had a board exam in April, but she failed by just one point. God helped her become more humble and gave her a good chance to pray and depend on God through this event; she will retake the exam next year. Last year, God heard our prayers and helped her to restore the relationship with her mother living in Chicago. She was not able to open her closed heart toward her mother for a long time. However, she did not wait for her mother to come, but approached her first with Jesus’ loving heart. Thank God for using her as a blessing to her family. We are praying for establishing a house church with Brian in God’s time. Brian is gradually having an open mind to the Bible. We are praying for him to meet Jesus personally and fully recover from his heart surgery.

Last year, God sent us a faithful Bible student, Zoe’e Jordon. She’s an art student at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, which is about 40 minutes from Iowa City, IA. She has been studying the Bible with shepherdess Iliana (missionary Joseph Kim’s wife) of Write College, IL since 2011. Zoe’e is a faithful Bible student and we’ve been studying the John’s Gospel in Mt. Vernon. Since I’m working at a pharmacy in Mt. Vernon once or twice a week during the semester, I’ve been meeting her regularly after work at Cornell College. Sometimes she took her friend, James Thomson, to our meetings and had a Bible study together. Her vision was to become a short-term missionary in the 3rd world after graduation. May God bless our group Bible study in spring semester and bless her to keep the precious vision to become a missionary.

Missionary Samuel Kim is my brother and a faithful coworker of our ministry. He’s been serving God’s ministry faithfully in his busy clinic at UI dental school. He’s praying to be accepted to a pediatric dentistry residency program and had an interview from University of Maryland. Thanks to Missionary Abraham Bae and Washington UBF coworkers’ prayer and serving for him during the interview. God may bless his prayer life and lead him to the best campus this year.

Last year, we continued to pray for Chung-Youl Choi (UI biochemistry major), Missionary Esther Kim’s cousin and Ji-Soo (UI economic major). God may have mercy on them to open their hearts and to study the Bible this year.

I give thanks to God for blessing our family with my second son, Andrew Kim on September 3, 2013. Thank God for Missionary Esther Kim’s safe delivery and quick recovery. Andrew Kim is now 4 months old and he’s God’s great gift and a source of joy to our family. God may bless my two sons, Paul and Andrew Kim, to grow healthy and become obedient children of God. My mother, Shepherdess JinSim Kim of Daegu UBF, came to visit us from Korea on September 10 and stayed for a month in the USA. Thanks for her prayers and serving during that time.

2. Conferences

We joined the Missouri Valley Easter Bible conference on March 7-8. Missionary Peter Kim, Esther Kim, Samuel Kim, Paul Kim and Natalie attended the conference. Natalie shared her testimony at the conference. Also thank God for blessing me to deliver a CBF message Saturday morning.
We attended the 2013 UBF international conference. My father, Dr. Paul Kim of Daegu UBF, Korea visited our ministry after the conference. I wanted to attend the Chicago UBF Christmas worship service and Midwest region chapter staff conference in December, but due to my conflicted schedule I could not make it.

3. Sunday worship service and Bible study

We studied Genesis and Acts last year. We studied Psalm 103:1-22 for thanksgiving, studied Luke for Christmas, and Titus for 3 weeks during December. We want to study Exodus this year. We had Sunday worship service in the format of a group Bible study as usual. I presided over the worship service and led a group Bible study in my apartment on Sunday at 11:00 am. Missionary Esther Kim, Samuel Kim, George Blazek, and Dr. Natalie Kamberos took turns serving the representative prayer for the worship service. We had lunch after worship service.

4. 2014 key verse and prayer topics

My New Year key verse is Titus 3:8, “This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” Paul emphasizes that doing what is good is the evidence of faith. We cannot have real faith and claim that we have faith, if we don’t do what is good. We should practice as much as we know of the Bible. Paul knew our tendency toward being selfish and to practice little to avoid a loss in terms of doing what is good biblically. He also says doing good out of faith in Christ results in good for everyone. This year we want to devote ourselves to doing what is good for God’s ministry in Iowa. We want to offer our life as five loaves and two fish to God so we may focus on teaching the Bible this year because this is good for everyone. Please pray for us.

Prayer topics
1) Exodus Bible study
2) Peter Kim’s pharmacy study
3) Samuel Kim’s pediatric dentistry residency
4) Esther Kim’s fishing ministry
5) George’s life of faith and work in Denison, Iowa
6) Natalie’s life of faith and work at UIHC
7) Bible study with Zoe’e Jordon and James Thomson
8) Bible study with Chung Youl Choi and Ji-Soo
9) My two sons, Paul and Andrew Kim

One word: Do what is good!

By Peter Kim