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Reaching the Deaconess Kim Bueltmann walks down a cobblestone street in the Schönefeld neighborhood of Leipzig, Germany. Surrounded by centuries-old white limestone buildings, she's on her way back from a walk in the park with her two Italian greyhounds, Sil- via and Elliott. She walks as if the day is being played in double time, with large strides for her 5-foot-2 frame and a beaming smile that brightens her whole face. Today at the park, she ran into a man she knows, a refugee from Afghanistan who's struggling to reestab- lish himself in Germany, haunted by the trauma of his previous life. "Every day is in mission mode—going to the store or the park—it's just part of life as a missionary, living life as Christians," says Kim. Kim explains this "mission mode" mindset is how all Christians should approach day-to-day interactions, never knowing how God may work in and through us to serve others. It's a mentality Kim developed from an early age when living with her family at a Christian camp, throughout her deaconess studies at Concordia University Chicago, and in her previous calls as a parish youth director and campus ministry assistant at Concordia University Wisconsin. "We don't set the agenda. It's not up to us. It's about being open to how God guides us." Three years ago, Kim was open to God's call to be a missionary to Middle Eastern refugees and socioeconomically disadvantaged Germans living in Leipzig and Chemnitz, Germany—a call that seems to fit her to a T. A lover of language, Kim was already fluent in English and German (and conversational Spanish, but who's count- ing?). Over the last three years, she's added Farsi—the Persian language—to that list, frequently switching between German, Farsi, English, and back to German again throughout the course of a day. "I didn't think I could ever learn this language. It just shows you that God is amazing and to never underesti- mate what He can do." Throughout our Zoom call, Kim time and again redi- rected the conversation back to God. He is her source of provision and strength. 22 Lutheran Life

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