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J es us l iebt dich • Jesus lo ves you • دراد ت س ود ار و ت یسیع Marginalized "I'm just glad that my Persian teacher and Pastor Hugo both speak German and English really well. And the three of us, when we're sitting together working on things, we just have this mix of German-English-Farsi." A mix of cultures and expressions of the faith is exact- ly how Kim likes it. Pastor Hugo and Kim lead weekly worship services in German and Farsi and hold a com- bined-language service once a month. They're con- stantly evaluating how best to reach the various people groups in their community and foster cross-cultural relationships, despite cultural differences. "Germans aren't late. Persians aren't early. So it's hard," Kim says with a laugh that turns into a warm smile. "The one thing that unites us is that we're all part of the Body of Christ, and that's the language we share." Kim describes how challenging the work is, but also that she is confident of one thing: "We can find a way together because we're one in Christ." Kim describes the "language of Christ" as faith, love, and service. "Those coming from outside of Germany are looking for a safe place, and we want to receive and welcome them and think about what they need. A passport to Germa- ny is great, but a passport to heaven is even better." A posture of faith, love, and service. That describes my entire time with Kim. She gets up in the middle of our call to make sure El- liott and Silvia are okay, gives them a treat, and checks to see that her neighbor made it safely in the door. Wherever she goes, even at home or with animals, she's looking for opportunities to serve others. What else transcends language? God's love for all. Before we hang up, she teaches me to say "Jesus loves you" in Farsi. Transliterated, it is "Isa to ra doost da- rad." Or read right to left: One of Kim's favorite stories is of a six-year-old German girl from an atheistic home who's learning about Jesus. When Pastor Hugo said "God likes you," the girl quickly corrected him, "No, God loves you!" Yes, Jesus does love you. Kim may not set the agenda, but God is most certainly at work through her everyday "mission mode" inter- actions. He loves all people, even the foreigner and stranger. And God works through people like Kim—and people like you—to share His love through service, wherever He places you. w دراد تسود ار وت یسیع Interested in serving as a missionary? Kim says, "I feel inadequate every single day, but God is so much bigger and stronger than you can imagine. If you're willing to let Him use you in this way, I don't think you'll regret it." For more information, check out international.lcms.org. Lutheran Life 23

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