May 5, 2005
Greetings from Berlin, and blessings to you all!
Though this letter is a long time coming, I assure you its delay
is only a sign of how much the ministry—and the amount
of my work—has grown. As many of you know, I started with
the PC(USA)’s ministry to the Kurds here in Germany back
in July 2004. However, I was not officially appointed by the denomination
until January 2005, when I returned for a month to the States,
which included a trip to the PC(USA) headquarters for two weeks
of mission orientation and training in Louisville, Kentucky. The
six months between my arrival in Berlin and my return to the United
States for orientation was a time for learning about Kurds, cultivating
relationships, and discovering God’s plan for the ministry.
Since returning to Berlin, things have snowballed—literally.
I’ll explain that in a moment.
For those of you who may be unclear as to what the ministry is
doing here, and what part I play in it, a short summary may be
in order. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has made it a goal
to reach out to the Kurdish people of Berlin. The Kurds are a
people group from the Middle East, whose land, Kurdistan, is divided
between parts of Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria. For political
and economic reasons, many Kurds have fled to Western Europe,
and especially to Germany. With fifty thousand Kurdish inhabitants,
Berlin is the biggest Kurdish city outside the Middle East. They
are an often oppressed people who are desperately trying to find
refuge, peace, and a place. They are also a people who haven’t
met Jesus Christ.
It is our desire to introduce the Kurds to Jesus Christ as well
as to help them in their struggles with German bureaucracy, education,
and culture. My role as an English teacher and youth leader has
proved to be one of the biggest and most rewarding challenges
of my life. As an English teacher, I’ve been giving private
lessons since September, as well as leading the English Bible
Study in the absence of the ministry’s
leaders. The three of us and our Kurdish co-worker, Flor, organize
a monthly worship service for Kurds who have an interest in Christianity.
I have begun organizing skits and small plays for these events.
I never thought I’d use my bachelor’s in fine arts
in theater, but the Lord always takes me to great places if I
just let him drive!
Probably my favorite part of the work here has been spending
time with youth. On Saturdays, I often meet with a small group
of young guys for soccer. Afterwards, we usually end up spending
time talking about life, video games, God, and kung fu movies.
One of our most memorable weekends almost didn’t happen.
It snowed. Soccer was a no go, but lots of kids showed up, and
it wasn’t long before I found myself in an enormous inner-city
snowball fight. “Is this mission?” I asked myself,
seconds before I took a big chunk of ice to the face. When I finally
caught up to the young Turkish boy, who had broken a cardinal
rule of snowball fights (no ice) I found myself in a position
where 10 teenagers were eagerly waiting for me to deliver some
much-deserved payback. Like I said, God will take us to amazing
places, but we have to give him the wheel. In this moment, I let
God drive, and before I knew it, I was explaining God’s
mercy to a captive audience.
God is also gracious. I recently organized an indoor soccer tournament,
the first in a series of youth-oriented events sponsored by our
ministry. Of course, the day before, the flu bulldozed me into
a zombie-like state, and two of my three helpers backed out. I
showed up at the tournament feeling absolutely awful and afraid
that things were going to spiral out of control. I prayed briefly
and desperately, and God heard my cry. The tournament was a success,
and my flu disappeared “magically” for the entire
time. God is gracious.
There’s lots more to tell: hospital visits, intense religious
discussions, piles of incredible Kurdish food, praise and worship
in three languages, and God’s day-to-day renewal. However,
I need to save some for the next letter.
I want to thank you; you’ve showered me with financial
contributions and prayers. I’ve already seen your support
make a difference in my own life, and in the lives of Kurds. The
PC(USA)’s work here is incredible, and I’m thrilled
to be a part of it. However, more importantly, we are all—you
and me—blessed to be a part of God’s great mission:
the mission to reach the whole world with His life-giving truth.
Blessings,
Kyle Joachim
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