International student Grace Kim finds home in her faith

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary PhD student Grace Kim once was unsure where she belonged, as she spent time living and studying in various countries since childhood. But as her faith grew, she realized her ultimate citizenship is in Heaven.

Kim was born in South Korea, but her missionary parents moved the family to Japan when she was in third grade. While some missionaries send their children to international schools, her parents sent Kim and her sister to local schools, “so I received Japanese education among Japanese people,” she said.

It wasn’t easy being a Korean student in a Japanese school due to the history and cultural differences between the two countries, Kim said. However, she did escape some of the severe bullying that other missionary kids experienced.

“Well, some friends did throw stuff at me,” she said, “and there were some girls who ignored me and treated [me] as if I don’t exist, but it wasn’t like a whole class ruling that I experienced; just a part of a small group who are not understanding.”

She believes it wasn’t as bad for her as a Korean because she spoke fluent Japanese. Some of her friends didn’t even know she was Korean until she told them, she said.

Being a Christian in Japan was difficult as well, she said, noting that she and her sister were the only Christians in a school of about 1,000 students.

“So before eating lunch, I would pray for like two, three seconds so that my friends wouldn’t see me pray,” she said.

The desire to hide her faith changed when she attended Geneva College, a private Christian school in western Pennsylvania.

“The first thing that was shocking, I went to the cafeteria … [and] the students were praying in public,” she said. “Just folding their hands and then just praying in public. That was striking to me, because I couldn’t do that when I was in school in Japan.”

Kim said God put Christian friends around her, and the prayer meetings and Bible studies they had together “helped me just grow in faith. So it wasn’t about God whom my parents believed, but that’s when I started to believe that … I am living for God.”

College was a painful time for her as well, however.

“I had an identity crisis,” Kim said, describing when people in the predominately Caucasian environment would ask her where she was from. “That question was so hard for me to answer because I have a Korean passport, which says I am a Korean, but at that time … I thought more like Japanese, but that doesn’t mean I’m Japanese either. So [if] I’m not a Japanese, I’m not a Korean, and I’m not an American, then who am I?”

She found the answer in Philippians 3:20, which says a Christian’s citizenship is in Heaven. It became one of her favorite verses, “because it really fixed my eyes on God and that Heaven is my home.”

After earning her Bachelor of Biblical Studies degree at the college, Kim returned to Korea to pursue a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree at Korea Theological Seminary. She also served at a church where “there were some parents, Korean parents, who expected the ministers to spiritually discipline their children,” she said. One parent asked her to help their child love Jesus, but Kim felt that responsibility belonged to the parent.

“And that’s when I thought that there’s a necessity in educating parents to become spiritual leaders at home,” she said. She asked a seminary professor for a recommendation on where to study, and he suggested Southwestern Seminary. Some professors at the Korean seminary had studied there “and so it was trusted,” she said.

Kim said Southwestern was different from what she expected.

“At first I was surprised by the [number] of international students, especially Korean students,” she said. She had expected the student population to be mostly white, “but when I came here, and especially going to that student village and hearing so many Koreans, … I thought that I was in Korea.

“Some friends in Korea have told me that my Korean has improved since coming here,” she added with a laugh.

Kim earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education (MACE) from Southwestern in 2020 and is expected to graduate in December with a PhD in family and generational studies. In 2023, she received the Albert G. and Ethel Marsh Memorial Award as the top doctoral student in the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries

Kim’s supervisor in the PhD program is Chris Shirley, dean of the Terry School and professor of educational ministries. He is not only “an intellectual professor, intellectual scholar, but at the same time, very caring, pastoral care, and also relatable to us,” Kim said. She described his teaching style as “discussion based. He really tried hard to make the class engaging, so that the students can be active in class.”

Shirley said he recognized a special quality in Kim when she first came to Southwestern.

“Her countenance shines with the light of Jesus,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone as vibrant as Grace. This quality helps her in ministry because she attracts people to Christ with her words, her life, and even her being; her love for the Lord and her love for people is radiant.”

Kim participated in the 2024 Crossover event, an evangelistic outreach held the week before the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting that took place in Indianapolis, Ind. Though initially nervous about evangelizing, she said it was “a glorious experience that I got to share Jesus Christ.”

During the spring semester, she took part in Southwestern’s Day of Prayer. Kim prayed in Korean for the seminary’s Board of Trustees and a translation in English was provided to the auditorium.

Kim said she prayed for the leaders because their vision and goals influence the direction of the school. She added that while the seminary is a school on Earth, it is God’s Kingdom as well.

“It’s not church, but still, it’s the gathering of believers, brothers and sisters in Christ, and so I think it can be a good model to the world,” she said.

In addition to her studies, Kim works as an administrative assistant in the Office of Online Learning. In her spare time, she enjoys running. She ties her passion for running with Scripture, saying that taking care of the body is being a good steward of what God provides. She also notes the need to invest in the right equipment for running and compares it to investing in seminary to equip herself for ministry.

She also keeps what she calls a meditation journal, reading five Bible chapters each day and meditating on passages within those chapters. The journal also contains sections for prayers and notes on how she will apply the passages in her life.

“Daily abiding with God’s Word really helps me just have a more steady mindset,” she said. “Yes, you have ups and downs, but reading the Bible every day and having deep conversations with God really helps me to just remind myself that I don’t live for myself; I live for God.”