It has been wonderful to spend time with many of you as we have been on Ministry Assignment this year in the U.S. We enjoyed being around tables, drinking coffee and eating good food, sharing life together. We have appreciated honesty and openness in being able to share that these last couple of years have been difficult for us in ministry as a family and that moving to the U.S. has been a challenge. We have so appreciated safe spaces to be prayed for and welcomed in with open arms. We have felt care from in our home church in Joliet, IL, Church of the Good Shepard, that has lived out radical hospitality for our family.
When planning the transition back to the U.S., we had, in true Delp fashion, created a plan of how that might look and how we could as a family, as a couple and as missionaries make the transition tolerable. Doing so, we knew that I would likely have to work at some point as a Nurse Practitioner and our plan was for that to happen after our Ministry Assignment had ended in June of 2025. In true missionary fashion, we have had to be flexible, which is always the first thing we tell teams in Ecuador that they need to do. As we moved to the U.S., we soon realized that I would need to get a job sooner because, as most of you know, it is not cheap to live in the U.S. In November, I took at job as a Nurse Practitioner at Lawndale Christian Health Center in Chicago. The reason for this is because the financial strains of our family were greater than what we could handle on missionary salaries. Because of taking full time employment at Lawndale, I was given two options by Serve Globally, both of which included resigning as Global Personnel as I am not able to have a full-time job outside of Serve Globally. As of April 1, 2025, I will no longer be a Serve Globally employee.
Although I write that with heaviness and grief, there is hope in knowing that I continue to be a missionary. The ministry God created in Ecuador doesn’t change and my commitment to all that God is doing doesn’t change. Earlier this month, I returned from a Women’s Caravan in the jungle with Ecuadorian Covenant Women ministries ladies, caring for families holistically and sharing the love and care of Jesus. We plan to return in July to partner with a Covenant team from CT. So, friends, although my time officially with Serve Globally is done, the ministry in Ecuador remains and I will continue serving in the ways I always have. I plan to continue to serve, mainly through Medical Caravans and a medical liaison from the U.S. to Ecuador from now and into the future.
For those supporting churches of ours in the days to come, you will receive information from Serve Globally leadership about these changes. I encourage you that if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us and ask any questions you may have. We won’t be offended or upset by that, but we know that this is a big change that seems sudden, so questions will likely occur.
Love to all,
Kim
The Santiago Partnership