Lighted Garden Ministries: The Beginnings
I first met Kimberly Im when she stepped into my classroom during an open-house event at the elementary school I teach at. When you start a conversation with Kim, you can immediately get a sense of her resolute, mission-minded personality. We developed a friendship over the course of a school year, as her son, Perry, was enrolled in my 5th grade class (what a firecracker that kid is, I might add!). With each interaction I had with Kim, I developed a better understanding of how she prioritizes her faith in God. Never was there a talk we had where God was not at the forefront of our thoughts. She has an immediate desire to draw people towards God in her daily interactions, which I have always admired.
For Kim, she had a special mission stored in her heart. As quarantine has brought about trends such as banana bread baking, dalgoma coffee documenting on Instagram, and other quirky activities, Kim ventured a little further from those hobbies. Something had been nagging at her - a nag that was so strong that it would be more appropriate to call it a conviction. Oftentimes it is easy for us to credit ourselves with bright ideas, but Kim points to a higher power. God had impressed Kim to begin a non-profit community garden with a mission for the people of San Bernardino, CA. I’m pleased to introduce Kim as the President and Founder of Lighted Gardens Ministries.
When speaking to Kim about her newfound passion, she starts with the fact that the niche ministry of gardening was not where she expected to be. It seems God often leads us to places where we ask ourselves how we ended up there - for the better :). As a radiologist, health has always been her focus in ministry but it shifted to a wider scope. As her conversations with God became more and more clear, Kim began to feel that a garden ministry would have the most far-reaching impact on the San Bernardino community.
According to a 2015 article by the Los Angeles Times, “of the 100 biggest cities in the U.S., San Bernardino, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, was ranked the second-poorest in the nation in the 2010 census, behind Detroit. Two years later it filed for bankruptcy...Former Mayor Patrick Morris has seen the people living in San Bernardino’s motels, squatting in abandoned houses and sleeping in its parks and vacant lots” (Mozingo, 2015).
With such a community as this, it's imperative that we not only help the immediate needs of the individuals in the population, but also provide the resources for these individuals to help themselves. The wealth disparity is quite shocking - a drive from the Loma Linda area to Colton gives a pretty sobering insight into how the “rich” neighborhoods lie right next to some of the most struggling families - those who are on the verge of homelessness. For these families, they may not know where their next meal is coming from or if they will have enough to feed each member of the family.
A garden is good for both physical and mental health; there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with working with your hands and a joy that can’t be found in sitting at a computer. It gives you work to do and object lessons to ponder - Jesus often referred to the work of God’s hands in nature when speaking about faith, trust, and love. Prophets and kings were shepherds - stewards of the earth and protector of living things. Still today, the garden is a place to learn those lessons by learning how to obtain good seeds, prepare the soil, harvest, and so on.
The Kingdom of God is a culture of loving each other and loving God. Kim emphasizes that loving someone is the ultimate way to help another human being, and not just to help them physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. When you really love someone and they feel that, they can make positive changes in their lives. You can’t love someone unless you know them. The garden is a way for people to spend time with one another and not seem weird basically (lol). You can hear their stories while you’re gardening - taking a moment to slow down in this busy world with another person.
In the words of Jesus:
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
- Matthew 25: 37-40.
Each kind act we participate in, every sacrifice, hug, reassurance that we give to another person is an act towards Jesus. Kim answers the question, “What can we do to bring the Kingdom of Heaven here?” with this: Brighten up the dark places and encourage others to be lights as well.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” ~ Matthew 5:16
Written by: Ann Lee