Kim Can Le

KIM CAN LE

A Very Bright Candle

God is light. In Him there is no darkness at all.

He places that light into each of us who call on his name, and yet it seems there are some in which that flame burns a bit brighter, not because God wills it, but because these bright ones search for ways to give God’s light away. Kim never gave up this search. Those she touched know that to be near Kim was to be warmed by God’s presence.  Kim Can Le was a very bright candle.

God chose the weak things of this world to shame the wise.

Consistent with many saints who burn brightly, Kim was not born with physical strengths. In fact, her childhood in North Vietnam was filled with frailty and sickness. Yet, she was given a gift that she treasured throughout her life: an honorable, trustworthy father, one who she adored and who adored her in return. This unwavering faith in her father’s love prepared her heart to experience a deep encounter with her Heavenly Father’s love. God knew that only a heart of deep faith would go where Kim would be called to go.

For I know whom I have called.

Fast forward a few years to a Wisconsin university. God surprised Kim with joy, and she never looked back. Kim threw herself into the task of understanding her newfound faith with the same intensity with which she lived her life, and hers was a life lived with purpose, with intention. Each conversation, every interaction was, for her, filled with meaning, and that meaning became synonymous with the newfound light burning within her. With ears attuned, Kim heard God calling her to missions, and she responded with joy, a disposition that defined her throughout her life.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Kim embraced the Word not as letters on a page, but as life-altering truth. She sought to follow God with a single-minded intensity. Her passion to make disciples propelled her to Mali with Wycliffe Bible Translators and Siberia with CRM Ministries, but in truth, it carried her through each day and defined her more than did geography. Kim loved people, and from that love came the purest form of discipleship … informal and constant. People were drawn to the light that burned brightly, and she simply allowed them to feel the flame.

Pray at all times with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Kim loved to pray; she prayed for hours when able. Natural and intimate, Kim’s prayers never doubted her Father’s presence. Kim simply spoke to God with settled expectation, with a familiar confidence knowing she was heard. This relationship with her Father energized her. Kim’s affinity for prayer and her affection for the Father made the ministry of Prayer Resolution a glorious fit. In it, Kim’s passion to give, her desire to see people made whole, her love for prayer, and her unyielding confidence in the Father wove together and her flame burned still brighter. Prayer Resolution became a touchstone for Kim, an inseparable aspect of who she was and what she was called to do.

God loves a cheerful giver.

Kim willingly emptied herself, following in the footsteps of her Lord. Yes, she gave her life to missionary service, but perhaps it is the smaller things that provide the greatest testimony. Her desire to make everyone feel special, her late arrivals caused by a surprise visitor who needed prayer, the thoughtfulness and beauty of each gift she gave … and Kim did love beauty! Most of all, Kim gave of the light within her. A flame is one of the few things that never diminishes, no matter how often it is shared. Kim must have known this. She must also have known that two candles burn hotter and brighter than one, for she longed to share the Father’s love in every conversation.

And so, the overseer fed them nothing but vegetables.

Health of the mind and body, as well as the soul occupied Kim’s time and expanded her ministry still further. Her passion for healthy eating was contagious, and she loved to share each new detail learned. This love of learning transcended health concerns and it never wavered; her Masters and PhD programs completed toward the end of her earthly life attest to this. She counted them as some of her greatest achievements, and yet they were only important insofar as they held a greater purpose; reaching others with the love of the Father.

Well done, my faithful servant.

What do we do when a bright candle flickers and we can no longer see the flame?  Kim would likely smile and pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We are so grateful for the time our flames joined Kim’s. We know that for that time our flame strengthened, and we burned brighter. We know we were challenged by her passion, touched by her warmth, comforted by her smile. We know we miss her.

Thank you for the time You shared her with us. Grant us the courage to trust you fearlessly as she did.

Amen.

Funeral Monday, June 12 at 11:00am at New Hope Church, 4225 Gettysburg Ave N, New Hope.

Interment Maple Knoll Cemetery, Maple Grove.

In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to
Prayer Resolution ( www.cross-resources.org );
CRM (general fund - www.crmleaders.org );
New Hope Church ( www.newhopechurchmn.org ).

Monday, June 12, 2017 11:00 AM

New Hope Church 4225 Gettysburg Avenue North, New Hope, MN 55428