Esther Rhie's Study Abroad Trip to Greece

Greetings family and friends!

With great hope, I am starting this GoFundMe to help support my trip to Greece with Moody Bible Institute.

For those who may not be acquainted with me, I am Esther Youn Su Rhie, currently an international sophomore student at Moody Bible Institute, and an MK (missionary kid) from Brazil.

My life’s journey begins all the way back when my dad first came to Brazil, also as an MK. My missionary grandparents, who have now passed away, led our South Korean family on an unconventional new path to Brazil in 1989. Several years later, after also receiving the calling to become missionaries, my parents came to Brazil as a married couple in 2000, and in 2005 I was born in São Paulo, Brazil.

Our family’s ministry started with an orphanage for girls who have been abandoned or abused. Growing up alongside those children, I embraced their language and culture. After lots of prayer, God led my parents to plant a church, Igreja Plena Luz, which is now their full-time ministry. Our ministry has been steadfastly focused on the pursuit of evangelizing unreached people in the city of Itapevi. Although God’s great bountiful grace has sustained us, this journey has included numerous trials and difficulties. I recall following my parents searching for a location for our church. Knocking on door by door, we were dependent on strangers’ hospitality. From these circumstances, God has faithfully guided me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Ultimately, I surrendered my life to His control and encountered Jesus as my personal Savior.

In 2020, my life took an unanticipated turn when I was sent to the heart of the Amazon rainforest. God sent me to an international school for MKs. This unique path also has been marked with many different trials and experiences, but through those, God again taught me humility, spiritual maturity, and what a life glorifying God is. Because the school is small and there are not many teachers, many of us high school students had the chance to student teach younger grades. God blessed me with this amazing opportunity, and I student taught math for two years. I also went to outreach every Sunday to our riverside neighbors to share the Bible with children. Through these experiences, I learned that God has blessed me with the gift of teaching.

Through these years, I found myself profoundly captivated by the field of education and ministry. I remember when my parents first started ministry with children in the streets. Many of them did not receive a good education. Witnessing this need firsthand planted a seed in my heart, and God grew that seed into a desire to become a missionary teacher. With unwavering determination, I embarked on the journey to pursue further training in Elementary Education, driven by the sincere aspiration to impact those children with a high-quality Christian education. I see a great need in this area in today’s world, and I want to be part of God’s plan by reaching out to children through education, but most importantly, through sharing the great love of God.

With this heart and purpose, I am continuing my studies at Moody Bible Institute. I have seized the chance to participate in a 2-week Study Abroad program to Greece this March. Because Elementary Education majors are required to do practicums during their junior and senior years, this year is my only chance to take this opportunity. In Greece, I will undertake a 3-credit course —History and Literature of the Intertestamental Period—while visiting the very places where these significant events unfolded. This experience promises to expand my understanding of Scriptures, offering me a deeper insight into the context and settings of the New Testament narratives. Thus, I will be setting foot in Thessaloniki, Berea, Vergina, Meteora, Thermopylae, Delphi, Athens, and Corinth. With all these exciting prospects on the horizon, I am reaching out with an earnest request. I invite you to join me in contributing to my educational testimony, making it possible for me to seize this incredible opportunity to grow and equip myself for my future ministry, becoming a better Christian teacher.