Frequently Asked Questions...

from and email to Donna Cole

D: I so appreciated getting your e-mail to know your prayer requests. You said that Jim's work is keeping him in Singapore these days. Is that why his pace is slower--because he is at home? Does he travel a lot normally?

K: Part of why it is slower is that we are purposefully taking it slower this year. Jim and I both enjoy working, but we can be on the driven side. We are learning to slow down a bit and take better care of ourselves. We've been through some tough things emotionally since coming to Singapore (which the letter will allude to), and now, with the Burchells leaving, we are working at some healing, growing from the experience, and filling up our reserves. I've even started working out with Jim at the gym 3 times a week! A first for us! I feel great! Carving more time out for reading and growing through the Word, and other books. Journaling and praying more.

Jim traveled A LOT last fall, and had WAY too much to do. It was a season of overload, since different areas he leads all had events in the fall. Sometimes it just happens that way, and it is do-able, but not as a way of life!!!

Since some of his work deals outside Singapore, in helping workers in networking/developing "strategic partnerships" for the Gspl in a big country to the north of us, he travels quite a bit for that. From time to time there are meetings as a CRM director that he travels to be a part of too. He normally takes a couple trips a quarter, somewhere. It is neat living in Singapore too, we are very close to so many Asian countries. As a family we sometimes take trips to nearby countries during our school breaks. This year, I get to do some Christian drama training in Malaysia, and perhaps Cambodia too! Jim will stay home and guard the home front then!

D: The focus here has been so much on the war that I remember hearing of SARS, but I did not realize that it was stopping attendance at schools. Is that pretty much all around you? Forgive me. I don't have a lot of time to watch the news!

K: We all enjoyed the time off, spending more time together, though it will be sad that our summer break, which is usually only 4 weeks, is now cut to 2 weeks! I feel like I got to know the boys better because of having them home all day everyday and their normal playmates weren't being allowed to leave their houses to come over or allow the kids to go to their houses to play (there were 2 exceptions) I'd listened well to the Spirit's leading to say "no" to a couple of things ahead of the SARS outbreak, so I was free to give them my attention!

Kids are back in school as of last week, but there is a lot of control and news and fear. Filling out forms nearly everyday stating whether we've been in SARS affected areas/hospitals/countries. The kids are questioned everyday when they arrive to school whether they are feeling well, etc. Next week they are saying they will institute giving all the children thermometers to check their temperatures a couple times a day! They still don't know whether the virus is contagious before symptoms are seen, so people who aren't quarantined could be passing it around too. I just say, we gotta live our lives as long as God ordains, and so let's get on with living them!

D: I KNOW that your parents were very proud of seeing you in LITTLE VIOLET AND THE ANGEL! Your mom said it was a different role for you. I got the impression that you were the bad guy! Were you?

K: YES! I was AWFUL!!! Not in a characatured sort of way, but in the way that made some people (adults!) in the audience cry because I was too much like the unloving mothers/women in their lives (no one sets out to be a villain, we all have our reasons for meanness - for this lady, it was being wrapped up in her grief). It all worked out in the end...I got what I deserved - I realized I'd been awful...and then I died!

D: I just didn't get that impression from what I read. I felt that you were the grief-stricken mom--period. Can you tell me more about it? Were you exhausted from your schedule of performance? It seemed that once you started, you didn't quit! How did YOU feel about your performance? How about Jim? and the boys?--Did they see you perform?

K: Jim and the boys loved it. Jim was traveling when the show opened, but the boys and our helper came a few times. I was able to get them backstage passes (which is a big thing since this arts center only opened in January, and it's pretty shwanky). THey liked meeting and hanging out with the other actors and being backstage and playing with the puppet VIOLET. Cameron (6) was troubled that I died. He wished I could have been one of the puppeteers giving voice and life to the child instead. But Cameron really liked the song I sang (a real tear jerker - showed the lady's soft side!) and he often sings it to me now. I felt happily and thoroughly exhausted when the show was over. I slept a lot more the first week after. It was weird getting back to my "real" life of being an unknown mom and going to parent meetings and sitting through piano class with the boys after having been in the spotlights for a solid week. Seemed like I was two people for a few days as I kept wondering, "Did that really happen?" I've been asked to do a few more projects this year. Singing in a concert next month as a "guest" of the three men who are putting on the show. I'll sing You'll Never Walk Alone from Carousel. The 3 men are all definitely NOT Christians, but Jesus loves them, through me. I find it neat here that these very outspoken gay guys will be interested in being my friend - when they know I'm a pastor's wife and am a Christian. I've had some good conversations about their understanding of God and spirituality with 2 of them...we'll see how it goes with this next "gig."

D: Are the boys grateful for a break in school? It sounds like they are both pretty great students!

K: Tyler's EXTREMELY smart and works hard. We're fortunate that he hasn't had to take extra tutoring in Chinese yet (nearly all his classmates have had tuition since first grade). I was able to do the studying with him until I started getting more involved in projects outside the house last fall. Now, I try to study with him a little - which means him trying to teach me some of what he's learned in class. Cameron is youngest in his class, so he's a bit behind the rest, though he's bright, though a squirrely challenge. I had a single friend over to hang out yesterday. As she listened and observed my afternoon routine with Cameron, she said, "I am going to have to pray for you more! I had no idea what your life was like!"

D: Reading that Tyler had first-quarter exams in English, Math, Chinese and Science sounds like he's in high school or college! Do you think school is taken much more seriously there? I can't believe Cameron is in 1st grade already! (Does the new school year start in January?) It wasn't that long ago, when he was a baby!!!! Time is flying!

K: YES. YES. YES!

D: Are there any things that you really miss from here that you cannot get there?

K: NOPE! Partly because we have been away and gotten used to the things here, and mostly because so much is available here (even some of the obscure junk food like poptarts!)

D: I hope you don't mind me asking so many questions; I know you must be busy, so respond whenever you can. In the meantime, please know that I pray for you every day.

K: For the churches here, Jim helps them hook up with in-country works that the particular church could give some short term support to, or "adopt" as a church project. He helps them strategize what their unique contributions can be to partnering with existing work going on rather than starting their own thing from scratch and competing with other mssnaries.

With the incountry networking, he works with many different ministries/groups who's ends are focused on bringing the good news to different Unreached People Groups in a large country to the north of us. Their govt. has said there are 56 major classifications of what they call "Minority Peoples." But truly, there are more than 200 groups, the govt has just bunched similar groups together. Many of these groups have no known Xns or chchs in them.)

D: Thank you for your ministry to honor Jesus Christ globally. You and your family are heroes/heroine of the faith! YOU TOO! If we're all doing God's will, we are all his heros!

K: Thank you so much for supporting our lives and efforts with your prayers. It really feels like we have partners even when you aren't with us physically. We feel cared for, and strong in the LORD's mighty power!