July 7th, 2004

July Prayer

We are back HOME in Singapore without a sign of jet lag! AMAZING!
Contents of this email:

1. A great month in Los Angeles!
2. Highlights for July
3. Details for July
5. Re: Supporting us financially
6. Contact info
7. Photo back in Singapore: air guitars in the car (thanks to Randy Stonehill!)

1. A great month home.
Every time we visit the USA we come back to Asia so refreshed and encouraged! We love our country and enjoyed meaningful worship on Memorial Day.

We also get into (and have to resist) the overwhelming consumerism of the States:
“Look at this honey! Can you believe Target has one whole aisle just for DEODERANT?”
No one says, “Your hips too big. We don’t carry so large size.” NO! I’m actually an “M” in the good ol’ USA!

When walking around “Downtown Disney” outside the park, Cameron thought we were IN Disneyland and said with excitement, “I didn’t know we’d get to go HERE!” (We all winked and agreed not to enlighten him!)

I bought 8 boxes of “Red Vines” for gifts at 50c ea. To me they are a true example of the American experience (especially if you were brought up with Little League).

The longer we’re away, the more we appreciate what a great country America is. HOWEVER, the most fulfilling part of a return visit is re-connecting with friends and our families. We’re sad when we realize that there’s simply not enough time to hook up with some old friends; and the time we do have together never seems to be long enough to really catch up. This trip I started thinking about these tid-bits of time with people we love, and felt comforted as I thought about spending eternity with them! In a poignant way we become aware that these sweet (and sometimes savory) visits are just the appetizers for the BIG BANQUET in heaven!

Many thanks for meals, and overnights, and car loans, special treats, and opening your hearts to us on this visit. My yearning for heaven is stronger after our trips to the USA. We arrived just after midnight June 27th and kids were back in school the 28th!

2. Highlights for July
CRM Week long Facilitator Training
Drama training & networking
Kimberly to Ipoh Malaysia
Jim to CRM SuperWeek
Home & School front: the boys

3. Details for July
CRM Singapore – Week long Facilitator Training
Jim’s primary prayer request for his work here is finding or developing others who can be skilled mentor/coaches for pastors. Our first week back to Singapore was an intensive week. Two other CRM staff in Asia joined Jim to lead all day sessions. Participants experienced the Focusing Leaders process, and learned through practicing with one another how to effectively coach. It is difficult for leaders to learn to stop giving answers and help individuals through asking the right questions, to discover answers for themselves. Praise the Lord we’ve now doubled the number of trained facilitators to twelve!

Drama training & networking
I’ve created a site on the internet to encourage other Christian dramatists. I’ve started journaling (blogging) what I’ve been learning: http://spicetolife.blogspot.com !
Praise the Lord! The “5 stars” did meet regularly while I was away. We’ll continue to pray together and discuss Screwtape Letters once a week this month. The clever ways CS Lewis has suggested we are tempted is hitting home and convicting all of us in different areas.
7th – With another young woman here, I’ve volunteered to make some fund-raising phone calls for itheatre’s children’s production at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They’re set to go at the end of the month, but need $50,000 to get there! Pray that I’d be a witness of Christ to the itheatre team and potential donors (ALSO that they’d raise the needed money and would give thanks and glory to God).
8th – Meeting with Grace Drama (the Traveling Light cast) to teach “Enacted Prayer.” A simple way to use drama in worship that I learned last month at the Christians in Theatre Conference (in Irvine this year, so I got to go!). This conference spurred a lot of creative ideas and motivation. Now I’m praying for discernment on which ideas to roll with!
15th – Dawn Fung over to visit. This spunky young woman is trained in corporeal mime has energy and a BIG heart for evangelism and prayer. God is really using her to bless and encourage artists here. I want to bless and encourage her!
15th late -19th early – traveling by overnight bus to Ipoh, Malaysia to teach in a Drama Ministry conference for combined churches. I’ve been asked to teach on script writing. Pray: safety (at home and in my traveling), and the ministry of training and encouragement to creative believers who haven’t had much exposure to drama as ministry.

Jim to CRM SuperWeek!
26th July – 6th August – Jim flies (non-stop!) to Orange County to represent ministry needs in Singapore and China to the CRM staff at the North American Conference. We pray that God will raise up some older staff who’ve successfully mentored pastors in USA to join us in equipping Chinese leaders, even if it is a 2-3 year term as CRM Singapore grows indigenously. The need here is more than Jim can tackle alone.

Spending time with CRM leaders this past year has coached Jim into an unofficial role with the organization: a Strategist and Connector. Anyone who’s worked with Jim knows he’s got a great mind for brainstorming and talking through strategies and planning for the future. He takes great joy in getting the right people connected with each other – especially in missions or starting overseas ministries. Pray that these God-given abilities will be a tremendous benefit to our growing organization.

Home & School front
Occasionally friends in USA will ask me to write more stories about life in Singapore. Well, here you go: http://charminfullbloom.blogspot.com. (Let me know if you’d like to be notified through email about new posts.)

Praise the Lord! Today we learned that we will not need to be moving in September. The owners of our apartment will be staying in New Mexico through next March, with the possibility of extending even until September 2005. This means that we won’t begin looking to move until next spring AND the boys can continue in their school (commuting if we have to) through May 2005. It also means more time to look into the other schooling options, and raise the support for the added tuition (up to $15,000 per child!).

Thank you to those who’ve been praying for out boys. They both went back to school last week happy to be back and with great attitudes. Cameron (7) LOVES his school and doesn’t ever want to leave. He is showing some real signs of improvement academically too (though he still tested poorly last term). Tyler also has a blogspot and is creating a team of his 11/12 year old friends (BOYS) around the world. Members of his blog can share their various growing up tales from around the world! http://worldtweens.blogspot.com

With our love from Singapore,
Jim and Kimberly, Tyler and Cameron

“But you . . . belong to God; so … follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.”
1 Timothy 6:11

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