Note: Our interviewer had no apparent social skills, so we gave him an alias - Mr. No Manners - to protect his indiscretions.

Tim 'n Annette: Wow, your mother really didn't major in manners when she raised you (Annette shoots Tim a corrective look).   Ok, ok, our salary accounts for less than one-third of what we raise.   The majority goes towards ministry including the salaries of our web team, but we also have expenses like insurance, our monthly letters, our travel costs, headquarters operations, field and area directors' travel costs, a pension plan, etc.

Mr. No Manners: Ya ever get "Montezuma's Revenge"?

Tim 'n Annette: It's actually "Moctesuma's Revenge" and yes.   It's one of Tim's favorite pastimes. (laughter) We were just telling Lila Turner, who is visiting us from Florence SC, that food everywhere harbors bacteria. It's just that Americans are used to U.S., not Mexican, bacteria. The main difference between the two is that Mexican bacteria have a different rhythm and dance more in your stomach.   They're kinda like Mexican jumping beans, but smaller.   And then there are amoebas... they are the mean, ugly bikers at the Mexican Bacteria Club.   They're no fun and we've had to get treatments for them a couple of times.

* our interogator,
er, interviewer

Mr. No Manners: They told me I had to ask you something spiritual... so anything spiritual you wanna get off your chest?

Tim 'n Annette: When you put it so delicately, how canwe resist.   We'll be traveling a lot the next 6 months and we'd love to know that people are praying for us, both for our safety and for the collaborative projects that we are helping pull off.   One of the biggest is developing an entire youth work training series that will be animated, interactive and published on the Internet.

Tim 'n Annette: We always thought we'd have children, but it's looking like that's not what God has in mind for us, though we're not doing anything to thwart the process.

Mr. No Manners: So won’t you be miserable when you're older and everyone else has kids and it's just the two of you?

Tim 'n Annette: We hope not... we have a blast together. After 11 years we probably still spend about 23 1/2 hours a day together and it hasn't gotten dull yet.   It's also cool how God has made us "interim parents" in the lives of different kids. Some whose parents are away for years, very sick, or who just need an extra adult or two in their lives.   We keep up with "our kids" almost weekly and some of them even support our ministry. Youth Ministry has also filled our home with people, so all in all our "family" is pretty big.

Mr. No Manners: Support?!   Are we talking money?   How does that work, do you get to keep all the money as you bring in?

Tim 'n Annette: Wouldn't that be nice (they look at each other and laugh).   But - no - we have a set salary and get a $25 raise per year.   Each August we submit a proposed ministry budget to our field leader, Steve Griswell, who checks it and then sends it to the regional director, Ric Escobar, who checks it and sends it on to the big bosses at headquarters who review it and approve it or return it with questions.

Mr. No Manners: Come on, cut to the quick... what's the breakdown?   How much do you earn and how much do you spend on that ministry stuff?