Collection 259
[March 23, 2000]
Cook, Donald Arthur; 1923-
Interviews; 1983
Audio Tapes
Restrictions
There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.
Biography
Donald Arthur Cook was born May 15, 1923, in Earlham, Iowa, and grew up in a family which included two brothers and one sister. During his childhood, the family left Iowa when their farm failed and moved to Downers Grove, Illinois, where his father took a job in the post office. In his teens, Donald became a member of the Lisle Bible Church and was actively involved in church youth groups, where he met his future wife, Dorothy True. After attending Downers Grove Community High School and graduating in 1941, he enrolled in Wheaton College.
World War II interrupted his education at Wheaton, and Donald spent the years between 1943 and 1946 in the Pacific as an Air Force navigator. He returned to the Wheaton campus in 1947 and graduated in January 1950, with a major in sociology after changing from an earlier concentration in business administration. In his junior year, he made the decision to make full-time ministry his vocation and he enrolled next at Faith Theological Seminary, Wilmington, Delaware. He and Dorothy were married that year, 1950, and by the time of graduation in 1953, they were preparing to leave for the mission field.
His experience in the Pacific during the Air Force years resulted in an urgent interest in the Orient, China in particular. Exposure to the work of China Inland Mission (renamed Overseas Missionary Fellowship after the war) at Wheaton led Donald to decide to apply to CIM. The Cooks were sent first to Singapore for language study and orientation and, because work in China was no longer possible, they then chose to train for mission work in Japan. They arrived in Japan from Singapore in January 1957. One of their first assignments was to relieve missionaries leaving on furlough who had been working in a small town, Tomikawa, on the coast of Hokkaido.
In 1959 the Cooks moved to the headquarters in Tokyo, where there was a need of a staff member trained in business administration to assist with the distribution of mission supplies during the post-war disorganization in Japan. Their son, William, was born the next year, 1960, and a daughter joined the family in 1963. Between 1959 and 1969, Dorothy was in charge of the mission home in Tokyo while Donald remained in administrative work for OMF, utilizing his college training in that area.
They moved next to Sapporo, 1969-1971, where his wife was in charge of the mission home and later worked as secretary. Donald continued to work in the business administration of OMF. Between 1971 and 1972, both Cooks served as house parents for the Chefoo School in addition to their other duties. During a furlough the next year, concern for their children and the public nature of institutional living led to the decision not to return to the mission field. Donald re-entered the business world and in 1983 was employed by an insurance company in Wheaton where the Cooks lived.
Scope and Content
Donald Cook was interviewed by Jennifer Abe on November 15 and 17, 1983, at the Billy Graham Center. The time period covered by the interviews is 1923-1983. Time elapsed in minutes and seconds is recorded to the left of the topics discussed in the interview. The index is keyed to a cassette copy and not to the reel-to-reel original.
T1 - side 1
00:00 Beginning of tape
03:00 Introduction to interview
03:15 Family members, their activities and careers
05:00 Christian upbringing, personal decision at age thirteen in Lisle Bible Church
05:45 Parents' Christian background in Friends' Church, western Iowa
06:45 Failure of father's farm, subsequent move to Downer's Grove and career with U.S. Post
Office
07:00 Choice of Wheaton College through influence of student pastor, gospel teams from
Wheaton
07:45 Commuter life during Wheaton years and effect on campus involvement in activities,
church youth group as substitute
09:00 Return to Wheaton in 1946 while still on terminal leave from Air Force
09:30 Setting life priorities during service years, exposure to mission work overseas and field
possibilities
11:15 Strong attraction to Asian countries: China, Philippines, Japan, with a preference for
China
11:45 Reaction to poverty, spiritual hunger seen in China
12:45 Air Force navigator duties begun 1943, service time in Pacific 1945-1946
13:15 Return at age twenty-three to finish college
13:30 Campus interest in Asian countries through presence of returned soldiers, activated
concerns for needs
15:15 Lack of anti-Japanese feelings on campus after war
15:45 Voluntary ROTC-type program as war-effort on campus
16:45 Friends at Wheaton: Glen Barker, Dick Cochran, Pete McKnight, Billy Graham a
senior when Cook a freshman, Graham's leadership qualities, Ed McCully, Jim
Elliot, Dave Howard
19:15 Impressions of Jim Elliot's deep dedication, fun and energy of McCully, Glen Peterson
as outstanding athlete
21:15 Societies on campus as core of social life
22:30 Flying Club activities, cessation because of expense and time, flying from DuPage
Airport, Mitchell Field, Woodale
25:00 Graduation in January 1950, decision in junior year to enter full-time ministry, switch
from business to sociology as major
25:30 Experience with United Airlines in summer job caused decision to go into seminary,
not business world
28:00 Courtship of future wife, Dorothy True, after friendship in school, church youth group
29:00 Usefulness of business administration training in career, permanent field secretary's job
after second year on mission field
30:15 Assessment of educational preparation, regret over minimum involvement on campus,
alternative of Bible major possible but subsequent career in business administration
proved practicality of Wheaton major
32:15 Involvement with youth in Japan because of their desire to learn English through Bible
classes
33:00 President Edman's use of illustrations from China Inland Mission during Wheaton
College years, reading about Hudson Taylor as cause for joining CIM after seminary
training, meeting CIM staff members, reading China's Millions, admiration of
emphasis on prayer and faith as core of Christian life
35:30 Exodus of CIM missionaries from China by 1951, Communist take-over in 1949,
growing intolerance for Christian missionaries
37:00 Choice of Japan as mission field as only open country after 1951, MacArthur's
challenge to evangelize Japan after the war
38:45 Marriage in 1950, wife's consent for mission work through involvement with youth in
church
39:30 OMF's basic strategy to reach inland areas applied in Japan, work in northern Japan
(Hokkaido), southern seacoast, coal-mining, mountain resorts, reversal of strategy
on advice of Japanese Christians to work in main cities, work now tripled in past ten
years
43:30 Discussion of methods of evangelizing: use of tents in areas not near foreigners, street
tracting, hospital work, factory visitation, switch from tent use to exhibitions,
posters, more media involvement
45:00 End of side 1
T1 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap with side 1
02:00 Japan's growing sophistication as cause for change in methods
03:15 Changes from prosperity as Japan recovered, addition of new styles for homes in
severe winter areas
05:00 Increase of Japanese confidence as recovery proceeds
06:30 Contrast with numbers of OMF missionaries in early 1950s, now doubled to staff of
eighty, work in small towns and cities, slow growth at first and loss of trained
Japanese Christians to southern city areas
10:15 Original headquarters on arrival in Aomori City, Hokkaido, move to Sapporo on
Hokkaido
11:45 Arrival from Singapore in January 1958 after language school, severe winter, reactions
to Japanese, problems similar to American, attendance at TEAM church,
impressions of Japanese Christian leader with speech impediment, first station out
of language school on coast of Hokkaido to relieve missionary on furlough (1958)
15:15 Reaction to friendliness of residents of town of Tomikawa, only period of being closely
involved with Japanese life because of subsequent administrative positions
17:15 Transfer in fall of 1959 to Tokyo because of need for centralizing distribution of OMF
supplies
18:45 Japanese mission field more western yet OMF methods basically the same as for
China, incident of Canadian couple's methods of contacting new converts
21:00 Difficulty of communicating concept of Christianity with language and cultural
barriers, comments on differing Japanese and American relationships with
employees and impact on family life after conversion to Christianity, conflicts with
home customs of ancestor-worship, female convert and problem with "god-shelf"
26:30 Description of god-shelf in Japanese homes
28:15 Varying reactions of new Christians in breaking with cultural, religious customs
30:15 Rejection of culture on conversion not usual pattern
30:45 Language as main problem in presenting gospel, superior approach as show of love to
break barriers
32:30 Cooks' lack of language ease because of work in administration and less contact with
Japanese families, more language study after ten years in Japan, usual period of five
years needed before preaching
35:00 End of tape
T2 - side 1
00:00 Beginning of tape
02:30 Introduction to interview
03:00 Orientation period in Singapore and problems with accent, period in Aomori City
headquarters, better learning situation in Tomikawa, resumption of language study
in third term with six months' study in Sapporo, first training from August-January
1956 in Singapore
05:15 OMF orientation both to field and to potential field workers from different countries,
concurrent work in Singapore churches
06:30 Orientation emphasis less on culture than on personal relationships
07:30 Experience in Air Force as preparation to appreciate his future role as supportive,
administrative worker rather than on mission field
09:30 Need of headquarters in Tokyo while Japan was still recovering from war effects
10:15 Response to gospel slow because of difficulty in grasping basic concepts of savior, sin,
and forgiveness, skepticism of students, incident of most skeptical youth who
became pastor after conversion, came to U.S. to train, and then returned
15:00 Opportunity to learn English as main motivation for Japanese to attend Bible classes
15:45 Major response from personal contacts, open friendliness
17:45 Christianity perceived as Western religion, college students understood its universal
relationship best
19:30 Discussion of ancestor worship in Japanese families
20:30 Simplicity of new church services usually held in homes, gradual conformance to
liturgical western patterns as growth took place
22:00 "Non-church" movement led by Japanese (Kanzo Uchimura) after trip to America,
movement away from western patterns, creation of new Japanese cultural models
and influence of this movement throughout japan
26:15 OMF policies and changes, emphasis on prayer, faith, down-play of financial aspect,
aim of creating self-supporting churches
28:30 Japanese respect for missionaries based on respect for teachers, varied acceptance
based on reaction to war
31:00 Appreciation of U.S. help after war
32:00 Lack of personal experience with nuclear bomb victims
32:45 Amount of nationalism and acceptance of democratic patterns, confusion of
nationalism and threat from western Christianity
36:15 Japanese sense of superiority over other Asian peoples, attraction of western ways but
desire for good relations with China
38:30 Difference between Christian American attitude toward Japan and enmity because of
war by non-Christians
40:45 Discussion of role of education in Japanese society, concept as tool for future jobs
45:00 End of side 1
T2 - side 2
00:00 Beginning of tape
00:05 Overlap with side 1
01:45 Students' rebellion against establishment government policies, demonstrations of 1960-1970s and prevention of Eisenhower's visit
04:00 Cultural factors, not Christianity, main influence in rebellion of students
05:45 Relationships of OMF and other boards, numbers of missions operating, levels of
cooperation
09:45 Contacts with other denominations, boards: Presbyterian, Mennonite, TEAM, Far
Eastern Gospel Crusade
12:15 Difficulty of estimating influences of Buddhism and Shintoism, interaction of the two
13:45 Hirohito's rejection of status of divinity, reactions from Japanese conditioned by age
level
16:30 Travel within Japan while with OMF, often to Kariuzawa, a resort town used for
language study for TEAM and OMF
18:30 Contact and particular friendship with Japanese family in Sapporo
20:15 Births in 1960 of son William and in 1963 of daughter Donna
20:30 Departure on furlough in 1972, decision to remain in U.S. because of lack of privacy
for family life in institutional setting as house parents
24:45 Period in Tokyo (1959-1969) while wife in charge of mission home, administrative
work in Sapporo (1969-1971) with wife as secretary, work in Chefoo School as
house parents (1971-1972)
26:00 Current position in Wheaton
26:30 Hope for more growth and cooperation between churches for Japanese Christians,
expectations for missionary work from national churches
31:30 High level of training needed for work in Japan because of widespread education, need
for willingness to be friendly, to respect and love individuals, and to learn best
means of communication
33:15 Incident of American woman in her fifties who communicated love and concern
without language facility
35:15 Delay in leaving for Japan because of family needs, influence of pastor to demonstrate
importance of trust in Christian life and example of Hudson Taylor's faith as
important preparation for mission field
38:45 Gratitude for experience of being part of mission work and significance of each
contribution, memories of good experiences in English Bible classes for Japanese
40:45 End of tape
Provenance
The materials for this collection were received by the Center in November 1983 from Rev. Cook.
Accession 83-140, 83-142
June 6, 1984
Frances L. Brocker
J. Nasgowitz
LOCATION RECORD
Accession 83-140, 83-142
Type of Material: Audio Tapes
The following items are located in the AUDIO TAPE FILE:
T1 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips speed, approximately 80 minutes. One side. Interview with Donald Cook by Jennifer Abe, November 15, 1983. Discussion of family and upbringing, Wheaton College activities and friends, Air Force experience, American response to World War II, decision to join China Inland Mission, evangelistic methods in Japan, administrative work, language difficulties.
T2 - Reel-to-reel, 3-3/4 ips speed, approximately 86 minutes. One side. Interview with
Donald Cook by Jennifer Abe, November 17, 1983. Discussion of Overseas Missionary
Fellowship orientation and training, effective methods of presenting the gospel, church
movements in Japan, student uprisings, modernization, relations between mission boards,
reasons for leaving the field