Teach me, O God, so to use all the circumstances of my life today that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the fruits of sin.

Let me use disappointment as material for patience.
Let me use success as material for thankfulness.
Let me use trouble as material for perseverance.
Let me use danger as material for courage.
Let me use reproach as material for long-suffering.
Let me use praise as material for humility.
Let me use pleasures as material for temperance.
Let me use pain as material for endurance.

John Baillie

Part 1: Fidelity
For the last month or two I have been researching the best way to access money in Peru. Since we will be paid in US dollars, having money to spend becomes much more complicated than transferring money to a Peruvian bank (this usually comes with a $25-40 fee). The only other option is to withdraw cash from ATMs and banks paying a 1% currency exchange fee plus a $3-4 ATM fee (for those of you who are thinking just use a credit card - triple the currency exchange fee and few stores accept them).

Yesterday I resigned to staying with Wachovia and accepting the ATM and currency fee, but today is a new day. Welcome to Fidelity's mySmart Cash Account (which is new and won't be available till Aug 3rd or so). I still pay the 1% currency fee, but they reimburse ALL ATM fees in the US as well as internationally. On top of this, the checking account requires no minimum balance and a has 3.5% interest rate (higher than a Wachovia Money Market account with a balance over $500,000). Also since our investments are with Fidelity, finally all of our finances will be with one company!

Part 2: National Christian Foundation
Anyone who's ever heard me mention this, is aware of my passion for it. A year ago Randy (see Fink-Think) and I were talking about the problem of wanting to give money, not knowing where to give and therefore just spending it instead. A couple weeks later he suggested starting MY own personal foundation to set aside money to give later. At first it may sound strange and unnecessary, but let me give a few reasons you may want to consider it:

• All giving goes directly through NCF. No more keeping track of receipts - just view the statement at tax time
• All contributions to the fund are IMMEDIATE tax write offs
  
• Easily track how much you have given
• Set aside money in anticipation of giving (this helps to set and meet giving goals)
• Give stocks and investments rather than cash (this can help to diversify investments)
  
• Encourages and motives you to give MORE!
• Send gifts online
• Your money earns interest while in the account
• IT'S FREE, and since you have a fund within the foundation, there's NO PAPERWORK!
  

If you want more information, let me know. I'd be excited to share it with you. Or visit www.nationalchristian.com to find out more.

Today as I was vacuuming with this antique I couldn't help but sing a little homemade song of thanks to God (literally). Four years ago when I moved into my first apartment, the maintenance man found out I needed a vacuum cleaner and gave this to me. The complex had just replaced it for obvious reasons. Since that day, I have not had to repair or maintain it in any way. It works perfectly fine, although it doesn't have all the fancy colors of a Dyson. My Cinderella song came out of gratitude for the fact that because of this beauty now headed for the yard sale, I never had to buy a nice new vacuum cleaner, which at this point would have to be moved to storage for 2 years. If that doesn't get you singing, you must not have moved recently. In particular not to another continent, putting all your life's possessions in a storage unit.

The vacuum cleaner made me reminisce about other times that God has provided for me, whether miraculously or in ordinary ways. The best of the stories took place around the same time I got the vacuum cleaner. Tim and I, preparing for our wedding and down to spare change under the couch cushions, were scouring the cabinets and trying to dream up a recipe with ranch dressing and flour. We decided to step back from the dinner dilemma for a while and hopped down the road to the Wednesday night service at Carmel Baptist (which we had never attended and have not attended since). I was feeling particularly desperate as I walked through the double doors. All we could do was laugh when we saw laid out before us several 10-foot tables buckling under the weight of a potluck bonanza. It happened to be some special celebration night at the church, and in honor of the pastor the congregation had brought out their finest fare. God could have left me with ranch dressing that night. He could have provided PB&Js. Instead I stumbled on a feast fit for kings.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6: 25-27, 31-34

We're now back into the swing of things in Charlotte and enjoying our last weeks here. After 5 weeks away, it's been a lot of fun to spend time with our friends, go to our church, play with our worship team, work out at the Y, go to the library, etc. I love the routine.

Our "mission talk" meetings are continuing to be a tremendous blessing to us. It seems like every day people suggest new and fabulous ideas to us for work we can do in Peru and ways we can stay physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy there.

Our financial support is also coming along very well. At this point, we have confirmed gifts of $566/month (toward our total need of $2617/month). And that after 5 days of meetings! It is so exciting to me to see other people come on board with this mission and give sacrificially toward the needs of those who are struggling economically and spiritually in Peru.

So many people told me that this season would be difficult, and I suppose that's still a definite possibility. Nonetheless, I am praying (to God, who reserves the right to run the world however He pleases) that these 6 weeks of building a team of supporters would be easy and fun! I have assured Him that I'll give Him the credit and tell all the best stories of miraculous provision to anyone who wants to hear. If you're a pray-er, pray for us, too....

• That this season will be marked by peace, joy, and faith
• That we will be strengthened as we prepare ourselves for this work- both as individuals and in our marriage
  
• That in our meetings, we will bless our friends and be blessed by them
• That our financial support will be raised quickly and easily
  

We have been back in Charlotte since 3 am Thursday, and so far we have had 4 meetings to talk to people about what we'll be doing in Peru and ask for their prayer and financial support. While we were in Maine, we spent a lot of time writing letters and making phone calls to set up these appointments. Between the phone calls and meetings, I have been blown away by the enthusiasm people have for this mission. I am reminded of three things. One, this is a genuinely exciting new work- and not just to me! Two, people want to use their time and money to make a difference. They are eager to help. Three, what more could I ask than to share coffee with people I love and tell them about the work I have waited my whole life to do? This 6 week period has definite fun potential.

This morning we had a lovely breakfast with two people I deeply respect and admire. We had a great time brainstorming with them about what we can do and what they can do to ensure that this mission is fruitful in Peru and impactful to our church. They also wrote us a very generous check- our first money in hand! I feel so honored that God would invite me to be the in-country end of a growing team of people who want to see His work done in Peru.

still not ours. it's the famous molly metzl.

Our last day on Little Diamond Island. We're coming into the Charlotte airport at midnight tonight, and Marty, in her infinite generosity, is coming to pick us up. By the way, if you ever want to see more fun photos of Molly and Josh, take a look at her blog, No Spelling at the Table (named after the Metzl response to Josh's incessant, "Mommy, how do you spell 'spell'?").

I think I have enjoyed our vacation more than Tim. This summer we have seen very clearly the difference between introversion (me) and extroversion (him). As much as I love being with people (and I do), it really wears me out. Our first week here we had 3 non-stop waves of visitors. On Monday, when everyone was gone, I literally took 4 naps, probably totaling 5 hours (after my night of 7 hours of sleep). All that to say that a lazy vacation on an island with nothing to do but read is my idea of fun! Tim, on the other hand, is itching to do something. He will be glad to get back to Charlotte.

One of my favorite parts of Maine vacations is the food! After some very successful meals our first summer here (2005), we decided to repeat the menus the second summer and now the third. We even have a Maine journal filled with our vacation recipes. Here are some of the highlights:

Tempting Thai Chicken
Lobster Roast
Curried Chicken Salad
Frozen Key Lime Pie
Cuban Picadillo
Kiwi Margaritas
Lobster Cobb Salad

Oh, I will miss Maine....

Despite my vanity and hesitation, I’ll step off my high horse and admit that I’m fairly impressed with The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It’s an insightful, thought-provoking book with significantly more depth than I anticipated. I’ve been thinking some about Habit 2 today: Begin with the end in mind. What are the traits that I want to characterize my life? What would I want Tim, my family, my friends, my coworkers to say about me at my funeral? What are the values that I hold most dear?

I want to live, love, listen, lead, learn.
I want to be a woman of passion, humility, devotion.
I want to live with conviction, gentleness, strength, confidence.
I want to express the love of God in my relationships, the holiness of God in my integrity, the wisdom and power of God in my work.
I want to manifest the sacrificial and enduring love of God through compassion, deep generosity, and a respect for the dignity of each person I encounter.
I want a life flowing from God, through God, and to God, that in all I do, I might honor Him and bring Him praise.

On a different note, here are some photos from our Little Diamond Island vacation so far.

Tim and I took the ferry into Portland today and saw the new Harry Potter movie. Between the movie and its trailers, I saw some interesting parallels. Here’s the list that got me scheming:

• Harry Potter series- saw movie today
  
• The Dark is Rising series- trailer today
• The Golden Compass trilogy- trailer today
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy- trailers referenced it
• The Chronicles of Narnia- for comparison

Give or take a little, all these movies….
are based in the United Kingdom (at least to start with)
were written for young adult audiences
access the world of fantasy, folklore, allegory and magic
have “ordinary” coming-of-age characters called to extra-ordinary tasks

Hollywood has tapped into something written deep into the human heart.

• Don’t we all have a sense that the world is not as it seems, that there is something deeper and more significant waiting under the surface of our lives? Don’t we sense the supernatural among and around us?
• Don’t we desire to matter, to play an irreplaceable role in time and eternity?
• Aren’t we longing to recover the passion we left behind as we came of age?
• Don’t we all long to take part in the war we feel raging around us? Don’t we want to stand up and fight for something?

I know these are the longings of my heart, the desires that have cleared the path toward ministry in Peru. I am convinced that there is more to life than what we see around us, that there is a war for hearts and minds and justice and mercy. I want to stand up and fight with passion, to play my role in the supernatural reality I see unfolding before me. I want to be Lucy, Harry, Frodo, to be wrapped up in this drama of power and beauty.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11

If I speak in the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind.... It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs.,.. Love never fails. I Corinthians 13: 1-5, 8

Remarkable how I never get beyond this passage. Did I think there was some higher goal than love? Did I think that if I read a lot of books or sacrificed enough, I would compensate for the fact that in my heart, I think I come first? Did I think love came naturally? Without love, "I am nothing" and "I gain nothing."

Just in case I thought I could check this off my list of life goals: a family vacation. After God and Tim, I don't love anyone as much as my mom, but a fly on the wall would never know it from the way I have acted over the last few days-- impatient, unkind, rude, self-seeking, easily angered.

If this passage is true, and I believe it is, than the most I could ever want for my life is to be a lover. I know I can't get there by trying to be patient, kind, self-less. Those are the evidences of real love, not the causes. I can only think of two solutions. First, to be alert, deliberately and consciously choosing others over myself. Second, and I expect this one will be substantially more effective, to let God's love for me fill and satisfy my heart to the extent that His love meets my needs and pours out in overflow to those around me.

If I go to Peru without love, I will be no more than a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Change me, Lord. I'm lost without you.

5 am here on Little Diamond Island. No cars, no stores, just the sound of the icy water washing up on the rocks and the foghorn in the distance. From my window I can see Fort Gorges and the Portland Coast over the Casco Bay. It is cool and a little overcast.

Reading list for LDI:
Ines of My Soul, Isabel Allende
The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (required mission preparation)
The Hungry Ocean, Linda Greenlaw


No news to speak of.

I'm looking forward to long afternoons on the porch and picking raspberries.

Through Jesus and for the sake of his name, we have received grace as missionary messengers of the good news of the Kingdom of God now open to all to call people from among all the Gentiles, especially those in Peru, to the surrendered life that flows from faith.

~Romans 1:5, my special July 2 version

During our appointment interview today, we were invited to join South America Mission’s work in Puerto Supe, Peru. Really there were no surprises in the interview, which was almost a surprise in and of itself. We were thrilled to accept the invitation. As we have said before, we will be working with Cesar and Grace Cubas, longtime Bolivian missionaries and new missionaries in Puerto Supe (although Cesar is actually a hometown boy). Also Kyle has recently joined them. Ansley McCarty, who is attending this orientation with us, is considering coming along for the ride. I am praying that she will accept! I think she could be a great friend to me.

Our main prayer right now is that Tim would begin to build vision and/or receive direction regarding the specific work he may be doing. While this kind of clarity can’t be too trustworthy until we are with the Cubases in Puerto Supe, I know it would be a tremendous blessing to him to at least have some ideas to be thinking about and share with others. In my case, I feel fairly clear that my main goal will be to encourage people in a life of faith- both spiritual “seekers” and those who have already made a decision to submit their lives to God. This could take a lot of forms but will essential mean making friends in various ways and offering myself to their service.

PS I got some prednisone steriod pills for my poison ivy and it is clearing up. What a relief.

I can't help but to post this photo of Molly, our dear friends' 5 month old daughter and our goddaughter. She's something else. Besides my general obsession with babies.