Most of today (8 hrs) has been spent on the bus, traveling to and from Taza's vet appointment (which lasted all of 10 minutes). Tim and I hid behind The Chamber and Anne of Green Gables respectively and survived the journey quite well. Despite all of the warnings we heard about traveling on New Year's Eve, we made it back by 7 pm.

The Cubases returned on the 29th with a team of young people from Wheaton Bible Church. They've been painting the market building, showing movies on the boardwalk (with related short messages about God), and are now prepping for a sports extravaganza on the beach. It's been fun having their energy in Puerto Supe.

Tonight we're celebrating 2009 Peruvian-style with a turkey, hot chocolate and Christmas bread at midnight. We're also celebrating having a full water tank again, after running out yesterday for the 5th time this month. I'm glad this shortage only lasted a day!

It's been a busy crazy month (well, year), and I know we have a lot to thank God for as we close it out tonight. I'm looking forward to all the twists and turns and blessings 2009 holds and feeling hopeful about this continuing journey.

God, I'm not trying to rule the roost,
I don't want to be king of the mountain.
I haven't meddled where I have no business
or fantasized grandiose plans.

I've kept my feet on the ground,
I've cultivated a quiet heart.
Like a baby content in its mother's arms,
my soul is a baby content.

Wait, Israel, for God. Wait with hope.
Hope now; hope always!

This might be a one-and-only post, so pay attention!

Seven weeks ago I wrote about how much we like our vet. That same weekend, Taza started to develop a bad ear infection, which we have labored these 7 weeks in curing. No luck. We took her to Lima yesterday to get a second opinion.

This morning, within walking distance of our mission's house in Lima, we got had a visit with a doggie ear infection specialist who happened to have studied at NC State! He took one look at Taza's medicines and told us that they're what Americans call "BS." He prescribed her an antibiotic and told us she'll be better within 5 days. Could it be true? 8 hours later the gook is already clearing up a little bit. I'm thrilled!

Unfortunately I have to return with her on Wednesday. What kind of posh dog do I have who has to travel 4 hours (and then 4 back) to go to her doctor? She also liked to sit with her legs crossed, eats duck, and is darn cute.

Here she is on the bus on the way to her appointment (and to drop Mom and David Hugh off at the airport last night... boo hoo).

Tim went to the Municipality this morning to ask where our water was. We haven't gotten any in 4 days apparently, and there's no good answer. This afternoon we trekked over to the church building to shower and use the bathroom. I think we all feel much better.

The best part was that to leave the house, we had to make our way through this crowd of little ladies and children parked on our doorstep. They were here for the free hot chocolate and bread that our across-the-street neighbor was handing out.

We're a little culture-tired today and are hiding inside. Mom's going out to chat with them now. Maybe they'll give her some hot chocolate, too!

I'm relishing ever minute of having my brother and mom here in Puerto Supe! One of my top sources of entertainment this week has been watching them experience all of the you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it moments of Peruvian culture.

1. The Peruvian Party.
So far they've been here 3 nights. You may recall that the prom from the first night had me awake from 2-6 am. The second night passed without any blog-worthy noise violations, but last night I started popping pills to get to sleep. It sounded like the child kareoke party was in my living room. Kareoke is bad enough with adults. No one should ever give a child a microphone and expect them to adhere to musical traditions like staying in one key for more than 3 notes. Mom looked like she was going to tear out her hair.

2. The Doorbell.
Every afternoon between 3 and 5 (and some mornings on top of that), our doorbell rings two times in a row, usually 3 sets within in 10 minutes or so. It's a physically and mentally handicapped girl who wheels herself around town looking for someone to entertain her. This is an ongoing difficult situation. Yesterday topped it all. Someone wheeled her up on our porch, so instead of having to ask passing pedestrians to ring the bell, she did it herself. At least 94 times.

I was genuinely busy, and my mom went out to tell her so. Somehow that didn't register, so she continued ringing the doorbell and calling out "Amiga Amy!" (not my name in any language) for half an hour. Finally Tim went out to remind her that I was busy, and she gave him a little talking to: "When I ring the doorbell, you should answer it the first time so I don't have to continue ringing it over and over." Oh dear. I know this story isn't doing the reality justice, and I'm already disappointed. It was priceless.

3. Water.
We ran out yesterday around noon. The tank is still bone dry and we're wondering if water delivery continues on Christmas Eve and Christmas. It could be a few days before we get any water. We're brushing our teeth with bottled water again and stacking our dishes high. I don't think a big Christmas Eve meal is really in the works at this point. Maybe we'll eat Chinese take-out.

To counter, let me list some of the positive things they've been enjoying about Peruvian culture and life:

• fresh bread at the corner for 3 cents a roll
• the sweet people
• big open beaches
• eating "out" in a living room restaurant-- tasty food and a friendly cook
• pedestrian life

Don't think for a moment it wasn't worth it.

Would you bear with me while I write out my thoughts? I'm a teacher after all. I can't "get it" until I give it away. Maybe it will be of some use to you, but I know at least that consolidating my reflections to share will be a blessing to me.

I pray to God-- my life a prayer--
and wait for what he'll say and do.
My life's on the line before God, my Lord,
waiting and watching till morning,
waiting and watching till morning.
Psalm 130:5-6 MSG

Dictionary definitions of waiting:

• to remain or rest in expectation, readiness
• to serve the needs of, be in attendance of (as in "lady in waiting")
• the act of remaining inactive or stationary
• being and remaining ready and available for use

"Wait" in Psalm 130 comes from the Hebrew word "qavah"-- to wait, look for, hope, expect, or to collect, bind together. Most often used in Psalms and Isaiah.

Selected other appearances of the word "qavah":

1st use in this sense (waiting): For your salvation I wait, O Lord. Genesis 49:18

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:5

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:8

Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:30-31

Those who hope in me will not be disappointed (put to shame). Isaiah 49:23

Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not you, O Lord our God? Therefore we hope in you, for you are the one who has done all these things. Jeremiah 14:22

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26

Smart people talk about waiting and this psalm:

If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for him. He is worth waiting for. -Charles Spurgeon

And in his word do I hope. This is the source, strength, and sweetness of waiting. Those who do not hope cannot wait; but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. God's word is a true word, but at times it tarries; if ours is true faith it will wait the Lord's time. A word from the Lord is as bread to the soul of the believer; and, refreshed thereby, it holds out through the night of sorrow expecting the dawn of deliverance and delight. Waiting, we study the word, believe the word, hope in the word, and live on the word; and all because it is "his word," -- the word of him who never speaks in vain. Jehovah's word is a firm ground for a waiting soul to rest upon. -Charles Spurgeon

Oh, it is the waiting for the Lord that keeps the soul waiting upon the Lord! -Octavius Winslow

It is the posture of rest. A soul waiting for the Lord is a soul resting in the Lord. Waiting and resting! Wearied with traversing in vain the wide circle of human expedients; coming to the end of all your own wisdom, strength, and resources; your uneasy, jaded spirit is brought into this resting posture of waiting on, and waiting for, the Lord; and thus folds its drooping wings upon the very bosom of God. Oh, how real and instant is the rest found in Jesus! Reposing in him, however profound the depth of the soul, however dark the clouds that drape it, or surging the waters that overwhelm it, all is sunshine and serenity within. -Octavius Winslow

Waiting has four purposes. It practises the patience of faith. It gives time for preparation for the coming gift. It makes the blessing the sweeter when it arrives. And it shows the sovereignty of God, -- to give just when and just as he pleases. -James Vaughan

In all your waitings remember two things: Let it not be so much the event which you wait for, as the Lord of the event; the Lord in the event. And take care that you have a promise underneath you, -- "In his word do I hope", -- else "waiting" will be too much for you, and after all it may be in vain. -James Vaughan

• How can I benefit from waiting? guidance, a strengthened heart, God's glory, renewed strength, not being disappointed, not being ashamed, God's goodness expressed in my life
  
• How do I wait? in prayer, by redirecting hope, by redefining expectations, making God's glory #1 in my life, watching in vigilance

Lessons learned

• Waiting is clinging to God, binding myself to Him.
• Waiting is attending to God's desires and not forging ahead on my own.
• Waiting is being available to be used as God requires.
• As I wait for God, my hope must be in Him. I am waiting for Him, not a specific result. My expectation is in Him.
• The primary "waiting" of God's people is for the Messiah-- for the first incarnation at Christmas and then for the promised return some day. Jesus is all my heart waits for. He is my everything.

And now what do I do with this?

This is not the answer I expected or wanted maybe to my question this morning. I'm glad in a way, because now I feel certain it's from God and I didn't make it up myself. I need to wait for the Lord, watch for His communication with me about this matter, make sure my expectations are in Him and not in any particular outcome to the current dilemna I'm facing. I need to put myself on hold, waiting and watching and hoping in Him.

It's a bright summer 6 am by now. I was waiting for the Lord, not the morning, but I think they both have come. Having heard from God, I bet I can go back to sleep for a few hours now.

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. Psalm 3:5

It's 2 am and there's a prom a couple of houses down from ours. Is anyone else on this block sleeping? I'm not sure how. It's my mom and brother's first night in Puerto Supe. I wonder what they're going to have to say when daylight comes.

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

Having already made plenty of blanket statements about the necessity and effectiveness of prayer, why does the Bible include this specific direction about praying for wisdom? I'm not sure, but I know I'm banking on that promise these days. I'm lacking wisdom on so many fronts and trusting that this generous God will give it to me. My hope is in Him this morning and all day long.

Our trip to the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Lodge was unbelievable-- everything I thought the rainforest would be and a lot more. We saw all kinds of monkeys, birds, tarantulas, snakes, caimans, ants, etc. My favorite expedition was walking along the swinging bridges in the rainforest canopy, but the all time best experience from the trip was waking up to the sounds of the rainforest from inside my mosquito net palace.

Today we returned from the jungle. We spent 3 nights in lodge on the river with Hannah's brother and mom an hour away by boat from the nearest town. It was beautiful! Since it was the rainy season, it rained pretty hard about half of the time, which was a welcome to Hannah and I, having not seen rain for the last year.

Today we left at 9 am on a fancy dugout canoe. Our journey lasted 12 hours and included a boat, van, plane, taxi and bus. Hannah's mom and brother are currently in Cusco and Machu Picchu and will be coming to Puerto on Sunday. Pictures to come. Tonight we're trying to unpack and spend some time with the dogs (Taza has been standing on the keyboard fighting for my attention).

"I don't think I have anything to report on my blog today," I said to Tim a few minutes ago. Then I remembered how we had to walk one leg of today's trip to Lima through the desert past riot police, burning tires, and 400+ angry demonstrators.

A few miles outside of Puerto Supe, the bus came to a stop. "Flexibility" is my new middle name, and I didn't mind adding some time to our 4 hour bus ride. I assumed there was an accident in the road until we all had to get off the bus and march past the riot. The road was covered with big rocks and burning tires (putting off some incredible heat!), one guy chanted into a loudspeaker surrounded by his followers, and some sharp entrepreneurs were selling crackers and ice cream to frustrated bystanders whose journey up the PanAmerican Highway was significantly delayed.

I was grieving my broken camera anew.

As we passed by the riot police, Tim asked one of them why the people were so angry. I guess he misunderstood Tim's intent, because he immediately responded on the defense, heatedly arguing that it's exactly the same in our country and not letting Tim get a word in edgewise to clarify the question. Finally the guy next to him (also a riot policeman) calmed him down enough to explain that he thought Tim only wanted to know the purpose of the demonstration. Turns out it was in protest of the bad condition of the roads, which has led to a flurry of accidents in recent weeks.

Lesson learned: Be gentle when questioning riot policemen.

On the other side of the action, we boarded a new bus and continued on our way to Lima. Tomorrow morning we will pick up my brother and mom at the airport and rest for a day before heading out to the jungle (Puerto Maldonado). I'm glad they're bringing a temporary replacement for my camera. You have to see this stuff to believe it.

We had a sinking moment before everyone showed up for the New Life in Christ course tonight. 8 pm had come and gone and no one had arrived. Tim, 6 liters of hot drinks, 2 cakes, and I sat in the classroom wondering what (if anything) was about to happen. Since he had his guitar, we started singing some English worship songs together. I had forgotten how much I missed singing. When we came upon "In Christ Alone," I felt my spirit lifting.

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

I'm so glad my hope, security, and purpose are in God and not in how many people show up for a meeting. 10 people did come and seemed to benefit from and enjoy the night, but my offering was for God before it was for them-- the best of my planning, organizing, teaching and leading, laid at His feet in worship.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

My friend C showed up this afternoon with red eyes from crying. She had come to ask for $7 to help pay for the end-of-the-year-party cake for her daughter's kindergarten class. It's her responsibility and she just doesn't have the cash (in part because her husband's boss hasn't paid him in months).

We tried to come up with some creative option for work but in the end had to say no. It's our policy not to lend or give money so that we maintain the purity of our relationships. I think I can still say with confidence that I believe in that policy and that it's serving our ministry well, but it was hard tonight to see her anxiety and not "fix" it.

Why do the schools plan these elaborate celebrations anyway? I think this goes back (again) to my theories on Peruvians and their parties, but it makes me mad. I don't see people having fun. I see moms stressed out, kids left out because they can't pay, lots of money wasted on bad cake and silly decorations. My housekeeper's daughter, for example, won't be participating in her own graduation because they can't afford spending a month's salary on it. Which people in Puerto are inventing these crazy party ideas and where are they getting all their money?

"It's not right or wrong; it's just different" is the cross-cultural motto. This kind of different frustrates me.

Today I allowed iTunes to make my playlist using their genius feature.  I was pleasantly suprised when I heard the song Jolene and then looked to see that it was by Dolly Parton.  If you're not familiar with it check out the video below.  I'm on ebay now looking for a blazer to match the host's and if I'm lucky maybe I can find an outfit like dolly's for Hannah.

In case you're dying of suspense, here are some resolutions to recently posted events:

1. Tim vs. the Wave
His wounds are healing, slowly but surely. He thinks in another day or two he'll stop using the burn-victim bandages and give his hands and arms a chance to breathe fresh air again. So far no infections (yay!).

2. Three thirsty days
It seems that we finally got a sufficient supply of water today. I took a shower at home for the first time since Thursday (there was another one in there that I took elsewhere). I'm so glad to have a flushing toilet and a clean kitchen again!

3. Camera woes
I've decided to send my camera to Panasonic for repair. They have a $99 flat fee on repairs for this model, which is way less than I was expecting (it's a pretty expensive camera). With shipping and what not, I think it will be a few months' process, so I bought an inexpensive but very decent point-and-shoot on Ebay. It will arrive with my mom and brother on Saturday.

Today's lunch: Peanut Noodles with Mango

Today's Wikipedia discovery:
The term "Granola" is occasionally used derisively by some political Conservatives to describe Liberals as being mostly "fruits, nuts and flakes".

We're in Peru because of what we believe about God, the human race, and why we're alive. We're here to tell people about what we believe because we're convinced that it makes a big difference. The most lasting, meaningful, and honest way I know to show compassion to someone I love is to tell her (in word and deed) about the life God offers.

We live in the desert. Normally our town gets water for 2 hours every morning. For most families, this means that they fill up barrels in their house to use for the rest of the day. We are very grateful that we have the luxury of a water tank on the roof. We almost never notice that our water service isn't "normal."

• no showers
• dishes piled high
• limited cooking options
• doggies drinking bottled water
• no toilet flushing
• brushing teeth with bottled water
• no laundry
• no hand washing

It's really not the end of the world, but the flies in the kitchen (which is more or less open to the great outdoors) are getting thick. We're marching forward and hoping our deodorant holds out.

UPDATE: We just found out that there's no water coming tomorrow either, in celebration of Immaculate Conception Day! Oh dear. I'm wondering how I'm going to get the sweet potato stains from lunch off my hands. Tim's wondering how Jesus was immaculately conceived on Dec. 8 and born 17 days later.

Jeff just left for Pucallpa (via Lima). I'm sad to see him go but super grateful for the visit. When was the last time we had a visitor? I think early August. Since the Cubas' departure Oct. 4, we haven't spoken English to anyone but each other here in Puerto. They've been lonely months.

My stomach muscles ache from laughing so hard over the past few days, and overall, there's a new lightness in my heart. We needed Jeff's visit in many ways, but mostly, I'm grateful for his solidarity, understanding, encouragement, and wisdom. It's been good to have an outsider looking in and explaining what he sees. I know our vision gets narrow as we plod along.

If there was ever a post that deserved pictures, this would be it. Unfortunately, my camera was involved in the accident, too, and the Barranca Hospital doesn't treat cameras. For now, we're working on home remedies and considering whether or not she needs to fly to the US for her recovery.

Tonight was night 1 (of 13) of our new discipleship course, New Life in Christ. It was a big success in every way! We had near record-breaking attendance with 5 men and 15 women. The self-selected groups seemed very comfortable together, and I think people had a good time.

Half of the participants came from the most recent Alpha Course. We were super excited to see them show up at the Comunidad Cristiana and are hopeful that we'll be able to integrate the two groups. This particular course is meant to be both a follow-up to the Alpha Course and an encouragement for members of the Comunidad that still lack some of the tools necessary for growth to spiritual maturity.

Jeff Orcutt is here visiting us from the SAM home office. We are THRILLED to have a visitor, and in particular, this one! We ate dinner (anticuchos, or cow hearts) outside Esther's house and showed Jeff around town.

Fortunately (or not, when I consider how well I'll be sleeping tonight) there's a lot of action in Puerto Supe tonight-- mostly focused around the Miss Supe Puerto contest! It's part of the preparation for Friday's town anniversary celebration.

I'm sitting next to Tim and a Christmas tree in Starbucks, listening to jazzy carols, sipping on my cappuchino, and enjoying the overall Charlotte-esque ambience. There's no sign of Christmas in Puerto Supe (funny how money and Christmas are so tightly entwined), but here in Lima, it's clear that December has come.

Lima again. It's amazing how often we end up here, and it's really not in search of Starbucks and McDonald's. Tonight we're (hopefully) meeting up with Jenny Ballen, one of my dearest high school friends who I haven't seen in 10 years. She's in Peru for 3 months doing some fascinating work with microloans. Tomorrow we're getting together with a Peruvian pastor to talk about a potential connection to our Comunidad Cristiana that would involve a more permanent pastor for us.

Here's how we kicked off our Advent celebration this morning.

Last night (the last night of the course) only 11 people came, a pretty big discouragement for us. Of the 5 leaders, only 1 showed up. I did know in advance about another one not being able come (she had an opportunity to work, not something you turn down), but no word from the remaining 3. In general, the low attendance made for an awkward night. We didn't really know how to wrap things up, and I think our "short and sweet" approach was not very successful.

On the positive side, we did get some interesting responses from our surveys. Here are some (translated) highlights:

How would you have described yourself in relation to the Christian faith before beginning this course?

• as an atheist
• I didn't know anything about the Bible
• with skepticism

How would you describe yourself today?

• I have drawn nearer to God by listening to the responses to certain doubts and questions that I had.
• more convinced
• I know more about God and have more faith in Christ.

Did your relationship with God change through this course? How?

• putting into practice everything the pastor read from the Bible and his own experiences
• Yes, because before I didn't believe, but since I came to the course, I learned a lot about God. Also now I can and know how to pray, because before I didn't do it.
• Yes, a lot. My personality is different.
• Yes, my relationship with Christ and God changed because my life is changing.
• I'm no longer the same. I was grouchy and antisocial with people before.

What did you like most about Alpha?

• The videos and small groups because they helped to dispell my doubts.
• The talks, the relationships with people I didn't know before
• I liked the friendships and the way people treated each other. Also the food.
• The illustrative videos, Tim's questions, his responses, and the harmonious environment in the course

Maybe this Alpha round hasn't been everything I wanted it to be. This morning I was oscillating between discouragement and wanting to forget last night and move on with my day. Somehow neither seemed right. I went to the Bible for answers and indeed found some.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

That sounds like good news to me. My part is trusting Him, which feels like something I can do. His part is filling me up with joy, peace, and hope (definitely not in my power). I feel those gifts springing up inside me little by little as the day moves forward, and I'm so glad I'm not on my own here.

Tonight is our final session for this round of the Alpha Course. I must admit that we're relieved. Alpha is a lot of work for 2 people, especially if those people aren't very social anyway!

The topic tonight is "What about the Church?" This is a pretty big issue for us when it comes to Alpha. So far most of the people who have done the Alpha Course have not become involved in the Comunidad Cristiana or any other church around here. It is our understanding from reading the Bible that the Christian life is meant to be lived in community, and we long to see this group grasp that concept. Pray for us tonight!

1. Attendance. We still don't have much of a clue about who will come tonight! Pray that the "right" people would come (on time) with open ears and open hearts.

2. Us. Pray that we would have a relaxing afternoon and go into this night full of joy and peace.

3. Alpha Questionaires. One problem with this round of the course is that we feel less connected with the participants and don't really have a sense of how this course is (or isn't) helping them in their lives of faith. Tonight they fill our questionaires that address much of that. Pray that they would understand the questions and answer them with sincerity.

4. Logistics. Chicken and Apple Curry, set-up, sound and video equipment, children (not) being a distraction.

5. Introducing New Life in Christ. We are so excited to be able to offer this follow-up discipleship course to Alpha starting next Thursday! Pray that we would have wisdom about how to explain to our Alpha people that Alpha is over, they can't come to the next Alpha, and that we want them to come to this new course. New Life is a very different and more "serious" course. Pray that we would explain it in a way that encourages people to come but also communicates the commitment involved.

At 3 am this morning my second nephew was born, Nathan Charles Murray, to my brother Phil and his wife Christal. He weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and it sounds like everything is ok. I found out from my dad while on a bus to Lima so I wasn´t able to talk long.

Congrats on your arrival Nathan. See you in a year or two.

Today's trials were all brown and made me remember why I love being mostly vegetarian. We had rolls, roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and pumpkin bars for desert. I would definitely recommend the mashed potatoes and gravy (no lumps!).

It's been a year since we've done our laundry. In Arequipa, our host family's housekeeper did it. Here, we've been paying someone $10/week to wash it by hand, dry it, and iron it.

When our vet told us recently that he was selling his 2-yr-old washing machine, we realized it would be cheaper to buy it than continue paying $10/week for 18 more months. At first we were a little conflicted, because our laundry provides a job for our neighbor. We put a lot of thought and prayer into this and for a number of reasons, decided to do it.

I couldn't be more pleased. Maybe it's the sense of control over my own clothes again. Maybe it's the fact that a shirt can go from clean to dirty in one day (instead of 1-3 weeks). Regardless, I am so far not the least bit bothered by the tasks involved. And there are several.

1. Wash the clothes. We have a pending issue with our drain, so we've been rolling our washer from the laundry/dog room outside the back patio. Thank goodness for the rolling platform our vet gave us with it! The drain issue is not entirely averted, and we still almost always end up with a small flood in the laundry room. We've talked to a guy about fixing this, but it seems to be happening on Peruvian time.

2. Hang the clothes to dry. Pull out the stool and start clipping laundry to the line! Our washer is small (6 kg), so we never have that much at once. Our housekeeper has been helping with this task as well.

3. Take the clothes down and iron them. All of them. Remember when I laughed about my neighbor ironing my dishtowels? I did it myself on Saturday. They looked so pitiful all contorted into shapes! With the actual clothes and sheets, I'm more worried about softness than looks, and ironing really does help make them softer. The down side is that, as you can imagine, this is very time-consuming. My Saturday night ironing session lasted through 4 old episodes of 24 (3 hrs?).

My plan with the ironing is to have my housekeeper do most of it. She doesn't have a lot of extra time, but I think she could probably spare 20 minutes a day out of the 4 hours she's here. We'll see how it works. This week I'm saving all the clothes up for her to iron while we're in Lima on Thursday for Thanksgiving.

Today's Thanksgiving trials were delicious and not nearly as time-consuming as yesterday's. Somehow when we sat down for lunch I was already full. Note to self: stop tasting after every step!

We're eagerly looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with our American friends the Chapman's in Lima! This is our first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner (other than dessert contributions), so we decided we ought to test out some recipes first. Today we started with Green Bean Casserole with homemade onion rings and Sweet Potato Gnocchi. The green beans were a huge success (probably even more so if fresh mushrooms were available) and the gnocchi a pretty big flop. Now we know and won't have to frighten our friends with them.

Here's a blog of true one sentence stories. Many of them are hilarious, although a few are pretty sad. Here are a few highlights:

It always brings a smile to my face when my dad tells large groups of strangers how he once cut himself on Jello.

As I woke up from my nap to find written on my feet "This is my momma and you can't have her," I realized that my child is very, very strange.

When I turned in my family tree in the 3rd grade, I realized that having to explain the fact that my parents were cousins would be much harder than I had previously thought.

One of the joys of sleepwalking is spending my morning speculating what happened last night to cause me to wake up holding a teaspoon.

I was bleeding and in pain, but I had to laugh when the ER nurse asked the guy in the next room, "You swallowed HOW MANY toothbrushes?"

Every now and then I get a craving for chocolate cake but I just don't want to go to the trouble of making an entire cake for 2 people. Well yesterday I came across a post of a 5 min cake recipe that turned out to be pretty good. It really only took 5 mins including the baking time!


I'd encourage everyone to try it, but mine was a little spongy so you might want to add a pinch or 2 of baking powder to the flour (and maybe using half an egg?). You can find the recipe here. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

Tonight is the penultimate session for this Alpha Course. The topic is "Does God Heal Today?" Instead of following the lesson with discussion, we will be using the time to pray for all of the participants one-on-one. I've also prepared a worksheet of sorts for them to have a time of personal reflection while we're praying for others. I feel excited about the possibilities for the night!

Please pray for us and for our participants:

1. Attendees. Pray again that God would hand-pick people to come and that we would receive them as such.

2. Logistics. Curried chicken salad sandwiches, set-up, sound and video equipment, children not being a distraction, how to seat people during the prayer time to provide some privacy.

3. Us. Protection from spiritual attack, fullness in the fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control). Pray that the daytime today would be somehow fun and encouraging to us, that we would be happy going into the night.

3b. Us praying. Praying out loud in Spanish is one of the more challenging language tasks we face. Pray that our language abilities wouldn't be a distraction for us or for the participants during the prayer time. Pray that God would set our tongues free to speak well!

4. Praying about prayer :-) Pray that people would be open about prayer needs. Pray that we would see physical and emotional healing during this prayer time. Pray that people would want to give their lives to follow Jesus!

5. Alpha follow-up. We're excited about the follow-up Bible study for Alpha beginning Dec. 4. Please begin praying with us for lots of enthusiastic people to come! More on this in a post to come.

I hope you're as excited about this night as I am. By praying for us, you are participating, too! We're so grateful for your partnership in the gospel and wish you could see the fruit it is bearing with your own eyes.

Today I went to the post office (next town over) to send some postcards. Two weeks ago, I tried to send 21 postcards, but they only had 15 stamps to sell me. Today I went with 27 postcards, and they had no stamps. Amazing. The guy told me to come back tomorrow.

Despite the postcard fiasco, I left the post office with a huge smile on my face after receiving a care package from Sierra! She sent along some special treasures for us-- a new book, a movie, dry erase markers, fun stickers, CHOCOLATE, and some delicious-smelling candles. Equally exciting was the big stack of letters she sent for various Puerto Supe friends. I started distributing them tonight, and I feel somewhat like Santa Claus. It's genuinely moving to me to see people's faces instantly light up. I can tell that they feel so honored to be remembered.

This morning a Jehovah's Witness lady came to my door. I imagine that our conversation was very different than the others she had this morning on my street. My experience with Peruvians is that they either haven't considered what they believe or are unsure about their beliefs. While I don't claim to be any kind of theological star, I know what I believe (and why I believe it) about most issues that matter to me. I'm guessing this woman is used to being the respected religious "expert" in her conversations, and she was a little confused I think when I flatly refused to believe some of the things she told me.

One of the things I found most curious about our conversation was that she was dead set on convincing me that while I might have eternal life, my soul will not. I really wasn't interested in discussing the issue, partly because I didn't want to go into a lengthy philosophical discussion about the parts of person, but mostly because (as I finally told her), I really don't care. I belong to Jesus Christ, now and forever, and I'll trust him to decide what heaven is like down to the most minute detail. I feel perfectly content and comfortable with respect to death, my future, and my faith.

I wonder what her conversations are like with others. Does she really argue with them about less-than-relevant (at least for the non-theologian) philosophical issues? She showed me four or five verses in the Bible and I wondered if that would be enough to convince my neighbors. I, for one, was wholly unconcerned that she could pull verses out of Ecclesiastes to prove her point. Mostly I wonder what she was trying to gain from all of this. What difference does it make to her if I believe her long list of minor doctrinal issues?

Finally I told her that I appreciated her time, but that I really was interested in finding truth and knowing God, so I was going to go back to what I was doing when she came (reading the Bible with my housekeeper). She tried to argue with me a little longer, and I insisted that I really was done with the conversation. She told me she hoped I would think about the things she had said that bothered me. I assured her that I was not bothered and sent her on her way (with some difficulty).

I think I gave her my time because it feels crazy to turn someone away if they want to talk about faith. At the same time, she is not coming to my door to discuss anything; she's coming to persuade me. Is it a poor use of my time (and hers) to humor her? While I was clear about what I believe, I didn't make any efforts to try to reverse the prosyletizing. She was obviously uninterested in exploring any other ideas.

The whole ordeal (particularly the part where she wouldn't leave) made me appreciate Alpha all the more. I love the way Alpha (and the Bible, for that matter) focuses on things that really matter and matter to my neighbors, too. I'm glad that there is solid teaching in Alpha, but I love that the point of the course is to give people a time and space to explore faith for themselves. Alpha isn't about me "winning" people to my side; it's about equipping people to make informed decisions about faith. I like that it's for people who choose to come. I imagine, as well, that it's infinitely more effective than my new friend's door-to-door campaign.

I'm still left wondering if I should politely decline the next time a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon comes to my door. Any thoughts?

Yesterday's "photo shoot" became all the more precious when I realized that these are the only photos taken of the baby so far. Cameras a just not an affordable dream for the vast majority of our neighbors. Luckily green paint is, because it makes for some fun photos!

PS- Doesn't this baby remind you of a candy cane?

The Desert Fathers were hermits who fled civilization to work out their lives of faith in the deserts of Egypt beginning around 1700 years ago. I've been thinking about them a lot recently, in part because of a book Jenny sent me-- The Way of the Heart: Desert Spirituality and Contemporary Ministry (Henri Nouwen). It always seems that when God wants to teach me something, it comes from 10 million directions. The book was one of many.

We find ourselves in the desert, too, and I'm wondering whether this will be a crucible of personal growth for me or season of dead waiting. So many of my old temptations are removed, and I find myself here mostly free from the deadly calls of materialism and man's approval. I'm grateful for that freedom but left wondering what will happen if and when we return to "civilization." It seems clear that if, here in the desert, I hang on to memories of movie theaters and Starbucks and elevate them to the status of lost gods, my return will send me back even weaker into the same idolatries of the modern world.

The short story of St. Anthony's life (from Nouwen's book) gives some direction to my questions.

After a period of living as a poor laborer at the edge of his village, he withdrew into the desert, where for twenty years he lived in complete solitude. During these years Anthony experienced a terrible trial. The shell of his superficial securities was cracked and the abyss of iniquity was opened to him. But he came out of this trial victoriously-- not because of his own willpower or ascetic exploits, but because of his unconditional surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When he emerged from his solitude, people recognized in him the qualities of an authentic "healthy" man, whole in body, mind and soul. They flocked to him for healing, comfort, and direction....

The story of St. Anthony, as told by St. Athanasius, shows that we must be made aware of the call to let our false, compulsive self be transformed into the new self of Jesus Christ. It also shows that solitude is the furnace in which this transformation takes place. Finally, it reveals that it is from this transformed or converted self that real ministry flows.

I'd like to "emerge" from my desert that way, too-- healthier in body, mind and soul, transformed into the new self of Jesus Christ. Transformation is a key word here I think, and the crux of another arrow God has been sending to pierce my heart over and over recently:

Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices-- holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing, and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

Do not conform, but be transformed.

I'm left with a few clear applications on my heart. I'm pretty sure to avoid them would be to stick my fingers in my ears and sing "I can't hear you!" at the top of my lungs.

1. Banish the thought of "quitting" from my mind, even and particularly during the toughest moments. Dig in deeper.
2. Let go of Lima as a place of refuge and escape (more something I've been dreaming of than something I've actually had the time to do).
3. Fast from sugar this week. Instead of using sugar as my afternoon "fix," run to prayer. Instead of numbing the pain, confusions, and disappointments, move into them, and let myself be changed in the midst of them.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Psalm 23:1-4

Last night's Alpha was good if not eventful. The only surprise was that 5 new women came, neighbors of one woman who has been attending regularly. Some of them seemed enthusiastic, and I hope we can invite them to the next course in January. After praying that God would hand-pick our attendees, it was fun to see what happened.

Yesterday I started doing the Philippians Bible study with the two girls that run the coffee shop. To my great relief and joy, they are remarkably sharper than the other woman with whom I'm doing the same study. After one 20-minute study, my prediction is that the next 35 afternoons will be relaxed and perhaps even fun.

After showing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on a 15-ft wide screen last Saturday night, one of our key 5-year-olds came up with the idea to have Movie Night every Saturday night. As others reminded us, it's a ministry, too-- some kind of alternative for kids to following their moms to play bingo. Tim obtained a CCLI licence to show legal movies for a year in the Comunidad Cristiana, up to crowds of 50. It was only $62.50!

Our friend(ish) C gave birth on Thursday afternoon to a beautiful baby girl. They were expecting a boy, so she was a bit of a surprise! The baby is perfect as far as I can tell (although they claim I would have a different view if I came to visit between midnight and dawn). Teeny tiny fingernails, a precious button nose, and the softest feet I've ever touched.

Last week we made 2 groups (divided by gender) instead of 3, and the conversation/discussion time was vastly improved. I'm hoping that we can do that again today. It all depends on who comes, really, and my chances of guessing that accurately are slim.

Tonight's topic is "Why and how should I tell others?" Since I'm not sure that half the group "gets" the message of Christianity themselves, I'm curious how this will go. Maybe I'll find out that I'm entirely wrong. One of the major down points of this round of the course is that I haven't gotten to know all of the participants well.

Please pray for our Alpha Course tonight:

1. attendees hand-picked by God, eager to learn and be honest about their own thoughts and beliefs
2. group placements and group dynamics
3. logistics-- set-up, food, children, video/sound equipment
4. two Murrays full of the Holy Spirit's love, patience, joy, and peace
5. only good surprises :-)

We are beginning to think some about how we want to do the next Alpha Course (starting in January). There's so much we've learned (the hard way) from this round. Please pray that we would have wisdom as we consider those lessons and plan for the next course.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-3

I read this last Sunday "by accident" and all week it has been bouncing off the walls of my mind, stirring up new thoughts, and consoling me. While I wouldn't call anything we're living through "suffering," I would definitely say we're learning what "trials" are all about down here.

Pure joy? Maybe not my first reaction. At the same time, don't I want to be mature, complete, not lacking anything? For sure. If I'm not overflowing with pure joy, I'm at least more grateful this week to remember that the trials are probably not in vain. God is growing a little garden of character in my heart and weeding out the ugly thorns and spiny vines. I'm glad there's purpose in the pain.

If I have learned anything in the past 9 years, it's that God's way turns out better than my way every time. The apostle Paul calls God's will "good, pleasing, and perfect" (Romans 12:2). It doesn't always feel that way in the middle of the storm, but I can't look back on one moment in my life and fault God. Funny, then, that I'm so quick to grumble today.