Tomorrow I leave for a week of middle school church camp. Now most of you, having read that previous sentence, have immediately developed hives all over your body in response to the idea of spending a week with middle schoolers. I, however, by some kind of miracle, could not be more excited. In 2005 I spent the summer working camps at ACU, alternating weeks of middle schoolers and high schoolers. It was during that summer of 2005 that I discovered that either:
1) Middle schoolers are God's gift to the Earth
2) God gave me a gift of ministering to middle schoolers and loving them at the same time.

My hunch is that most likely we're working with option #2, but thankfully I believe #1 wholeheartedly. Middle school can be such a traumatic age, and I experienced both the best year of my life (7th grade) and the absolute worst year of my life (8th grade) during that period. I love how independent middle schoolers try to be yet are still so impressionable. And I love that they are not quite yet jaded by the crappiness of the world.

I'll leave you with an email that one of my middle school campers sent me the summer I worked camps. This still cracks me up as much as the first time I read it...I've highlighted my favorite parts in red. Enjoy!

Cris I already miss you, and ACU. You are so nice, and have a giant heart. Thanks for always being there when I was bored, wanted someone to talk to, or just needed your beautiful smile. What's your phone #? I'm so sad to be gone. I miss everyone so much I'm having trouble not crying. I feel like I can talk to you when I'm down, and know you'll listen. My e-mail address is -------- . Oh I miss you so much. You are the greatest friend I've ever had, and that's sincere not play. My phone # is ------- please call me. I wish so bad that you could come and visit, you are just soooooooooooo nice. Please write back or call.

Love Sophie (Sophaloaf)

ACU

Abeline Christian University

P.S. I sent you another e-mail but I don't think it went through.

P.S.S. I miss you so much

P.S.S.S. call me

I'm sad to tell you that, despite being the greatest friend she'd ever had, I don't think I ever talked to her again. Bummer. Stay tuned for more delightful tidbits when I get back next weekend...

My Summer Reading Powerrankings

My summer reading total is up to 8.25 books, 1 magazine, and infinity blogs. Now we all learned and struggled with the idea in the 4th grade that "infinity" is not actually a number, therefore to say I have read "infinity" blogs is not exactly correct. We hated this idea because up until that point we thought that telling someone we were "infinity times infinity" cooler than them was a legitimate argument, or that when we grew up we were going to have "infinity dollars" and be a millionaire. (Figure that one out...) But I've told you before that I'm quite loose in my blog-reading, so infinity accurately describes how often I'm out perusing other spaces just like this.

Anyway, I thought I would share with you the books I have read so far and rank them on a little rating system (a rating system that is infinity times cooler than your rating system...) in case you're looking for some good recommendations to add to your summer reading list.


#1 Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Every person I know should read this book. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give Kite Runner a 15. It will give you a new appreciation for people from Afghanistan and other middle eastern countries and show you a side of their culture that Americans don't see very often. Read it when you have a nice chunk of time, though, because I didn't put it down for a straight day and a half until I was finished. I'm not the kind of person who buys books before I have read them, but I can go ahead and tell you that you will want this one in your library so it's safe to buy before reading.


#2 The Color of Water by James McBride. I'm in a big-time memoir phase, so I really enjoyed this one. McBride is 1 of 12 children who grew up in NYC. His story is really about his mother, a white woman of Polish descent, who married a black man in the 1930s and went on to raise 12 black children through the civil rights era and times of racial discord. The stories about being one of twelve are hilarious enough to read the book, but the stories of how his mom responded to criticism and hatred and the issue of race are powerful examples of what our country still needs to be striving toward. Out of 10, I give this one an 8.

#3 How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers. You will see this author show up 3 times on this list because I love him that much. He has become one of my favorite authors practically overnight because his stories are so intricate and believable. This book is an anthology of short stories he has written and published over the years, and it gets a score of 9 out of 10 because of one story in particular. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of literature ever written. :)



#4 What is the What by Dave Eggers. Big surprise, here we have Mr. Eggers again, only this time the story is about one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and his story from the time he was a boy fleeing his village and walking across the country to Ethiopia to his life as a resettled refugee living in Atlanta. The story is based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng and is an incredible picture of the life of millions of refugees we see and hear about. I definitely recommend this, especially if you always wonder who those kids are that Angelina Jolie is always seen loving on in refugee camps. My sister replaced To Kill a Mockingbird as her favorite book with this one, and in my family, that's huge. Read it. 8 out of 10.

#5 To Own a Dragon by Donald Miller. I mentioned this book about a month ago on my blog and credit it for the initial inspiration to dream of one day becoming a writer. I've been a consistent fan of Miller's for a long time and recommend all his books. Blue Like Jazz is and probably always will be my favorite, but To Own a Dragon offers good insight into the life of a boy growing up without a father. Miller describes his experiences of not knowing his father in addition to developing a father-like relationship with another man in his life. Good, quick read. 6 out of 10, and only because I can't as closely relate to his experience as, say, a guy without a father would.

#6 The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama. You've been hearing this guy's name a lot lately, and this book helps you get to know him better. He wrote this supposedly before he was considering running for president, but it gives a good history of his political career and where he stands on key political issues. It shows very clearly his vision for the United States and every American. All in all it's a good read, especially if you're interested in hearing more than "I opposed this war from the beginning." 7 out of 10 for its informational value.


#7 The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Kidd. I'd been hearing about this book for a long, long time and it's always gotten great reviews, so I figured I would give it a try. I enjoyed it but wouldn't necessarily say everyone should read it. It's another book about black-white relations in sensitive times (are we noticing a pattern here?) and has very lovable characters. I don't cry when I read books, but other people who do cried during this one. :) Just giving you fair warning. 5 out of 10.


**FYI my new laptop just arrived so these last couple will be rushed due to the fact that I absolutely cannot contain my excitement to play with my new toy. It's like Christmas.**

#8 Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Another memoir, slow to get started, but pretty great if you love literature. I would recommend having read at least one of the books she talks about in the recent past otherwise you will be very lost and very bored. Another good book for insight into the middle east and appreciation for their culture that was robbed from them. 5 out of 10.




#8.25 You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers. Just started this one last night, but 50 pages into it it already holds Eggers' classic storytelling and writing style. So far from what I can tell it's about two friends who intend to travel around the world in one week going only one direction. They started out intending to go from Greenland to Rwanda, but already they discovered Greenland does not fly directly to Rwanda (go figure) and that Greenland's bad weather will delay their trip by days. Their travel plans have changed and they are now waiting to board a plan for Senegal. Should be another good one...so far, the first 50 pages get an 8 out of 10, Dave's traditional score. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Time to play!

It's your basic, all-purpose garment.

I have nothing exciting to share and the slow-pace of my summer schedule is to blame. The most exciting thing that happened to me this week was getting the chance to babysit the most awesome 5 year old in Oklahoma, maybe the world. He's not awesome because I am a good babysitter and pretend to be best buds with the kids I babysit-- he is legitimately awesome. He is 5 and a half going on 35, and in the two times we have hung out we have had a bevy of adult conversations. He is hilarious and knows it, and on Tuesday we had this conversation:

Sitting in the McDonald's play area at lunch time, a family he knows walks in.
Noah: "Hey! They go to our church!"
Cris: "Oh yeah? What are their names?" (just making conversation with a 5 year old)
Noah: "Uh...uh...hmm...well, the girl's name is Isabella... and I have no idea what the other kid's name is."
Cris: "Noah, you aren't particularly interested in learning people's names, are you?"
Noah: "Nah." (Keep in mind we have already been together for about 2 hours at this point.)
Cris: "Do you know my name?"
Noah: "Nope."
Cris: "Do you care to find out?"
Noah: "Not really."

Ok.

On a completely unrelated note, my mom and I attended a tea this afternoon for the women who are on a new mission team my church in Edmond is sending to Vienna, Austria. Usually I would avoid an event like this, but seizing the opportunity to a) leave the house, b) be in contact with more people than just my mom, sister, and brother-in-law, and c) being a soon-to-be-kind-of-missionary myself, I went, and was pleasantly surprised at how nice of a send-off it really was.

My mom read a blessing from Colossians over the women and I was reminded of how much I love that particular passage. When I was a camp counselor two summers ago, many of the nightly devotionals I led with my middle school campers week after week were over that passage, and I know that when I am in Natal it will serve as a source of strength, encouragement, and motivation for me. Just wanted to share it with you in case you're in the market for a new Favorite Verse. I'm willing to let you borrow it. :)

Colossians 3:12-17 (I'm partial to Eugene Peterson's translation, taken from The Message, but you are more than welcome to look it up in any translation you like. It's fantastic in all of them, I've checked.)

"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it."

"Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."

Why I'm Excited

Dear readers, there are many, many reasons why I am excited. For starters, my summer has gotten off to an excellent start, with some weddings, some nice little trips, and some good old fashioned family fun. I'll give you some pictures to look at rather than words, because aren't pictures worth 1000 words? Here are like...5000.





Here is a snapshot from wedding #1, my dear friend Brooke.













Here we have some of my favorite people in the world at the Brooke James-Tyler Tallon nuptials. The curly-headed boy on the left was actually a groom himself this past weekend. Congratulations, sir. (Don't know why this is blue and underlined...it doesn't link to anything.)










My dearest friends in the world, Daniela and Lara Morgan. I was destined to be friends with them since before our moms met our dads, and life has carried us from Brazil to Santa Barbara to Abilene together...and then to the British Library, where this photo was taken.









And here we are on the Cherwell River through Oxford, England, smiling so big because we didn't have to paddle. (Not at that point, anyway. Janine bravely took the oars later on into the trip and safely delivered us back our docking point. Hooray!)













Ok. Now for another reason why I am so excited...and another visual aid.
Now, my friends, if you are new to this space, you may not know what this is. But if you have been reading for a while....you have seen this before. Except last time you saw this chart, it had a much, much larger blue region. Out of the $18,000ish that I am raising for the first year of my internship, I only lack 1.5%!!!! Which equals between $200-300. This is AMAZING. This is the chart we've all been waiting for, and this is the chart that makes me not just excited, but elated.

And now, reason #3 why I'm excited. The very reason that the chart makes me so excited, actually. I would like to share with you snippets of emails I get from the missionary in Natal, and let you see why exactly I'm so jazzed to get down there and begin working with them.


"hi my special girl,
it´s very good to hear from you. everybody is waiting for you in september, 3rd. each month we are talking about you are coming and the people is asking me: are you sure cris is coming? and i answer: yes, i´m. then they ask me: can i go with you to the airport to take cris? i believe i´ll need to buy a bus until september. ah ah! we are very busy right now because we have many personal bible classes during the week and programs with the people at the weekends. we have cooking class, english class, class to read and write to old people. ladies bible class and girls bible class. i need you here...
the church is growing day by day and we have many new people. you´ll love them. they are very special people. please, pray for this new people.
we have a english conversation class waiting for you. i promise them you are coming to help us and they are very excited. they are not christian yet but i gave them an english bible to study for while....
i´m very proud of you about your graduation. congratulation baby! i´ll send you some pictures from us.
we love you. even when we don´t write you we have you in our hearts and mind. we want you here. God is sending you for us.
we love you,

marisa"


Mmm...beautiful, isn't it?

This is NPR...

In my family there was one basic characteristic that distinguished the adults from the children. Typically this characteristic manifested itself on car trips, but on the occasional Saturday morning it could also be found in the Carpenter household. Once the line was crossed, that's how you knew you were no longer a kid anymore...you had finally grown up.

My friends, I crossed that line recently. No, it had nothing to do with graduating from college. It has nothing to do with moving out of the country (though every person in my family seems to think moving out of the country after is college is just what you do...hey, no complaints here!). It has nothing to do with, on average, how many fights per week occur between parent and child.

It has everything to do with National Public Radio.

If you've had your own NPR experience, you realize that the SNL skits that spoof the programming are actually dead on. The reporters sound like they are sitting in in a dungeon of a basement somewhere, reporting on news from around the world. On car trips I used to groan as I heard the monotone voice, that always sounds the same, come over the speakers, knowing that listening to my Walkman was out of the question due to the high decibel level of the spoken voice. I usually chose to fall alseep in protest. I hated NPR.

Recently I find myself growing bored with music on the radio. Top 40 stations seem to play the Top 3 same songs over and over, and usually it's some bad hip hop song that never would have made it in the 90s (aka The Decade of The Greatest Music of all Time). I tune to alternative rock and it's the same thing, just some guy singing who sounds like he's constipated. (Hinder, anyone? I rest my case.) So I've been left with silence-- *gasp!* -- or NPR. And I chose NPR.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially an adult.

Yesterday on NPR I heard a story about a man who is suing a dry cleaners for $54 million because they lost his pants. It helps that he's a judge, so he knows the legal system in and out, and under consumer protection laws he's figured out that since they displayed a sign that read "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and they lost his dockers he, naturally, should get a mere $54 million in reparation. The business is owned by a Korean immigrant family, and the report said that just in legal fees alone he has already cleaned them out. The trial began yesterday, and I wonder how long it will take this jerk to figure out that he deserves to never have any friends ever again for the rest of his life? I understand the need for fair treatment, blah blah, but when does doing the right thing and NOT suing an immigrant family for an absurd amount of money over a pair of pants cross his mind?

Listen and repeat

In preparation for Brazil (in less than THREE MONTHS!) I have been trying to re-learn a little Portuguese so that I won't be completely lost when I get there. Although Portuguese was my first language, I lost most of it when my family came back to the States when I was 6. It just simply wasn't cool to be bilingual in Kindergarten, you know? Kids can be brutal, and I was self-conscious. I could go into how much I wish my 6 year-old self had had a little insight into the future and retained her Portuguese fluency...but I feel as though maybe my expectations can't be too high. Anyway, lately I have been listening to the Pimsleur language learning system in order to build my grammar and learn basic phrasing. I have it on my iPod and have decided that I will listen to one lesson per day, usually as I am laying in bed at night. So far...here is what Mr. Pimsleur has taught me.

Excuse me ma'am, do you speak Portuguese?
Excuse me sir, are you American?
Excuse me ma'am, do you have Reais (Brazilian currency) or dollars?
Excuse me sir, do you understand English?
Excuse me ma'am, do you know where the Flamingo Restaurant is located?
Excuse me sir, do you know where the Columbus Hotel is located?
The Columbus Hotel is located over there.
The Flamingo Restaurant located here.

These lessons have actually been good refreshers for me, as I generally have a basic knowledge of how to say all this stuff. I'm sure as I get farther I will be learning a lot that I didn't already know. My one question is this: what is the Columbus Hotel? Because I know where it's located. Over there.

I received good news earlier this week. I am only about $550 away from completing my fundraising for my first year in Natal! I can't tell you how HUGE of a blessing that is, and how humbled I am by everyone's generosity. With my departure less than three months away, it's comforting to know that I am so close. I also have been keeping up with the blogs and Facebook photo albums of the LST team in Natal right now, and it looks like they are having as great of a project as we had last year, if not better because they have twice as many people! I am so thankful that God continues to bless the church in Natal with great workers. I am so excited to join them and hope that I will be able to continue the great work that the missionaries and LST teams from the past have begun. Please keep them (and me!) in your prayers.

From across the pond...

In the last 5 days I...

-finished one book, read one book, and began one book. I love summer reading!

-thoroughly explored a quaint little ancient town and casually tread paths that have been visited by tourists and scholars for hundreds (one thousand, actually) of years from around the world

-developed an unconscious mental English accent

-almost passed out in church

-had 2 Guaranas, 1 brigadeiro, and 1 coxinha, all at a French bakery

-met an old English man wearing a legit Confederate soldier's hat (as in from the American Civil War....I know...random.)

-found a 30 gig video iPod

I'd say my summer is turning out pretty well...what are you up to?

P.S. I'd also like to add this tidbit of what I find to be interesting information...my second book up there was again about someone who aspired to one day become a writer...is this a sign?