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These two hundred and eighty seven letters, hand signed by every family member, were carried two blocks to the Spangle Post Office today. My index fingers are blistered from hand folding each one--but don't worry about me, I will recover. The letter that was posted today asks for financial support for Four For France. The text book that David has been reading about raising support states that a poorly written fund raising letter receives about a 3% return rate, while a well written letter might garner 14%. In our case, and assuming our letter is well written, 14% would be only 40 responses. Forty for France would be nice...but if only 40 respond, each would have to pledge $187.50 per month in order for us to reach our monthly fundraising goal. I keep trying to do the math...to figure out how in the world God is going to get us fully funded. I play mind games like: 40 people at $187.50/month, or 75 people at $100/month, or 100 people at $75 month, or 8 people at $250/month plus 50 people at $100/month...on and on, trying to puzzle it out. But it simply isn't up to me. It isn't even up to a "well-written" letter. It is all in God's hands. The money. The timing. And the people. In fact, we know that the people are of greatest importance to God, and He will call those who are to give and those who are to pray every bit as surely as He has called those of us who are to go. And so now we wait.

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Separate Vacations...sort of

This week the Williamsons had adventures in three different locations:

Graham spent Monday through Thursday at Dickey Lake Bible Camp with his cousin Austin. Dickey Lake is nestled in the mountains of Northwest Montana, just west of Whitefish. They had all sorts of Junior High fun, including witnessing the consumption of worms, all out paintball wars, and wet-sponge-dodge-ball on a greased tarp. He also said that the worship was good, the teaching was great, and he got a boost in his relationship with God.

Chandler and I spent Monday through Thursday back at Swan Lake, doing all the usual Swan Lake stuff, and some fun extras. On Tuesday we went tubing down the Swan River, which we had never done before but hope to do again. Then on Wednesday night, David's mom treated both of us to a play at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse, where we saw Paint Your Wagon. As we were waiting for the play to begin, Chandler spotted one of the actors and recognized him! The guy had directed this year's Missoula Children's Theater Production at his school, in which Chandler played the Town Crier. Small world!

David spent the week here at home. But he was not alone. He spent most days at work, but he spent the evenings getting to know our new laptop computer. They are now very intimate. Almost inseparable. And he took Thursday off...because our dear Libby was dog-sick, and he didn't want me to come home to a mudroom covered in, well, dogsickness! (Yes, I felt very loved!) Not exactly a vacation for David, but he does bring home the bacon and hold down the fort like a trooper.

Today we are all back home, so happy together. We are looking forward to a weekend dedicated to getting our second missionary letter ready to mail on Monday. This one will go to over 300 families and churches, and it invites people to give financially. God's work in France is going to require a strong team of many supporters. We are excited to see who God is calling to be a part of His team. We pray that Four for France becomes Forty for France...or even Four hundred for France!

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Almost Harvest Time

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Luke 10:2

This is a picture of the view out our kitchen window. The wheat is almost ripe...and in just a few weeks we will certainly see Farmer Bob harvesting his crop. He planted the seed, he cared diligently for his fields, and he would be foolish not to reap the fruits of his labor. But he doesn't harvest by himself. He brings in a crew of friends, family and neighbors, and for several weeks, they all work together from dawn till dusk to harvest the wheat. If the workers didn't do the work when the wheat was ready, all would be for naught.

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This is also a picture of the view of France that God has put in our hearts. We believe that He has already been working to till the soil, plant some seeds, and tend their fields. But harvest time is coming...and the workers are few.

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Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,

"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah 6:8

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Willow Creek Leadership Summit

Our home church, Life Center Foursquare, is a satellite host of the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. Every year, this conference provides fresh, meaningful, and relevant teaching on Christian leadership. David and I spent all day today at the Summit, and will be there all day tomorrow as well. It always feels like such a hassle to fit these two days into our busy summer schedule, but I am so blessed when we decide to go. This kind of teaching is critical to God's kingdom work, and yet rarely is it done with such excellence.

I cannot begin to convey the vast wealth of wisdom that was shared today. I am just so thankful that my God, who knows the limits of my wretched heart and my puny mind, somehow seems to highlight the insights that He really wants me to grasp. Two things resonate in my spirit from today's messages:

1.) Leaders need to be authentic. Transparent. i.e. I gotta be me! But not because I want to be seen or recognized. I gotta be me, because in being the Jenn that God created, I am best suited to reveal His Spirit that lives in me. What it really means is that if I am transparent...others will see Jesus. When I try to be anyone else or do things I am not called to, then I put a mask on, and His light can't shine through me. He made me to be a unique beacon for His light, and He shines through the brightest when I am content with who I am in Him.

2.) Jesus did not come to make us safe, He came to make us BRAVE. Why do we always pray, "Lord, keep us safe"? Jesus never said, "Follow me, and I will keep you safe." In fact, He promised us quite the opposite:

"All men will hate you because of me...." Matt. 13:13
"In this world you will have trouble..." John 16:33
"Consider it pure joy when you face trials..." James 1:2

From now on, I am going to ask God to make me brave. I am done with safe.

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The Fishermen

On Monday Graham was invited to go fishing with two friends. These aren't friends from school. He didn't meet them at youth group. I guess you could say they are a couple of guys from the neighborhood that have the same summer schedule he does. Plus, they have something none of his other friends have: a fishing boat.

When I dropped him off yesterday morning, I advised him that he should listen to the counsel of the more experienced fishermen. I told him that if he wasn't sure of something, ask. And, I reminded him that they had years of fishing wisdom under their belts, so he should take advantage of this opportunity to learn a thing or two about catching trout. He assured me that he would pay attention to all that they told him to do.

So as the story goes...the more mature gentlemen did start the day by giving Graham some fishing tips. Their insights must have been right on the money, because Graham came home with 5 fish: three rainbow trout and two cut throats. But his friends were completely skunked! Neither of them caught a thing. Graham said that they were pretty free with the advice-giving for the first part of the day, but after a while they told him, "Don't listen to us, just keep doing what you're doing!"

Mmmmm , Mmmmmm. They sure were good!

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Mt. Park Church

While we were in the Portland area last weekend, David and I had the joy of sharing our call to France with two different Adult Sunday School Classes at Mt. Park Church (MPC). This is the church I attended while in high school. David and I were married at MPC, and we were a part of the "Young Marrieds" class there from about 1992-1994. My parents still attend Mt. Park, so we still have many friends and connections there. In many ways, it felt like we were going home.

This was our first attempt at presenting our vision together in front of large groups of people. We struggled with the preparations, unsure of how well the two of us were going to work together. In the end, we realized once again that God is in this...and that is and will always be more than enough. While I think we articulated our missionary calling to France in a fairly clear and concise manner, I believe that we received much more than we gave. We were so blessed by the people of MPC who ministered to us with great wisdom, as well as genuine words of encouragement. We were able to re-connect with the Body of Christ at MPC, and as we drove home that afternoon we were struck by how amazing it is to be a part of the corporate Body of Christ. We may no longer attend church there on Sunday mornings, but because of Jesus, we will always be family.

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Not What We Expected

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Romans 11:33

Sometimes (okay, often) I have a hard time figuring out what God is up to. I try to follow Him. I do my best to seek His will. Yet, many days I step out in faith believing myself to be moving in the right direction only to find that nothing is turning out the way I had planned. Then, when things appear to be going wrong, I assume one of two things: either I made a mistake, or Satan interfered with the plan. It is possible that there is a third option. That is what I learned this weekend. The third option is this: God wants me to learn to trust in His goodness, His sovereignty, His faithfulness, and His ability to always and no matter what work all things together for good according to His purpose. Even if I blow it. Even if Satan is at work. Here is how I know:

Our dearest friends in Portland planned a gathering so that David and I would have an opportunity to share our vision for France with a large group of people. They made gorgeous invitations and planned an all-french menu. But as the day approached, no one was responding to the invitation. So here come my assumptions. Either we weren't supposed to be having this gathering, or Satan was keeping people from coming. But as we prayed, David and I felt like we wanted to get together with our friends, even if those hosting the party were the only ones who could come. So rather than cancel the event, they simplified. When we showed up Saturday night, we were greeted by fabulous chalk-art in the driveway. The friends who were there were the friends with whom David and I had been in a home Bible Study years ago when we lived in that area. They are the kind of friends who have seen you at your best and at your worst and they still love you. We laughed for hours, picking up as if David and I had never moved away. They asked us tons of questions about France, and we were able to tell them everything...even stuff that would not have really been appropriate to share with a larger group of less intimate friends. We would go from deeply moving conversations to bouts with hilarity without skipping a beat. And then, before we got up from the dinner table (where we had sat contentedly for over three hours) they told us they wanted to pray for us. Perhaps most precious to me was that NO ONE asked if they could pray, or even how to pray. They know us and our hearts so well that they didn't have to. They prayed effectively, lovingly, and with such ease, that it was immediately evident that Jesus himself had been in our midst the entire evening and we were simply turning the conversation His direction. He had shared in our laughter, and as we prayed, He was sharing in our tears. The evening was not at all what we had expected, but it was clearly better.

Thank you Lord, for orchestrating that evening NOT according to what we thought we needed, but according to what you knew we needed more.

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