an eventful day

Today was incredibly meaningful as it was our first day of SOFM and more importantly the day Theja and Aren's son, Ziza was born. Houser is hilarious. He got to go and visit Theja and Aren in the hospital and he came home with two pictures, both of Theja taking a picture of his new baby. So we don't actually have a picture of the abby yet, but we will definitely get one in the days to come. I got to go and visit Aren in the hospital tonight, but they only bring the baby to them when it's not visiting hours. Aren is doing well, albeit a little worn out.

We have 9 students for the SOFM and today we mostly spent in getting to know each other and sharing expectations for the next three months. Houser and I were talking today about the quality people that have come and we feel excited for the weeks and months ahead of us.

Sunny made the banner in this picture and it's hanging in our classroom. The first time I saw it, I nearly cried. The people on the banner are representative of the Tibetan Buddhists. Then we have all sorts of different flags hanging in the room as well: China, India, Tibet, and Bhutan. It's incredibly bright and colorful in there. It's been a full and fruitful day. We are so happy that Ziza Lohe has finally come into this world.

musical night

Last night the DTS had a "musical night" where groups of the students sang a song in their own language. Most of our students are from different tribes in Nagaland, as well as some other Northeast states, and most tribes have their own language. It was so beautiful to hear them singing and worshipping God. They are incredibly gifted musicians.

The DTS has being going on for a few weeks now and our SOFM will be starting this Wenesday. This week Houser will be teaching in the DTS about discipleship and I'll be starting to full-time staff the SOFM. I'm so excited for this school to start and we have been spending quite a bit of time preparing for the students to come. This one is going to be Tibetan Buddhist focused, meaning we will be working mostly with students who have a heart to go to China and Bhutan. Right now we have 9 students that are coming and there is a lot of expectation in our hearts for the next three months.

It has been officially ten years that a base has been stablished here in Shillong and this month we are going to have a 10 Year Celebration Party. There are so many people in the area that have helped us and poured their time and energy into this place, and many more that are no longer here that have helped to build and establish this base. So we are going to have a small program and dinner and celebrate what God has done in these past ten years and try to honor those who have played key roles. It's exciting.

"O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance." Psalm 16:5-6

the enchanted forest

Growing up I would always read books by Enid Blyton about the Enchanted Forest and all the many advetures that the children would go on frolicking in the woods. There is something so mysterious and beautiful to me about forests, the gatherings of tall, green trees. One of my favorite things about our house is that we have a balcony in the back with the view of a small forest. We hang our clothes there to dry and sometimes I'll sit out there and read and drink some coffee. There are always some sort of birds singing and chirping, and I love the fresh air.

Just recently, down below us, someone has started building a house and I'm a little worried that they're going to steal our view. Here in Shillong people build house upon house upon house. They have or inherit a small piece of land and so they can't build much unless they build up. The flat where we stay is the second level, and there is one above us. So if the people who are building below us build a couple of stories, the beautiful forest will be covered. Hopefully it will at least take a while, I'll be sad to see it go.

Somehow you can never seem to capture the beauty of a sunset with a camera. These days are monsoon season here and so we have had quite a bit of rain and sometimes we have incredible sunsets with all manners of color displayed in them. During the night we have silent lightning across the sky. I've never experienced it anywhere else in the world. For hours, all across the sky, the lightning pulsates, lighting the darkness, but without the sound of thunder. I like to go up on the terrace and watch it, it's so beautiful.

We had a friend, Ayophy, come over to our house today and she brought her little 6 year old niece. While Ayophy and I were catching up, her niece became quite bored and asked me for some markers and paper. The resulting art is posted above. I thought it was so precious and cute. I said "Who is this?" and she said, "It's you Auntie." (All married women are called Auntie here, even though it makes me feel a little old.) My favorite part was Houser's pants and brown boots. It makes me smile every time.

It's Saturday and the whole day Houser hasn't left the couch. He's doing an Inductive Bible Study on Acts and so has been studying all day long, searching through different Bibles and books. He has a lot of teaching coming up the next couple of weeks in both the DTS and SOFM and just finished a couple of days teaching at a Training Center nearby. This time is really full for both us and it's been quite enjoyable. As he shared, we have so many people coming and going these days and it makes life very interesting.

History in the Making (by Houser)

Hello around the world.

Today is July 6th, the 71st birthday of the current Dalai Lama - leader
of Tibetan Buddhism. This date could also be of historical
significance for our work here in Northeast India. One of the main
goals we have in our work with the Shillong base is to train and send
Northeasterners to places like Tibetan China. Today, after being
closed for 44 years, the border between India and China was opened in
the nearby state of Sikkim (just to the west of the country of Bhutan).
As of now, we can't tell how good this news is, but my hopes are high.
Currently, if we (or those we train) want to go to China, we have to
go first to Thailand. This is not only out of the way, but it is also
expensive. There is no way to do it without flying, which adds a lot
to the cost of the trip. For some of our local workers, it seems
impossible to raise the hundreds of dollars required. With this new
border crossing that opened today, we may be able to get to China for
$20 or less.

At the moment the border is only open for business. China and India
are both keen on increasing trade with each other - giving each the
large population of the other to sell various goods to. Today's
ceremony was mostly symbolic, and I read that only residents of the
state of Sikkim were allowed to cross to China. But in the days to
come it is possible that they will allow more freedom for the sake of
tourism. The Chief Minister of Sikkim even suggested that they would
like to start a direct bus service to Lhasa. Oh how I would love to be
on that bus! If that happens, it would be a great blessing to our long
term workers - and possibly even allow us to send short-term teams! It
would seriously change things for us in major ways.

Just the other day, July 1st, the Chinese government inaugurated a new
train linking Tibet with the rest of China. The project has caused a
lot of criticism from Tibetans who fear their culture is being wiped
out by the majority ethnic Chinese. At the same time, it will allow
increased tourism and trade to the region, which again helps our long
term workers who also need to travel throughout the area.

So I wanted to write to all of you and ask if you could join us in
prayer for history in the making. The news coverage is all about how
cheaper electronic items will come down from the North, but our prayers
are for much more than that. Please pray for a release of the Gospel
through this border. And on this day, as Tibetans around the world
celebrate the birthday of their leader, let's join together to ask for
that God would touch their hearts in a powerful way.

Please also pray for our current DTS and upcoming SOFM (it starts on
the 19th), that we would be faithful to train, equip, and send more
young workers to these needy places of the world. My wife and I will
be quite busy in the coming months. It's a bit overwhelming to have so
many people coming through our base at this time, but it's exciting to
see what God has for us as we walk with Him. Please pray that we would
be faithful in all of our opportunities.

Blessings to all of you in all you are doing. Thank you for standing
with us. I believe history will thank you too.

Benares

For about 6 years I have really had a heart for Varanasi, formerly known as Benares, City of Lights. It's a place where millions of Hindu pilgrims go to each year for a plethora of reasons. Some believe that if they take a bath in the Ganges, their sin will be washed away. Others believe that when you die near the Ganges, you will be set free from the cycle of karma, and finally at peace. Others go there to receive a special request in prayer by their favorite god, although Varanasi is known to be the home of Lord Shiva, the destroyer. In Hinduism there are over 330 million different gods and the rules and dogma aren't very clear cut as there are many different ways of belief and practice. Houser and I got to go there earlier this year for a meeting and as Bev and I had often talked about and prayed for Varanasi in the States, we wanted to go there together and pray. It's a place where people are seeking truth and salvation, it's a place where the hungry and desperate come seeking refuge and reprieve. Many foreigners can be found in Varanasi as well. Thousands go to a school there called Benares Hindu University and there are a bunch of hippies and those who want to become Hindus as well.

It was the weirdest thing. Bev has really been into the World Cup as this is the first time Australia has been in it since 1974 and so the night Australia was playing Italy, we found a little restaurant that was playing ESPN. We sat down and ate and soon the place was full of many foreigners from all over the world. A man from Mexico, a few from Israel, Italy, America, England, and all over. Some were hippies and travellers, some were studying tabla (an Indian drum), one European man was dressed like a sadhu in orange, with long, flowing white hair. All were gathered to watch the World Cup in this little restaurant, it was a funny sight.

We were there for a few days and then met Houser in a different state where they are wanting to run Mission Adventures. He was doing doing some training for the staff there and so we met him and have returned to Shillong tonight. Now we really won't be leaving Shillong for the next 5 months. The DTS has started and in a couple of weeks the SOFM (School of Frontier Missions) will begin. I'm going to help staff that full-time and I'm truly looking forward to that.