dog for lunch

Normally for lunch and dinner here we have rice, dahl, and some sort of potato. A couple of times a week we try to have some sort of meat, like fish, beef, pork, or chicken. The Northeast is very different from the other parts of India in that the people really love all sorts of meat here.
Today we had dog meat for lunch. I've already had it a couple of times and so I didn't have any, but you should have seen the faces of all of the staff and students here. Beverely said that their faces were glowing like angels, and sher too tried it for the first time. For dinner they had the intestines and brain. They put the brain and other parts inside the stomach and cook it, and then eat with rice. It's really true.

It was a bit tough I heard, even though we cooked it for over 3 hours. Everyone began joking that it must have been the defender of Happy Valley and in very good shape, so it wasn't very soft.

We really have so many neat people here right now and our days keep flying by like crazy.

10 Year Anniversary

On Saturday we celebrated the 10 Year Anniversary of the commissioning of our base. It was a neat day. We had a total of about 100 people with us, all of the staff and students that are here, plus friends and family that have walked alongside us through the years. Many people came from out of town to celebrate with us and it was a memorable time. We had a great feast after the ceremony was finished with chicken, pork, squash, and salad. So many of our staff worked for hours preparing all of the food, and preparing for this day. It was a true labor of love.

Houser and I are dressed here in Kham Tibetan traditional clothes. We borrowed them from our friends and I felt like a little kid playing dress up. Many of the people here wore clothing of unreached people groups and we had a time of prayer interceding for the Tibeto Burman Region.

We also had a time of commissioning one of our staff here that has a heart for Mongolia. He is leaving the country in the next couple of months and we greatly love him. I cried a couple of times during the night as I was overwhelmed with love for these people and joy for the things that are happening around us.

We have continued to be really busy these days and so I haven't had a lot of time to write, but we are doing well. I will try to post some more pictures soon.

Luke's Birthday

My handsome nephew Luke, turns 5 today, and I can't believe how quickly he is growing up. He's very smart and a talented athlete. He's also a proud big brother now and I really can't wait to hang out with my two nephews. For a long time He has called me Aunty Mer because when he was little he couldn't say Summer, but Mer was close enough. So these days I'm known as Auntie Mer who lives far far away.
Happy Birthday Luke!

grace

Before our times of intercession we've been having everyone take turns and share about different characteristics of God and aspects of His heart. I have a passion for this because this is our glory in this life, to know Him more deeply. He is our reward, He alone satisfies our heart.

Today one of our staff shared, and it was about grace. I loved it. This was the definition he used: "Grace- In spite of our many failings, He delights in us and gives us far more than we deserve." He shared about his life and told how God changed his heart radically and it was purely because of His grace. He told of a time when he was sitting, full of shame in a corner, not even knowing how to pray. He said the life that he lived was so bad, he didn't know if God could or would ever forgive him. He only knew that God was real and he whispered, "God, if you can forgive, please forgive me." He said that he didn't hear the audible voice of God, but in that instant He felt in his heart His presence and he started weeping, knowing all that he had ever done had been forgiven in an instant. It's so incredible because now he is one of our most mature staff and a worship leader and has plans to go to minister in a different country. It is by the grace of God that our hearts can be changed. He alone gets the glory for all of it, plus He delights in us in the midst of the process.

One of my favorite things these days are the small groups that we have. Sunny has been gone this week, so I have her small group also. So all of the girls come to my house and we share what is going on in our lives and what God is teaching us, and then we pray for each other. Plus we have tea and snacks. Tea is a must for any visitor that comes to your house. I look forward to this time.

Last Friday a group of us went to visit the Tibetan Monastery on the hill. We've been trying for a long time to build relationship with them and they are often in our prayers. I told the group it was going to be a long walk, but I think they didn't believe me. On our journey one of the boys said, "We're not going to the monastery, we're mountain climbing," and we all laughed like crazy. It's a bit of a journey, but I love the walk. We pass some waterfalls and see some beautiful places on the way. It was neat this time because we had a boy with us who speaks a launguage that they fluently understand. There are 13 monks who stay there and they spend the large part of their day chanting their scriptures and praying. Their perserverance and devotion always moves me and challenges me to pray and study more.

after a long time

This last Saturday was my 27th birthday and it was a restful day. Houser made me homemade biscuits and a cheese omelette. He was so cute and wouldn't let me go into our kitchen until he had set everything up. So he put some orange juice out and set everything very nicely and then called me to come in and eat. It was delicious and a lot of fun. I got to talk to my mom and sister on the phone too, which was really nice because I seem to miss my family a lot more on special holidays. I love my family and long to see their faces.

We've been super busy with this SOFM. Houser is teaching this week and so both of us have had our days filled with much activity. We have a really good group of solid students and are excited to see what is going to happen in these months together.

So many things have happened since I've last written. Our days have been full and sometimes we hardly see each other as our responsibilities these days are very different. So it's an entirely different season of life and our hearts are being stretched and hopefully enlarged.

I've been really thinking lately about what Jesus said about serving each other and how this is true greatness. There is something incredibly humbling about serving others and it doesn't come naturally to the human heart. To do the small things faithfully, when no one else is looking, completely unto Him. I've been really praying that God would give me a servant's heart and finding daily that I'm really in need of more grace. He's a King, All Powerful, and All Beautiful, the Creator of everything and He came to serve and lay down His life for love. That's amazing, He is altogether lovely.