Good News

Dear Friends and Family around the world,

We hope all of you are doing well. Things have been going pretty well with us and our YWAM family in Shillong.We have some big news to share with you today. Summer had an ultrasound yesterday which confirmed that she is in the early stages of pregnancy. We are excited, as well as a little nervous.

Summer has been doing well, and so far, has not been sick. She does feel very tired. She calls it "supernaturally tired". Everything she has felt so far though has matched well with what the books tell us to expect.

We wanted to ask all of you to pray for us, as well as for our little Houser forming inside of her. We will need grace, health, and protection. We want to be good parents, and we want to have a healthy child who becomes a spiritual child of God.

We appreciate so much your love and support for our lives and ministry. We are so blessed to know all of you, and we hope for God's best blessings to come to each of you wherever you are.

Love Feast

This last Friday we had a love feast at our base, hosted by the Discipleship Training School staff. They worked so hard to decorate the room with beautiful cloths, candles, and special tables. Wati went aroud and sang songs at each table and there was great joy written on everyones faces. They prepared a true feast with rice, chicken, pork, vegetables, and fruit.

Everyone was shown to a seat and then the staff came and served us food and took really good care of us. They brought us seconds and even washed our plates, it was a true labor of love and we were all touched.

Water Tank

A few weeks ago after one of our trips away from home, we returned and our water was very dirty. From every tap in our house, some sort of green vegetation, as well and bugs and other debris, came out every time we tried to use water. It was a bit scary and frustrating, and we figured it was time to clean out our water tank.

The city that we live in receives a tremendous amount of rainfall every year, but for some reason there is a major water problem here. Every day for our base we have to call people to come and bring water supply in a truck to our house.

Our water tank is separate from the base. Every morning and every evening, some supply from the city is released into our tank. It is usually enough for us. The tank is quite large, and made of concrete. Houser couldn't remember the last time that it had been cleaned it was definitely in need of special attention. Many of our friends helped Houser clean it out. All of the water was drained out and then a lot of scrubbing inside was done. Then Houser had to bang all of the pipes to get all of the greenery and different things out. Thankfully, ever since then our water has been clean and fresh.

Surprise!

We had just returned from our trip to Thailand and as we entered our home, it was hardly recognizable. Beverley and Sanni had spent hours decorating our home with streamers, confetti, balloons, and all manner of things, in honor of my birthday. We were so surprised.

The kitchen had the most decorations, with presents on the table, streamers and confetti everywhere, and balloons all over the floor. There was even a really big picture of a blond Barbie that said Happy Birthday.

It was nice that they thought of me. I'm so thankful to God for the incredible friends and family that I have in my life. So many people did so many things to make me feel special on my birthday even though we are far far away.

July

In the first week of this month, our housing filled up quickly as the new Discipleship Training School arrived. We have a pretty big group this time and we're still trying to get to know them all. They are from several different tribes and states in the Northeast.

We have base meetings every Thursday where everyone gathers together for a time of worship, prayer, and a time of announcments for everyone to hear. At any given time at the base we have several different ministries going on. Right now a DTS is running, as well as the ANHOP, All Nations House of Prayer. During different times we run Mission Adventures, a short ten-day program, and a School of Frontier Missions, which begins in September. So our base meetings are a time for people from different ministries to gather together. We took this picture after one of our base meetings. A few people are missing from this picture, but it's the most recent one we have.

Theja and Aren's son, Ziza, just celebrated his first birthday and we had a good time together as a base, eating a special dinner in honor of him.

Every six months we need to leave the country for visa purposes and this time we went to Thailand which is only about a 2 and 1/2 hour flight from us. While we were there, we both had our teeth cleaned and checked and neither one of us had any cavities or problems, hooray. We had a good time of rest and relaxation and ate a lot of good food. It was also my birthday while we were there and so we had a nice dinner together to celebrate. We had a really nice time and yet it's always good to come back home again.

Kohima Market

A group of 9 of us recently went to Nagaland as a group to be a part of a conference and seminar in two different churches. We had a really good time as different ones of us did skits, sang songs, and taught about different subjects that are dear to our hearts. At the conference in Longleng, we were overwhelmed by the number of people that came to participate with us. Longleng is a town that was a true adventure to visit. It is a bit difficult to reach because of the roads and location, and we didn't have electricity the whole time that we were there. It was beautiful and the people were so kind and hospitable to us. We had an opportunity to visit several of the schools there and share our hearts with them. A couple of people from our base are from that area and so we got to meet and visit with some of their family too.

We went to Kohima after Longleng and held a prayer seminar at one of the churches there. One of the neat things about Kohima is the market that is there which happens to be across the street from the church we stayed at. At this market you can buy frogs, eels, worms, dog, and all other sorts of meats for eating. It's really surreal to walk down the aisle of the market and see a dog claw for sale. One time Beverley was walking through the market and one of the eels jumped out of the bucket in front of her and she screamed so loud. All of the ladies around her were laughing like crazy. Bev was joking that she was going to bring back enough frogs for the whole base to eat, but we decided that we would need about 40, and we weren't sure how they'd handle the bus ride back home.

Temjen and Margriet

Our Regional Leader, Temjen, got married to a beautiful woman named Margriet. A group of us made the three hour drive to where they got married, and celebrated with them. Margriet is from Holland and a few of her family members flew out here to be there for the wedding.

We are so happy for Temjen and Margriet.

Pictionary

We had a "couples' night" in our house and had a nice meal together as well as played a game of Pictionary. Just for fun we played girls vs. boys, and the girls won hands down. Our prize was a delicious chocolate bar, and of course, most of us shared with our husbands.

It's only been this last year that we have had a growing number of couples in our base and it has been good to get to know each other and spend time together.

Arunachal Pradesh Pictures

Tawang Gompa

Tawang Gompa is a vast Buddhist Monastery that accomodates between 600-700 monks of many different ages. It's the second largest Buddhist Monastery in the world, after Potala Palace in Lhasa, and most of the buildings are at least 350 years old. We went there with a Monpa Pastor and he explained many things to us.

The day that we visited was a special holiday to the people there and so there were a few groups of elderly women circling the monastery, praying. There were so many young monks as well, possibly 5-6 years old. We found out from the pastor that every family in Tawang gives at least one of their sons to be a monk and sometimes even a daughter. There are Buddhist nuns as well, and they also have shaved heads, and stay in a different area of the city.

One day Houser and the American couple went early in the morning to see the monks chanting and they were only allowed to see the younger monks. The High Lamas were in another room that is forbidden to visitors.

The first morning that we were there, Houser found some people that he knew that were now living in Tawang. They invited us to dinner one night and we met with a group of believers living there. Tawang is a very "religious" city and the Christians have faced a lot of persecution there. The Monpa Pastor that we met had been rejected from his family and kicked out of his home. He is no longer accepted in his community and even his brother, a Buddhist Lama, won't speak to him. We met a lot of precious people there.

Arunachal Pradesh

The mountainous state of Arunachal Pradesh runs along the top of Assam, stretching from Bhutan, all the way to Myanmar. China invaded Tawang in 1962 as part of its claim to all areas formerly occupied by Tibet, but the Indian Govt. successfully repulsed the attack. As a result, there is still a heavy military presence in the state. It took us about 16 hours to get from Guwahati to Tawang, the place we stayed in Arunachal. The journey was very long, mostly because we were going through mountains. Part of the Himalayas run through this state and we went through the second highest pass in the world, Sela Pass, which is nearly 14,000 ft. high. The air was really alot more thin up there and we easily ran out of breath. It was incredibly beautiful and very different from other states that we have visited.

These densely forested hills of Arunachal are home to more than 65 different tribal groups. The area that we visited were home mostly to the Buddhist Monpa Tribe.

An American couple that works with the same organization that we do, recently came to our city and shared a dream of their heart with us. For a long time they had wanted to go to Arunachal Pradesh, a state in Northeast India, for research and making contacts. It is one of the few states in India that requires a permit and they have strict requirements for entry. You have to have four foreigners to register for a permit and each permit costs $50 USD. They asked us if we would consider going with them so that we would qualify for entry. We were praying and thinking about it and then decided we would go ahead and try to apply for the permit with them.

On Friday we got a phone call from the travel agent telling us that we got the permits and so we were trying to get everything organized and making plans to go. Houser was planning to go and visit Toshi on Sunday as he had been praying and fasting a few days, asking God to heal him. We were planning as a group to leave on Monday for Arunachal. Saturday morning we got a call from Guwahati saying that Toshi had become unconscious and been rushed to the hospital. We started praying more and Houser started packing to go immediately to visit him. About 20-30 minutes later we get a call that Toshi has passed away. Then we both started throwing things into a bag and made plans to go to visit his home and family right away. Houser was weeping and I was in shock, we had thought that there was so much more time.

We went to his parent's home and there were many people gathered outside, hanging out. We saw many people there that we hadn't seen for a long time. We went inside and nothing could really prepare me for what was there. His wife, parents, and various close friends and family were inside sitting around Toshi's body. I've never seen the body of someone that I knew and cared about that had passed away. The whole thing wasn't a reality until I really saw him lying there and I started weeping and weeping. It was just so final. His wife was near him, touching his forehead, crying, and many of us in the room were joining her.

His funeral was planned for the next day and so we stayed the night in Guwahati and spent time with others who loved him. There were around 400 people at his funeral the next day. Houser had an opportunity to share about Toshi and his life and multitudes were crying. He was a man deeply loved. We are rejoicing that his life was one well lived and that he is now free from pain and for all of eternity he shall never be touched by it again. His last words were "Praise the Lord," and "Hallelujah."

During the funeral I couldn't but help think of the brevity of this life and my heart is longing for the place where there is no more sorrow, no more crying, no more sickness, and no more pain. Our life is so precious and our friendships, family, choices, and time spent are of great value.

We had made plans to meet this American couple in Guwahati on Monday to go to Arunachal, so with heavy hearts we met them and begin a long, long journey.

sad news

This is an e-mail Houser sent out earlier this week:


Dear friends and family around the world.



This is the e-mail I never wanted to send, but it is true. Our dear brother Toshi Ao passed away Saturday morning at around 9:00. He died peacefully and in his sleep at Satribari Christian Hospital in Guwahati – a place his family once lived, where he did lots of ministry, where he met his wife while she was a nurse there. Among his last words several hours before were "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, in the name of Jesus…" He then asked his family to sing a song "in the name of Jesus, we have the victory"





I don't know what to say other than it is extremely hard and painful to even think about.After hearing the news through a friend, my wife and I went down to Guwahati to be with his family in their home. I met again with so many friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in a long time. I kept saying, "It's good to see you, but not for this, not like this…" His family members were strong and steady, encouraging those who came and thanking us for our presence. I didn't realize Toshi's father had never met my wife, he said "is this your wife?" and to her "…wow, what a great day this is to have you in our house, Houser is also my brother."

I cried as I sat there and thought of so many dreams I had for what Toshi and I could do together in this life. His son , Yanger, is around three, and his daughter, Rachel, is around 1. He is missed by anyone who knew him. They say more than 400 people came to his funeral yesterday (Sunday). When I got there I was thinking about all the tribes and even nationalities who were present there. It was appropriate. He was a blessing to many nations and people. They asked me to say something on behalf of YWAM Shillong. I had actually been thinking of what to say for weeks now, but every time I tried to put it out of my mind and focus on praying for his complete recovery. I said that I didn't have words, and I'm sure it's even harder for the family to find words (although just before that his mother had eloquently given a great speech about him). I said that his family should be honoured, that their son, their brother, their husband, their father had brought joy to everyone who knew him. He was caring and compassionate, kind, sensitive, to others, unselfish in his way of giving his time and effort to everyone who needed his help. He was always there to crack a joke and get people laughing again. I kept thinking about that verse where Paul says "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, but for you I desire to stay…" I said that we are happy for Toshi, that he has gone to be with Christ – which is better By Far, but for our sake, we want him here. For our sake he wanted to stay. I said that one comfort is that the joy that he gave so many people here - he will now have that joy and better joy than that forever from God. So many things that people say I did (like start Mission Adventures in South Asia) – he did with me, and without him it could not have been what it was. So much of what I know about this city of Guwahati, I know from him.

I had two prayers on my heart yesterday, the first is that his children will grow up to be just like him. The second is that God would call 100 new workers to the city of Guwahati to fulfill each every one of the dreams in Toshi's heart. I'm asking God that his life would be the seed that bears fruit one hundred times as much. I shared those prayers at the service, and I said that as Toshi always dreamed of a new Guwahati with better and smoother roads, he now walks on streets of gold. As I walked behind his coffin to the place they buried him, I was thinking about how after so many walks around this city and these streets, this was our last walk together. After he was buried, I started walking back to his house by myself. I started crying again, realizing again how I missed him when I walked alone.

I want to thank all of you for your prayers. I shared at his funeral about how people all over the world were praying and how his care and his concern for teams from around the world had caused the place of Guwahati and the Northeast to have a dear place in people's hearts around the world. After everything was over, his family thanked us for coming and his father said that "only because of so many YWAMers are we comforted today". I can only ask God to comfort them again and again.

It's still so sad on my heart, and I cannot believe this has happened. If I close my eyes I can still see him jumping around, making some joke, I can still hear the sound of his voice. Toshi was the first true friend I had in the North East. From 2000 until 2002, he was one of the closest friends I had in the world. Please pray for his family and friends as we walk through these incredibly hard days and as our minds keep slipping into those thoughts of "why" and "what if". Please ask God to be our strength. As I walked away from the house to the road to get a bus back to the city, I passed by three young girls standing on the road. One of them called out to me and said that she appreciated what I said. I asked them how they new him, and they said "uncle Toshi was our Sunday School teacher". I thought to myself "another ministry he was doing that I didn't know about, how many young people did he work with in this town?". I talked with them for a few minutes and then said to them "whatever Toshi did for you, you must now do for others." They nodded, and I walked away. I feel like I saw the first step towards the 100 new workers I am praying for.

As I said at the funeral, we miss him and we are so sad, but we are grateful for the time that we did have with him in this world.

Thank you for your prayers

urgent, please pray

This is an e-mail that Houser has sent out to many people regarding our friend Toshi. Please pray for him.

"I'm sorry that I haven't written an update for so long. I was about to write an update about my wife and I. And there is so much to tell.But now I have an emergency prayer need to share that takes priority over everything else that I can communicate.

One of my dear friends, named Toshi, has been having serious health problems for the past few months, and today the doctors gave the worst news yet. He has had health problems for as long as I have known him. In the past few months, he has had several surgeries, including the removal of his gall bladder and part of his colon. His recovery had been slow and painful, and there was a lot of confusion why he was continually getting worse. Recently, he and his wife traveled to the other end of India to go to a really good hospital to get a thorough analysis.

Today he was diagnosed with colon cancer. The doctors said they can't understand how it was missed during his surgeries, but there is a tumor and they say the cancer is spreading. His physical condition is too weak for any kind of radiation or treatment. They said there is nothing more to do. They said he might live for another three or four months.I don't know what else to say. I met Toshi for the first time a few weeks after I moved to Shillong. We became friends quickly, and we worked together a lot during my first few years here. He helped me host teams and he led the outreaches of all our Mission Adventures teams. We were partners. He is now married and has two young children. They have had a hard time understanding what is happening.

Please pray for him. He needs a miracle.

Thank you. David Houser"

Matt 18:19
“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”

Gangtok,Sikkim

We went to Sikkim (a Northern State of India) for a few days before Houser was to teach in a nearby city. We were there to celebrate his birthday and to visit this State that we had never been to before. It is one of the few states of India that you need a permit to visit. We had such a lovely time there. I am posting a few blogs about our visit to this beautiful place.

This is a picture of a ropeway that flies through some of the hills of Gangtok, we saw some amazing views from this little red car in the sky. There are so many Buddhists in Sikkim and the hills are full of prayer flags. We found out that when we see groups of white prayer flags, it means that someone has died. Someone hangs 108 white prayer flags when someone passes away and the flags will stand until the material decomposes or they fly away.

Gangtok is quite clean and beautiful. It was a good time of refreshing before Houser taught this last week. We are happy to be back in our home now. He will be teaching again this week in the Discipleship School in our town. This will be the last week of the school and they will be going to two separate locations for outreach, one to a state in the Northeast of India, and another team to South India.

Lake Tsomgo

This is as far north as we were allowed to go on the road to Nathula Pass, the old Silk Road. This Lake Tsomgo is about 18 km (around 11 miles) from the India-China border. It was such an incredible place.

As soon as we got there, we took yak rides (that's right, yak rides) around the lake. Houser had done it before while in Tibet, but for me, it was a first. It was similiar to riding a horse, but somehow a bit different. At this lake, snow remains there most of the year. I was a little nervous the yak was going to slip as it climbed through rocks, snow, and mud, but it did a very good job navigating us through the elements. I couldn't get over how big their heads are. Houser asked if they put the socks on their horns to keep them warm, but they said it was just for decorations.

After riding the yaks, we had momos and some chow mein and chatted with a few of the people who work in the stalls. We found out that most of them stay up there until the snow comes and then they go down to Gangtok, a bigger city, lower down the mountain. All of their vegetables and goods have to come up from Gangtok as well.

For his birthday, we bought a Bhutanese coat, and a Sikkimese hat. We bargained with them for a while and got a greatly reduced price because it was his birthday. They also asked us for some chocolate, so I bet that helped too. It was definitely an adventure at Lake Tsomgo.

Houser's 30th Birthday

April 6th, 2007, we woke up with great anticipation as it was a very special day, Dave's 30th Birthday!

As soon as we had reached Gangtok, Sikkim, we were trying like crazy to find a way to get to Nathula Pass, the Indian-China Border. We talked to several different trekking agencies, and the answer became clear, foreigners were not allowed to go the border. We were however allowed to go to Tsomgo Lake, which is about 18 km from the border. It turns out that there are all sorts of military things set up near the border and our guide told us that is why foreigners aren't allowed to go to the border. Supposedly the Indian Govt. is worried that foreigners would report things that they have observed from the military and possibly take photos that would jeopardize the safety of the border.

So we woke up early and made about and hour and a half trip up the mountain to Lake Tsomgo, which is 12,400 ft high and covered in snow. Though we didn't drive far, there was a marked decrease in the temperature and the scenery was completely different. It was so beautiful.

After we went to the lake, we went back to Gangtok, walked around and had a delicious dinner. It was a good day. An interesting thing about Gangtok is that they take a lot of pride in their city. They have the only "litter-free, spit-free zone," that I know about in India. It is quite clean compared to most cities that we have visited. There are also a lot of visitors that go through this city as Sikkim is well known for trekking. Sikkim is the home of Mt. Khangchendzonga (28,156 ft.), which is the third tallest mountain in the world.

Tibetan Refugees

We visited a Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Center in Darjeeling and it deeply impacted our hearts. The Center was started in 1959 following the escape of the Dalai Lama into India, during the invasion of China. Thousands of Tibetans fled into neighboring countries during these days with little more than the clothes that they were wearing and what little provisions they could carry with them as they began the long and difficult trek over the Himalayas.

Today this center is home to over 650 Tibetans and many work there doing various things like weaving, painting, and making all sorts of handicrafts in order to support themselves. They make things like scarves, blankets, paintings, shoes, etc., and sell them in a showroom nearby where the proceeds go back into the Tibetan Community there to provide for their basic needs.

We spoke to a couple of them and were touched by their lives. One lady, L. Wangmu, gave me a multi-colored wool blanket that she had woven. I didn't know what to do, because she has so little, and yet she offered something so precious. I was humbled by her generosity.