Chiang Mai

We have had an interesting journey and have safely arrived in Thailand. Monday afternoon we got a call from the travel agent saying our flight the next day had been cancelled but if we can leave that night (instead of Tues. morning) they would fly us to Calcutta and then the next morning to Bangkok. The funny thing is that they called us at 3:00 pm and the flight was scheduled to leave at 7:00pm, the airport being about 4 hours away from our home.
So we said ok and then ran as fast as fish to finish packing and arranging all of our things. Then Sunny, Houser, and I got in the car and made it to the airport in record speed.

Since they cancelled our flight, the airlines put us in an incredibly nice hotel for the night, for free. We felt like royalty and none of us had ever stayed in such a place in India. Needless to say, our hearts were overflowing with thanks to God for the hot showers and nice accommodations.

We spent all day yesterday at the Bangkok airport waiting for our connecting flight at night to Chiang Mai. We had great fun though in the airport, as it is quite modern and had things that we hadn't seen for quite some time, like Burger King, and really nice coffee shops.

We've already been to the dentist here two times today and they are very efficient and helpful. I go back tomorrow to begin the treatment. Our first meeting here is on the 10th, so we have a couple of days to rest and look around a bit.

I have never been to Thailand before and it is quite beautiful and clean here. We are looking forward to meeting our friends and making new ones in the days to come.

the crown story

Actually my story has nothing to do with this picture, but I thought it was a beautiful piece of art showing how crowns are laid down at His feet because He alone is worthy of our worship.

So less than a week after we returned to India (in early September '05), my tooth started aching and throbbing. We asked around and went to a dentist here to undergo what they call Root Canal Therapy. It took about a month for the whole process to be completed. They took out the nerve and then stuffed some cotton in the hole and I had to go back for maybe 5 or 6 times for the dentist to flush it out and clean it before she finally filled it. A week after I had it done, a portion of the filling fell out and so we had to go back and have it repaired. The dentist told us that they won't put the crown on for another 6 months, and to be careful to not eat anything hard on that tooth or else it would break off. Houser and I looked at each other with big eyes, and I said "Ok." After we left I asked him if he would still love me if one of my front teeth was broken, thankfully, he said yes.

About a month or so later, the same tooth began throbbing and aching and we went again to the dentist, but she said that she couldn't find anything wrong. Needless to say, this has been a pain (no pun intended) for us in the past few months.

We knew that we were going to Thailand and they are supposed to have really good dental and medical care there, and so we have been waiting for this time to come. I was looking online for different dentists there and trying to make an appointment. I had narrowed it down to two different clinics that I wanted to try and had e-mailed them asking about prices and services. My heart was burdened when I got the e-mails back because the treatments could be as much as 500 dollars and so I just started to pray.

The night I got the e-mails, I seriously was just crying out to God for His wisdom and for His guidance and provision. The very next day, I was waiting for a taxi because I needed to buy some groceries in a nearby town. As I waited, a friend of ours who is a pastor, pulled up and asked me if I needed a ride. I got in and in his car was an American who works in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the exact city that we are going to on Tuesday. I said "You're just the person I need to see!" I asked him if he knew of any good dentists there and he said that he goes to Grace Dental Care, this was one of the two dentists that I had decided on. He said that he has had three crowns done there and that they have really good technology and they do a good job. It was amazing, because if I had just been two minutes earlier, or two minutes later, I would have missed them. This whole incident has made me feel more than ever that God hears our cry and answers our prayers.

So hopefully when we come back from Thailand, my tooth will be cured and crowned and we will live happily ever after.

The end.

one year ago...

A year ago today Houser asked me to marry him on Mt. Wilson in Sunny California. We were talking and laughing about it today, so much has happened in this last year. We are happy.

As some may notice, he was wearing this Steeler hat a year ago. He has worn it often since and is eagerly awaiting this years Super Bowl, the Seahawks vs. the Steelers. He's planning to wake up at 3:30 am so that he can watch it. Really.

Looking back on this last year, we are so thankful to God for His kindness and faithfulness, and to all of our family and friends who have so enriched our lives with their love and encouragement.

We are leaving Monday night for our long trip to Thailand and China.

a picnic and some cricket

Today we went with the DTS to have a Saturday picnic. It was great fun. About 25 of us piled into a bus and drove up the mountain a bit. We cooked rice in the morning and then brought a bunch of vegetables and some mutton (goat) with us and made the meat and salad there. It was an adventure because it was quite windy outside and so it took a while for the meat to cook.

This was the first week of the DTS and so it was a good time of fellowship and a good opportunity just to hang out and get to know each other better. The boys played cricket for hours as they took turns "batting and bowling." I've been in India for some time now, but I still don't fully understand cricket. It's a mystery.

The life of Brianna

Today we had a day of prayer and fasting at our base. In the past couple of months over 14 YWAM Staff have died worldwide, most of them key leaders. Today we wanted to seek God asking for His protection and understanding, and pray for the labor of those who have died, that the fruit of their lives would be multiplied. I wanted to share and celebrate the life of Brianna, an American who died in Nigeria. This is an excerpt from a letter by John Dawson, the President of YWAM.

"One of the women killed was American Brianna Esswein from California. Being briefly in the US, I had the privilege of meeting with her parents, Dan and Mary Kay, and her sister, Christina and brother, Matt. This is an extraordinary family, full of Christ. As I have investigated the life of their beloved Brianna, I have become convinced that her short life is a gift to this generation.

She was in many ways similar to Jim Elliott, her hero, one of the five young American missionaries who were killed by the Auca Indians in the 1950s. Although only twenty-five, she had completed a medical degree in California and graduated from Wheaton after studying missions. She had also worked in several countries, making a great impact on all who knew her because of her Christ-like qualities. How do we deal with the death of such people, excellent, brilliant missionaries with their best years ahead of them? Think of the more recent deaths of Tony Lima in Brazil and Elisabeth Mbewe in Zambia. They were already people of immense fruitfulness and responsible for young children both in ministry and family. What is the heavenly perspective?

Brianna was deeply involved with Focus on the Family and Youth For Christ before coming to YWAM so I was able to join with the leaders of these organizations in piecing together her story, and eventually honoring her at a memorial service. Just before she died, Brianna wrote a Christmas letter from Nigeria, which is a mature and powerful statement on the compassion of Jesus for suffering people. Her life message was fully formed. Her vision and godly character shines. Those of us at her memorial service had the sense of a life completed rather than a life cut off. We discovered that though attractive and vivacious, she had decided that she would not marry and though her life may be short, she was going to be totally dedicated to missions.Her story humbles and instructs me the more I reflect upon it, and I feel a solemn duty to expand the influence of her life.

On the first day of '06, I preached the first of what will be many sermons with my 'Brianna file' open in the pulpit.Her diaries and letters reflect the theme of her memorial service, "To live is Christ, to die is gain". I was most impacted when her mother showed me a journal scrapbook that Brianna had compiled. On one page was a beautifully presented collage of a bride in her gown, and on the opposite page a representation of a banquet, surrounded by paragraphs of adoration for Jesus and anticipation of entering His presence.

Do you follow one of those one-year Bible-reading programs like I do? If you do, you read Revelation 22 on December 31st and Genesis 1 on January 1st, truly a good foundation for '06. God is the author and finisher of all things and His intent is that we enjoy the pleasures of His presence as we pass through this brief earthly apprenticeship. However, 'the eternal weight of glory' that Brianna now enjoys is far superior to the temporary graces that give joy to this life. She is no longer separated from her Savior; she has lifted the veil and gazes upon Him.

Her mother and sister both wore white lace outfits at her large memorial service to indicate identification with Brianna's ultimate desire fulfilled. Truly the family of God is amazing, transcendent lives that point unwaveringly to the inimitable perfection of the 'Bright and Morning Star', Christ Jesus.I believe that the story of each one of those who have died or were injured in Nigeria, Brazil and Zambia will instruct us as we serve and honor them and their families. The fact that so many were nurse midwives is significant and that so many nations were represented in sacrifice and suffering. "Lord, honor their lives by multiplying the fruit of their labor," we pray.

Jesus has an answer for everything, answers that come one day at a time. Our apparently small lives and our daily choices have eternal implications. Our souls find rest in spite of all that would make us fearful."

St. John of the Cross

How gently and lovingly you wake in my heart, where
in secret you dwell alone; and in your sweet breathing,
filled with good and glory, how tenderly you swell
my heart with love.

Thailand

A week from Tuesday we will be leaving to go to Thailand and China for a few weeks. We have a meeting in Thailand that we have been looking forward to for many months. There we will be able to meet up with many friends who are from Northeast India that are living and 'working' in China. So we will be in Thailand for about a week before going to China. We have several friends that we are meeting in China and others that we will travel with who are moving there to start learning Mandarin. We hope to visit a few cities and then will return to Thailand in the beginning of March where we will meet Beverley, who is coming to work with us here in Shillong. We'll fly back together to India, hooray. Please remember us as we will be travelling quite a bit. We are very excited for this opportunity and looking forward to build realtionships with those in China and strengthen existing friendships.

forget your own people

There was something incredibly different about this wedding than any other I've been to before. In Mizoram, once the bride price has been paid and the vows have been taken, the Bride belongs to the Groom and his family. She's encouraged to not go home and is now required to do a lot of the housework in taking care of the husband's family.
Mami is very well educated and works for the UN. Her family is quite well off and they have always had servants that do a lot of the work in their house. In a lot of Mizo families, the new bride is required to do a lot of the cooking and if she has a job, the majority of what she makes must be given to her new family. She will now stay in his family's home with his parents and extended family. She is required to give up a lot of her rights and freedom to go where she wants, when she wants.
After the reception, there is a procession where a group of her friends and family take her to his home and now her place is with them. Her parents are not allowed to go. As she was leaving the reception, her mom came up to me weeping, and held me tightly. She started talking to me about how Mami had lived with them for 34 years and how it's hard to picture their lives without her and the weight of the separation hit me deeply.
I've heard many songs about Psalm 45 and somehow being a part of this family and this wedding celebration, it hit me in a different way. "Listen O daughter, consider and incline your ear; Forget your own people, and your father's house; So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him." (vs. 10-11)
She is really supposed to forget her father's home, a place where she has known great love and comfort and trust that her new husband and family will love her and take care of her. The weight of it hit me because Mami has so much to give up. In Mizo culture, she has had relative freedom in how she lives her life. She has had servants taking care of her, a lucrative career, a family that loves her deeply and now for love, she is laying all of that down, for an unsure, perhaps less comfortable life. As we watched her on that day though, there was no regret on her face, for she is deeply loved by Robert.
Again, the weight of the event pierced my heart. She had counted all the costs and burned the bridges and all other choices; she has chosen life with him whatever that may hold. Marriage is truly a picture of our walk with God. He desires our love and affection with jealousy and zeal. Over and over again we come to a place in this life where we have to choose between Him and lesser loves. His love is worth so much more than security and comfort, than money and influence. A life with Him is of much greater value than anything this age has to offer. There is nothing to compare with the freedom of a heart that is soaring in love, walking in whole-hearted obedience to Him and His ways. Nothing. To abandon your rights to everything, time, money, hopes, dreams, health, comfort, personal rights- to lay all of these things down for the sake of love, trusting His heart, committing our souls into HIs hands. I am never more alive than when I am wholly His, holding nothing back.
"And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."
Heb.11:15-16

the wedding

Yesterday was an important day. It was Ruthie's (Houser's kind mother) birthday, the first day of our DTS here, and the day when Robert and Mami got married in Aizawl. It was so beautiful. Both Mami and Robert work for the UN, especially to help prevent AIDS, and to work with those already infected. One of the things that they had at their wedding was a group of ex-drug addicts that they have helped, sing a song. It was so incredible and brought tears to my eyes. They have both touched so many lives.

We are once again, safely in Shillong after 14 hours in a Sumo today. I have so much more I want to share about the wedding and our trip. More will come in the days to follow.

Bride Price Ceremony

We have been in Aizawl for a few days and are greatly enjoying the warmer weather. Our friend is getting married tomorrow and it has been so fascinating to be a part of the wedding traditions here. Last night was the bride price ceremony and it's a very serious and interesting gathering of family. There is a tradition here that every Mizo bride's family must be given 420 rupees for the bride, and it must be paid in 5 rupee coins. So for the bride price ceremony, all of the girl's family is invited and only 3 representatives come from the Groom's side to distribute the money and to make different negotiations.

Many years ago this 420 rupees was a significant amount, but these days it is mostly just to preserve tradition. The Sailos (which our friend is) are the chieftain clan and their brides are worth 520 rupees. Also all the extended family must each be given 20-50 rupees as well. So last night we gathered and had a huge feast and then the money was handed out. Now she officially belongs to that family and after her wedding tomorrow she will go and live with his family. She's not supposed to even visit her family that often, especially in the first year.
In the event of a divorce, the bride's family just gives the bride price back and the divorce is considered final.
Last night Houser also taught at a church in Bawn Kawn and it was a really neat night.

We will be here until Thursday morning, then we will return to Shillong. So many travels these days, but we have really had such a great time here amongst our friends.

Where in the world is Shillong?

Many people wonder where we are and so I wanted to post a map of India. Up to the right you will see a section that is a deeper purple, this is the "Northeast," also known as the seven sisters. One of the states is Mizoram, where we will be travelling this week. Also, you can see Nagaland, Assam, and West Bengal, where we often have to go for various reasons. We are near China, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. A lot of the people in the Northeast are ethnically related to Tibetans and Mongolians and their languages belong to a language grouping called Tibeto Burman. It is very different from the rest of India.

Mizoram

This is a picture of a traditional Mizo dance that staff at our base performed at a culture night some time ago. The next picture is of Houser's parents, Jim and Ruthie, and friends, Ike and Thelma, who came out to visit him in 2004. Everyone here was so happy to meet them and they were given various shawls, puans, and mecclas from different tribes in the Northeast to show honor and respect. When most people think of India, sarees, salwars, and lungees come to mind as the traditional dress. Where we live there are a lot more tribal people and their traditional dress is much different. Day to day, they wear much more 'westernized' clothing, but I so love the richness of the different cultures here.

Tonight we are going to Mizoram, which is about 12 hours away, for our friends wedding and a ministry opportunity. In December we had a group of Mizo's come from Aizawl to do Mission Adventures and they invited Houser to come back to their church to speak and challenge their youth group. So Monday night he will be speaking at their church and Wednesday we will be attending the wedding. We will come back to Shillong on Thursday.

Korean Fan Dance

While we were in Siliguri, we crossed paths with the Korean team on their ministry outreach trip. They have already gone to several states here in the Northeast and will continue to minister here for a couple more weeks. Part of their outreach includes traditional Korean dances and Taekwondo, including breaking several pieces of wood together (really!). Some of their traditional dances are similar to some of the dances of Tibetans and people from the Northeast. It was so beautiful to watch them dance and share their hearts, they have been a true blessing to so many of us.

Sunny, from our Shillong base, has been helping to lead the team and organize where they stay and do ministry. She is originally from South Korea and is very happy to speak Korean and eat Korean food.

Beverley Joy is Coming!

Beverley is coming to Shillong, hooray! Beverley and I have been good friends for a long time and she has an incredible heart for God. She is originally from Australia and we met for the first time in Kansas City at the International House of Prayer (IHOP). We were there for quite some time together and then moved back to California to work at EHOP, a house of prayer in Redlands. We lived together and worked together for a little over 6 months before she returned to Australia. We have had many adventures together including a road trip across America.

We didn't see each other for a long time but then she flew back to America for our wedding on June 17th last year and we got to hang out a lot and laugh a bunch.

We have been talking and praying and she is probably coming out here early March to work with us here for some time. She is like a sister to me and I'm so excited for her to come. We are probably going to start a prayer team to increase prayer here in Shillong for this city and the surrounding nations. This is such an answer to prayer. Hooray, hooray.

there and back again

We have arrived safely back in Shillong after a long journey. Our train was delayed by six hours and so we hung out for a good chunk of time in the train station. We had a really good time in Siliguri, and yet somehow I'm thankful to be home.

We have come home to a much fuller base as most of our staff have returned from their holidays. We are starting a new Discipleship Training School (DTS) on Jan. 25th which is only a week away. This week there is a lot of staff training going on and everyone is just getting ready for the students to come.

Houser and I have been invited to a very good friends wedding in Aizawl, Mizoram on the 25th. Houser had been asked previously to speak at a church there as well, so we will be leaving Shillong again very soon. The journey is about 12 hours by Sumo (a big jeep sort of thing) and we may be leaving as soon as this Saturday. We have so many different things planned in these next three months and so much travelling to do. Anyway, right now it feels so good to be home. Home, sweet home.

life is precious

We have reached safely and are doing well. Siliguri is usually a crazy hot sort of place and somehow when we got here we were surprised at how very cold it is this time of year. We packed entirely wrong and have had to borrow some shawls and things to keep warm. We have been meeting with everyone who is involved with FM and church planting here in NE India. It has been a good time to get together and pray and seek the heart of God for what we are doing. It has been good to see some friends that we haven't seen for along time.
One of the first days that we were meeting together, someone got a phone call and we found out that Sudhakar, a major YWAM leader in South India had been killed on a motorcycle riding home. The ironic thing was that someone who came here to speak and share had just been with him the day before in Hyderabad for a meeting and they hd stayed up until 1am laughing and joking around. I had known him and his wife when I had worked in Tamil Nadu and so this news really shook our hearts. There is something that happens to my heart when I find out that someone I knew and respected has passed away. It makes me reevaluate my life and realign my heart with what I want to matter in eternity. Over and over it strikes me again, this world is not our home. I was just reading in Revelation about how God will wipe away every tear from our eye and there will be no more death, no more sorrow, no more pain... there is such a comfort to the fact that we are of a kingdom that will never end, that His kingdom will never pass away. I have such a desire and longing that in this life I will love God, that I will spend my life on things that have eternal value. This life is a vapor, it is here today and gone tomorrow. God never changes. There has been an urgency in my heart these past couple of days to say like the psalmist," Teach me to number my days aright that I may gain a heart of wisdom."
It's so crazy, this guy woke up in the morning after being at a meeting for a week. Got on his scooter, which he had done thousands of other times, and somewhere along the way a truck hit him. He has a wife and a daughter. He never made it home. No one knew that that would happen. Just in a moment of time, everything changed.

Sunday Morning

We just returned from a large meeting of youth and youth workers from all over different places in Meghalaya. Houser was asked to speak on the subject, "Come let us rise and build" from Nehemiah. I'm not exactly sure the exact number of people there, but there were quite a few from many different age groups. There was a main room and then a couple other side rooms where the message was being translated into Nepali and Garo. It was honestly a really neat opportunity and he communicated his heart very well.
One thing we have really been praying for is more Khasi and Garo workers and so it was a good time to share with them and challenge them to follow God's plan and destiny for their lives. Right after, we went and had tea and snacks with some pastors and leaders.

I just wanted to send a quick update before we left for West Bengal. In about an hour, we'll be leaving and won't return for another week. Again I'm not very sure if I'll have time and access to a computer in this next week, so I may not be writing much.

God is so good and kind and answers the desires of our heart. His ways are not always 'safe', but always worth it. For every season there is a reason, for sure.

Nikki

Nikki is the daughter of Poonam and Guha and she is almost five years old. During our Hindi lessons every day, she is a source of great entertainment and joy. She is an incredibly gifted dancer and knows all of the latest hindi songs. She is really adorable and is incredibly hospitable. Nearly every day she will ask her mom if she is going to give us tea or not. Even when we are not there, she always tells her mom to save food for us and pieces of cake.

One of the phrases that Houser says over and over again is "Meera patni bahout sunder hai," meaning, my wife is very beautiful. Houser will tell it to Nikki every day and she'll always groan and roll her eyes. She thought this was so funny that she told her dad about it at night. She's started a dance now called, "Meera patni bahout sunder hai," and we all laugh hysterically every time she does it.

Needless to say, we are having so much fun with Nikki and look forward to hanging out with her and her family. Tomorrow we are supposed to go to a park nearby with Poonam and Nikki and learn Hindi there. This park has a little petting zoo sort of place so we can learn the name of different animals, flowers and all sorts of park vocabulary.

On the Road Again

This last week has been restful and yet somehow we have stayed quite busy. An outreach team from America has come and so we have spent some time with them giving an orientation of Shillong and hanging out.
Finally, here at our base, some people are coming back from their holiday at home and it doesn't feel so much like a ghost town around here. It is good to have some of our friends back with us and the rest of the staff should be returning this week. Houser really loves smoked pork and a couple of people have kindly brought some back for him. Now, I just need to learn how to cook it. :)

Houser has been asked to share with a group of about 2,000 youth this Sunday. So this week he is also preparing for that and we are looking forward to such a neat opportunity. Right after that we will be leaving to catch a train. We have a meeting in West Bengal and so we'll be gone for about a week. I'll try to write a couple of updates there but it just depends on how much free time we have. So overall, we are doing well these days, and just trying to stay warm as the weather continues to get colder.

devotion

More than 1.1 million Muslims are expected in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Pilgrims pray at Mecca's Holy Mosque, and walk around the Kaaba seven times in an anti-clockwise direction to perform the tawaf.

Poonam, the lady who has been so graciously teaching us Hindi, is a hindu and I'm blown away by her devotion to her gods. She wakes up every morning and does puja, which is a a time of prayer and worship. She fasts one day every week and also once a month on the full moon. The fast for the full moon is for the long life of her husband. One day, during our lessons, she mentioned something about Lord Shiva, a god, and she spoke of him with such love and respect in her voice. I was talking to Houser and saying, she speaks of him, the way I speak of Jesus. Her husband is a Christian. If she were ever to give her life to Jesus, her family would never talk to her again.

Houser was talking to another guy the other day and this man said that his favorite god is Kali, the god of death, because she is dangerous.

Here we are surrounded by so many different tribes and peoples and religions. I'm often challenged and moved by what people do for their various gods and how they think they will find favor in their sight. So many people sacrifice so much and live in so much fear, devoted to so many things that will never bring their hearts the peace or love they are searching for. Sometimes it's all really disheartening and overwhelming.