Today (Sunday) was the final day of the Foro. We worshiped together at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Baguio, then had time to grab a quick bite to eat before piling into the van for the 5-hour drive back to Manila. Thankfully our travel was good, and we arrived in Manila and at our hotel… Continue reading Foro Day 3
Foro Day 2
For the second day of this Foro we took to the roads. Literally. The LCP provided us with a van to carry our group members northwards five hours to the city of Baguio, where the Lutheran Theological Seminary (LCP) sits enshrined in pine trees and general loveliness. The company was pretty good on the drive.… Continue reading Foro Day 2
Foro Day 1
Foros are supposed to bring partner organizations together with LCMS OIM and partner church leadership to hear about the goals and strategies of the partner church, and then to determine how partner organizations might be able to bring resources to bear to assist in achieving those goals. The partner church drives everything. However for this… Continue reading Foro Day 1
Evolving Relationships
As my role has evolved from roving theological educator to Area Facilitator and managing key relationships both internally within our deployed staff in Asia as well as with partner church bodies and potential partner church bodies in about ten countries, inauguration of Foros as a new way of integrating relationships between LCMS partner organizations and… Continue reading Evolving Relationships
Staying Healthy
Certainly a major concern no matter where you live or what you do is health. So easy to take for granted when all is well, but we can easily be sidelined when health struggles occur. Serving overseas offers additional challenges in terms of getting good health care at all stages from diagnosis to treatment to… Continue reading Staying Healthy
Abroad, But Still American
So of course we joined in the annual American tradition – watching the Superbowl! We’ve done this almost every year with friends of ours in Medan. We have to get up early – kickoff is at 6:30am Monday morning, Medan time. Our snacks this year included a ceviche with chips, breakfast pizzas, and literal pounds… Continue reading Abroad, But Still American
Legendary Ladies
The Asia Region held a Women’s Retreat in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It’s the first one in quite some time, and participation and anticipation were running high. All the women in the Asia team, whether Called workers or spouses, were invited and the response was very good. The theme was centered around managing changes through life,… Continue reading Legendary Ladies
Sunday in Seoul
Our last day in Seoul. Worship in the morning, and then for me, the long stretch from lunch to midnight and my red-eye flight back to Kuala Lumpur. Worship at International Lutheran Church was a great experience. The community is warm and welcoming. I was asked to preach and lead the Bible study before worship,… Continue reading Sunday in Seoul
Planning – Day 2
A second day of planning. The main difference being that overnight it snowed! Not a lot of snow, and most of it melted away by mid-morning, but it was still beautiful and impressive. Our meeting concluded well. After thorough discussion on every area of the region, the next step will be to assemble a budget… Continue reading Planning – Day 2
Planning – Day 1
Asia Leadership consists of an executive and more general level. The executive level positions – Regional Director and Regional Business Manager – are currently vacant after some changes last year. In their stead we had Rev. Dr. Brian Gauthier joining us. Normally he manages all four of Office of International Mission Regional Directors, but he’s… Continue reading Planning – Day 1
The Nelson Family Indonesia 