Pastor Phill and I met years ago when he and his wife would worship with our congregation in Santa Barbara while they were on vacation. So when he heard we were taking an overseas Call and would be in the Phoenix area for a while he was the first to reach out and invite me to meet with other pastors he knows. But finding a time for us to visit with his congregation was a bit more complicated due to our respective travel commitments.
But we finally managed it! I was privileged to bring the Word of God to the saints at Crown of Life at their Saturday evening as well as Sunday morning worship service, and to present about LCMS global work and our role in it. The congregation was very welcoming and receptive – not surprising for Lutherans!
This also represents the last of our original slate of congregational visits we began planning back in May as we left Santa Barbara and geared up for sharing our story and finding partners around the country. God is so very good and has blessed us greatly in that process, both in terms of meeting people as well as in financial support. Our travel schedule for parter-building will scale back considerably at this point but we’ll continue to meet with congregations (or groups and individuals) whenever we can arrange the opportunity.
For instance, we’re leaving Phoenix for the next 4-6 weeks, headed to the beautiful Pacific Northwest since our lease here is up in a few days. On the way we’ll stop in Las Vegas at the invitation of Grace Lutheran in Henderson. I hope to be able to meet with at least a few congregations in the areas of Seattle and Tacoma also. Let me know if you know of a congregation up there (or a friend or family member who attends) that might be open to meeting!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 