The Nelson Family Indonesia

It’s that time of year again. Leggings. Sweaters. Scarfs. Hints of cool weather turning less subtle, leaves on the trees yielding to mortality in blinding beauty. Pumpkin spice…well…everything. It is that time of year, but you wouldn’t know it here. Same heat, same humidity, same sun, same rain – and palm trees are not deciduous, we’ve discovered.

It doesn’t mean we don’t long for the changing of seasons and the idea of cooler weather even if we can’t experience those things firsthand. So we try for the next best thing – attempting to recreate bits and pieces of those seasons in our new home.

Next Friday we’ll host a Halloween party for, well, everyone. But specifically for those at our language school with young children who might either be missing the opportunity to trick or treat or may have yet to be introduced to the custom. Our kids are helping to plan it out with another US family. They have a small stash of American candy leftover from this summer they’ll share out with the young’uns, we’ll figure out some basic decorations and have everyone bring some little tidbits to share. The little ones can trick or treat at the front door and the bedroom doors to accumulate a little stash of candy that should keep them wired the rest of the evening and the next few days.

We’ll just sugar ’em up & send ’em home 🙂

We’re also working to formulate plans for Thanksgiving. Our language school has traditionally done a small Thanksgiving event so we will help them expand that a little bit. We’ve heard it is possible to get a frozen turkey, but we have to investigate those leads. It may wind up we get to host or help several different celebrations with different groups of people. Time will tell. But it’s fun to have that to look forward to.

And it is possible to get a few Christmas items here – we’ve already seen fake Christmas trees at the local Ace Hardware stores. But it’s way too soon to think seriously about that!

In a less fall-centric vein, we’re also looking forward to our first visit to Singapore at the end of Halloween weekend and into the first week of November. I’m looking forward to meeting the Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Singapore (LCS), the Right Revereng Lu Guan Hoe. He is the third bishop of the LCS, elected and installed in 2021. The LCMS has been out of touch with the LCS for several years so starting to re-establish a relationship has been at the top of my priority list. I’ll have time to meet with him one afternoon and then visit Trinity Theological College in Singapore. Please pray it is a good connection and might lead to further opportunities to work together in the future.