This is our first home service. As career overseas workers we come back every two years to visit with friends, family, and partners. Once upon a time this was popularly construed – both by workers and receiving congregations – as an appeal for continued funding. These days, due to the generosity of so many people, it becomes more about sharing the story of what the Holy Spirit is doing both at home and abroad. A time to celebrate.
Part of that story-sharing has become Reconnects at the LC-MS International Center in St. Louis. Workers returning to the States are asked to come to St. Louis. It’s an opportunity for workers to reconnect with the people who helped onboard them to the organization and gave them preliminary tools to do their work. It’s also an opportunity for folks at the home office to meet and connect with the workers they support through their work in publications, advancement, the LC-MS web site and many, many other departments.
Our reconnect was on Thursday April 11. The day before we had free and it gave us the opportunity to reconnect a little with the city we spent three years in during my seminary education. We saw the house where we organized an experiment in communal Christian living during our seminary years, and marveled at how much property values had increased in just 20 years! Because of that experiment, and me teaching full-time and attending seminary full-time, our time in St. Louis is not one of our fondest memories. But still it was fun to see a few things.
Even more importantly was the opportunity to reconnect with old friends.
Gary & Christine are friends of over 25 years now. We met them at our campus ministry at Arizona State University when they were undergrad and graduate students, respectively. They married the year we left for seminary and then joined us there in the communal house a year later. And then stayed in St. Louis after we departed. It was great to see them again and take turns sharing about the changes in our various lives. They’ve known Gena and I since before we were married and knew our kids when they were infants and toddlers, and I think they get a kick out of seeing them now at the ages they themselves were when we first met them!
We also got to reconnect with Barb and Benno, more long-time friends we met during campus ministry days as well. They live in Missouri but spent a few years in Arizona while their son Bing attended the technology university I taught at and attended our campus ministry. When we came to St. Louis we enjoyed frequent stops with Barb & Benno on our road trips back and forth from St. Louis to Phoenix to have children (with our midwife in Phoenix) and visit family.
We had much time reminiscing, catching up, sharing stories, and laughing.
Thursday we arrived at the International Center first thing in the morning for meetings and chapel and a tour of the IC and the different departments. It was great to put faces with names (in both directions I’m sure!) and learn more about how our work in SE Asia is supported by the staff in St. Louis. It was a full day but a good day. You can be proud of how our Church works hard to support workers and congregations all over the world!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 