The Nelson Family Indonesia

My job is to travel. But I usually do this alone. This month however, I was blessed to have two traveling buddies!

Deaconess Sandra Rhein and teacher Melinda (Mindy) Thews met me in Manila, Philippines prior to our joint journey northwards to Baguio for a week-long Deaconess/Sunday School teacher training. Sandra and I have worked together before in Baguio, but this was my first extended time around Mindy. It was a great experience, to say the least! Both ladies are dynamic teachers, excited about God’s Word and how to share it best with others as well as encourage fellow-believers through it. Sandra’s expertise is in music and liturgy while Mindy’s expertise is in teaching. For a week, 85 women (well, mostly women – there were maybe 5 men or so in there as well!) ranging in age from probably early 20’s to late 60’s laughed, learned, and played together.

The bus ride up to Baguio only took about four hours. This is probably the fastest time I’ve ever made it to or from Baguio from Manila! This is additionally impressive because as we were arriving in Manila, we were following a typhoon that didn’t make landfall but fueled the rainy season in the Manila area to epic proportions, flooding many districts of the city more than at any time in the last decade or more. We weren’t sure if we were even going to be able to land in Manila, but we did and found there were fewer (far fewer!) vehicles on the road in the aftermath of the typhoon. Fortunately the downtown area where we stayed overnight before our bus ride to Baguio was less affected by the heavy rains and flooding.

We enjoyed Sunday worship & Holy Communion at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Baguio on Sunday, and then hit the ground running Monday.

It was wonderful watching a church full of church workers turn into little kids again as they practiced the lessons Mindy taught. While Sandra brought much needed teaching on male and female identities in Christ, and I rounded out the day with catechetical review, it was clear the favorite time for the attendees was Mindy’s sessions on Sunday School lesson ideas.

The week went quickly and I arranged everything in advance and sent Sandra and Mindy back yesterday to Manila so they could find their way homewards (to Indiana and Taiwan, respectively). I however stayed in Baguio, preparing for a 2-week cram session at the Seminary. More on that next!

Please pray for the workers of the Lutheran Church of the Philippines, that they might continue to faithfully and eagerly present the Gospel to friends and neighbors!