Oh, the People You’ll Meet!

I had the opportunity to meet an unexpected visitor this week!

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from a man at one of our first supporting congregations, Peace Lutheran Church Camarillo. Our connections with this congregation go way back – to my first pastoral Call just out of seminary. I was called to the other LCMS congregation in Camarillo, and so made acquaintances with the pastor at Peace and his DCE, Mike. Mike since has been ordained and taken over the role of pastor after his predecessor retired a few years ago.

The e-mail was from a member of this congregation, indicating he was going to be coming through Medan. That’s not something I hear often. Or, really, ever. Medan is not a tourist destination. But Medan is a gateway to one of the most beautiful places in the world – Lake Toba. This is an incredible volcanic lake – with an island in the middle of it. One of our favorite getaway spots in North Sumatra. And this man’s intended destination.

True to his word he arrived this evening. I met him near the train station that runs from the airport to the center of town and we had coffee as we chatted. He remembered us from our family visit to Peace last spring, and while I hadn’t chatted extensively with him then our kids had. He also delivered some beautiful notes of encouragement from our brothers and sisters in the US, something that’s hard for us to get because of the unreliable mail system in Medan.

I assisted him in locating transportation to Bukit Lawang, a unique and beautiful orangutan preserve a few hours outside of town. The next morning he was confident he’d be able to find transport to Lake Toba.

Thirty years ago or so he came across Lake Toba on a solo-trek through Asia and fell in love. This was his first opportunity to return and he relished not only seeing this incredible place again but enjoying a bit of an adventure on the way.

The above was the last I saw of him as he headed out with a random driver. But he was clearly excited about the days ahead. I was grateful to receive word from him shortly before he departed Indonesia towards the US. He’d had a wonderful time!

So, if any of you are considering a visit, lemme know!